Just got the call from my doctor and she told me I have cancer

Turquoise, sorry you are here, but wanted to say welcome! We're glad you've found this amazing community.

The following article from our main site offers some tips for talking about breast cancer with children: Talking to Older Children and Teens

We hope it helps! Let us know how you're doing, we're thinking of you!

The Mods

I was diagnosed in December 2016 with IDC in my left breast. I had a lumpectomy on Dec 27th and then a re-excision 1 week later where they removed several DCIS. Also had the sentinel node removed. My future, as of now, includes 6 weeks of radiation and hormone therapy. I didn't tell anyone in my family until the pathology report was complete. Because my mother and brother died withn 3 weeks of each other, I had to delay testing. I told my adult children but not my grandchildren. They would be too upset which would be hard for me to deal with. Does anyone else feel like this isjust a bad dream

minus two- yes,if i tell them,it will spread. one day,out of the blue my son told me , ( the one with ASD)"if you die mom,i wanna die also so i could be with you in heaven".at 8 years old,my twins' concept of dying has something to do with getting old. so they always ask me how old i was and i tell them 44 yrs ols and then they say, "oh you will live 40 more years!". they think people die in their eighties.. .. i pray toGod that i will survive this. my twins need me

The initial you have cancer is a hard pill to swallow but just wait until they tell you what their plan is for you and in what stage your cancer is in before you panic. Always remember Cancer is fightable but that's up to you what and how you take care of it .My doctor called me while I was working and told me I had cancer in my right breast. I went to see that surgeon to see what my plan was to take care of it. I then asked if I could get a second opinion. VERY IMPORTANT !!! The results may be the same but atleast you have other options and the care plan may be different and might mean saving your life...I was given a book called Breast caner treatment by one of my doctors and ill tell you that book was my bible, I recommend that to EVERYONE !! It has everything you need to know about treatments and the options, all the medicines they use for Chemotherapy and what they do with side effects if any. All the treatments they use or options are explained with pictures, Every step I went through with my care was in this book and explained all of it, I was so informed I knew exactly what was coming and how it would go down, made it much more do able for me. I am now 1 year cancer free and on my arimidex for hormone therapy. After I was told I had cancer on 1 side my second opinion doctor recommended a MRI and glad she did because they found 2 tumors on my left side that the mammo gram did not pick up, so I had a double lumpectomy and I chose to keep my breast because I was told either way I had a 50 - 50 chance of it not coming back so I stayed conservative and decided not to remove them. Good choice I believe and after radiation my scars look really good and the chemo wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...They give you medicine so you don't get sick which helps a lot.. You will lose your hair but that's about all that happened to me.. I forget sometimes but that will go away they said, cant wait for that to happen..lol Hold your head up and be strong, you can do this and make sure you have a good set of doctors cause you will have many and listen to them, they are there to help you. The drugs they have out there now days are so different then way back when and they help make this ride much easier for most !!!! It sucks having to spend so much time at the doctors but in the end it will be worth it.....My 1st year flew by so fast I had 111 doctor visits and now its every 6 months...Hang in there and be STRONG !!!!!! You can do this !!!!!!

mi85vette- may i know the complete title and author of the book

And speaking of taking care of yourself - I gave my self permission to stop vacuuming & dusting, and obsessing about the kitchen floor. I still cleaned sinks & toliets, but that was it.

As one new member in our BC support group said tonight, you are not your cancer—any more than you are your diabetes, your arthritis, your obesity, your asthma, and whatever else may afflict you. You are you.

The world will not stop and open the door (or part the waters) for you because you have cancer. You still have to make your way in this world as yourself. You are alive and will continue to live until the fates (or whatever deity in which you believe) decide it's your time. Develop something else to occupy your time and attention other than your employment, your cancer and your treatments. Savor whatever pleasures in life come your way that you can afford and will harm neither you nor others. Nobody ever said on their deathbeds, “Dang—I should have paid less attention to my life, the people, and the pleasures in it."

sorry u had to join us here but we have been where u are i was making wedding plans for our 2nd marriage man i prayed for n now i find at 42 a lump in left breast in shower my life changed sooo much. But my Faith n Family got me thru i got my cry out then Positive thoughts n Hope entered my heart and fought. This yr Praise God i Am a 23yr SURVIVOR.Keep Hope sweetie. msphil idc stage2 Lmast 0\3nodes chemo 3 monrhs before and after surgery got married after chem and before 7wks rads. Days wk and 5yrs on tamoxifen.