Hi MickeyM,

A very warm welcome to our forum. 

Stereotactic biopsy will give your team the chance to look at your breast in more detail. This doesn't always signify bad news, but is a good sign that your care team is being thorough. It is impossible to find out much until the results of your biopsy come back and you know exactly what you are dealing with. You should find some information about DCIS and calcifications on the Cancer Research Website. Try to avoid consulting Dr Google, as much of his information is out of date, poorly researched and aimed at the more spectacular cases. This will only serve to worry you further.

There is a lady called Karen1971 on the forum. She has been posting under the title ‘Waiting on breast biopsy results.’ If you do a search for her, you may be able to help one another through this.

Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Thank you Jolamine, your reply was really helpful and appreciated. Thank you so much for taking the time xx 

Hi MickeyM,

The main thing to remember after surgery is to make sure to do your exercises regularly. Your frozen shoulder is something you could do without right now, but here's hoping that your appointment for that will help.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Thank you Jolamine, It seems the letter from orthopaedic hospital was just to let me know I'm on the waiting list for the frozen shoulder. Hopefully. I'll get an appointment soon.  I will make sure I know what exercises I need to do and do them, so thank you for that tip also. I'll keep you posted. Hugs Mickey xx 

Hi MickeyM,

I hope that you get an appointment through soon. My hubby has been on the waiting list for physio since January. Last week he received a letter telling him that he would get a phone consultation soon. What good is that for someone who is having real difficulty in walking?

Take care.

Jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine, I'm so sorry to hear about your husbands difficulty walking and horrendous waiting times for physio. That must be so hard for him and you also. I really hope the phone consultation is soon and that he then gets fast tracked for the physio and any other treatment(s) he needs. Sending positivity to you and your family. Mickey xx 

Hi MickeyM,

Thank you.

Regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine, I just wondered if your husband has had his phone consultation yet? Here's hoping. 
 

Just an update - I had an upsetting first consultation with the plastic surgeon yesterday and my sister came with me and we both left a bit distraught. In brief, it was like he hadn’t read a thing and was trying to convince me to choose every option other than the diep I had already agreed. Then he tried to just send me away and it was far worse than this, but in short I had to get quite s**ty and say I was expecting a date for surgery and not accepting this avoidance drivel … I had to insist he sent me for photos because he couldn’t be bothered to fill in the form and he hadn’t even organised any MRI I need (likely two week wait). I was clear that I expect a date before Christmas as this is what I have always been told. 

I said I was not prepared to be wasting more weeks delays on other things. The plastics BCN said she had no time to see me that day and has booked for me to see her next Friday (what a waste of time that will probably be).  
 

I rang my other BCN later and she did call me back last night and said now she knew the photos had been taken that she would work on pushing it forward and making sure it's heard again at next weeks MDT.  Six weeks til Christmas Day and so time is short. 
 

Please keep your fingers crossed for me Jolamine. 
love Mickey xx ️

Hi MickeyM,

After 11 months of waiting my husband got a letter yesterday, telling him that he will have a telephone consultation with the physiotherapist in December. 

I am so sorry to hear about the disgraceful way you were treated when you saw your consultant. I am glad that you had your sister with you and that you were able to stand up for yourself. I had problems like this with my first consultant too and it is so frustrating at a time when your emotions are already running high.

It is hard to believe that an MRI hadn't even been arranged and that you had to fight to get your photos taken. You were quite right to state that you expected it all to be done and dusted by Christmas as you were originally led to believe that it would and I hope, that he has at least taken this on board.

Here's hoping that your visit to the plastics nurse next week won't be so traumatic. Your breast care nurse seems more helpful and she's a good person to keep on side. Unfortunately, a number of people have had experiences like this and not all are able to stick to their guns.

I shall certainly be keeing everything crossed for you  and hope that your experiences over the next few weeks are a big improvement on this one.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine, I guess that's some progress that at least your husband will definitely get a phone consultation next month. I really hope that then starts to move things forward for him so that he starts having a better quality of movement and life. 
Thank you for your support, I really did feel like I was going back to square one.  As per your experience (thank you for sharing), I feel a bit emotionally raw and overwhelmed with it all now. I will stick to my guns though, I realise that their agenda is totally different to mine and I keep telling myself that I have to live with what happens next. 
The BCN has said she'll make some enquiries and get back to me tomorrow evening - I do know she'll do her best. 
I'll keep you posted, thanks again Mickey xx  

Hi Mickey,

It is so disheartening when you have an experience such as you've had. It is awful when you feel that your life is being taken over by others, albeit in a well meaning way and you don't have any control of it. I found this very difficult and, had to change surgeons after 11 months, as I had absolutely no faith in my consultant. That was the best thing that I ever did. You are quite right that it is your body and you have to live with the consequences, so why shouldn't you have a say?  These were my thoughts too, but I didn't make myself popular by voicing them.

I hope that the BCN will get back to you tomorrow evening with some positive news. I am always here for you Mickey. If I miss a post don't hesitate to contact me again, as I tend to dot around the forum and can easily miss a post when I'm on another thread.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Thank you Jolamine for your kind words and for sharing your experience with me. I will keep you posted and re-post if necessary, thank you Jolamine. Have a good day abs I will update you after I have spoken to the BCN. Mickey xx 

Thank you Jolamine for your kind words and for sharing your experience with me. I will keep you posted and re-post if necessary, thank you Jolamine. Have a good day abs I will update you after I have spoken to the BCN. Mickey xx 

Hi Mickey,

How are things going - have you heard any more from your BCN yet?

Regards,

Jolamine xx

Morning Jolamine, Thank you for checking in with me. Friday was good news, I have a provisional surgery date for 14/12, subject to CT scan showing adequate blood vessels and no higher priority case suddenly coming in - fingers crossed.   Also as I was in the same part of hospital that I had a CT scan booked for Sunday evening. I went with my letter as I had a query about it and they very kindly said they’d do it for me after my apt and so was a bit woozy from whatever they put in my arm cannula but very pleased they did that for me then.

Still unsure about my lymph node biopsy/removal and an email was sent about this Friday. Strangely I still haven't heard back from my usual BCN!! 
 

Fingers, toes and everything else crossed. 
 

Has your husband got a firm date for the phone assessment on December? 

Mickey xx 

Hi Mickey,

You will feel happy to have a date at last. Here's hoping that no higher priority cases come in the the meantime. I'm glad to hear that you have managed to get your CT out of the way earlier than expected. They may wait to remove a sample of your lymph nodes atthe time of surgery. That's what they did with me on both occasions.

I'm surprised that you haven't heard back from your BCN. They are usually quick to respond. Yes, hubby now has a date for 8th December, so here's hoping that he gets to see someone soon after that.

Keeping everything crossed that things start to move for you at last and hoping that it all goes well.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine, fingers and toes are crossed. I think you may be right about the lymph node removal as no-one is getting back to me about it. 
 

That's good news re finally getting a phone apt for hubby. Hoping that as you say he gets to see someone soon after. 
 

Mickey xx

Morning Jolamine, thanks for checking in on the other thread, really appreciated. Quick update: Interesting just had had my ultrasound on my 'frozen shoulder' and I've been told that that is caused by calcifications in my tendons - hmmmmmm wondering if there a link, very strange I have calcifications in my breast and arm/shoulder.... no comment made when I expressed that though !!! 
️xx

Hi Mickey,

Thanks for the update. I am not a doctor, but I doubt that the two lots of calcifications are related. We all get bony calcifications with arthritic changes in joints. It sounds as if this is what you have. Here's hoping that your doctor can confirm this for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Thanks Jolamine for coming back to me. I will be sure to mention it anyway - I need to try to ascertain why I have so much calcium I guess also! 

Not long now til your hubby's phone apt next week and so I'll be hoping he gets some help and support to go forward  then. 
Many thanks Mickey xx ️

Ho Mickey,

Write down any questions that come to mind and take them along with you. It is all too easy to forget something important i you don't do this.

 Yes, we are hoping that we might get a bit further towards improving hubby's mobility next week.

Jolamine  xx

Thank you Jolamine, I will, you're totally right whenever I don't, I forget. 

I hope so too for you both. 

ps: I think I forgot to say that they definitely are doing my sentinel node(s) at the time of the op. I have to go in the day before for the dye to be injected into my breast. 
Mickey xx ️

Hi Mickey,

It is good to hear that your sentinel node biopsy will be done at the same time as your op. It is normal to get the dye injected the day before.

Any news from your CT scan yet?

Regards,

Jolamine xx