Hello

Hello have just gone from 0 to 70 on breast cancer diagnosis. Having surgery soon, but having trouble with being diagnosed with stage three cancer and having a mastectomy. I was just me four weeks a

Hi Casput,

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. It’s a lot to take in.

I’m stage 3, see my profile. I’m having chemo first, just had round 4. 

I see my surgeon on the 14th May. She seems very good. I’m keeping an open mind on what her advice will be for now. If it’s a mastectomy then so be it. I’m trying not to overthink. Difficult I know!

Bluebell xx 

I’m so sorry to hear that. I was stage 3++ in my right breast and 3 in my left. Diagnosed in September 2019. I’m still here and there is hope, I promise you. After treatment my tumours shrunk to stage 2, but it took a while, and a year out of my life. After surgery, I have turned a corner, despite the odds stacked against. My nurse at my GP can’t believe where we are now. I hope my tale gives you some solace that there really can be another happy ending. 

Sorry such a confused idiot it’s grade three. This is all new to me and I don’t know where I am at in my head I just can’t get over the speed of my treatment plan.

It is so much to take in and it seems to go at warp speed, so much of what you will hear will seem to bypass you and you go home and think what just happened? Try and build a rapport with those you will see, it will stand you in good stead. If something is said that you realise has gone over your head, don’t be afraid to ask them to go over it again. I asked my oncologist, when offered different treatment plans, ‘I’m sorry, but this is your area of expertise, what would you do?’. It seems like it is coming at you in slow motion and at 100 miles an hour. I put myself in their hands, but just tried to slow the times down when at the “talky” stages by talking about my life and how it would fit if it could. This short stopped the warp factor for enough time for me to digest the last sentence. I wasn’t up to questions, as what on earth do you ask? I had no idea? I filled in with fluff and the penny would drop, if I wasn’t understanding of what ever that had said, when I filled with fluff it gave the oncologist paused for thought. Cry all you want, blub if you need to, it’s all a given. Just make sure you say something, anything so that they stop and give you time to recover yourself. The team are pulling for you, just sometimes they can be overwhelming! I found out, after being given 4 weeks between treatments and I exclaimed, “I love you!” I over heard a chortle from one of the other oncologists. I them marched to his doorway, and said, ‘What? I work, have a very busy life? 4 weeks is just great in my position, this is your job! You do it every day to help the like of me to get back to our life!’. Said oncologist to whom I had confronted saw me the following appointment. He then confided in me that my long drink of milk that is my oncologist, is referred to as ‘The Planet’, as his brain is so huge. Adore my team, they have thought outside the box and gave me hope against adversity, it will get better. Just prepare yourself to be carried along on the crest of a wave, and you won’t know which way is up! Stay grounded and take the small wins along the way, put one foot in front of the other. Thinking of you. 

Hi can I ask how quick your treatment plan was please, I don't feel mine has been, and when was your first clinic appointment and what was symptoms and biopsies pls xxx

Hi, sorry for the delay. My clinical assessment was ver fast. I saw my GP in mid March and then was fast tracked to a specialist breast cancer care unit in our main hospital. On the day I saw the consultant and then went on a series of tests and depending on what they find you are further assessed. In my case I went through everything including a biopsy. I then went back and was told it was cancer and they said it was large. A week later the biopsy revealed that it was grade three aggressive invasive and surgery was scheduled for two weeks later,.I went back after surgery ten days later  and received the results of my lymph node biopsy, which was clear. I am now waiting for the tests on the tumour which had to go off to America. So I started in mid March and I am in recovery. I hope this helps take care, and message me any time. We are all in this together and we need to support one another.