Hi Emma,

We all have to start somewhere and, we welcome anyone who can contribute to the forum. You may not feel that you have a lot to offer at the moment, but your experience can be invaluable to a 'newbie', who is at their wits end with worry.

I had great help from others on this forum when I was first diagnosed and this is why I try to help others who are so worried in their early days.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi

I have just seen your message and I am absolutely devastated that the outcome is looking like cancer.

It is difficult to know what to say.

I also have lost family and friends to cancer, although when my mum was being treated for bowel cancer, my friend's mum was also being treated in the same hospital for breast cancer, and whilst my mum passed away, my friend's mum is still going strong and cured 9 years later.  Her treatment was hard and I remember it made her very poorly but it worked... and that was a while ago now so lots will have improved and changed since then.

It sounds as though it has been caught early, which is good.

As far as telling family, it has to be your choice, and what you think is best, but it may be less shocking for them in two stages... like you have told your daughter, then she can get ready for the next news.

I told one sister, but not the other when I was waiting for results, as I knew one would be level headed and the other would not, so you know them best to judge what to do... just do what feels right for you just now.

They will want to support you and this will give you strength.

Have hope that if it is cancer there will be a treatment course ready.

I can understand now why everyone says the waiting is the worst, and it is better to know, so you know what's next.

Keep strong, will be thinking about you x

Thank you so much for your words weewitchie. Xx

Hi Moll

I hope you are ok x

Hi there, thank you for your message Emma.

im kind of ok thanks. I was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. It is hormone responsive which is a good thing apparently. The lymph nodes appear to be ok but they will remove the first two I think she said. I was expecting worse news in the end, after that awful week of waiting, so it's the best bad news I could have got really. 

So, The plan is surgery, but not for another 6-10 weeks which is a bit of a pain as obviously I want to get on with it all. And hopefully 'just' tamoxifen after.  I'm focusing on that being the plan. Hopefully I will avoid chemo & I will possibly avoid radiotherapy too as I am going for a masectomy. I've just been reading up on tamoxifen and so many women have horrendous symptoms on it. Oh well, I will just go with it and hope that I'm one of the few that seem to say that it's not that bad. Xx

Hi

It does sound as if it has at least been caught early and hopefully the lymth nodes will be clear.

The wait for the surgery is long, I hope its just 6 weeks not 10, as obviously your going to be worried all that time and will just want the opperation done as quick as possible, so that you can concentrate on the follow up treatment.

I hope you have been given reassurance that the wait will not make any difference; you would think if they needed to act quickly they would !

How have your family taken the news, it obviously impacts everyone around you and I hope you all getting plenty of support xx

The family have been great because fortunately  I've been able to deliver the news in quite a positive way. The hospital were incredibly encouraging and I was able to pass on a lot of good, positive information. It could have been a lot worse.

My first question was is that a chance it can spread if I have to wait that long and I was very reassured that it wouldn't. If it was more urgent I'm sure I'd have been in there next week xx

That's great, as although the news wasn't the best, like you said, it wasn't the worst, and it sounds like a very positive outlook, once the treatment is done.  Keeping positive will keep you well !!

Will you be able to carry on working, as I remember you were concerned that working with children, you may not be able to during the treatment? xx

I have been told to work up until surgery. They said that women who carry on as normal as possible tend to recover better from their surgery (psychologically I guess they mean... it's preferable to moping around waiting for the day to come) 

once surgery is done they said I'd need about three months off to recover. I was quite shocked by that. I don't mind being off work at all, I was just surprised that it would take that long. 
 

I mentioned catching bugs and things from the children in the meantime (coronavirus even!) and I was told that having cancer alone isn't a bigger risk factor. Having chemo & working with the children wouldn't be an option because of reduced immunity but hopefully I will be able to wok with hormone treatment xx

I guess carrying on is best if you can manage it, stress is exhausting !

Hopefully the shock of everything that has happened will lessen and knowing what is planned must help.

Everyone being more consious of germ spreading at the mo is positive :) if there's more hand washing going on that can only be a good thing !!

Having the 3 months off will be good to give you time to heal in body and mind...

I hope you are feeling better in yourself now you know what is happening xx