Waiting for surgical biopsy results

Please do keep us posted! Yes, the waiting is the worst part !

Thinking of you,

The Mods

Yes, sometimes knowing too much is a bad thing! Its partial knowledge. Sometimes that's when its the most scary. I'm sure you've heard of medical students piling in to Student Health because they think they have the disease they just learned about.

Its so easy to go to the worst case scenario. I'm a pharmacist, and before I had my first mammogram call-back, I thought the only women who got breast cancer were women who ignored their lumps. When I was waiting for my results, I was in tears most nights I worked when I would see a person with a breast cancer diagnosis being admitted to the hospital. I didn't know that it is very unusual to have the worst case scenario - that's why its the 'worst case'.

If we get a less than perfectly normal diagnosis, then we want to know why. What did we do to get in this situation. In the case of breast cancer, most times we have no idea why, and its hard to live with that uncertainty. (About 15% of breast cancers are thought to be due to a single deleterious mutation such as for BRCA1 or 2; in about 70% of cases we have no idea why - besides being a woman or being older.) There are many threads of what breast cancer patients are told by family and friends: it is because they didn't eat healthy, or exercise enough (which may or may not contribute, but there are certainly plenty of people who ate healthy and exercised a lot who nevertheless got breast cancer), or because they were a bad kid, or ... anything to separate the person speaking from the person who has the condition.

No matter what the outcome, I bet you'll be a better RN after this. Hang in there.

Greetings ~

Within the past week I had my yearly mamo, and two days later a follow up magnified mamo along with a sonogram. The radiologist showed me the films and said looks like DCIS. Biopsy is tomorrow morning. My sister was diagnosed at the same age years ago. (No I don't know what type she had & am unable to get that info). Logically I think of all the cancers, this would be the most easily treatable. I think it's not something to freak out about, and I am calm on the outside, but that back of the mind keeps spinning in panic mode.

Erika37, hi....in the same boat...I go see the surgeon on Monday....wishing you the very best

Hi lettletatas, sorry you needed to come here, but glad you found this safe place to come and discuss things or vent frustration.

We are very sorry about your test results, so far, but your medical team are certainly on-the-ball and dealing with you very quickly, which is a major bonus.

Waiting for results is a tough time, and everyone here knows that feeling and can relate. We hope your biopsy results show benign or something reasonably easily treated.

Remember that you are not alone and free to come here to discuss and learn about issues.

All the best,

The Mods

LITTLETATAS take a deep breath . . . . vent as much as you want here. BC makes your head spin generally, but you went in fast forward. Be kind to yourself. . .treat yourself to a movie, or a walk or talk to friends. . . . . . You will find you have more strength than you imagined.

M