1st Hospital Clinic Visit & Planning

Hey @Elvena
I don't feel that mastectomy is needed. The local mass is relatively small  (a little over 2cm at the first Ultrasound) & the surgeon is very confident with lumpectomy, he's the best at PA Hospital & is a specialist in Breast Conserving surgery. It's proven now that a lumpectomy is just as effective as mastectomy & IF there's recurrence later on it gives a bit more wiggle room for further treatment on a recurrence (lumpectomy vs mastectomy doesn't change the odd of recurrence).
I'm confident with the treatment options for the best outcome for me, given the findings so far :)
 <3 

@Gears0715 Best wishes indeed, have you sought second opinions re treatment plan? 
Eg  is one option to go for mastectomy straight up ?

@Gears0715 dropping in to wish you good luck with all ahead of you. You sound very brave and I can relate to facing the worst and being ready for it. One of my coping strategies though I tend to overthink and panic too!
 It sounds like you and your husband have had more than your fair share of hard stuff recently so I'm sending some white light your way. 
One suggestion that someone shared with us early on is that taping the doctor's appointment on your phone can be good to listen back to things and share with your husband if he can't be there. We recorded my first Oncologist visit and I listened to it months later and there were bits I'd missed or forgotten in the stress of it all! x

Thank you ladies  <3 <3
I'm not "pre-guessing" the results, but because I'm an organised & realistic person I find that if I know of a "possibilty" then IF the result come back good it's fine, but if the reuslts come back bad then I can accept it as "well, I knew that might happen".
I did exactly that with the BC. I've had lumps before (I think every woman has a harmless lump or 2 during their lives). I had a new & different lump, & the doctor, the Mamogram/Ultrasound & the biopsy ladies all had "looks" on their faces when I had the checks, so I simply thought "well, based on their concern levels this could possibly be a really one, & it could possibly be in the lymph (since they kept checking & did a biopsy there too)!". Then when the doctor broke the news that the pathology came back malignant it really wasn't a surprise for me. Same situaion with the scans, I know that it could all be perfectly fine, but I also know that it "might" be more. So I'm better prepared, no matter what the results show.

 <3  <3 <3

Wow @Gears0715,

That's a bit de ja vu ish.  I had the rotten thing breaking out of the nodes and into the surrounding flesh.  Weird but they never mentioned it at the time.  The onc told me at pre chemo appointment 6 weeks after surgery.  That was as surprise.

@arpie is right.  Try not to guess what's going to happen and MRI should definitely be part of the diagnosics.  
That's a long pre admission appointment.  Maybe they counted in two hours of waiting time :)

All the best lovely.  Fingers and toes crossed for all your scan results to be nice and simple and clear.
xoxoxoxo

WOW!  Looks like the full shebang!   It is good to have a game plan.

All the best for your Scans on Monday ... try not to pre-guess any of the results - difficult tho it may be.   Yep, hopefully all is clear.

Interesting about your research project - personally, I reckon an MRI should be a part of all the diagnostic bits!

I always reckon a short haircut makes you look younger!!  ;)  

Take care xxxx

Well, 1st visit done & dusted. Lumpectomy & full axillary clearance to Stage 2 scheduled for 12th December. The tumour is also growing into the skin & underlying muscle so that's gonna make surgery fun :) . The surgeon also mentioned that the QML radiologist flagged a "suspicious" area between 2 ribs at my sternum. I wasn't aware of that one. Hmmmmmmmmm
Surgery, Chemo, Rads & Tamoxifen have all been added to the treatment plan (I'm getting the full package. Well I do always say that if you're going to do something do it properly :wink: ). Really nothing I wasn't prepared for :)

Next week I've got Bone scan & CT scan booked for Monday, then pre-admissions clinic on Tuesday (they said 4-5 hours for that one!! Sheesh! :) )  I have a feeling that the scans might show something more, but we'll see how that goes. Grade 3 tumour with positive axillary lymph involvement in the initial Biopsy & also a region of concern at the sternum, lso have a low platelet count flagged on my 1st blood tests... doesn't bode well for a lovely contained & simple cancer. Hopefully it's all good, but as long as I know there's a "possibilty' of something, then I can be realistically prepared for it.

The week after next I have an MRI on Wednesday (I've agreed to be part of a research project that the hospital are running, they're trying to work out if an MRI will give enough evidence to diagnose cancer in a "less invasive" way than biopsies). Then surgery on Thursday.

And, today I cut my hair into a lovely pixie cut "in preperation".
Here we gooooooooooooo :) :) :)

When I received the positive news of my biopsy, My GP gave me the names of 2 Sydney surgeons (as I am rural)  - I googled them & chose the one I thought would suit me more - a professor in the field of Breast Cancer & surgery.   

My first 'hospital' meeting was with my surgeon & I was really lucky, I had the surgery 2 days later.  So If this is your first meeting, it may well be with the surgeon, so important to have someone else with you, I think,  as he will be discussing your surgery options. If you can't take someone with you,  definitely record it for your own record. 

They may mention future treatment (chemo, rads, tabs), tho these are not usually their 'expert field'.  Mine mentioned me going onto Tamoxifen after the main treatment was finished & it is pretty well the only tablet I haven't been on so far!  LOL   

He may well give you another ultrasound then & there too (mine did) so that he sees it for himself. 

All the best for Tues xx

No I don't have a surgery date, I don't have anything from the hospital (this will be my 1st visit). The only things I've had so far is a doctors referral to QML for Mammo/US & biopsies, the pathology results were positive & so referred to PA Hospital. The only contact I've had with the hospital is confirmation of the appointment date & time.

OMG @Gears0715  - I hope your hubby is going OK now!!  So sorry to hear that.

Do you have a good friend or someone else to go with you?  My sister in law went with me to all mine & was a godsend as my hubby has dementia & is no good at all!

It will probably just be to advise you of when you have to fast etc in the lead up to the surgery (do you have a date?) - maybe give your surgeon's office a bell & ask them - forewarned is forearmed!  ;) xx