Feeling slightly lost today a cyst in my breast actually isn't and have had a lymph node aspiration from my arm pit and a biopsy from my left breast which is much larger than my right and sore to be told by doctor although have to wait till Tuesday he is suspicious of lump and thinks its cancer. I am a single mum to my son who is 9 and my daughter who is 7 and being told by doctor we will fight it together and discussing chemo with me to shrink mass.
Or asking me about removing the whole breast as the mass is solid and completely fills my breast. Worrying how this will effect my kids.
Wanted to say hi and was hoping somebody could tell me how this will impact me x
Hi Tiana
A warm welcome to the forum, although obviously appreciate that you would definitely not want to be here!
I guess until you know what you are dealing with then you won't 100% know how it will impact you - although by the sounds of the discussion the doctor feels fairly confident that it is cancer as they wouldn't normally discuss any potential treatments if they weren't sure at all. Scans do look different for cancer, so although it's nice to hold onto some hope, I would go with what your doctor is telling you for now.
You may get given options of an immediate mastectomy and chemotherapy or chemotherapy first by the sounds of it. The doctor may ask you to make the choice, so you might want to think about preparing a list of questions of pros and cons of doing the treatment either way round.
Chemotherapy can obviously have bad side effects and for some, they can get away with minimal side effects - but not many.
It might be worth looking at options for support if you become poorly / need operation(s) as a single Mum and presumably if you have no family close by, then this is something to discuss with your doctor for social services assistance.
Also, have a think about how you will tell your children without frightening them too much when you know exactly what it happening/ do you tell their teacher as it may have an impact on them at school seeing their Mum poorly?
One thing I would mostly suggest is to take your treatment a step at a time and not to worry too much about 'what if's' for yourself on the next stage of it. Yes, get prepared for child care etc. but try not to get too ahead that you are so fearful of what comes next. I didn't need chemo. but when I was diagnosed the fear was far, far worse than the treatment I actually went through and sometimes it's good to remember that our brains always imagine the worst case scenario and it might never be as bad as we think.
I hope you get some answers soon and can begin preparation for what lies ahead. Do keep in touch with folks on this forum as there is a wealth of experience from ladies who have been through it/going through it.
Kindest Wishes,
Lesley
