Is it normal to take this long?

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EbonyEyes
EbonyEyes Member Posts: 85
edited September 2015 in Surgery - Before, During, and After

Ten weeks ago I found a large lump in my breast. PCP said it was 6cm. Biopsy found 2 areas of DCIS(calcs). The large lump is IDC/DCIS and had shrunk to 2 cm with an area of cancer of 0.3 cm. I realize these findings could change with surgery. I have talked to two surgeons and an onco. Onco wants to do a CTscan and an echocardiogram. Still haven't talked to a plastic surgeon. The phone is constantly ringing from doctors scheduling, cancelling, and rescheduling appointments and tests. Now I have pneumonia which I guess is another delay. Or do they do surgery on patients with pneumonia? Is this back and forth typical or are they taking too long? I feel like I'm running out of life. I do seem to have one advantage: the onco said the tumor is so tiny it may be only a few months old. She thinks the shrinkage is because inflammation is subsiding.

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  • WinningSoFar
    WinningSoFar Member Posts: 951
    edited September 2015

    I'm pretty sure they don't do surgery when you have pneumonia. So sorry that you have to go through all this. The CT scan and echocardiogram don't take much time, you could easily have them both before noon if you could just walk in and have the tests.

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  • EbonyEyes
    EbonyEyes Member Posts: 85
    edited September 2015

    My surgeon wanted to do the mastectomy next week but Friday I was diagnosed with pneumonia. Really took me by surprize, had no idea. Didn't even have a fever. In fact it was below normal. I just looked this up and it said you can't have surgery for six weeks following pneumonia. Is it really necessary to wait that long? I am real scared now.

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  • solfeo
    solfeo Member Posts: 838
    edited September 2015

    I don't see a lot of other people waiting so long for surgery, unless they had neoadjuvant chemo, but it's also happening to me. I discovered mine in May, I was diagnosed July 31st, and it will be September 22nd before I have the surgery. There have been several delays and bouncing back and forth between surgeon and oncologist. Then my surgeon got sick and I couldn't get into see anyone else before the 22nd either.

    Mine isn't shrinking, though. It is growing, which has me very anxious with two more weeks to go. I have started some alternative cancer treatments in the meantime to hopefully slow it down. High dose IV Vitamin C 3x per week and several supplements that are supposed to help rid me of inflammation and excess estrogen.

    At least yours is small, so you probably really will be fine. Try not to worry because stress creates an environment that is favorable to the cancer. I do guided meditations daily (sometimes several times per day), and I'm not above taking an anti-anxiety med if I need it.

    Best wishes!

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