Waiting for surgery and worried it will spread to lymph nodes!

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kpinkie622
kpinkie622 Member Posts: 2
edited July 2015 in Surgery - Before, During, and After

Hi, I am new here and admittedly don't understand a lot yet but due to scheduling, the mastectomy cannot be performed for a month at least. They "think" the lymph nodes are not affected yet but what if it spreads to lymph nodes during the wait time? Is a month a long time?!

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  • SummerAngel
    SummerAngel Member Posts: 1,006
    edited July 2015

    Your fear is totally normal! However, generally the cancer has been in our bodies for quite a few years before it's found, and a month-long wait is very typical and considered safe.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited July 2015

    Yes, we understand your concerns. It is not a unique problem that they can not get you in right away. However, it naturally doesn't hurt to talk with your doctor about these concerns, and the long wait, and see if they can make any changes to their schedule.


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  • inks
    inks Member Posts: 746
    edited July 2015

    If you are ER+ could you start your hormone therapy while you wait? I do understand the concern for such a long wait. I had to wait a month and a half because we needed the BRCA results. If it was so aggressive they might have done chemo before surgery too. It's so hard to stay sane while waiting for surgery.

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  • Trvler
    Trvler Member Posts: 3,159
    edited July 2015

    How big is your tumor? Did you have an MRI that didn't show any + nodes? Do you know your stage?

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  • kpinkie622
    kpinkie622 Member Posts: 2
    edited July 2015

    It is my sister. It is 4.5cm. Don't know stage. No affected nodes clearly showed up and doctor doesn't "feel" anything but mammogram 6 months ago didn't even show a tumor so I feel like it's aggressive. I think it's hormone receptor positive, but HER negative.

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  • Trvler
    Trvler Member Posts: 3,159
    edited July 2015

    It might have been there 6 months ago. Mammograms are notorious for not even showing a tumor at all. Mine never did. They always had to do the diagnostic u/s. Really grade is the most important thing about it. That's how fast it is growing. I had similar concerns when I first was diagnosed and it sounds like our diagnoses are similar. Even thought mine says 3 cm, mine is more than one tumor and now it is closer to 5, or at least pre surgery it is. I was diagnosed in Jan and I met a BS right away and he didn't seem to think time was of the essence. I had a conversation with him in early March about timing because I had sought several second opinions and it took me a while to get in with all those doctors. I asked him if I could wait for surgery for a few more weeks to go on our planned spring break trip and he said he was ok with it. To be honest, in retrospect, I wish he hadn't said that. I will never know if it made any difference or not. I chose a different doctor and he recommended I do chemo first so that's what I am doing.

    See if your sister knows the grade. That's the thing that tells you how fast it is growing.

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