Diagnosed 3rd June 2011 breast cancer

Hi Blue, sorry you are feeling so crappy, you must be reading the wrong posts to so down. I know how you feel about not knowing anything about cancer as i didnt till i had it and i was working 7 days a week and totally fit. I have had single masectomy, chemo and rt and reconstruction with implants and now, on 1st August i am having risk reducing masectomy to other side even though there is no cancer there, so belive me when i say it wont be as bad as you think,. If you need any informatin please message me and i will help in any way i can as i remember how scarry it was when i was first diagnosed.

Take lots of care Love Kaz x

It is a horrible scary time - one minute feeling fit and the next to be told you have cancer is like having a big smack in the face. As kaz says, it's never as bad as you imagine and once treatment is underway you feel you are DOING something positive to kick the b*gger out!

Do join the 'Breast Cancer Care' site too. It is mainly patients who contribute to that site and, of course, it is specifically for breast cancer.

All the best,

KateG

Hi Blue and welcome to the site. You will find a lot of much needed support and understanding on here from people in much the same position.

I am nearly 8 years since diagnosis and currently doing well. If all is well at my next appointment next year I am to be discharged from the clinic and will have no further mammograms until I am eligible for the screening programme when I am 50, so I have nearly five years till then.

There are loads of similar stories around. You will be feeling negative at this stage as the news will still be sinking in with you.

As for the five year survival rate, please don't look too much into that. That is only a guidline doctors use for statistics, it doesn't reflect on individual cases. I can assure you the treatment available for breast cancer these is very effective and is improving all the time.

In my case also, I have not gone through menopause with treatment. I had surgery, chemo and radiotherapy followed by five years on tamoxifen. I did suffer some of the symptoms like hot flushes though.

There is also a magazine available called Amoena Life which is published solely for breast cancer sufferers. It has loads of advice and stories from women who have gone through the same thing as ourselves. There are loads of stories of women who are 25 years plus on from breast cancer. It also has a section which advertises breast forms and mastectomy bras and swimwear. It really is a great magazine. You can order it online. It is sent out twice a year and best of all, it is free lol.

I wish you all the very best with your treatment. If you want to chat or ask any questions please feel free to contact me. I am always here.

Christine xx

Hello Blue and welcome.  This is all too much for you right now, so don't make any decisions regarding reconstruction - the most important thing right now is to get you in treatment.  I sometimes think looking up stats/going on the internet to find answers can scare us witless.  The best people to talk to are your oncologist.  You WILL be okay, it WILL be possibly horrendous but the time will go and before you know it, you'll be out the other end feeling glad to be alive.  I had my mastectomy/auxillary clearance in 2007 and am now going to have reconstruction i.e. tummy tuck shaped into a boob.  I can't wait to get myself back to feeling like (looking like) a woman.  If you need time to step back and think about the shock before you, take the time, you will get there.  We are all here for you and most of us have probably felt the same as you at times so you are not alone here.  Good luck, try to stay calm.  Breast Cancer isn't a death sentence anymore, at least not for the majority.

Hi Blue

Welcome to the site although it is not a place we would freely choose to be.  It is a fantastic place and here you will find lots of support and advice from women in the same boat, or have coem through the other side.

I had a mastectomy and recon on 23rd June using my tum to form a new boob. The results are amazing and it was my choice to select immediate reconstruction.  i also have to go through chemo once my wounds have healed properly. I feel very positive about the future and as nutcracker says pay no heed to the statistics, talk to your oncologist dont search the net and build things up in your mind, its not worth it.

I am sure you will be fine, yes its daunting horrendous depressing life changing and all of that but it is a neccessary path to being well again.  Do try to approach it with this in mind and be determined to kick this monsters ass.  I am more than happy to chat if you want to add me as a friend.  I have been where you are and I am now half way through the journey, it isnt as bad as you think it will be honestly. Stay positive and strong it is the only way to beat this thing.

Take care hun

Love

Jules xx