Hello everyone,
i haven’t felt confident enough to post anything on here until now but thought I’d say hi tonight. 
I’m 50 & was diagnosed with two separate primary cancers in October 25 - both of which were a complete shock and unexpected. After lots of scans/biopsies etc my (amazing and lovely) breast team have told me that I’ve got mixed grade 2 & 3 DCIS, 25mm with suspected invasion. Initially (in October) there was no palpable lump, but by the time I had surgery on 19th Dec it could be felt. My breast surgery consisted of a lumpectomy to right breast with mastoplexy and mastoplexy to left breast for symmetry plus sentinel node testing. Healing fairly well although spitting sutures has led to small amount of infection around incisions and they are still really swollen etc.
I’m thinking my diagnosis might be upstaged from 0 to 2(?) based on the size/invasive(?) & it would still be grade 2/3? Find it all a tad confusing! The original provisional plan of surgery, radiation & hormone therapy (if HR +) could be adjusted too. Guess I’ll find out tomorrow morning….
I’m nervous and have been low & overwhelmed. Last Friday 9th Jan I had a total hysterectomy (uterus, cervix and fallopian tubes removed) by keyhole surgery to treat the endometrial cancer. The MRI scan in Nov ‘25 showed it was grade 1 stage 1a. However, there has been a massive delay in treatment-G.P referral to treatment has taken 7 months which is way out of NHS guidelines (treatment should be conducted within 62 days from initial urgent referral.) My understanding for this long wait has been a mix of medical staff errors and administration mix ups.
I have coped well physically with the hysterectomy but I’m v fatigued with 0% motivation. I chose to keep my ovaries because I am perimenopausal although i’ve not any physical symptoms & still had regular periods. My mental health has been terrible tho & I don’t think I could cope with going into a surgical menopause right now. I have bipolar disorder and have suffered terribly for the last 3 years which has massively impacted on quality of life- Think this has been triggered by hormonal changes.
On the whole I’m a very happy, high functioning, fairly successful and healthy person and have managed my bipolar well despite the challenges it presents but the last 3 years have been so tough. . I always trusted in my body to be strong & reliable whilst my mental heath was more vulnerable so these cancer diagnosis has affected my confidence and ability to trust in myself if that makes sense. Grateful for tons of support but at times I feel so lonely, overwhelmed & pessimistic.Anyway, I’ve gone on and on- apologies! Thanks for “listening” & grateful for being a part of this warm and supportive group. Any words of encouragement or similar shared experiences would be so greatly appreciated.
Emily
