New diagnosis

Hi

The waiting is awful , even cruel . But they want to get our treatment correct first time . 
I didn’t have any symptoms, so like you I knew something was wrong when I got my recall . Took quite a while to actually start  My treatment plan as short staff due to norovirus among staff ! It was January 2018 . I had a few biopsies due to my grade 3 cancer being minuscule and hiding among DCIS cells in my breast and lymph nodes  . Also got extra scans , MRI to try and locate it - they never did until after surgery in the labs. 
 It was decided to carry out a left mastectomy with immediate reconstruction using my tummy tissue . ( bit shocked at all this ) 

So - first recall appointment was 3/1/18 

jan / feb was hospital appointments plus we went to the south of England to visit our son and escape ! 

About the 18th  February we went to Tenerife for a week . Again to escape . 

Mastectomy was 6/3/18 - all went text book and amazing . 

Chemo started 13/4/18 finished August 18 

read my profile for more info . 

everyone on here will agree the waiting is the worst . 

it’s all like a bad dream , you will cry laugh and cry again 

you are the main person now , so take good care of yourself .

love 

Ruby Rose  

Thank you; I think the plan is to have chemo first, simply because the cancer in my breast is small enough to probably only need a lumpectomy rather than mastectomy, but they want some gene testing done, the results of which may mean mastectomy instead, so I’ll have the chemo while the gene testing is being done, and I’ll only have to have surgery once. But until I’ve seen the oncologist (I’ve only seen the surgeon so far), I can’t make plans. 

Hi 

Warm welcome to the club no one wanted to join :-/

J had surgery within 10 days of getting her biopsy results and with chemo prior to surgery the timings can be similar depending on how busy the chemo unit is.  Chemo prior to surgery is termed neoadjuvant so if you see that mentioned anywhere here it is the same regime as you will be on.

First thing that usually happens when diagnosed and the neoadjuvant route is used is you will have a pre-chemo assessment appt where you have your BMI worked out as that is used for chemo dosage levels, most also have a fact finding ECG and/or CT scan to check for anything that may affect chemo like only having one kidney, liver damage etc. You may be shown the chemo unit so you have an idea on how it is given. Your sessions can start a week after the assessment.

At the pre-chemo appt you could ask if your unit fits PICC iv lines or Ports (chemo info link) as standard for chemo patients. Some do, some don't but if you are offered one having one fitted only takes around 30 mins and saves a heck of a lot of needle jabs and hand cannula's speeds up the time you spend on the chemo unit, is also used for taking the many blood tests it also helps avoid the risk of lower arm/hand vein damage from the constant infusions.

Hope this is of some help and the chemo is kind to you, G n' J