I was on her a few weeks back while I was nervously awaiting biopsy results on a suspicious looking lump in my left breast. It turned out to be breast cancer. I was told it was: grade 2, 18mm and that according to the ultrasound and mammogram my lymph nodes looked fine. The consultant told me that they’re confident that they will be able to successfully treat me.
I very quickly started to get my head around the diagnosis. Yeah it was *** that I had cancer but it was caught early and treatment wouldn’t be too gruelling. Based on all of my Dr Google research - I was under the impression I’d be looking at a lumpectomy followed by radiotherapy and hormone therapy. Oh, I wasn’t told the receptor status but the doctor told me it’s unlikely to be triple negative or HER2 because it isn’t grade 3 therefore she suspects its hormone receptive.
Fast forward 1 week. I go in for an MRI. I had been reassured by the consultant the week before that the MRI was just to get a better view of the breasts ahead of surgery. 3hrs after the MRI I get a call from the hospital telling me they’d like me to come back in tomorrow for an ultrasound. I completely freaked. Couldn’t eat or sleep for the rest of that day. Went to the appointment and met a radiologist who explained that the MRI had flagged up three more areas of concern. Oh and that according to the MRI the tumour was now 28mm and not 18mm as originally thought. Of the three areas of concern 1 turned out to be a lymph node close to the tumour which she said had probably just reacted to the biopsy if had two weeks prior. She wasn’t worried about that one but still did a biopsy. The other two we’re lymph nodes in my armpit area. She said they were enlarged. Her words were “they’re not huge but they’re bigger than the others”. She then did a fine needle aspiration of one of the enlarged nodes and told me I’d get the results the following week when I am due to have treatment plan meeting (this Friday).
I have fallen to pieces upon hearing this additional news. I didn’t think the goalpost could just shift like that. I thought anticipating or hearing the words “I’m sorry, you have breast cancer” was the worst thing ever. Turns out - it can get worse!
I suppose I’m looking for some reassurance from fellow breast cancer girls on here. Has anyone had wildly different sizing of their tumour and if so, which turned out to be most accurate out of MRI, ultrasound and mammogram? I also wanted to know if anyone has had swollen lymph nodes that have turned out to be nothing?
I just didn’t think the goal post could shift. I was originally diagnosed as stage 1a. Now, depending on how many lymph nodes are involved I could be looking at 3a!
