Is it dangerous to wait a month for surgery?

When were you diagnosed?  I was diagnosed on 4/30 and probably won't have surgery until 5/27 or the first week of june. . .My surgeon said that it usually is not a medical emergency.  It has been growing in us for quite some time and a few weeks won't set us back.

I had a grade 3 tumor, and keep in mind that "fast growing" is a relative term.

Many cancers can take as long as 6 to 8 years to reach the size that is noticeable to the touch or on mammograms. 

So "fast growing" does not mean that it will get appreciably larger in a few weeks or a months time. 

I do understand your concern about the lymph node involvement. I have had my tumor removed, have been through chemo, and am now starting radiation and I STILL worry about that! 

Our minds can really mess with us sometimes. 

I was diagnosed Dec. 18, and my surgery was Feb.1.  My surgeon said that the delay wouldn't be an issue, since the cancer had probably been there "for quite a while" (his words).  I trusted him, and didn't worry about the delay.  I did have one involved lymph node, but I doubt that it had anything to do with the six weeks wait time.  It was just a bit frustrating and emotionally tiring to wait.  I kept telling myself that if it was something to be really concerned about, the treatment would have started a lot sooner, there was some comfort in that thought.

Sending you positive thoughts

I was diagnosed on August 14th and didn't have surgery until October 9th. Like you I was sure it would be in all my organs due to the delay. I had my surgery and my nodes were clear. My doctor says it is a slow moving cancer even though I was grade 3. I know we can know that on an intellectual level but I know how you feel. I just wanted it out.

Good luck!

I worry too, and the trauma of waiting is not good for any of us. I had the suspicious lump Jan. 12 and just now getting surgery next Tues. The anxiety is tremendous about whether the wait has anything to do with pending lymph node answers. 4 biopsies and 4 months later!

 I tell you one thing, it's really sad to see women go through this wait. You don't see men waiting around for prostrate cancer for 4 months! When this is all over for me, I am going to file a complaint with my HMO. Not that it does any good, because the general consensus is we will be fine waiting....but the truth is, WE WILL NEVER KNOW if the wait caused the spread further into the nodes!

If I didn't already know that I had to be my own advocate, I'd be waiting another month! Linda

Any wait that increases your anxiety is obviously not going to do any good to your inmune system, just the opposite, and we all know that weakening our inmune system is extremely dangerous when we are fighting cancer

Hi everyone, I'm a little calmer now, ;~), finally having the partial mastectomy Tues. the 18th. No node involvement as far as I was told after surgery. Very lucky indeed!

I think my anger was more anxiety, caused by all the monthly delays, and knowing what I know about the immune system, with the frustration of not being able to curtail any of the time and anxiety. I kept very busy and had alot of fun while waiting,  throughout the 4 biopsies, and even got through Shingles! Nancy, your concert, I probably would have done the same thing had I not already waited for 4 months. I totally understand.

My doctor was very kind and moved me up 10 days earlier. Everyone did the best they could with all of this, but I still believe that my HMO could shave off weeks of waiting in between each procedure, and I should not have had to call them all the time to keep things moving. It helped by weeks though.  It was like there was no one person to advocate for me, just a piece of paper shuffled along. I really think they could improve on saving lives from that end.

Nice to meet you all and thnx again. Bless you all for what you have been through!