Hello

Hi Maryanne and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.

I too have just been diagnosed with breast cancer, well 2 weeks ago to be precise, so I do know how scared you're probably feeling right now.

This is my second time with cancer having been diagnosed with malignant melanoma 5 years ago. I joined this community then and I hope you'll find it just as supportive as I did and still do.

I can see that you've joined and posted in the breast cancer group which is a great place to ask questions, share experiences and get support and that you've already had a couple of replies from people asking how they can support you.

Sending a virtual (((hug)))

Thankyou. It is a very scary time and I feel a burden to my family telling them all the time how frightened I am, having told them initially to be positive! It’s hard being positive myself in the face of so much uncertainty. 

Hi Maryanne

Yes it is a scary time but I'm putting my faith in my hospital team to give me a good outcome. 

The online community is a great place to talk about how you're feeling as no one here will feel you're a burden as we all understand what it's like to be given a cancer diagnosis.

My current diagnosis is grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma with an area of DCIS close by. The DCIS was picked up on a routine mammogram and then the lump was spotted when they used a more powerful mammogram machine to look at the DCIS. The lump can't be felt so I count myself lucky that I was recalled for something else otherwise it might have been there for a long time before I noticed it! As it is the BCNS thinks it's been there for just a couple of months.

I go for a lumpectomy a week on Friday and will get the results of that about 3 weeks later. I will probably need radiotherapy but they're not sure about chemotherapy yet.

Try not to worry about being positive all the time. You wouldn't be human if doubts didn't creep in every now and then. Take no notice of people who spout the usual cancer sayings of "you must be positive" or "you've got to fight this". No one would dream of saying that to anyone with any other type of illness yet these phrases seem to be trotted out all the time if you have cancer.

It will make no difference to your outcome if you feel positive all the time or not. However, I do agree that trying not to worry does make a difference to how you feel mentally. Someone once said to me that "worrying doesn't change the outcome but it does ruin the present" and they're right.

xx