Blindsided

Hi, I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer 6 weeks ago. The following 2 weeks were further biopsies, ultrasound of lymph nodes and a head to toe CT scan.

It's really about the team gathering as much information as possible so they know what course of treatment is best for you.

Breast cancer is Incredibly complicated and every case is slightly different.

My cancers are 1.6cm and 0.5cm, and my plan is for surgery, lumpectomy and then depending on the histology of the actual tumours they'll decide whether for chemo and or radiotherapy.

My only advise is don't set your plans in your mind in the early stages as things do shift and change.

That's nobodies fault it's the nature of the disease.

Some people carry on working some don't.

Personally I've found it a godsend to have a little normality and distraction but I'm very privileged to work very part time in a very supportive environment.

I would predict that it will be 6-12 months to complete treatment.

Good luck, anc don't feel you have to be strong all the time.

I've been a total self indulgent, wobbly, mess most of the time and I'm a 60 year old health care professional !!!

Everyone is different, but do be extremely kind to yourself and cut yourself lots of slack xxxx

Welcome to the forum

you may have to go for CT and mri scans ? - check of any spread to major organs.

blood tests / radiotherapy plan 

Hi Vibby, thank you so much for your reply. I'm a nurse working in dementia and frailty. So it was interesting to hear that you have worked part time. I may speak with occupational health and see about working part-time. Thank you xx 

Thank you, I hadn't considered that. Xxx

Hi,

Being a nurse and finding yourself in the receiving end of care, rather than being the care giver takes a bit if getting used to. I worked full time (Critical Care/resuscitation) during investigations, diagnosis and up until surgery, although I had to adjust some aspects of my role after tests. I was lucky my team leader was great and swoped my shifts for appointments and as we knew I was going to be told I had cancer, made sure I had a couple of days off after my appointment. My initial plan changed as images were reviewed by MDT and more information required. It's difficult to predict things until you know the definitive plan, but I suggest that you discuss this with your surgeon. One thing I've learnt is that plans are fluid. Although this feels contrary to a nurse's nature, this is the time to put yourself first so you can continue the great work you do. It's a lesson my colleagues are still trying to drum into me.

Be kind to yourself and take care x

Oh thank you so much, its certainly good to hear from other care givers that understand that aspect of struggling to be a patient. I think I just need to learn to breath and not try map out a plan on my own. Thank you so so much, xx

I have been told I’ll need chemotherapy then radiotherapy & immunotherapy after my lumpectomy, AICAP flap & lymph node biopsy this week. Surgeon said they allow minimum 4-6 weeks for internal healing before chemo in my case - I imagine a similar wait before radiotherapy but I’m just presuming / can’t say for sure. 

A friend who had a lumpectomy was back at work in 2 weeks but with reduced duties / no heavy lifting. 

It's hard not to try and map your journey when you map other's every day. 

Of it helps, I've been told by my oncologist that I'll have a 4 - 6 week rest after chemo before radiotherapy.

Hi Sunbeam21 , lovely replies already from the fine folks here. Can only speak from my own experience….. prior to my cancer diagnosis, I had a lumpectomy around 15 years ago for what turned out to be a benign fibroadenoma. Had the op during half term and was back in school within days. This time round, had a lumpectomy/ wide local excision and sentinel node sampling. Worked up till surgery, thought I’d be back in a couple of weeks. Much bigger incision this time, not vaguely ready to go back after 2 weeks! I was a special needs teacher, lots of physical moving and handling. In the end I was off for 4 months, which took me to 4 weeks after my radiotherapy finished (3 weeks worth at that time, often just a week now for my sort of case). 
So my advice would be, prepare your work for a longer time off. Everyone is different and you may bounce back in, but better that they (and you) have in mind that it could be longer than initially anticipated. Really, until you have the op, it’s very hard to predict. And that’s the rollercoaster nature of a cancer diagnosis, unfortunately. 
Glad you’ve found us here, it’s a great place for support and shared experiences. You can read people’s stories by clicking on their user name if they’ve filled out their profile - it’s not compulsory but useful, I think. 
Sending love and a big virtual hug, HFxx