Just diagnosed. Waiting for surgery.

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TheSnowQueen
TheSnowQueen Member Posts: 13
edited February 2018 in Just Diagnosed

Hi everyone :)

Will start by letting you all know I have been reading your posts all month, researching every step of my diagnosis and I just now got the courage to join. I guess I was scared to accept it :( you guys are wonderful. I found answers to everything I was going through. Thank you all sooo much!


Im 41 yers old, I found the lump on Xmas eve, had hurt my breast a few days earlier and thought it had something to do with that. Fast forward to Jan 12th for a mammogram and US, the injury was just a coincidence, and luckily the swelling from that is why I found the lump. The radiologist pretty much told me he was certain it was C. They immediately scheduled a biopsy and appt w surgeon for the following week. Biopsy results on Jan 19th confirmed It. Drsays I'm stage 1 until proven otherwise. The “suspicious" node was negative. Lumpectomy surgery is scheduled for Wednesday (in 4 days) and I guess they will be checking more nodes then. Back to the torture of waiting for results!


I'm terrified this has spread. I have some days where I feel good, I got this, I'm going to make it. Then I have my bad days.... For a bit over 2 yrs I have lower back pain, and left hip pain. I had an MRI for it 1 year ago and my orthopedic dr said it was arthritis on my left side hip, and degenerative disc.. So my question... if this was spread to my bones, would they have seen it on the MRI when they checked a year ago? You guys know I've been asking dr google and that just makes my worries worse! Thoughts anyone that has struggled w hip lower back/hip pain?

Thank you



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  • Snickersmom
    Snickersmom Member Posts: 926
    edited February 2018

    Fire Dr. Google! He doesn't know your individual history! I did a lot of reading when I was first diagnosed, too, and finaly I realized that the internet couldn't address MY situation. It only can tell you general information.

    I have had back issues on and off for a long time, but I also immediately thought of my bones. My oncologist tells me that I definitely don't have it in my bones, and it is arthritis plus my old herniated disks acting up.

    If you feel anxious and it's hard to deal with all of this, just ask for something. They put me on Xanax right away and then after my surgery, I went on Zoloft. I'll probably be on it forever and that's just fine. It keeps me on an even keel. Don't be afraid to ask.

    This is a wonderful website with tremendous support and encouragement.Hang in there and just take it one step at a time. You don't know what you don't know.

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  • TheSnowQueen
    TheSnowQueen Member Posts: 13
    edited February 2018

    snickersmom thank you so much for your encouraging words! Yes I am a bit anxious at times, just want to fast forward but will definitely keep that in mind if I need help with the anxiety.

    THAnk you so much for the support

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  • JustDiagnosed2-2-2018
    JustDiagnosed2-2-2018 Member Posts: 4
    edited February 2018

    Hi. I am new to all of this. As I type I am crying so please forgive my mistakes in grammer and typos. I was just diagnosed on friday.

    I am a 40 yr old mom of 2. (Boy-6 & girl-2). I have fibromyalgia, factor iv leiden and am on cymbalta 30mg a day.

    I had my son in 2012 he was 8 weeks old and I developled (pulomnary embolisms) blood clots in my lungs. I had to stop nursing for a week and pump & dump. I was put on blood thinner meds. (Turns out I have factor iv leiden, its a blood clotting disorder). I was able to continue nursing normally. (And was able to nurse my daughter as well)

    They did the follow up cat scan 6 mos later to check on the clots, the clots were gone but I had lumps in my right breast. Mamnograms & An ultrasound guided biopsy were done & markers were placed on those lumps. They were benign.

    ***fast forward to 2018***

    This year when i went for my mammogram I was called back in for more images. Then i was told they wanted to do another biposy there are calcifications in my right breast.(same as last time). Had my biopsy on Tuesday 1-30-2018. The doctor called on Friday 2-2-2018....its cancer.

    Doctor said it Probably wont spread. She said chemo wont be necessary. They will remove it surgically.

    My hubby and I see the doctor on wednesday. She wants a cheek swab done so they can genetically test for my predisposition to cancer (hope that makes sense).

    I am scared. I have so many questions and we havent told our family yet. Only my mom, our neighbor who helps with the kids and 2 of my close friends know.

    Hugs & prayers for all who are affected by cancer. I wouldnt want this for anyone. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited February 2018

    TheSnowQueen and JustDiagnosed2-2-2018, we're so sorry for your recent diagnosis, but we're so happy you decided to join in, we know you'll find lots of answers and support here! Besides that, there is a section in the main Breastcancer.org site that can help you sort through all of the information on our site and what to expect now. It is the Breast Cancer 101 section, and has been designed for those who are newly diagnosed.

    We hope this helps! Please let us know how you're doing!

    The Mods

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  • Cpeachymom
    Cpeachymom Member Posts: 518
    edited February 2018

    snowqueen and justdiagnosed, sorry you find yourselves here. You are both fairly young, and onewith small children, you will find a lot of us here in the same boat. We understand the fear. There is tons of support and info on these forums. I saw it as my 24hr support group! Best of luck to you both!

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  • bella2013
    bella2013 Member Posts: 489
    edited February 2018

    Snow Queen and Just Diagnosed2/2/2018, so sorry to hear of your diagnosis. Breast cancer is a sisterhood that none of us want to join but grateful for all the women who have gone before us and have shared their wisdom and experience. I have found this site to be an invaluable source of information.

    I was just diagnosed on 12/4/2017. You can read my cancer stats below this post. I can completely identify with your fear and uncertainty at hearing the “C" word. I was on a wild roller coaster ride up until about 10 days ago when I made the decision to go BMX with reconstruction. It is so difficult not being in control of what is happening to your body. The first month is a hurry up and wait process that can drive you crazy. The hurry to get a test completed then the grueling wait for the results is so stressful.

    This is a journey and it's your journey. It is your journey to make with your breast cancer team: BC Surgeon, Medical Oncologist, and Radiation Oncologist. I took my husband and sister to every appointment. It was so helpful to not only have them with me but extra ears to hear what the doctors were saying to me. It's easy to get overwhelmed with processing all the information they are discussing with you.

    I think it's normal to feel every ache and pain could be cancer spreading. I know I was very fatigued before I even knew there was a problem but was certainly more fatigued from the stress of the diagnosis. The single most important thing I have done is to insure that I get at least 8 hours of sleep at night. I am post menopausal so I haven't gotten more than 4-5 hours of sleep a night in years. I have a very low dose prescription of Xanax. I go to bed one hour earlier than I used to and take my Xanax. I sleep soundly through the night. We have to be giood to our bodies...they are trying to fight the good fight.

    There are other discussion groups on BC.ORG. You will find info on the Lumpectomy Lounge discussion group to be very helpful.

    Praying for miraculous results as you journey to being cancer free!

    Blessings..

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  • TheSnowQueen
    TheSnowQueen Member Posts: 13
    edited February 2018

    Just diagnosed it sounds like they caught yours early, from what I have read a mammo can catch this years before it can be felt. Hang in there, I know what you mean about the crying. I cry everyday, but everyday I also tell my self i can’t change this and I’m going to get through this. We have to and will!

    I think you will feel better once you start seeing a plan in place. My surgery is in 2 days. I’m glad it’s going fast, and afraid of getting any results. But I’m ready!


    Thank you for your advice and for welcoming us, good luck and hugs to all.

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  • JustDiagnosed2-2-2018
    JustDiagnosed2-2-2018 Member Posts: 4
    edited February 2018

    thank you all for your kinds words of encouragement. I cried reading your posts but it really does help to hear from others who understand.

    Yes sleeping 8 hrs at night is a must. I use meditation sleep videos from you tube to help me. If i skip a night I toss/ turn and cant stop the worrying & crying. Jason Stevenson has a few that are so good even my son likes them and asks for them at bedtime.

    You are all in my heart & prayers

    Thank you. Thank you so very much.

    Hugs

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  • bella2013
    bella2013 Member Posts: 489
    edited February 2018

    My doctor said “Barbara, you are not sick...you have cancer and it will be removed." That was so helpful to me because it is so easy to fall victim to this hideous thing called cancer. It helps me to remember that I am healthy. I will have victory over this cancer. I needed to make some healthy lifestyle changes which I am working on now: more restful sleep, no sugar, limit to almost no alcohol (sugar), exercise get weight off! Ido have control over my lifestyle choices and that empowers me.

    I hope this helps as you begin this journey

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  • bella2013
    bella2013 Member Posts: 489
    edited February 2018

    Snow Queen you should know the results of your lymph node biopsy(s) when you wake up from your lumpectomy. Your doctor will tell you how many he took and how many had cancer cells. You do have to wait a few days for the pathology report to come back indicating if your margins are clear. The Oncotype DX takes about 3 weeks. Please have your surgeon request it. Look at my cancer stats below. They don’t look too bad but I wanted that Oncotype Score

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited February 2018

    And in answer to the question "wouldn't it show up on an MRI", I believe it would.

    Bella13, your words about "not being sick" were great! I told myself this was just a disease, like heart disease, or diabetes, because it IS, and it can be treated and many times cured, just like heart disease and diabetes.

    That helped a lot--to frame it as just another of the many diseases we get because we are human.

    Hugs to our newbies. You will get through this!

    Claire in AZ

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  • TheSnowQueen
    TheSnowQueen Member Posts: 13
    edited February 2018

    Barbara thank you for the advice. I thought was going to be waiting for results on the nodes, good to know :) I used to workout On a regular basis, has been hard to do so with the back pain these past couple years. But after all this I am determined to get my act together! Back to exercising and change my eating habits :)

    Oncotype, got it will ask :)

    Claireinaz Thank you ;)

    Just left my appointment with dietician, social worker, and physical therapist.. feeling better

    THANK YOU :))

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  • Veeder14
    Veeder14 Member Posts: 880
    edited February 2018

    Hi,

    I forgot to ask the surgeon how many lymph nodes were taken after I woke up (was very sick, dizzy, etc.,). He did tell my family member that the ones taken looked to be a normal size and were sent to the lab. Unless your lymph nodes were tested during the surgery or looked obviously cancerous I don't think the surgeon knows until the lab tests it.

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  • Yuno
    Yuno Member Posts: 21
    edited February 2018

    TheSnowQueen and JustDiagnosed2-2-2018, I'm sorry to hear you have gone through this, we all know how scary it is. My thoughts and prayers go to you and to everyone else for your recoveries, I'm hoping for all the best in this journey! Sending love to you and your beautiful children. Please take care. ♥

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  • JustDiagnosed2-2-2018
    JustDiagnosed2-2-2018 Member Posts: 4
    edited February 2018

    I am so thankful I found this site & this thread. I was at the dr wednesday morning.

    Truth is I go back and forth between

    • sounding strong & feeling calm
    • worrying & feeling terrified.

    I hate this rollercoaster.

    Here is what my paper work says. Truth is im really hoping someone here can tell me im gonna be fine & live a long live cancer free.

    DIAGNOSIS: High grade DCIS with comedonecrisis and a 1mm focus of invasive ductal carcinoma, moderately differentiated, core biopsy of right breast

    *****

    The doctor wants to get an mri done & I am waiting on results from spit sample taken today. Should have the spit results in about 2 weeks.

    Im sorry if this too much info or not usually posted like this. Please forgive me. I appreciate any advice or if you have or know anyone with similar diagnosis.

    You all have been so kind & so encouraging. I am so thankful to all of you...Yuno, Veeder14, snow queen, ClaireInAZ, Cpeachymom & Snickersmom. Hugs you are all in my heart & prayers




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  • TheSnowQueen
    TheSnowQueen Member Posts: 13
    edited February 2018

    Hi justdiagnosed2-2-2018 I am not too familiar with these BC terms either. Maybe someone can jump in and enlighten us :) 1 mm “focus” is that the size? If so, that is very small, mine is 20mm or 2cm. MRI process scared me. They followed it up w an ultrasound and they pulled out a measuring tape to mark a spot! Last time they pulled out that measuring tape was when I was diagnosed! Thank god all was clear in the end. I had read on here about MRI picking up everything, so take it easy when you go in :) and YES we are going to make it 😉♥️

    I had my lumpectomy surgery yesterday, not bad at all. They took two lymph nodes and sent to lab, results on Fri or Mon. Wonder if two is average amount or am I overthinking that?? 😬


    @yuno I have been thinking of you and you mom. How is she doing? Thank you very much for your kind words ♥️


    Hugs


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  • Katrinakitty
    Katrinakitty Member Posts: 1
    edited February 2018

    I had BC back in 1989 while pregnant with my son.   At that time I was a Stage II (intraductal carcinoma with positive lymph nodes).  I had a lumpectomy and an axillary dissection followed by chemo and XRT.  I was clean for 28 years.   In January, during my annual mammogram, they found a suspicious area and did a biopsy.   It came back positive for breast cancer for the second time.   Now on track for a mastectomy on the 27th.   I am so not prepared to go through this again.   I am hoping that my genetic testing comes back clean so can avoid the bilateral mastectomy.   Feeling so isolated and anxious...so much to mentally handle.   

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited February 2018

    Dear Katrinakitty,

    Welcome to the BCO community. We are so sorry about your new diagnosis and at the same time we are glad that you reached out to our members. Many here express the sense of isolation and anxiety that you describe. You will be well supported here. Let us know what we can do to help you to navigate your way around the boards. We are here to help as well. Keep us posted and we look forward to seeing you here. The Mods

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  • bella2013
    bella2013 Member Posts: 489
    edited February 2018

    Snowqueen, happy to hear your lumpectomy went well. Just having 2 lymph nodes removed is not bad at all. Sorry you didn’t get the pathology results on those nodes during the surgery but you will have them in no time.

    Fourteen days from today is my BMX with DIEP Flap reconstruction. Nervous and excited

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  • bella2013
    bella2013 Member Posts: 489
    edited February 2018

    Katrinakitty, so sorry to hear of your recurrence. Lots has changed in technology from diagnosis to being cancer free since your last diagnosis 28 years ago. It is still an emotional roller coaster ride but you will get through it.

    If you care to share your diagnosis then you can go to the top of this page and press Menu, then Press Settings. It helps us to answer questions you may have along your journey. You will notice that under most postings we have entered our diagnosis from a pathology report.

    I am waiting for my BMX with reconstruction on Feb. 22. Bi-lateral was my choice after a journey through lumpectomy with questionable margins. I am having DIEP Flap surgery. My plastic surgeons will take my belly fat along with veins (no muscle) and make new breasts out of my own tissue. I knew I was holding on to that belly fat for a reason. So, I get two new breasts and a tummy tuck. Not a bad outcome after dealing with this hideous cancer.

    You will finds lots of support and information on breast cancer.org. I trust the articles that are available to us. Knowledge is power so I encourage you to read as much as you can on your cancer and treatment options. Be careful to select breast cancer websites that are reputable.

    Blessings,

    Barbara

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  • meganin
    meganin Member Posts: 4
    edited February 2018

    Breast cancer is a very heterogeneous disease with some subtypes, especially hormone receptor positive subtype having up to 90% five year survival, great prognosis, with many therapeutic options. Even the more aggressive subtype (triple-negative breast cancer) can be handled very well with multimodality therapeutic approach. It would be beast to know the breast cancer subtype so that the right therapeutic approach can be initiated as soon as possible. I believe your prognosis will be good, and that metastasis has not yet occurred.

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  • Yuno
    Yuno Member Posts: 21
    edited February 2018

    We're doing well, the biopsy results come out on Wednesday and I'm praying so hard it's benign. 🙏

    But I'm happy to hear the your lumpectomy went well! It's so great to see how you're staying positive amidst all this. I do hope everything goes better. :)

    Hugs and prayers to everyone here. Stay safe. ❤

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  • TheSnowQueen
    TheSnowQueen Member Posts: 13
    edited February 2018

    Hey Girls :) how are you all doing? I have been trying to keep myself busy so I’m not “researching” stuff I shouldn’t be :)

    My Lymph nodes came back negative. They actually took 3, and one looked suspicious but came back ok. Lymphovascular invasion “not identified”. Margins range from 4mm - 10mm and the actual size went up to 2.5cm, grade bumped up to 3. So now they want me to chemo Before the radiation... I’m not looking forward to it, but I’m also not complaining. I feel blessed and thankful that my nodes weren’t involved.


    @katrinakitty how are you? Sorry to hear you are going through this again. Hang in there, will be praying for you.

    @bella2013 Been thinking of you, good luck with your surgery tomorrow. Will be praying for you



    Hugs

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  • JustDiagnosed2-2-2018
    JustDiagnosed2-2-2018 Member Posts: 4
    edited February 2018

    Sorry it's been so long. I have had you all in my heart & in my prayers.

    SnowQueen- that is really good news about your nodes. Please keep us posted. Hugs❤

    KatrinaKitty-i am so sorry. Please keep us posted.

    Bella0213- How are you?? How was your surgery?

    Yuno-How are you? Test results?

    Veeder14, ClaireInAZ, Cpeachymom & Snickersmom. Hugs you are all in my heart & prayers.

    just a quick update on me.

    My BRCA test came back negative

    My MRI showed no cancer in left breast but the right is bad. Which I can tell cuz I feel twinges of pain in my right breast. Not sure if thats really the cancer but I suspect it is.

    I met with 1 plastic surgeon. Although she was very kind and patient with all my questions, she is not the plastic surgeon for me at this time.

    I plan to have a double mastectomy just to be safe. This doctor felt I would most likely need skin, fat and muscle removed from my abdomen to rebuild my breasts. Based on that information, I will need a plastic surgeon who is EXTREMELY familiar with this type of reconstruction & who has a skilled team to assist with surgery. So I made an appointment with the second plastic surgeon who my Dr recommended.

    I see him on March 13 for a full consultation.

    On March 19th I will meet with my Dr to discuss the full treatment plan & hopefully set a surgery date.

    HUGS. Love, Light & Prayers to all of you



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