Test results tomorrow Bi-Rad 5

skv0123

Good morning. I'm feeling really anxious this morning due having a biopsy & getting results tomorrow. The radiologist said he saw a 17x11x15 mm lesion after a call back, ultrasound etc.,in right breast at 9 o'clock. I feel guilty as a felt a lump about 3-4

months ago. But, I have fibroids & dense breast.My dr felt it & “wasn't concerned" due to it moving, being tender & I had just stopped HRT that I took for 1 year. But, she did emphasize not to skip my mammo & to go as scheduled which I did, but I'm beating myself up that I should have done something sooner, shouldn't have tried HRT for a year. It was extremely helpful but i stopped 8 mths ago due to cancer risk & here I am.

I meet with breast surgeon tomorrow to get results & talk plan. I can't decide if I want to get a second opinion about plan but guess I need a first opinion first & feel overwhelmed.

I'm sad and scared. I have 2 teens & don't want to tell them. A good friend was recently diagnosed.

Thanks for listening.

SKV

ElaineTherese

Hi!

Yes, waiting for test results can make anyone feel anxious. Take it easy on yourself. It's probably best not to get too far ahead of yourself. Before you worry about second opinions and all, just wait and see what the biopsy says. If it's cancer, make careful note of the kind of cancer. (80% of breast cancer patients are diagnosed with IDC.) What are the characteristics of your cancer? Is it fed by hormones (ER+/PR+?) Is its growth driven by an overexpression of the HER2 protein (HER2+)? How fast is your cancer dividing (grade)? Once you and your doctors know that information, treatment options will become clearer. Second opinions are useful in sorting out treatment options.

I didn't tell my teens that I had cancer until I knew my treatment plan. There was no sense in burdening them with possibilities until I knew what I was up against.

((Hugs))

skv0123

Thank you so much. We are going to wait to tell our teens too. Thank you for info. I am trying to relax while also thinking of what questions I want to ask doctor tomorrow at the same time & it all feels like too much. I keep jumping ahead so far in the future & trying to remind myself I don't know much to do anythingwith right now.

ElaineTherese

It's hard not to look ahead. Your surgeon might not even have the ER, PR, HER2 information at your appointment. For many BC patients, surgery is first; that's why they have you meet with your surgeon first. But, with some kinds of cancer, chemo can come first. (I did chemo first.) What may happen tomorrow is that you come up with a tentative plan. Remember that surgeons don't oversee chemo; medical oncologists (MOs) do. If there's any chance that you do chemo first, you'll need to talk to an MO.

It might feel like too much now, but don't feel like you have to rush anything. Take it one step at a time. If it's surgery first, just focus on the surgery. You can worry about post-surgical treatment later.

skv0123

thank you so so very much for your responses & support It is so very helpful. It has already helped me relax & slow down menrally

ElaineTherese

Another thought is that you might want to bring someone to your appointment tomorrow to take notes. It's easy to get overwhelmed at an appointment and to miss important information because your brain is slow to process what's being said. I totally had no idea what my oncologist was saying at my first appointment with her. Thankfully, she gave me handouts, and my nephew (who is a pharmacist) helped me sort out my chemo, targeted therapy, and white blood cell booster (Neulasta).

skv0123

Great idea. My husband is coming with me and a friend offered as well.

edj3

Good plan--my husband and I put all our questions together in Google Keep on our phones for every consult appointment I've had so far. That way, we kept track of the questions and the answers. It sure helped us a lot. If you're an iPhone user, I'm sure there's an app for you in the Apple ecosystem.

Dani444

skv0123- I am sorry you need to be here but you will find so much support and knowledge in these forums. Waiting is definitely the hardest part and the anxiety is normal. When you get your results and if it is in fact cancer things really do feel better as a plan forms. This may take some additional waiting and testing but moving forward does help. Please try to not waste any emotional energy on feeling guilty for the things you mentioned. People can do everything right and still get cancer. I wish you the best for your appointment and let us know how it goes if you feel like sharing.

Mymomsgirl

Skv keep in mind everyone is different. Depending on the results your BS might suggest that you meet with a plastic surgeon, radiation oncologist and/or medical oncologist before finalizing the surgery part. My BS was so good, the best advise she gave me is that my BC was an emotional emergency not a medical emergency. I took some time to meet with the doctors she suggested, had some other tests to get a clear picture and from there worked with my team to come up with a plan that would be good for me. When you meet tomorrow get a copy of your test results so you have all that information. As for a second opinion, it doesn't hurt, I did that even though I like my first BS and ended up going with her. If you have the ability to got to a place that has a breast center then that is a great place to go because they deal with this all the time. Sorry you are hear, but this site has a lot of great advise and experiences. Good luck with you appointment tomorrow and remember to breathe.

skv0123

Thank you all so much. Your responses & support are so helpful. Mymomsgirl that is a great thing to keep in mind. It is an emotional emergency.

skv0123

Started new post but wanted to update here too.

Dani444 Thank you! I do not want to wast emotional energy on that BS (not breast surgeon

Met surgeon today. Path tests were not back. She told me based on ultrasound pics she would recommend removal with lumpectomy no matter path results. Lump was 11mmx17x15. She told me path results will be back by end of week & if positive (as she suspects) she recommend genetic testing which will take approximately 4 days due to history of colon & some prostate cancer in my family. if any genetic testing comes back positive for breast cancer it may influences my decision of lumpectomy (with radiation) vs.mastectomy

We are supposed to travel to Portugal in 10 days for 10 'days. BS said "go & have fun. Let's get all test results in, explore your options & we'll plan surgery end of June or early July." She offered small doses of estrogen blocker to ease my anxiety if path comes back estrogen positive & discussed compression socks etc. the majority of me agrees & knows 10 days of travel won't make a huge difference & I can't make informed decisions for about 10-14 days anyway. But, the other part says stay home, plan surgery, investigate, prepare,

Thanks for listening & feedback.

Mymomsgirl

Skv go on your trip and have fun. It would be good to get the genetic test blood draw before you leave. I had the 9 high risk genes tested first because that was going to impact my surgical decision. One day at a time.

Salamandra

Hey skv,

I think you should go. I read a really interesting article about how people tend to remember what they did more than how they felt. So even if you have some (a lot) of anxiety during your trip, if you go and do cool stuff, it will still be a beautiful memory for you. Plus, who knows, maybe it will be more pure fun than you think.

But if you have a very strong nesting instinct, see what you can do to assuage that. Would making a to do list help and seeing whether you'll realistically have time for it when you get back? Hiring a cleaning service? Asking a friend to do a deep dive research into your work and insurance benefits?