Hi there ...

So sorry you've not had an answer yet, so will answer as best I can , as I'm not qualified... just someone who's on my cancer journey....

Yes occaisionaly lumps turn out bigger or more advanced .. sometimes it's not as bad as thought .. that's why they send lumps off for biopsy's. ..  

Radiothy is different for every one ... some sail through with only mild side effects ... my untie did .. she just got a little tired ... others a bit more ... 

Hormone therapy , well I got really emotional ... and others got aches and pains in joints and bones .. but those usually get a bit better over time ... I was on tamoxifen... I was o.k after a few months .. it's usually when it's oestrogen based cancer ...

The actual surgery was the easiest part for me .. though armpit where lymph nodes are taken ... does ache for a while and takes a while to use normal again ...  a nice bra without under wire ... is needed after op ... and nice loose night wear ...

Hope that helps a tad ... it's only my expierance ... hope others pop by to help too .. Chrissie x

Thank you for the reply! How long were you in hospital for while you were having radiotherapy?

mine is hormone positive for both hormones ‍♀️ X

Hi ..

I never had radio therapy as I've got lots of problems with my bones .. so couldn't risk making them even weaker .. I had a grade 3 her 2 neg oestrogen positive lump... and total right masectomy in July 2017 ..

I stayed in three days as l have very low blood pressure too ... but lots go home same day, and are fine .. @Rilleyroo was one ... 

My untie got one a few months after .. and more or less the same as me .. but she had the radiotherapy and was fine ..  anything else .. just ask ... it's really scary waiting .. but there's lots of us breast lasses on here and those that came around the same time .. wer all still here .. but oh the wait is horrible... always here if you want a chat .. well most days anyway ...  Chrissie x

Hi lesley

As Chris says, the pathology can change after operation, I went from stage 0 to stage 1 but then I had dense breasts and the invasive was hiding in there.

i have been through radiotherapy and it doesn’t hurt - it’s very similar to having an X-ray. You’ll be in radiotherapy for about ten minutes but most of this will be the radiologists getting you into the right position, radiotherapy itself takes about 3 minutes. Difficult to know how long you’ll have to sit in the waiting room before your called and then add the journey time to and from the centre.

hormone therapy - some have side effects, some don’t. Side effects can be managed through other meds that your GP can prescribe.As Chris says, take this time to get all you need for surgery, Asda do some great comfort bras as does Primark, I also got reinforced tops in Primark £2.50, they are great for days I don’t want to wear a bra plus great to sleep in.

Try not to worry, the professionals know what they’re doing and the treatment is very doable x

Hi Lesley,

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I was diagnosed with stage 1 in May, I didn’t have a lump or any symptoms so was a hell of a shock. I had a lumpectomy, all went well, got a couple of infections in my wounds but were quickly sorted.

I had 3 weeks of radiotherapy at the beginning of August, I didn’t have any problems just red skin, the staff were lovely and so kind, I was really lucky in my hospital that my appointments were always on time so in total was only in the hospital about 30 mins each day.

Ive been taking tamoxifen for almost 3 months now and all seems to be ok, my hot flushes are very few and far between now, they were pretty bad before, I’m 48.

I was very positive throughout the whole process, it was only once my treatment finished that I’ve struggled a bit more with worrying about it coming back. 

Hope that answers some of your questions, hope your op goes ok x

Thank you so much for all the replies!

so far my hospital have been brilliant so I’m hoping it’s not a long waiting time for treatment too. My partner is working away for a couple of months (too good money to refuse and especially now I won’t be working for a while) and I’m hoping to avoid childcare where possible!

i hope you get good results, try not to worry too much (I know it’s hard not to) xx