Left in limbo after diagnosis
I've just been diagnosed with breast cancer following a mammogram, ultra sound and biopsy. My GP is referring me to the hospital, which will take a couple of weeks. My GP says they aren't able to tell...
Forum Discussion
Good morning,
Firstly, we've all been there at this awful time in the beginning, especially at 3am, I actually saw your post at 4am when I was awake!
Secondly, sorry you've had to join us. The forum is really helpful to ask these kinds of questions and to vent frustrations.
I was diagnosed early Feb and left in the exact same situation as you, in the GP office I asked for a PET scan but she said no, the surgeons will know what they want to do. I ended up convincing my GP to order some bloods related to cancer just as a something to do in the mean time whilst we waited!
I couldn't really believe people get sent home like that to then stew with their minds, I thought it was an awful way to be told you have cancer now go home and you'll find out more later...at least there needs to be some sort of counsellor contact as your mind really goes wild then.
This is what I did and you haven't mentioned where you are, the larger the city the more options there would be for this:
If you have the money to do so, you can see a private surgeon in their office and pay their consultation fee, it is likely you'll be able to see someone before the public system is ready for you. This gives you an opportunity to ask an expert some questions about it all and get referred for body scans or if they don't want to send you for scans directly as they won't be your long term surgeon, you can ask what scans are necessary in a letter to your GP and your GP should order them from there. A chest/abdo/pelvis CT and full body isotopic bone scan are the general standard imaging needed.
Doing this just provided me with some piece of mind at such an early part of my cancer. I just couldn't sit around at 27 knowing I could potentially have advanced cancer and not know.
Alternatively if you have health insurance you can go privately for all of this.
As the ladies above have said, the final picture comes from the surgery result as things can change slightly.
A McGrath breast nurse is fantastic to ask lots and lots of questions to and help you understand what is about to happen.
Keep us updated :) enjoy whatever activities you can this weekend to distract yourself, the more smiling the better. I remember my husband and I went to the driving range - just to do something different and take our mind off it for a couple of hours was lovely.
Firstly, we've all been there at this awful time in the beginning, especially at 3am, I actually saw your post at 4am when I was awake!
Secondly, sorry you've had to join us. The forum is really helpful to ask these kinds of questions and to vent frustrations.
I was diagnosed early Feb and left in the exact same situation as you, in the GP office I asked for a PET scan but she said no, the surgeons will know what they want to do. I ended up convincing my GP to order some bloods related to cancer just as a something to do in the mean time whilst we waited!
I couldn't really believe people get sent home like that to then stew with their minds, I thought it was an awful way to be told you have cancer now go home and you'll find out more later...at least there needs to be some sort of counsellor contact as your mind really goes wild then.
This is what I did and you haven't mentioned where you are, the larger the city the more options there would be for this:
If you have the money to do so, you can see a private surgeon in their office and pay their consultation fee, it is likely you'll be able to see someone before the public system is ready for you. This gives you an opportunity to ask an expert some questions about it all and get referred for body scans or if they don't want to send you for scans directly as they won't be your long term surgeon, you can ask what scans are necessary in a letter to your GP and your GP should order them from there. A chest/abdo/pelvis CT and full body isotopic bone scan are the general standard imaging needed.
Doing this just provided me with some piece of mind at such an early part of my cancer. I just couldn't sit around at 27 knowing I could potentially have advanced cancer and not know.
Alternatively if you have health insurance you can go privately for all of this.
As the ladies above have said, the final picture comes from the surgery result as things can change slightly.
A McGrath breast nurse is fantastic to ask lots and lots of questions to and help you understand what is about to happen.
Keep us updated :) enjoy whatever activities you can this weekend to distract yourself, the more smiling the better. I remember my husband and I went to the driving range - just to do something different and take our mind off it for a couple of hours was lovely.