newly diagnosed

Hi mag - I'm sorry you have been diagnosed with BC. It's awful in the beginning - so much to process and yes it feels like somebody just pulled the rug out from under you. I didn't sleep well at all in the beginning. It took me hours to fall asleep and then I would wake shortly after. Then I would get up super early in the morning. I am happy to say that it does get better. I fell asleep last night around 1030 and didn't get up until 630. The whole BC thing will get better for you. I was a mess for a few months. Once I knew all the details it got better.

You might want to ask for some Xanax or Ativan. My MO gave me Ativan. It definitely helped me in the beginning. I don't use it anymore, but I do take lexapro. It has really helped be myself again.

Big hugs to you

Nancy

I understand completely. We all do!!! It's a shock. I had a lumpectomy and it was very easy. I think the surgery took just 45 minutes. I know it's scary, but you will be fine. PM me whenever you want. I hate seeing people go through this. Hang in there!!!!!

More hugs to you

Nancy

Hi,

First of all, good for you for reaching out. I want to start by saying that what you are feeling is totally normal. I know that doesn't make it feel any better necessarily, but it's true. Your feelings really are normal and healthy responses to a stressful and scary situation.

And you are right. It is a lot to process. It's normal to be exhausted from the stress, and it's common to not sleep well and to experience a great deal of anxiety. People often feel a lot of fear. I saw that you wrote, "I want to scream I'M SCARED!" I hear you. It is scary.

It's normal and healthy to experience all of those feelings. The tricky thing is to find ways to experience them without letting them drive you, rule you, or define you.

One of the things that I do is that I help people learn ways to deal effectively with fear and anxiety that come up around their cancer experience. I recently wrote an article about a simple technique that I teach people that helps with this. I think it could be helpful to you as you figure out how you are going to deal with things. I've shared it with others here who have found it very helpful. It is simple and a good place to start from. The title of my article is How Something You Are Already Doing 20X a Minute Can Help You Focus and Regain Control When You Feel Lost or Overwhelmed. You should be able to access the article by clicking that link.

If you find it helpful, you can get other free tips that other people have found useful on my website, livewellhealthtools.com. Everything is free. I'm simply writing about the tools and techniques that I've developed over the decades of my professional practice and sharing this now with the wider world through email, my website, and forums like this. I hope it can be helpful to you.

Feel free to private message me here or email me at mary.e.makenna@gmail.com if you have questions for me or if I can help you with more things like this or anything else.

-Mary

Hi Mag1913 and all -- I just had my lumpectomy five days ago (actually 2 lumpectomies - one on each side). I just wanted to reach out since I think I'm just a step or two ahead of you. The lumpectomy went really well - I'd never had surgery before and was scared but it was pretty uneventful, as I'm sure yours will be. Now I'm waiting for the results of the biopsy - I know it's DCIS on the left but the extent on the right is much less clear and therefore so scary; I'm afraid of lymph nodes, I'm afraid of the 'stage' I'll land in, I'm afraid of all the things we get afraid of with this unwanted THING inside us. So best wishes to both of us, and we can probably both take comfort in the reassurances from so many who have gone before us that this newly diagnosed bit is the hardest part.....

Hi,

I'm not actually new to this site since I had Atypical ductal Hyperplasia in my left breast last year. I was browsing around on this site and scaring myself. Eventually, I had a biopsy done followed by a lumpectomy, and then they sent me on my way. Hooray, nothing to worry about, right?

You guessed it. Wrong. In the last 10 days I have been to the doctor 3 times, had a mammogram and an ultra sound, another ultrasound and a double biopsy. It has been feeling like a bum's rush. Today I received the news that I have IDC in my right breast. I don't know about stage / grade but the main lump is 27.5 x 4.8 x 25.2 mm (stage II?). There's also a second smaller lump.

My biggest fear at this point is the chemo. Does everybody have to have chemo or does it depend, and if so, what does it depend on?

Nice to meet you all.

Thanks!

Hi Mag1913, you have the same results as I did, although you didn't mention if it was in the lymph nodes? Mine was not. I'm so great full to be one of the lucky few to not need chemo. So far so good with radiation and tamoxifen. I hope you also have easy treatments!!!!! Xoxo

Mag, hope you get good news today!!

great news - what a relief. I only have one incision too!

Nancy