Felling a little overwhelmed

vegelady

So after a month of testing, I finally received the call yesterday telling me my breast biopsy was positive for cancer. My physician explained that they believe they have caught it early and my consult with the surgical oncologist is on Friday. I obtained a copy of the pathology report and to be honest, I'm not sure what it all means but it sounds really scary. It states INVASIVE DUCTAL CARCINOMA, NUCLEAR GRADE 3/3, -- DUCTAL CARCINOMA IN SITU, NUCLEAR GRADE 3/3,. The tumor is 1.4 cm.. They also did a stereotactic biopsy of some microcalcifications in the same breast but those came back as benign. I know I am jumping the gun here and should wait until my consult with the oncologist, but I'm trying to understand what this all means so I can be prepared to ask the right questions. Quite frankly, my mind has been a sieve these last few weeks.

To make things worse, my partner and I separated a month ago after being together for 6 years. We had been having issues for a while and as luck would have it, I now find myself alone having to deal with all this. My family are all in the UK and while I have some really good supportive friends, I feel all alone and a little overwhelmed so I really appreciate the opportunity to find something like this that allows me to connect with other women that understand and have "been there". Any advice, information or encouragement would be greatly appreciated!

ml143333

I am so sorry you needed to join our group, but glad you found us for support. Once you've met with your Breast Surgeon and Oncologist and have a solid treatment plan, you will feel a bit better.

Please do yourself a favor and don't search the internet. Dr. Google is not your friend. If you have questions, do some searching on our site. When I was diagnosed, it was one of the only sites my doctors said to visit.

It sounds like you may well be stage 1 (based on the size of the tumor now) and grade 3. Next, you will want to know whether it is hormone positive or negative and your HER status. Based on that HER status, you may or may not need oncotype testing which You may want to consider genetic testing as well.

Surround yourself with friends for now. Keep busy so that you mind doesn't wander.

If you find that you aren't able to keep anxiety under control, you can request medication from your physician.

Best of LucK!

mustlovepoodles

i agree with everything ml24 said so im not going to repeat it. Right now you're in that special level of hell where you have limited info and no treatment plan. Be kind to yourself and rally the troups that are available. Don't be stoic. Let them know what you need--assistance with meals, transportation, house cleaning. , physical or emotional comfort. I'm sure they will want to help, but they may not know how. Be specific. Your friends want to be a blessing to you. Don't take that away from them.

Anonymous

Everything Mandy said is right. But I just wanted to tell you that I know it feels so hard right now, but you WILL get through it. And you'll be telling your story to give other women hope that they can get through it too. This limbo time is the hardest time. You will feel a lot better when you have all the information in front of you (and that usually happens after surgery). Wishing you the best going forward. Hugs.

mustlovepoodles

i agree with everything ml24 said so im not going to repeat it. Right now you're in that special level of hell where you have limited info and no treatment plan. Be kind to yourself and rally the troups that are available. Don't be stoic. Let them know what you need--assistance with meals, transportation, house cleaning. , physical or emotional comfort. I'm sure they will want to help, but they may not know how. Be specific. Your friends want to be a blessing to you. Don't take that away from them.

vegelady

Thank you everyone for your support and encouragement. Even though I am only at the beginning of this journey, I already am having a hard time dealing with all of the waiting and the anxiety that goes with that. Waiting for the biopsies, waiting for the biopsy results, now waiting to meet with the surgical oncologist. I hope you right and I will feel better once I know what I have and how it is going to be treated. My friend is going to come to my consultation with me.

mustlovepoodles

Vegelady, I think the waiting is the worst part. That was the time when my mind just went crazy. Once you get a treatment plan in place, you'll probably settle down. My MO was able to put a plan in place the first day we met (she was my second opinion, after Dr. Bozo the Clown.) And it included the dreaded chemotherapy. I was not at all surprised by that, since my tumor was luminal B, which is more aggressive. In fact, I was relieved, if you can believe that! I was just glad to get started doing something other than waiting around for the other shoe to drop.

As my MO told me, "You're not gonna die from this, but the next whole year is gonna SUCK." She shoots straight from the hip. And she has been exactly right. It's been an off and on sucky experience, but fortunately there have been more good days than bad days. And I can see light at the end of the tunnel. You will to, eventually. Hang in there until you can get some answers.