New diagnosis shocked and devastated

Question

Moderator moved @susie55 comment in Activity section to new discussion post:

Hi my name is Susie, today 30 September 9.30 I got my biopsy result I've got breast cancer

I'm 54 year old, I'm shocked and devastated I feel lonely. My brain doesn't function anymore. My surgeon tell me to do few test and port insert and what kind treatment I’ll get. Anyone have any advise for me?

My stress is rocket High at sky, I already can't sleep for couple weeks ( when I first fund my lump) always woke up cant back to sleep. Cant eat always worry a lot of stress. and I'm sorry English is not my first language
I hope everyone who reading this understand 🙏 i never ever thought I’ll get cancer because I doing breast test every couple year and last year is Clear. Dr Said I have dense breast, Anyone have same problem with me? How to manage stress and manage another test and waiting the result? ( MRI, PET scan and heart Scan ) Manage the chemo etc ….

Any help appreciate 🙏

afraser · Answer

Dear @susie55

The shock is understandable. Dense breast tissue is harder to scan, so sometimes very early cancer can be missed but cancer may also develop quite quickly.

Do you have family or good friends who can assist you in getting and understanding the information from your surgeon, and later your oncologist? Most people find getting the full story of their diagnosis and treatment helps in coming to terms with the unwelcome reality. The scans and tests you are having will all help in determining the best treatment for your particular diagnosis.

Can you talk to your GP about some temporary assistance with sleep? Anxiety is normal but not terribly helpful at this time. Once you know more, you might also find some counselling useful, your GP can refer you. Cancer not only affects the body but it can really mess with your emotions too - many counsellors can give excellent advice on how to cope, to reduce your stress and to get back on a more even keel. Best wishes.

mez_bcna · Answer

@susie55 It sounds like you are going through a very challenging time and I am sorry to hear this.As AFraser mentions above, counselling can be useful and I will provide you with several resources below that hopefully can assist.GP mental health plans&nbsp;If your GP believes that you would benefit from ongoing counselling, they can draw up a GP mental health plan and refer you to an appropriate specialist. A GP mental health plan allows you to up to 10 individual Medicare-subsidised appointments and 10 group appointments with an allied health mental health service provider such as a clinical psychologist, specialist GP, social worker or clinical occupational therapist. For further information, please see BCNA's website page&nbsp;Assistance from your GPI’m not sure where you are being treated, however if you have a breast care nurse she/he may be able to link you in with services available in the centre/hospital. If you do not have a breast care nurse supporting you, referral to a&nbsp;McGrath Breast Care Nurse&nbsp;1800 183 338&nbsp;is&nbsp;available to you for free, whether you’re in the private or public health system. McGrath Breast Care Nurses can support you from diagnosis and throughout your treatment and provide support for the various stages of breast cancer.&nbsp;Cancer Council Victoria&nbsp;Cancer Counselling Service offers an opportunity to talk with nurse counsellors and&nbsp;psychologists&nbsp;who can help you with cancer-related challenges. To discuss a referral or your support options call Cancer Council&nbsp;13 11 20. They also provide the Cancer Connect program, available for people with cancer to connect with a peer for telephone-based support. To find out more about the program, eligibility and referral process, contact their team on 13 11 20 or by&nbsp;email.BCNA’s&nbsp;My Journey&nbsp;resource which is accessible online. This resource provides high quality, evidence-based information which can be tailored to your individual diagnosis and which provides insights from others diagnosed with breast cancer (It also has a symptom tracker). I have hand picked a couple of articles that may be of interest to you:Coping with the emotional effects of breast cancer treatmentManaging Stress (and Mindfulness)Webcast:
The psychological impact of a diagnosis of early breast cancerPeter Mac’s&nbsp;Cancer Mind Care&nbsp;Is a free, self-help online platform offering tailored mental health support for people with cancer, their support persons, clinicians, and First Nations. Accessible online, Australia wide&nbsp;www.cancermindcare.org.auHope the above resources support you, however please do not hesitate to contact our Helpline on the number below to discuss further.

susie55 · Answer

Thank for the advice&nbsp;My surgeon organise pet scan and mri at Austin hospital. I’m here just with my husband and kids all my family overseas and I couldn’t talk to them I don’t have courage yet to tell them.And I booked my GP nextweek to talk about t my anxiety&nbsp;and what see came up as we go a long will update&nbsp;thank you .. &nbsp;and I have some nurse care call me this afternoon to help me out ….that is wonderful ….Just all sudden still can’t believe it but ya&nbsp;I have to accept in some point and start the journey&nbsp;Hopely I can sleep tonight ….&nbsp;

mez_bcna · Answer

lorns&nbsp;→&nbsp;susie55

Hi&nbsp;@susie55

Welcome to the group. I'm sorry to hear of your diagnosis.&nbsp;

Don't stress about the stress, it's very, very normal. These first few weeks
after diagnosis while you wait for answers are intense. I found it helped to
focus on one thing at a time, and try not to think too far ahead. My surgeon
was great at giving me the information I needed for that period of time and
based on scan results. There's a lot they can't say without the scan results -
especially as so much of your next steps are based on those.

I was diagnosed back at Easter. I had surgery first - left mastectomy, and am
about two thirds of my way through chemo, with radiation and hormone therapy to
come yet.

Are you having chemo first or surgery?

It sounds like you have a few tests to come. The MRI is very simple, it's to
get another set of images to understand how much of the breast is involved and
helps to plan for surgery. The PET scan is an MRI with an extra step. They
inject you with irradiated glucose and then you lie down quietly for an hour
while the glucose is used up by active cells in your body and then the MRI is
used to see where that glucose goes. The heart scan is to get a baseline of how
healthy your heart is prior to treatment. I'm very glad to hear your surgeon is
talking about a port insertion - it makes chemo so much easier (especially if
you have difficult veins).

Cancer council have free counsellors you can talk to and your breast care nurse
can answer a lot of questions and point you to support resources. The breast
care nurses really are an absolute godsend!

It may help to talk to your GP about something to help with getting to sleep
and managing your stress. It's so difficult to manage stress and process
everything without proper rest. While you might have no appetite, it could help
to schedule food into your day so you can make sure you're getting something in
(even if you don't feel like it).

Definitely post here too if you have questions or want to rant - there's so
many lovely people here!

jennyss · Answer

Dear @susie55,Hope you had a good sleep last night!from jennyss in Western NSW

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