How long after being diagnosed with BC did u have/start treatment?

Lulu28

I feel like i have been going in circles. With test and options but no action. Just wondering how long others waited?

Sister

Are you going public or private, @lulu28?  I was diagnosed on 5/12, first surgery on 21/12, second on 8/1 and then started chemo in February which is still going.  That is through private.  My cousin was diagnosed was diagnosed mid-January (delayed due to Christmas) and only had her first surgery in April in the public system.  We both had lobular carcinomas - mine had spread to the nodes but that was only discovered under surgery.  It may depend also on what your diagnosis.

kmakm

I am a private patient. Diagnosed Monday, tumour removed on Tuesday. The surgeon said he had room on his list and I just wanted the bloody thing out of me so I leapt at it.

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Fionap2017

Hi Lulu28. I went through the private system. My GP gave me my diagnosis on a Wednesday. He had me an appointment with my surgeon the following Monday. I had my first surgery two days later to remove the lump. They discovered it had gone into one lymph node so I had another operation 2 days later to remove all my nodes. It all happened very fast. I hope everything works out well for you x

Sannahkate

@Lulu28
I remember being nervous about every day which passed prior to treatment starting properly so I completely understand your feeling there!
I’m a public patient and got my initial biopsy back on 28 December last year. I started chemo 5 February (I’m doing surgery after chemo, we wanted to wait for BRCA before operating)... the “delay” was due to staging tests and a round of IVF.
I was kind of forced to take private referrals during staging, as public clinics were closed until mid Jan. I then got referred by those specialists into the public when everything re opened, but armed with test results and a vague plan of attack. If your delays are due to specialist availability, perhaps try and see them in the private, if the cost isn’t prohibitive? Alternatively, could you seek a second opinion if you feel your team are not making decisions?
Or seek the help/guidance of a Breast Care Nurse through either the hospital or Mcgrath? Good luck to you with your treatment x

Hopes_and_Dreams

Hi @Lulu28, I also went private.  Diagnosed 20/7/16, referral to surgeon 25/7, surgery 1/8/16.
I had a left nipple sparing mastectomy with immediate silicone implant and fortunately my cancer was low grade with clear nodes so no chemo needed.  It can all be a bit clunky at this stage but once a treatment plan is worked out, things will start to move fast and you will be on a roller coaster you can’t get off.  Do you have a GP who can give you some advice? Definitely seek a second opinion if you aren’t happy - you are the most important person at this time. Being confident in your medical team is so importanf. Glad you have found us.  You will have a lot of support from everyone here.  All the best, Jane x

Lulu28

Thanks everyone for responding. It's reassuring. Im 38 and have been diagnosed with dcis and invasive carcinoma NST.  Dense breast and a bunch of other precancerous cells. I am told im a rare case as i have no lump or mass and its visible only on mammogram. The mammogram says 3cm and the mri 7cm. I have had 3 core biopsys with 4 or 5 samples taken each time. But they havent managed yo get another samplr since the first one. I was referred to a surgeon who told me i had cancer then said sorry i didnt i had norhing to worry about and gave me a refferal for a biopsy only to be called 1 hr before my appointment to say the refferal was guided by ultrasound and it cant be seen like that so not to come. I ended up organising rhe correct one myself and going to get the refferal from my doc that morning.  This process was 6 weeks after my abnormal results.  I changed hospital saw another surgeon who said chemo then masectomy go away and think about it i will see u in 5 weeks.  Hence the next biopsys to check hormones for chemo. Now they still have none and are unsure of the size of this thing. Im going for excisional hook wire biopsy on 1st june. Oh and they will check my lymph nodes then

kmakm

The hookwire biopsy will be good.as they will definitively be able to sample your lesion.

Unfortunately sometimes the best advocate for a patient is themself. It's great to luck into a well oiled treatment team but it doesn't always happen that way. Remember the squeaky wheel gets the oil! If you have a good GP and/or Breastcare nurse, enlist them to keep at the surgeon & oncologist on your behalf.

You could also ring the BCNA helpline to see if they could assist you in any way. 1800 500 258.

Best of luck & let us know how you get on. K xox

Stork

Hi I was diagnosed on a Wednesday through Breast Screen saw my GP on Friday, the following day Saturday I saw the Breast Surgeon has a lumpectomy on Friday as a private patient out of pocket expenses was $3000.00 at the time the wait as a public patient was a month I had my radiation treatment has a public patient I also are on tamoxifen fortunately no side effects 
It was has been a roller coaster journey for the last 11 months 

kezmusc

Hi @Lulu28,

What a pain in the butt it is waiting and chasing things around. I went public.

Diagnoses 29 sept.  Surgical apt the following Friday.  I could have been operated on on the Monday if I had opted for mastectomy but I wanted lumpectomy if possible.  My surgeon said that it had probably been there for years so a couple more weeks wasn't going to make any difference,

Chased the primary breast tumour around for a month as it couldn't be felt (orignal lump I had found in LN)  2 x mammos 2 x us couldn't find it.  The MRI did, It was well hidden and deep.

2 core biopsies as the first one missed.  Went to a different place and they were able to hit it.  The doctor there said "sometimes its like shooting for a grain of sand in a bowl of jelly"  LOL
So it ended up one month and one day since diagnosis to surgery.

Lulu28

I have my timeline haha. 26th Feb mammogram/architectural distortion.
Surgeons app sent away for ultra sound. Sent for stereotatic. 27th March core biopsy. 29th March confirmed cancer.  MRI 18th April. 23rd April surgical appointment. 4th may core biopsy 10th may oncology appointnent which was cancelled due to no results. 11th may core biopsy. 14th may surgical appointment waiting now for 1st June excisional biopsy.   You guys responding are my real life angels. I do feel good now they have at least admitted defeat on the core biopsies. 

lrb_03

You're making me feel lucky with the smooth run I had 3 years ago. 21st May, diagnosed. 4th June 1sr appointment with surgeon - private, recommended chemo 1st, pending a couple more results, saw her again 11th June. Saw Oncologist around 15th or 16th.  Port inserted 19th , started chemo 23rd of June, public. Surgery (done privately) was 3weeks after last chemo, radiation as a public patient just over 6 weeks later

tigerbeth

Ultrasound/mammogram 22/3 
biopsy 23/3
surgeon appt 4/4
lumpectomy , sentinel node biopsy 26/4
radiation starting 12/6.    All public ! 

A veritable whirlwind !! 
Cant believe its happened some times ! 
Starts to be a bit bearable once your on the merry go round ! 
I also had the hook wire procedure before my surgery as lump was deep & couldn't be felt . 
Good luck & I hope things run smoothly for you from now on . 
It's crap but we all know how you feel .
xxx 

Lulu28

@tigerbeth thats amazing. How quick. Your right about a whirlwind. 

kmakm

@tigerbeth I think that's how our guy likes to operate!