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Very confused on breast dagnosis? Looking for advice?

Leanne404712
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Hello

I'm looking for some advice regarding my mum. She found a lump before Christmas. Went to the clinic and had a biopsy done, a scan and they went to biopsy under her arm to check her lymph nodes but said they don't believe it was needed. Anyway biopsy showed cancer so she went for a lumpectomy at the beginning of January and was on a tablet to stop all estrgeon in the mean time. When she finally had surgery they said when they scanned the lump it was 14mm and by surgery it was 24mm. They also took 3 lymph nodes. 2 weeks later we went back and they said out of the three lymph nodes 1 was positive for cancer cells so will need to go back to surgery to take more to see if anymore has spread.

Shes been given a date for surgery which is 2nd of March. We are so confused and asked can she be left with out any treatment this long with cancer? And their answers was "you don't have cancer we removed it" so then I asked about the cancer cells in the lymph nodes to be told we removed the positive one.... so when I pushed further and said but ur doing more surgery to check for more spread? The nurse then mumbled and said she will get the doctor to phone.

Does anyone have any experience? My mum suffers so bad with anxiety and an ambulance was called the other night due to a sever panick attack she thought she couldn't breath and now having confusing answers like this its making her freak out even more. 

Thank you 

  • Offline

    hmmm

    why isant she on chemotherapy 

    What are the tumours receptors

  • Offline in reply to WestieRuth

    Positive receptors. They were planning on doing radiation but when they found out one of her lymph nodes was positive they now held off on the radio and want further surgery to check if any more have cells in them

  • Offline in reply to Leanne404712

    is she on hormone medication and is she her positive

  • Offline in reply to WestieRuth

    No they stopped her hormone meds when they removed the tumor and shes estrogen recessive positive. After the surgery when they found positive cells in her lymph nodes I asked should she go back on her medication and they said "no as she doesn't have cancer" but shes going for further surgery as her lymph nodes came back positive cells so we are both very confused 

  • Offline in reply to Leanne404712

    im having chemo first and im the same but my lump is 3.7cm you need to discuss herceptain with them

  • Offline in reply to WestieRuth

    So are they giving u chemo and then further surgery? Our hospital is filling up quickly with covid patients so I'm worried they r stalling my mums operation/treatment due to that 

  • Offline in reply to Leanne404712

    i dont know if you have read my intro but here goes

    aged 54 history of pcos no children about 3 stone overweight history of fibrocystic disease

    Feb 2020 mammmogram normal three benign cyst drained feb may july

    Dec 2020 felt lump under  RT nipple diagnosedwith BC

    receptor positive for oestrogen and progesterone her 2 positive

    had two chemos with herceptan plan 18 cycles to clear lymph nodes and reduce tumour size currentky 37mm cancer in three lymph glands 

  • Offline in reply to WestieRuth

    I havent read ur intro. I have just joined so I'm very sorry your going through this. Watching my mum deal with it is so horrible so I can only imagine how your feeling. Where in the UK are u? As you and my mum seem similar but treatment completely different. You having chemo first and then removing lump but they removed my mums lump first and no treatment as now they want her to go back again to remove more lymph nodes to check for spread ? If that's positive they said further surgery to take even more. If that is negative then radiation. Its so confusing and im not understanding it at all. 

  • Offline in reply to Leanne404712

    [@Leanne404712]‍ 

    I'm 60.

    I was diagnosed with breast cancer ostrogen and progesterone positive. Her2 negative at the beginning of December. Straight into the operation. No chemo or radiatotherapy until after these operations and tests.

    I had a lumpectomy and sensory node biopsy at the end of December. Last Tuesday I had another operation to remove pre cancerous cells and the rest of my lymph nodes were removed. When the results come back from these biopsys that will decide what the next course of treatment I will be having. I do know I'll be having radiotherapy and hormone tablets but they are unsure if I need chemo until the results are back.

    Best wishes to your mum.

    Litchielou x

  • Offline in reply to Litchielou

    Sounds almost exactly like my mum so it must be normal then. My biggest worry was "if" there are positive cells in the nodes then leaving such long time between isnt the best idea but if your in a similar boat my guess is there isn't a worry then. Obviously doctors know what they are doing but because of the pressure on hospitals from covid I was panicking treatment was being slowed down.

     

    Thank you so much for your reply and hopefully you both get good news   I'm not sure which is worse.... the waiting and not knowing or the being told you have cancer. Best wishes to you both  

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