My wife (53 years old) found a lump in her breast on boxing day. It's just under her right nipple and doesnt hurt. She booked an appointment at the local GP. They did a preliminary check and made a referral to the local hospital.
Today, she went for her appointment and they did a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy. The problem is that, under these circumstances, my wife doesn't ask questions. As an example, I initially thought I wasn't allowed in with her so I sat in the waiting room but it turns out she just didn't think to tell the staff that I was there. The result is that I now feel I know less than I did yesterday.
Her attitude is always to take things as they come. I need to know the numbers. I've spoken to her about this - obviously I'm worried - but I know this isn't about me and I need to respect her wishes. I just won't sleep till I know more.
The doctor said the mammogram shows the lump is a 2cm hard mass. The ultrasound confirms that there are no lumps elsewhere. The biopsy results will be with us in 10 to 14 days and then they can "consider a treatment plan".
What does that mean? Yesterday I knew that 10% of breast lumps are cancer. Have the numbers changed? The fact they're talking about a treatment plan suggest they do think it's cancerous and treatment is necessary but, if that's the case, why the biopsy?
At the moment they're suggesting the ultrasound is "suspicious" and the mammogram "less suspicious". Is there still a chance it's just a cyst or a fibrous lump?
I'm not looking for a diagnosis but any information anyone can offer will help.
Thank you.
Hi Anthony.P and a very warm welcome to the Macmillan Community but sorry to hear about your wife’s ongoing diagnosis.
A cancer diagnosis in the family can be such a challenging and stressful time but getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' cancer type and support challenges will help a lot (I have a totally different type of cancer)
The New to Community is like our reception desk where we look to direct you to the best part of the Community for you to get support. The Community is divided into dedicated Cancer Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) so can I recommend you join and post in our dedicated Breast cancer support group. This is a safe place to talk to others who may have a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support from family members who are navigating the same support journey.
As for the practical and emotional challenges of supporting your wife you may benefit from joining and posting in our Family and Friends support group where you will connect with others navigating the exact same support challenges.
To connect with a group click on the “Bold Italic Links” I have created above then once the group page opens click on “Click to Join” when the black banner appears or “Join” under “Group Tools” (this all depends on the device you are using)
You can then put up your own post when you’re ready by clicking “+new” or “+” in the top right next to the group title. You can copy and paste the text from this post into your new post.
It is an emotional time supporting family so you might find this Macmillan information your feelings when someone has cancer helpful as well as this link getting help with your emotions.
It’s a challenging time for you so you may want to use the Macmillan Support Line is open 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00. This service provides cancer information, practical information, emotional support or just a listening ear.
We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow a few working days for a reply.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community.
