Diagnosed 2 Days Ago
Comments
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Good luck with your appointment @Raich. I agree that sometimes it’s nice to just sit and reflect on public transport 🙂. It’s a good opportunity to go over what has happened so far since your diagnosis, and mentally prep for the upcoming. Hoping you get good results Xx0
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Terrific, @Raich - make sure you use your phone to record your initial meetings with Surgeon, Onc & Rad Onc Plus your pathology results with surgeon - it is easy to miss bits whilst pondering one bit & miss the next bit ....
I was lucky, I went to Sydney for my first appt with the surgeon on his first day back at work from Xmas Holidays (10 days after I was diagnosed) then had the Sentinel Node test the next day & surgery the day after. I stayed at my brother's place & my SIL came to all appointments with me - she is a terrific 2nd set of ears & asked intelligent questions, whilst it was all a bit of a blur to me! But I have the recordings! We stayed with them for a few days afterwards as well & every other appointment since! They were just terrific. I even drove home afterwards!
Take care & all the best for your CT results xx1 -
Appreciate all your messages and positivity xxx Thank you 🙏2
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The first weeks after your dx sure are an absolute whirlwind. Take notes, jot down questions as they occur to you because you will forget at an appt when your brain is in overload. I found keeping a record, digital or paper, of all tests, results, treatments etc with dates and taking it to every appt to be a lifesaver as you get asked the same questions over and over. I still get “When did you finish/start chemo/radiation/Herceptin/letrozole, when was your last echocardiogram etc etc a year down the track and would have Buckley’s hope of giving any sort of answer without it. A couple of times I forgot it and sat there looking like the kid who hadn’t done her homework copping a question 😂 Things will settle down once your treatment starts thank goodness. Good luck with results etc 😘
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I have a BIG BOX that everything goes in ..... not that you get physical copies of xrays etc any more .... but for all the reports etc.
Here is a link I put up re questions to ask (specifically after surgery, but some may relate to pre surgery ...) and when you see different specialists ...
https://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/discussion/21973/questions-to-ask-post-surgery-of-yourself-to-your-specialists-tick-sheets-self-assessment#latest
take care xx2 -
@Raich I’m a teacher too - and have had my conservative surgery now 4th day radiotherapy. I only told principal and one admin at my school. Exhausted sick leave and LSL now on income protection.Such a long way to travel! I actually told family after principal and 2 close friends . Now I’m half way it’s better. I’m in transfer process so don’t want to put schools off me for next year! Sending best wishes for your journey. So much help here and the phone contact with breast nurses well worth a ring now to have a chat. I jump on here to find out anything I need . Such a supportive role the ladies here give- just like a big hug 🤗4
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Hi there @Raich
What great support there is in this group. Good luck with it all. I was diagnosed 30 April surgery, mid May as nd started chemo 4th June and will finish that end September.
I understand the need to want to control the dialogue of your breast cancer. I guess we loose control of lots of other things and this is something we sometimes need to balance that loss of control.
I told my parents and one sibling and a few close friends. My diagnosis was in lockdown so no one was seeing me at the time and now I have chemo and no hair as nd we still have covid so I am not out much. My family and friends all were told I didn't want my diagnosis shared. They all knew how important that was for me. I am a private person. The majority keep my confidence but sadly my own parents absolutely had a field day telling everyone in their retirement village and long lost relatives. Not what I wanted at all. I got a couple of calls from people I only tend to see at funerals and never heard from since. I was shattered at their betrayal (history of not respecting my boundaries) as they were asked not to do this on 3 occasions but they pushed on. I can't speak freely to them at the moment.
Why do tell you this......be careful who you trust. Make sure you are comfortable with who you tell and be clear as to whether you are happy for them to share that news. Good luck with the next steps.2 -
@raich As has been said - who you tell is totally up to you. However, it might be good to let some people know so that if you need support, they are aware of what is going on. For me, my kids go to the school I am at but I was just "on leave" to most of the students - my kid's friends were aware though. My colleague's all knew but I left the telling to the co-ordinator. I only told two friends and asked them to pass on the news to others. I also told people that I didn't want them calling me to talk about it but as time went on, that mattered less. I also kept a blog with updates on progress and gave family, friends and colleagues the address - this has now become a sort of diary of that year. I have never felt that I needed to keep the news to myself but I did want to control how and when I spoke about it.
In the end, it's whatever makes life easier for you.2 -
Again, thank you for your kind words and advice. Xxx
I’ve spent some time this evening planning my classes lessons for the next few weeks - fellow teachers will understand how time consuming it is 🙄.Unable to tell admin much more than “I don’t know what the plan is” at the moment. Hubby wants me to go back to work next week, while I’m still pre-surgery. He is worried about our income.I am physically fine to teach but mentally, my mind will be elsewhere, so I’m trying to put something together that I can do on auto-pilot and will also serve as a relief program for when/if I’m not there.1 -
Dear @Raich
If it helps at all, I found working took my mind off bc and treatment, and that helped. Constant thinking about the reality, the future, trying to double guess what might happen was quite easy and not particularly helpful, so being immersed in something else fairly demanding was a relief. I only had two days between diagnosis and surgery (worked both) then a week for post surgery recovery (single mastectomy). Of course it all depends on how you react to treatment, but for me work was good medicine. Your recovery, physical and emotional, pivots on doing what feels right. That may be very different for each individual, at different times. A Plan B is always a good thing. Best wishes.1 -
I Agree with @Afraser - keeping busy/routine prior to surgery definitely stops a lot of the pondering. Sitting at home will exacerbate it.
I just went fishing pretty well every day I could between the initial callback & the diagnosis (3 months!!!) as it requires full concentration and I was on the water in my kayak when the call came thru that I needed to see the GP ...
I think that if you need to access funds and you have a life insurance policy that may allow you a payout if ill. (some super funds have one attached to it as well, so worth checking out.) I think @Zoffiel did a lot of research into this a year or two back.
All the best xx
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Hi, @Raich,
Sounds like you are doing really well. If it helps you to be organised then do what you need.
In many ways I've found waiting for things to be difficult. Once you have things rolling it sortof becomes easier.
Ive worried (possibly a bit unnecessarily) about money and implications for my job. I went back to work post surgery 2 weeks .25 and it felt a bit of a burden just to do the showing up. Worked from home. Still healing, also things happen fast and I had to finish processing it. I was interested in working through chemo but my thought process has changed a bit as time has gone on.
You may be able to access some funds through your superannuation. Some have income protection included. That could help if you need relief. I was worried initially because my sick leave ran out last week and i don't have much annual leave. Its been 5.5 weeks since saw breast surgeon, had surgery and just now starting chemo for 20 weeks. Most important is health and getting back to your pre diagnosis well feeling. Including emotions. Maybe have some back up plans and investigate those. You don't know how you will feel or what treatment is yet.
I found planning a week at a time is about most I can achieve.
Michele1 -
Thanks Everyone, as it turns out just have no time to go to work been busy with appointments ... met surgeon last Friday, booked in for surgery next Thursday (27th)
wide excision, possible axillary clearance.Getting stuff organised... Blue has decided to come along; to cover any cat scans I may need....
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This touches my heart - I love the way animals 'know'.2
