Hi there everyone, my name is Melissa & I was diagnosed in May with very early stage BC HER2+, I just turned 30 in March. I know it may not be so recent, but I wanted to reach out & share my story & hope to seek comfort that I am obviously not alone out there. It has been somewhat quite confronting to say the least. My first thought was, how is that possible. No family history, overall C is rare in the family, I am 30, surely they have got it wrong. Surgery was a success, a tiny lump removed & on June 1st I was cleared of all cancer, after undergoing all their routine tests. However my oncologists said I would still need Chemotherapy and Raditation + the wonder drug Herceptin as a preventative, as much as I technically didn't have cancer anymore. 1st round of chemo was abit rough, I ended up in hospital, being neautropentic, however recovered well within a few days. I guess the Chemo basically did it's job. I had my 2nd round of chemo last Friday & doing much better than the 1st. I have a great support network in my family, but it can be so mentally challenging :(, some days I feel lost, so overwhelmed and anxious. Is it normal to feel the anxiety of it all, feeling like I don't want to do this. I know the mind is a powerful thing, but it gets lost in all the worrying and sometimes I feel like I am worrying for no reason even though my body may feel okay. I feel even though it's a few months in and already half way through Chemo, I still haven't accepted that his is happening xo

Hi @MelissaD, welcome and sorry you find yourself here. Everything your feeling is normal. It's a whirlwind from start to finish and often we don't even get time to process it all as everything happens so fast. I'm 43 so not your age group but we all share the one thing in common. Chemo is rough and we all hate doing it. Glad you have a good support around you too, but all the ladies here get it. There is heaps of support here as we are all at different stages in treatment, so lots of advice from others. Hang in there and hopefully you will find comfort here.Big hugLisa

Hi Lisa, thank you for your post & assurance. Yes it has been a whirlwind journey & everything has come by so fast since been diagnosed, sometimes it doesn't feel real & yes it feels like I haven't had enough time to process it all. Though I am glad I am half way through treatment & on the road to recovery. I know I'll have to take it one day at a time, but just losing routine everyday, going to work etc has been different & can sometimes go stir crazy bored at home but managed to change the way I am 2nd round & it has been much better, as first didn't know what to expect, how cautious I should be, what I should be doing with my body. - thanks very much :)

@MelissaD, I was terrified starting chemo wondering how sick I might be and it was nowhere near as bad as I thought. Definitely not fun and as we speak I'm in bed the last three days with such fatigue I can barely get off the bed. I've just finished my six months of chemo on Tuesday. Only now i'm booked in for mastectomy in August it's starting to feel very real. I get the stir crazy boredom feeling too. I'm so sick of the inside of my house lol. One day at a time.

@LMK74 - you are right, it is nowhere as bad as what I thought it would be, though the first time did leave me abit anxious thinking it was going to happen again, I got the temperature on day 7 after chemo. But this time around I was able to get a needle to boost my immune system thankfully & today is day 7 on 2nd round and I am all ok. Oh are you, I hope all goes well, I can't imagine how that would feel, best wishes with it all.

@MelissaD A big welcome to you, I'm sorry you are here and so young, I'm 49, so a bit older, I was 43 at my 1st diagnosis. Melissa everything you said is absolutely true, because it does happen so incredibly fast, there's just too much to sift through, it is completely overwhelming. It's also very normal to feel lost, angry and unsure if you can even do it. I found Chemo very hard, I was very ill and ended up having to stop work which is tough as Im a single parent. I'm so glad you have a great support network around you, it's so important. I think even now I try to make sense of it all, and there just isn't, acceptance I'm not sure it really ever comes. For me it's because I was healthy, not a thing wrong with me, the treatment made me ill, so that's the hard part getting your head around how you look and feel and then hearing you have BC...crazy really. So I say, do a day at a time, don't look too far ahead and most importantly put you first, nurture you take the time, its so incredibly important. You will get through it, absolutely and you'll move on. I'm 20 months post chemo now, its been a long road back but feeling better than ever! Hugs Melinda xo

Early BC young woman | BCNA Online Network

Anonymous
8 years ago
Hi @MelissaD sorry to hear you are having such a tough time with all of this. You can call a Cancer Council nurse to ask any questions. They are lovely. You also have 5 free visits with a psychologist for you or/ and your family. I used their services and they are amazing. x
Cynth6
Member
8 years ago
I also think that all of us come out stronger than ever after having gone through this journey
primek
Member
8 years ago
What you feel is normal and your team are doing exactly what is needed for the very best outcomes. My niece had bc in her early 30s which was a her2+ cancer. She has 10 positive nodes. With chemo and herceptin she remains cancer free 14 years on. I thought if her a lot during my treatment. Mine was Es + and her2+ (age 51) but same regime and no nodes. She referred to herceptin as liquid gold, she was on the trials for it. Yes chemo sucks. Cancer sucks. But know you are doing all this so you will remain NED ...no evidence of disease...and not just for 5 years...for life. Take care. Kath x
Romla
Member
8 years ago
Melissa Socoda's suggestion about the Cancer Council I recommend.I rang in despair within 3 days I had a call from a lady in Brisbane of similar age and type bc who had taken the same road as me and gotten thru.It's called Cancer Connect - to hear her voice and talk to her at length was wonderful.Also I reiterate there is so much support on this site from others going thru it - bc is a great leveller - age/ background no longer seem to matter - everyone here has had their world upended .The important message is you are not alone and we all help each other.Keep communicating and reaching out - we are here . The BCNA kit is worth a good read not just on medical stuff but what questions to ask and other places to get support Maybe when you're ready you might search out a local bc support group .
melclarity
Member
8 years ago
Melissa, well we are all here for you to talk to or bounce off, it helps so much when we all get it! I do think you'd benefit from some counseling too, it helps more than you know. The other thing I wanted to say to you was, majority of Breast Cancer is not hereditary, it's like 5% so 95% of Breast Cancer is completely random. I'd been getting mammos since I was 38 only because my Mum had BC at 40, there is nobody else in the family. I got it at 43 but was well ahead of it. I don't have the BRCA Gene and the good news is my daughter who is nearly 20 risk is only about 2% higher than the normal population. There is no rhyme or reason to it, it absolutely rips your world apart, so its important to keep talking and get some help to get through. Hugs Melinda xo
MelissaD
Member
8 years ago
@Zoffiel - thanks Marg I will keep going, determined to get through it all of course day by day xxx
Zoffiel
Member
8 years ago
It sucks what ever age you are but sucks even worse when you are young. Keep going, Melissa. Good luck. Marg xxx
socoda
Member
8 years ago
@MelissaD don't forget you can also phone the cancer council 131120 if you're feeling a bit down, overwhelmed or just need to chat to someone who gets it - you don't have to be feeling well enough to see any one :) - worrying and stressing unfortunately comes with the diagnosis but talking about it does help. I don't think any of us make it through without feeling emotional so don't think you should be holding it all in, or dealing with it. Release your emotions - it helps and is good for you. Xx
LMK74
Member
8 years ago
@MelissaD, I too had the fibrodoemas/ breast mice since my early twenties. Unfortunately when I noticed this latest lump, I ignored it as I was caring for my mum,she had terminal cancer and I was a mess and just didn't care. Mine was stage3 grade 2 and very large. I'm only b cup and lump hasn't shrunk enough with chemo so mastectomy only choice. Good on you for being vigilant and getting it checked.
MelissaD
Member
8 years ago
Thanks @socoda, I think I may have come across that one earlier on. I will have to take another look. Considering the circumstances I am doing ok, though I really do have my days as I worry and stress & as much as I am half way through Chemo I still think I don't want to do this, why should I have to put my body through this and my thoughts get so overwhelming, again feeling like it's a bad dream but I have to think to myself I was cleared and as I'm so young they are hitting me strong with all treatments as I have a great prognosis & advise its preventative. Still scary