Anxious! Hopeful.....

pianochick

Hi, everyone,:

I'm
48 years old and found a lump on June 26th. I was scheduled to leave
town for five weeks on the weekend, but went in for mammogram the next
day and had a lovely, on-the-ball radiologist who immediately ordered an
ultrasound and biopsy that afternoon, despite it being Friday at 4pm.
The following Monday I got the call--and just now found out I'm ER and PR positive, HER negative. So far I know that it's a mucinous colloid carcinoma,
relatively small. From what I understand, this diagnosis should give
me hope, and I'm really clinging to that. But, I deeply relate to all
of you who speak about the anxiety and the fatigue of waiting! I'm
scheduled for surgical consult and MRI tomorrow, and will be
flying home for that. I have a wonderful family of siblings, husband
and sister-friends for which I'm super grateful. But, I have found
solace already in reading the posts from members on this board. I do
feel that I'm somehow in an energy bubble that is separating me fully
from everyone around me at the moment, which I guess is the essence of
anxiety....and I think that only you who have gone through this
experience are really inside that bubble, too.

Thank you for all the information, and all the honest and wonderful posts!

Maureen1

(((pianochick))) Yes...waiting is awful, for me it was a time of "what ifs" that robbed me of sleep and rest...I just wanted to know what I was facing. As much as my family wanted to take the pain and fear away for me they couldn't...I found myself trying to protect them from their fears so it really helped to be able to ask questions and share my thoughts with people who understood. I felt better when I had a plan and a medical team to guide me. My surgeon gave me some meds to help me calm down and sleep which also helped. It sounds like things are moving fast for you so I hope you have some answers soon...I'm so sorry you've had to join us, you will find hope and wisdom in the words of the women on these boards (((Hugs))) Maureen

pianochick

Dear Maureen--Thank you soooo much!  I am crossing ALL my fingers in advance of these consults tomorrow.

tangandchris

Hi Pianochick

sorry you are here, but glad you found us!

I also had an on the ball radiologist who told me the day of my mammo that he was mostly sure I had BC. He ordered the ultrasound that day and biopsy was a couple of days later. I was completely shocked and overwhelmed, kind of numb to be honest. My husband still didn't think it was BC and was angry at the radiologist for scaring me, but I knew it was. ahhh....poor dh, he really wanted to believe it wasn't bc.

Anyway, I just wanted to say hi and tell you that your anxiety is normal. If you need meds for anxiety ask for it! I held on pretty good until a few weeks after dx and I totally broke down. My BS took one look at me and gave me xanax. lol

((hugs)) keep us posted

farmerlucy

Hi pianoichick - So sorry you find yourself here. You may have the same type as voraciousreader - her bio says she has pure mucinous carcinoma, if it is similar you might consider sending her a message. Honestly she knows everything about everything! When I was dx it seemed like the whole world was moving forward except me. Me, I was stuck in a world of terror and uncertainty. It did get better for me and it will for you as well. Gentle hug. 

Janet456

Good luck for tomorrow.  The anxiety is over whelming at the beginning.

Once you are given a treatment plan it will settle down - it truly does get better xx

voraciousreader

piano..good luck with your surgery.  If you are ER + and HER 2 NEGATIVE...and your insurance is willing to pay for it...get the OncotypeDX genomic test done on your tumor.  in addition to your tumor's other characteristics and your age and menopausal status, it should give you info to help plan your active treatment plan and beyond.  As you are waiting to see the medical oncologist to go over the final surgical pathology results, register at the NCCN's website and read the professional version (red logo) of the breast cancer treatment guidelines.  There is a specific page devoted to tubular and mucinous bc. Make sure you read tge footnotes and discussion on the last 50 or so pages.  you can also read the mucinous carcinoma of the breast thread here at breast cancer.org.  I packed the thread with all pertinent mucinous breast cancer studies.  Although mucinous breast cancer is considered a rare breast cancer, our thread is a testament to the dozens of sisters who were diagnosed with it and can give you special support .

Finally, keep in mind,for most mucinous sisters, it is classified as a "favorable" type of BC.  That said,with little research devoted to it, the treatment evidence is not as strongly validated as it is for other types of breast cancer.  The good news, however, is that a group of young bright researchers have just set up shop at Sloan Kettering and are devoting themselves to studying our type and other rare types of breast cancer!

pianochick

Again--thanks to you all for responding so quickly! I am so sorry you are all members of this terrible club......but I'm very grateful that you have found each other--and me.

Voracious Reader:  I haven't had time to read through everything in the mucinous colloid section of the forums, but I have been able to read a bit of it.  I will DEFINITELY take your advice, and go to the NCCN website.  I was curious to know whether there had been any information or follow-up since your recent post about the studies at Sloan Kettering--when I went to their site, I didn't find anything specific to the study yet.  I am home now for these two days (was in the midst of a whirlwind music festival when I got the news last week and have been cramming reading in between rehearsals....) and have time to increase my learning curve these two days.  

TangandChris--I did ask for a Xanax prescription, and have been using it at night--super helpful.  That was one of the first extremely useful pieces of information I learned here at the forums!

xoxo-Pianochick

voraciousreader

piano....our researchers at Sloan Kettering have just begun their commitment to mucinous breast cancer.  Furthermore, along with studying other rare types of breast cancer, it will take many years for the results of their studies to unfold.  I follow their progress on the government website pubmed. It is beyond amazing how prolific they are.  It makes me feel good every day knowing how long and hard they are working.