Thank you Chrissie,

It is reassuring to hear your experience of a mastectomy. I'm still numb to everything but I do want to get rid of that "nasty evil lump" then I can focus on whatever treatment comes next.

In 2 years I hope I am wearing a similar tee shirt.  Thank you xx

I too am in the same boat, newly diagnosed. 

I've an mri scan to do and then I am told I'll start chemo to shrink my lump. 

Then surgery after chemo. 

They said it'll be a two week wait for mri scan as they do them on Mondays and Monday coming is a bank holiday. 

Do you have a time scale given to you? 

Hi, when I was told I needed a MRI the Specialist Nurse told me it would be approxiamtly  a 2 week wait..  This was on a friday I then received a phone call on the tuesday from the MRI team and was scanned on the thursday. I got the impresssion the hospital I am attending carry out scans on several days per week.  x

Thank you Annies, I don't feel like I'm in any rush for the mri as I feel the worst waiting is over. 

That last week was lllooonnngggggg. 

Hello darling, have hope. Try to distract yourself in between now and then. It won’t be as scary as you think, sending love xo

Hi Libra, Annies and Chicken,

I am sorry to hear that you are all on the cancer rollercoaster. Waiting  for a diagnosis is always a scary time, as there are so many unknowns and, time almost seems to stand still while you are waiting for your test results.

It is good to hear that your consultants are leaving no stone unturned and that you are waiting for or have had MRIs too. I have had 2 bouts of breast cancer in the past 9 years. First time around I had a lumpectomy followed by Tamoxifen for 1 year. I found another lump in the same breast the following year and had a double mastectomy followed by 6 years of Letroxole. I stopped taking the Letrozole in July 2017.

Like Chrissie, I found the mastectomies much easier than I expected them to be and healed up quite quickly afterwards. Chrissie has given you all excellent advice.

The best music I found for my MRIs was 'Bat out of Hell' by Meatloaf. I am by no means a fan of his, but this is the best I have come across for blocking out the clunks and clicks associated with the MRI machine.

I hope that you all get your diagnoses soon and can start any treatment required.  You will all feel much better when you know exactly what you are dealing with.

As Chrissie says, we are always here for you and, we know just how scary this whole process is from first hand experience.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx 

Hi

The surgeon has told me I will have a lumpectomy within next couple weeks, got to have MRI but the machine is only available to them on Mondays, and as next week is Bank Holiday it will probably be the following Monday May 13th, I really wish we did not have these Bank Holidays !! I have to go for pre op next Tuesday and as long as the MRI does not show anything else I will have the lumpectomy around the 20th May. They have told me I can have the choice of a lumpectomy or mastectomy, it seems they give you the choice. Lumpectomy followed by radiology they are planning to do. Anyone else had this choice?? Ihave thought should I have the mastectomy.

This is a waiting game, every day feels like a week!!

Libra59

My doc said after the chemo it will be lumpectomy or mastectomy, so I think I'll too have a choice, but I think it depends on size of lump after chemo for me.

I've read on the breast care site that both have good results. I really don't know what I'd chose but I suppose I might lean toward lumpectomy if it was a viable choice. 

Seems we might have the MRI scan the same Monday.

Never even asked about results of that, but they are positive which means I'm not worried about it. 

Hi all

so sorry you’ve had to join this ever growing group of BC folks on here - but this is such an excellent forum to be able to ask questions or just rant ! Sadly so many of us have or had BC but it does help to talk to others in same boat so to speak. I was diagnosed with triple negative BC last September and had left mastectomy in October . The waiting was definitely the worse part and yes you are in a bubble - I think I’m still in that bubble but as I’ve finished my chemo and almost finishe d radiotherapy it definitely feels good to think you’ve kicked cancers ***! I’m even planning my return to work - can’t wait for that routine again . It has been tough but like others on here I’ve had my wonderful family supporting me - remember what ladies say on here - you can and will do it - thinking of you and sending hugs x take care

Hi Libra,

What a pity that your hospital only does MRIs on a Monday and, you are unfortunate enough to hit a Holiday weekend.

It is always difficult to make the right decision of lumpectomy versus mastectomy, as nobody wants to lose a breast uneccessarily. I have had both and, must confess that I felt much happier after I had my double mastectomy, as I felt that everything had been removed and, I had done all I could to get rid of the cancer.  That was almost 9 years ago and I've never looked back.

Sadly, the decision is one that only you can make and, you have to live with that for the rest of your days, so you have to decide what is right for you.

I sincerely hope that you reach the right decision for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx