Just diagnosed Yesterday 10/9/2020

hi Terricka,

I just wanted to say hello and I am sorry for your diagnosis. I was just diagnosed Aug 27 and just know you will get through this! You are in one of the hardest times with all the unknowns at this point. Cry when you need to, reach out to friends and family for moral support. Don't bother researching yet. Wait til you have pathology results. The good news is treatment has come a long way and more women are surviving! Stay positive and know there are a lot of ladies here to offer support, knowledge, tips etc. We are all in this together.

Julie

Terricka, at this point what's most important is getting a copy of the pathology report, once it's ready. The key pieces of information from the pathology report are:

• Type of cancer - Is it DCIS (a non-invasive cancer) or Invasive cancer? If it's invasive, is it ductal or lobular (IDC or ILC) or any particular subtype?
• ER status - whether the cancer is driven by estrogen
• PR status - whether the cancer is driven by progesterone
• HER2 status - whether the cancer tests positive for a protein that promotes cell growth (this info isn't required and isn't usually given if the cancer is DCIS)
• Grade - which measures the growth rate and aggressiveness of the cells
• From the imaging reports, there should also be an estimate of the size of the cancer.

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All of this information will help determine the next steps in terms of what additional testing might be done prior to surgery, and even whether treatment might begin before surgery. This information is critical to the treatment plan since different treatments are recommended depending on whether the cancer is ER+/PR+ or ER-PR-, and HER2+ vs. HER2- .

What doctor are you seeing? Just your PCP or Gyne, or a breast surgeon? A breast surgeon will be able to provide more information about next steps. Depending on the pathology, it might be advisable to see a Medical Oncologist as well; sometimes this is necessary before surgery but for some diagnoses patients don't see the MO until after surgery. So the pathology will provide a lot of information about what's to come and what treatments and treatment options you face.

Until you have more information, just take deep breaths and try to keep busy to get through the days. And know that there are a lot of us here with you.

HI Terricka,

We're so very sorry to hear of your diagnosis, but we're glad you've come here to share. As you can see, there's always lots of helpful members around willing to share advice, information, and support -- we're all here for you!

You've already received some wonderful tips, but we wanted to share with you this section from the main Breastcancer.org site called Your Diagnosis, which explains each piece of your pathology report, and also offers a list of Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Your Diagnosis, which you may find helpful.

Take a deep breath, and know that knowledge is power. The more you find out about what you're dealing with, the more empowered you'll feel to face it head on. And we're all here to help you through!

Keep us posted with what you find out. Big hugs!

--The Mods

Terricka (and Mangosan) - More hugs from a fellow Georgian! And I totally agree with the recommendation to get the pathology report ASAP, then arm yourself with questions for your doctor because your next steps will depend on what's in that report. Then start hitting these discussion boards! There's a thread for virtually any question you could have, and if there isn't, you can ask it yourself. Accurate, timely information is your best defense - and offense - against this disease. Next in importance is the support you'll get here.

I totally agree that researching breast cancer before pathology is pointless. The one thing that is helpful to research is your local cancer treatment centers to figure out what is the best one that your insurance covers, and then to figure out how to get your labs/scans over to them.

GOOD LUCK! It really does hep once you have a clearer idea of what you're dealing with.