Awaiting biopsy results

Hi

I had a similar experience to you, I was told mine was definitely cancer and I would be going back for my treatment plan, but that it was totally treatable etc, she did ask me how I felt and I said relieved, not that I had cancer, but that I knew. The first proper meeting was with the surgeon and a nurse, and afterwards I had a meeting with the BCn where I could ask more questions - but it is so difficult to know what to ask as it is all so new , and I have said on here before it felts like you quickly learn a new language. 

Possible outcomes if you do have breast cancer? It will depend on several things, the size of the lump, what the histology is, and if they think your lymph nodes are involved. So they will probably give you a stage and grade. The stage is the extent of the cancer with 1 being the “best” up to 4. The grade is to do with the cancer and cells and how quickly it looks to be multiplying, there are three grades, again 1 being the “best. You will also find out what type you have, there are many different types, and each one will guide your treatment plan. 
You will also probably find out whether your cancer is ER+/PR+ , Her2+, or negative for all of these markers.

Your team will look at all these things, plus other things - they are the experts and it is very complex - but these will all determine your treatment plan. Surgery is always in the plan, either lumpectomy or mastectomy, and then sometimes radiotherapy, and sometimes chemotherapy, sometimes other medication too.If your lump is large, more and more women seem to be having chemo first to shrink their lump before their surgery, but generally surgery is first.

There are also many other determinants but they will or won’t crop up for you, and probably easier to just deal with some things as you go along.

You might find this booklet useful, it is free to download https://breastcancernow.org/information-support/publication/breast-cancer-you-coping-diagnosis-treatment-future-bcc44 and the site it is on, Breastcancernow, is also very helpful.

You will feel emotional, it is completely understandable, even though there are thousands of women who have had a breast cancer diagnosis, you haven’t before, and it is a very uncertain time, having said all of that, there are also tens of thousands of us still here and living life on the other side of the diagnosis.

Good luck for Monday, come back on and let us know how you have gone on.

Jo x

Hi Jo,

I got my results. I have invasive ductal breast cancer. I don’t have a stage until after my sentinel node biopsy which will be done on Friday along with my lumpectomy. Although it’s fairly aggressive it will hopefully only require radiotherapy or chemo if the lymph nodes are affected. More waiting. I am so aware that I am very lucky and I feel like a fraud worrying or complaining. Mine isn’t really bad and others have far worse. I can’t believe how fast everything is happening. I am scared of what I will look like after my surgery. I feel selfish worrying about that when my family are so upset and don’t care about my boobs...they just want me alive! I don’t want to cry or show it’s bothering me but I am worried about feeling unattractive or losing libido...I just got married in December.   I just need somewhere to air my worries....xxx

Hello.  I had lumpectomy in 2015 to removed 11mm area of DCIS from top left of breast!  You'd never know unless I told you .  If I lean forward you see a dent ,  I'm a 36G cup.  I have no residual skin issues from radiotherapy.  I used E45 cream once wound healed so skin in best condition then added aloe Vera from fridge to cool skin after each radiotherapy session.  They don't hang around with treatment thankfully xx