Wait times for treatment

hello,

I completely understand your wife’s anxiety.

Where abouts are you located? Are you in the UK? 
I went to the docs 29/4/24, breast clinic 8/5/24, diagnosed 24/5/24, oncologist 11/6/24, began chemo 17/6/24

I was diagnosed with triple negative so required chemo first o shrink the tumour. Or try too…

Finished chemo 20/11/24 

Mastectomy with immediate DIEP was booked on 30/12/24 for 21/1/25. 
So the implant surgery is performed by the breast surgeon only whereas DIEP there was 3 surgeons. 1 breast and 2 plastic surgeons. Also, I had to have this done in a diff Hospital (I wasn’t bothered as it is nearer!) as they didn’t do plastic surgery there. 
There is a lot of staff involved in DIEP surgery as they have registrars underneath then there are nurses and scrub nurses etc… they also need anethesists - 3 to be precise. 

Scans are required for DIEP too, to make sure your abdomen area is suitable to be used. 
My plastic surgeon had the theatre one day a week so this restricts things also.

This above may explain why there is a wait?! You could possibly ask. 

Has your wife been to the docs to ask for Support with the anxiety? 
The wait times are the worst. 

I had chemo for 6 months. I found it brutal but manageable. It originally measured at 6cm. After chemo it was approx 2cm in November. When it was removed in surgery it was measured to be 4.2cm. It did grow again but continued to remain contained. 

Does she have a breast care nurse? Might be worth trying to speak to them About her worries and anxieties.

Remember - everyone is different.

I was 35 when diagnosed, now 36. I will be 37 by the time treatment has completed. 

Good luck 

I know it seems like a really long wait and she just wants it gone but the 4-8 weeks will go really fast. I had a right sided mastectomy and diep flap reconstruction at the same time in December. With the diep there will be a lot of appointments you may not be aware of yet and you end up going to the hospital like it's a full time job! In the down time I spent a lot of time preparing for after the operation as there is a lot you can't do (or don't feel like doing). 

I had my mammogram and biopsies on the 30th September and was told the diagnosis on 14th October. I had my operation on the 4th of December which I thought would be a long time but between those dates I had: an additional set of biopsies by ultrasound to check whether I would be able to have a nipple saving mastectomy or not, an appointment to discuss these results and make the final choice of implant or diep. I then had a pre op assessment where they take your bloods and weigh you etc for my lymph node removal to check for spread. Another appointment to discuss those results. An appointment with my plastic surgeon to check my suitability for diep and then to organise treatment. A CT scan of my abdomen to look for the blood vessels needed to connect the flap to my existing vessels in my chest. Weekly appointments with physiotherapists to prepare my body to go through the surgeries and to deal with the final outcome. Another pre op assessment for the mastectomy - more bloods and weigh ins etc. A meeting with my plastic surgery nurse to go through what happens with the surgery and after, what to prepare, what type of bra to wear etc. A meeting with the plastic surgeon the day before the operation to be drawn on so they could decide where to cut etc. And probably a few more appointments that I have forgotten about. I didn't have a full week at work for the entirety of October and November. 

In the down time between appointments I prepped meals to eat after to freeze, bought bras and abdominal binder, sorted out the house so I could have a place to sleep that was cat free, made arrangements at work for handover and for my long term absence (I'm a teacher so my absence has a big impact). 

It can be very worrying, thinking that it gives the cancer a chance to spread but the reality is that 4-8 weeks is not a lot of time to do everything you have to do. With the operation they can only do 1-2 a week as they take such a long time. My operation was 8 hours long due to the microsurgery they have to do. This also adds to your wait time. If you or your wife are becoming stressed the best person to talk to is your breast cancer nurse because they have been through the process many times and can really offer good advice for dealing with the unknowns. I personally am really happy with the diep despite everything that goes with it and feel it was the best choice for me. The implant looks and moves very naturally to me and must do to others as well as I have had people ask me when I'm due for my operation after I already had it done. 

Visiting these forums are really helpful too. You can feel very alone and it's good to speak to people who have been through it before. 

Best wishes. 

H 

I was diagnosied on the 26th Jan, I have chosen to have the DIEP at the same time as the mastectomy after talking with a plastic surgeon and my surgeon. I still haven't got a date for surgery because it will involve 2/3 surgeons so they're matching diaries and my local hospital does not have a plastics department so having to go to a different county whilst I've been waiting I've had additional mri's and a CT scan and been put on tamoxifen and zolafex injections every 21 days.