Breast Cancer diagnosis and treatment

Hi Sheldon,  sorry you find yourself here but it’s great that your treatment is well underway and you are feeling more settled after hairloss - I actually found the emotional fallout from that harder than the chemo side effects to be honest but am ok now 

I was diagnosed in July too after a routine screening. I had a mastectomy but not a full node clearance. A tiny bit of cancer was found in the sentinel node but they said they were treating it as negative. I must admit I sometimes think what if it got to the other nodes too & is still lurking there ready to pounce again but I have to trust their judgement call on this (hard though as I’m a natural worrier & have to keep reminding my self they are highly trained oncologists who know what they are doing!). I hope your recovery from that procedure is going well. 

I’m lucky in that I have great support from my family & close friends too. I have been very selective with whom I share this with & have kept it to friends who can be understanding & supportive without making me feel that I’m totally “doomed”. Early on I mistakenly told one friend who promptly burst into tears & told me how sorry she was for me - I have to say I did feel a bit “doomed” after that conversation so lesson learned! 

I found it hard to come to terms with at the beginning as it affects the whole family - every thing was peachy until this “tsunami” crashed into our lives upending everything!  I have found a new normal now & feel a lot calmer. I’m  just ploughing on through the chemo & hope it does it’s job yo reduce the risk of this recurring.  I am on a 2 weekly cycle of EC to be followed by Paclitaxel (8 cycles in total). I am just behind you & will be at the halfway mark after next one. 

Good luck with the rest of your treatment

I'm currently having my 4th Chemo cycle on the ward. I was also a little hyper that it's the 4th on and more than half way. Just to reassure you I've two aunts who had mastectomy and no lymph nodes earance. That's 20-25 years agoand both mide 70s now. Trust your oncologist and your gut. Good luck with your treatment. Sending you positive vibes