I feel like a fraud...

Hi Jacqui,

You are felling just as all of us have felt, and there is certainly no competition here about who has the biggest tumour, and therefore the right to feel worse than anyone else!  We have all had that sick feeling when the diagnosis was given, and it had nothing to do with the size of the tumour.  No one who has not had the words 'You have cancer' said to them can truly understand the impact of hearing it, so matter how sympathetic they are.  

All you can do is go down the route your doctor suggests.  I have private health insurance, and asked a friend who has had breast cancer if she would recommend using her breast surgeon which she did, and I am very happy with her.  A friend with private health was equally happy with the surgeon assigned to her by the hospital.  Your GP will give you the referral.

Your breast surgeon will tell you your options related to the size of your lump, and will be wonderful, as is the breast nurse, if there is one in your area.  You can't find out if chemotherapy or radiation will be necessary for you until after the tissue taken from your operation is analysed, and the specific type of breast cancer is known.  

The time that this will take out of your life this year can't yet be known, but be aware that this support group is here for you and will answer any questions that we can from our own experience.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Hi Jacqui

So sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Completely understandable you're an emotional mess. It's awful and I don't think anyone can understand just how awful and terrifying until they've been in the same boat.

Great news that yours is small and early, but that doesn't detract from the enormity of the news. Strange that we put ourselves down like that. Some kind of guilt - not being as bad off as others. I felt like that too - there are lots of women who have early cancers, but it's still traumatic. You're not a nutcase and you're not carrying on!  This place is great for help.

How many steps? Maybe just try and focus on the step in front of you, your GP appointment, or it could get overwhelming. Your medical team will look after you :)

Hey what you  are feeling is very normal. Its ok to be emotional god knows i was although i used to wait till my young daughter wasnt around because seeing me get upset would upset her so i used to breakdown in private. Its important you get support to get through even though it sounds your diagnosis is great, treatment will take its toll both physically and emotionally. And that is perfectly fine and normal. Amazing how better you feel after a good cry. Dont be too hard on yourself and do whatever you need to do to get better.

Take care and stay in touch.????

Maryrose 

Hi Jacqui  There is no right or wrong way to feel when you are first diagnosed but I can tell you I felt exactly the same way when I was told I have invasive ductal carcinoma last October. I can't believe how much I cried in those first few weeks. I also had panic attacks and the waiting for test results, and treatment plans was almost unbearable. It's hard to know what to expect or how long treatment will take because everyone is different and individual treatments depend on how big the cancer is, the type, grade, stage etc and you may not know that for a little while. It is indeed one step at a time. You are not making a fuss over nothing. Cancer can be a life changing event even if it is small. I wish you could have all the answers right here right now, but that isn't possible. However, you will have them soon. For now all you can do is take a deep breath and deal as best you can day to day by taking it one day at a time. And there may be plenty of people around you who won't know the right thing to say or understand the way you feel, that's what this network is for as we have gone through it or are going through it with you. So don't hesitate to come on here and vent if you need to or ask questions.

Sending you all my best wishes

Nadine