Worried about my mom

clickety_clack

My mom is 65. We live in South Africa. She recently found an inverted lump on the underside of her breast (for the first time.) I saw it once; it looked like a puckered belly-button. It had a mole-like-looking bit on the inside.

She went for FNA (fine needle aspiration) tests. The doctor said cancer cells were present, and that chemo may be needed. She went for a mammogram, but will only get the results later in +-6 weeks (the follow-up appointment is at the end of Jan 2014) (It's a government hospital)

She's been instructed to stop taking her hormone replacement therapy in the meantime (which she has been taking for several years)

Has anyone experienced something similar? How did it turn out?

I guess we shouldn't stress until further results come, but 6 weeks feels so long.

In this early stage we don't want to tell family/friends, so I don't have anyone to talk to about it.

Thank you

ziggypop

Hi clickity -clack,

I'm sorry about your mom's diagnosis and that you are going through this - it is so hard when you know something is wrong but don't know exactly what it is, and that's the first thing that needs to be found out. What it is, because there are all different kinds of breast cancer.

I am a little confused, when you say blood tests, do you mean she had a biopsy done? It also seems strange that mammogram results would take six weeks and be done after the biopsy rather than before. Is it possible that they found skin cancer rather than breast cancer? Where does your mom live, it just doesn't seem like mammogram results should take six weeks, are you sure they didn't say six days? Try to find out a little more info and come back. In the meantime, I'm sure some other people will be along with suggestions.

Hydavis42

Hello clickety clack I'm sorry about your mom diagnosis. I am in agreement with ziggypop it should not take 6 weeks for mammogram results to come back and breast cancer is usually diagnosed by a biopsy not bloodwork. Please let us know if there is more info and we will be right here for any support or questions you have.

clickety_clack

I really appreciate your responses.

We live in South Africa. The follow up appointment is at the end of Jan 2014. It's a government hospital, so maybe that's why it's so long.

When I said blood tests, I meant 'fine needle aspiration' sorry about the confusion.

The doctor said it was cancer and that chemo may be needed...

I guess we shouldn't panic until we get further results, but that will only be in 6 weeks, and it feels so long.

Thanks ziggypop and Hydavis42

Kicks

Where does your Mom live?  Mammogram/sonograms/biopsies do not take 6+ weeks to come back.  All can be done the same day with almost instantious results.  Mine were all done the same afternoon with the path. report the next morning at 8am.  From your discription, it sounds more likely a skin cancer on/near the breast rather than a form of breast cancer.  All forms of cancers are not the same.  In addition to my IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer), I have 2 different forms of skin cancer BCC (Basal Cell Carcinoma) and SCC (Squamous Cell Carcinoma).  My skin cancers have nothing to do with my IBC and it has nothing to do with my skin camcers.r 

As far as I know - breast cancer is not  diagnosed via a blood test.

clickety_clack

Hi

Thank you for sharing

We live in South Africa, and it's a government hospital. The appointment is at the end of Jan 2014.

The 'blood test' was FNA - Fine Needle Aspiration.

At this early stage, we don't know, but my mom has been taking hormone replacement therapy for several years...

dogsandjogs

I think if your Mom has any kind of breast cancer they will notify you before your scheduled appointment.

Try not to worry too much----

clickety_clack

Hi,

I thought I'd follow up on this.

It turned out that my mom had stage 1 breast cancer. The tumour and a lymph node were removed. She had 'radiation.'

Her next follow up appointment is this week when we will get further information.

Conclusion thus far:

Inverted lump in breast that looked like a belly button turned out to be stage 1 cancer.

Feeling relieved

Love and light

x

marie5890

CC,

So glad that it was caught early for you and your Mom. You are a blessing to your mother no doubt…

clickety_clack

well now I just got the news of my mom's follow-up that happened today.

The hospital wants to start a round of chemotherapy. in fact because it's a government hospital, they started today with no warning. There will be +- 7 more sessions over the next few months. The hospital said it's a precautionary method.

I'm furious. I believe that any remaining healing could be achieved naturally through diet.

Am I crazy?

edit: my parents are very confused. I don't live near them. now they say it's stage 3 cancer. I will try to get the full story and start a new thread.

mjm1

Hi Clickety-Clack,

I'm so sorry to hear about your mum's diagnosis, and it's awful that you guys had to wait so long to find out! 

The benefits of chemo and other treatments vary a lot depending on the type and stage of cancer it is etc. I have read a lot of research studies on the type of cancer my mother has, and the treatment she is having (chemo + herceptin) GREATLY increases the chances she will still be in my life in 5 years. 

I know people have different opinions on treatment options and would support anyone in doing what they feel is best after looking closely at their options, but chemo is generally recommended when they're worried that there could be metastases or micro-metastases - ie some cancer cells however small remaining in the body perhaps in the blood/lymph systems. Surgery and radiation are targeted just at the local area (breast/armpit), whereas systemic treatments like chemo address existing or possible cancer cells elsewhere in the body. It would be very worthwhile to get as much info as possible including from her doctors in order to know about the benefits of different treatments - including the 5 year survival or recurrence rates they would expect with chemo vs without chemo. This is just my opinion, but given that the cancer has reached at least 1 lymph node there is increased risk of it spreading, so I would be throwing everything I could at it.

There is a page for Stage 3 cancer - you could also ask there about what treatments the other ladies in that situation have chosen and why.

Best wishes.

clickety_clack

Time for a follow-up.

After the chemo I last wrote about, she went for another surgery to "remove whatever was remaining."

The government hospital doesn't communicate clearly with my parents, who are elderly and can barely take everything in anyway.

After recovery, she was sent for 10+ sessions of radiation on consecutive days. (Dec 2014 / Jan 2015)

She had onset of osteoarthritis before the cancer diagnosis, but it's become much worse.

She was taking Arimidex.

She was in so much pain and is now on morphine.

She is walking with a cane.

She went for a checkup, and now they say the cancer has spread to her bones, lungs, and liver.

They want to do more radiation.

I am extremely angry. All this treatment has taken away her remaining health.

She should have taken the surgery and then gone natural.

It's criminal that they could prescribe such treatment for an elderly person who does not have the same immune system as a younger one.

Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine said, "First, do no harm."

Modern medicine is failing our family.