1st Annual Check Up

If you are anything like me you'll get this worry every year.  I'm waiting for the appt. letter for Y5 check up to pop through door !!  

• Year 1 I was given results on day - all clear
• Year 2 I was told results will be posted in 2 weeks.  Nothing.  Waited 3 weeks and rang and told all clear.  Then had a letter 3 months later confirming!
• Year 3 I was given results on day.  They wanted to do ultrasound on my right boob (I had treatment for my left boob). They asked me if I had knocked my breast (I have G cup so it's a common occurance) but I was afraid to say yes as I really wasn't sure.  They did ultrasound there and then and biopsy.  Told me result on Friday (this was Monday).  By 3pm no phone call so I rang and told biopsy fine but hey hadn't rung me as they wanted to repeat mammogram to ensure it was clear and were struggling to get me an appointment.  Promised me call Monday with appointment.  No call but letter on Tuesday saying appointment to see Breast Surgeon in two weeks.  I was beside myself so rang my BCN.  She was on holiday but explained to her colleague and she came straight back to me to say it was for a mammogram but they automatically put surgeon as clinic on letter.  She got me a cancellation appointment for the following week.  Repeated mammogram and given all clear so they had decided it was a bruise.
• Year 4 I was given results on the day.  All clear.

Grogg glad you've had 4 clear years Carol and hopefully the same this year. Isn't 5 years a good milestone?

I reassure myself that there are many of you here with your experiences well behind you and look forward to joining you all in the NEDdy club!! 

I'm still waiting for mammogram app. Letter to arrive West End Girl BCN rang last month to say I was on this months list . So hopefully will get letter this week  I think you're right we're all the same ....little niggles become something to focus on . I had no lumps or bumps .

even the surgeon couldn't feel anything or ultra sound  . It was calcification 51 mm only mammogram showed it up ( my last one as 70 ) 

Hope all goes well on Thursday and hopefully get results quickly .

margaret x

Hi West End Girl

I've got mine end of July, thought they'd made a mistake!  Can't believe its a year since diagnosis...how time flies eh?  Was also happy to see they're not trying to mammo the missing boob!

Just to say I hope it all goes well and of course its natural for you to feel some apprehension, just think of what you've been through...

Let us know how you get on.

Sam X

 Hope it all goes well for you all, I’ll be thinking of you

Think it’s perfectly natural to be apprehensive, especially if that’s how the bc was found on the first place.

Should have had my first one at the beginning of May but haven’t heard anything. I emailed them but they can’t say when, they haven’t even started on the backlog yet! 
not sure how I feel, I’m pretty sure every things fine but I’d like the reassurance!

I know I'm lucky to be ahead of the backlog following the Covid situation. I will say that it has certainly made appointments more efficient, I was the only person in the waiting room and was in and out in less than 10 mins!! It was the same a few weeks ago when I went for my echo.

Anyhow, no results on the day. If I've not heard in a couple of weeks, phone my BCN.

Hi West End Girl

Have to agree with you hospital appointments are so efficient now . I didn't see anyone else when I had my echo and it was moved to clean hospital ( I live in middle of three ..) 

1 major trauma unit and general.    

2 . General   ( my cancer unit )  

3 Ex general now elective surgery area of excellence  with brand new cardiac unit 

Although Oncolgist is based at first hospital ,I see her at second also chemo unit is at second hospital I was given choice for mastectomy and heart echos at no three . 

All very efficient and communication between the teams is brilliant .

I rang  yesterday about mammogram date as we want to get to caravan so was going to ask fir mobile call if date came up . They immediately checked said down for July when is your Herceptin so they could shuffle to make it same day don't want shielded going in too often . So just waiting for confirmation now for early July . Annual for MX is the 4th .

take care 

Margaret x

Hi West End Girl, Yorkshire_defector, ruthie2 , Northerner and everyone

Good to hear from you all and know NHS is keeping up with follow up mammograms. Just having finished treatment three weeks ago I now know what everyone means about the mix of feelings between the joy of finishing the treatment and then the anxiety of the what next. Strangely during treatment I was rarely worried about it all and now it’s my first thought on waking every morning plus more !! I do think the COVID  situation isn’t helping and it means that life after treatment hasn’t really got going. I know Margaret is shielding but not sure about the rest of you. Like Margaret I am on Herceptin til November. My mammogram last year was 2nd July but imagine I will have to wait on next for a while as up here in Scotland all routine scans were cancelled early in lockdown.

West End Girl - great you are feeling well.

Sam - for the first two weeks after rads I was just fine and it was only after that my treated skin became deep cherry red and uncomfortably itchy and painful at night. In last few days things have settled and it’s feeling fine although still discoloured. Hope its ok for you  now. 

Ruth - lovely to hear from you. Guess you are as busy as ever! Maybe see you at the RHS in 2021. I so missed it this year.

Margaret - can imagine shielding is driving you crazy and you can’t wait till you get over to your happy place with lots of walks.

Keep well everyone and keep safe.

Love Jojodot

Jojodot I know what you mean about mixed feelings. I was always very positive during treatment so I was surprised to start having doubts and looking for things to worry about! I think it must be because during treatment, I was getting good messages about how well everything had gone. Now there's not really any news. Except I have to remember that those good news messages from treatment are still there. We have all done well to get this far so we have to keep those positive feelings. 

You're right though that we still feel we haven't really resumed normal life but hopefully things will start to feel a little more relaxed. I'm not in a great rush to go to the shops though or even out for a meal just yet!!!

Northerner Margaret, good to hear from you. I bet you can't wait to get back to the caravan. It's ideal to still have that space of your own to have a change of scenery as these strange times continue.

Hello everyone,

I'm happy to report the results of my 1st annual mammogram are clear 

It is definitely a good feeling. So off I go for 12 months to get on with a normal life.....well, apart from the Herceptin 3 weekly appointments until October!!

Hope your appointments are all back up and running soon for those on a similar timescale to me. I'm thinking of you. xx