The journey begins...

Such caring wisdom, Anne. For yearsI have hosted Pink Stumps Days in my schools and I never thought to seek out that help; thank you. 💐

@Ginamae Sending you love & strength for Thursday. So good that you have been surrounded by a wonderful husband & great staff at the breast clinic.
Try not to stress too much as cancer feeds on stress so you will only make things worse. Dont over think at this early stage as the goal posts often change so you may find yourself worrying about a diagnosis or treatment that may never eventuate. Deal with what you do know & not what may happen down the track. easier said than done.
Get online & find a McGrath breast care nurse that lives near you. I found one early on in my diagnosis & I am so happy I did. I emailed her to introduce myself & sent her all the pathology/doctors reports so she knew what I was dealing with. They are highly trained so can answer all your medical & emotional questions & even talk to your family if they wish to talk to someone.
Take time for yourself & accept all offers of food/house cleaning as your family & friends will want to support you. Deep breaths & you will get there, one step at a time & we will all be here to support you. love & strength xx 

Thanks for the great advice, Flaneuse 🌹

@Ginamae Write down your questions for the consultation, and it's a good idea to take someone with you to your consultation (that perfect partner sounds ideal! - or a woman friend), and also ask if you can record it. It's amazing how much comes back when you listen to it later that hadn't sunk in at the time. This time - waiting for your appointment - is a good time for lots of walks - good for your body in preparing for treatment, but also stress-relieving and triggers reflection. Take a notebook or phone to record questions that come to your mind while you're walking. Keep asking questions until you understand. Don't allow yourself to be pressured into anything you're not comfortable with. Ask for a phone number you can use - or email address - for questions that occur to you in the days after your consultation. All the best.

Thanks for your kindness, Sister 🌹

This time in between diagnosis and treatment is it's own little Hell.  Try to distract yourself as best you can but it's pretty normal to veer between unreality and despair.  Believe it or not, when you embark on your treatment course, you will almost certainly feel more positive - anxious maybe, but more positive.

Dear @Ginamae, Hope next Thursday brings you a clear direction and options for treatment. Can you have some fun and time out this weekend?

from jennyss in Western NSW

Thanks for the advice 😊It's the wee hours and my mind won't shut down. Oh well, sudoku helps 😂

It's all a bit unknown prior that first appointment. Ask for copies of everything as it helps later as you learn more and want to check your path etc. Welcome to the site.

Welcome to the club that no one really wanted to join .... yes, sometimes it really does feel like you are watching it all from above!  Weird, eh?

There is a wealth of information here, as well as some good laughs, which is also great medicine.  If you want to see any previous comments on any subject raised in your meetings, you can put one or more words in the ‘search’ area (too right on the Discussions page’) and choose different threads to read.

Maybe even consider recording your meetings with your surgeon, Onc, etc (I did) ... it is difficult to take it all in on the day and easy to forget bits that may be important.  There are lots of free recording apps for phones.

All the best with your meeting next week, @Ginamae