Hello

Hi Diamonddapple

i think we all have similar thoughts in the early days between diagnosis and treatment. We just want rid of the ‘alien’. I was called back for further biopsies after initial diagnosis which added an extra week before treatment started. It’s good news there’s no sign in the lymph nodes. It’s highly unlikely it would spread so quickly but always worth phoning your BCN to tell her you’re anxious and  ask if any option to bring date forward. 

Thank you Beth's.

I did contact my BCN last week about my concerns and she advised I had been given the earliest appointment available and to discuss with my Oncologist at my appointment my concerns and the feasibility of maybe a further ultrasound or biopsy of the lymph nodes.

• So I'm keeping everything crossed and just desperate to start my treatment.

I understand. Best thing you can do in the meantime is try distract yourself from it all. I got away for a weekend before treatment started - not a total distraction but helped a bit. I found TV was a big help - watched a lot of rubbish but did manage to switch off. Sounds like a lumpectomy you’ll get. So no need for a lymph node biopsy. I’ve had continual pain and swelling for over 6 months from the biopsy site / lymphoedema is a risk - if you don’t need a biopsy I’d think twice about asking for one as a precaution. But maybe I’ve just been unlucky. I was initially diagnosed with DCIS high grade and large area so needed a mastectomy. I was told a SLNB had to be done with the mastectomy as you can’t do it after - not sure why. My ultra sound showed lymph nodes clear but he still took 5 nodes for testing - all clear. It wasn’t until after the post surgery biopsy I was diagnosed TNBC. This time last year I was arranging my mum’s funeral and looking forward to a break in March - the first holiday in 10 years without worrying about my mum (who had dementia) back home. Can’t believe I didn’t even get to enjoy that as my first symptoms appeared whilst on holiday so I was at my GP on the first day back then on the hamster wheel of hospital visits and treatment. 

Oh bloody hell you have had a nightmare.

I was told I would need a mastectomy as my bastard tumour is 5cm and I am very flat chested. I can see it every time I look in the mirror. It looks like a nose growing out of my chest next to my nipple. It's a constant reminder. Tbh it did get larger after the 3 biopsies mid Dec which my BCN said was normal due to swelling but it doesn't appear to have gone down.