Welcome @Josephine66 to the online support group none of us ever wanted to need!
There are many posts in the menu on the right hand side of the page that might help you with your preparation for surgery, both physically and mentally.
Have you applied for your My Journey kit on the BCNA website here?
It has some fantastic books in it that will help you through the maze of information.
Including prompts for questions you might want to ask.
On the website, in resources, there are also some fantastic fact sheets you can download, the pathology report one might help you before you see the surgeon.
Do you have a Breast Care nurse yet?
If not go onto the McGrath Breast care nurse website and find the one for your area, or contact the Cancer Centre near you for contact details.
They are fantastic, a voice of reason when you are feeling desperate or alone and confused, they will liaise with specialists if you need and will decide a lot of the jargon for you as well as explaining proceedures. Excellent for asking if something is normal when you are worried.
All the above resources are free.
When you see your surgeon you will get a better idea of what you will be doing for the next few months.
Mine gave me a basic timeline for treatment based on my initial biopsy results.
Be aware that that may change after the operation, it is quite common for the pathology results to be different, the after surgery ones are what you work with regarding treatment, prognosis etc.
They should also give you information about your Oncologist if it looks like you will need one.
Ask about costs if you are going through the private system, and always remember you can switch to public any time if you want or need to.
Many people do some treatments in the private system and then switch to public for radiation, for example.
If you have private health insurance you will discover how good they are to deal with and how good their cover actually is. - or isn't!
Quite the eye opener . Unfortunately you also need to study up on what you need to do to get the best returns from your health insurance too, very time consuming.
Be prepared for lots of paperwork, lots of appointments and lots of time taken.
I bought a monthly board from BigW that attached to the fridge to try and keep track of them all, it can get overwhelming.
Take it all slowly, one treatment type at a time, ask as many questions as you feel you need and if you are not clear on the answers ask them again, both at specialists and on here.
Write stuff down, even if you are normally very organised, there is a lot to take in.
If you can take someone else to appointments, do so. They are great for moral support and to remember what is said and also to think of questions to ask.
The very best of luck with everything and hopefully some positives will come out of all this as well.
Jennie
