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Lynne66's avatar
Lynne66
Member
14 years ago

Getting through this?

Hi, I am 46 and was diagnosed with a Grade 1 tumour 5 days ago.  The dr has recommended a mastectomy and reconstruction and I see the surgeon on Friday.  The following Friday my partner and I fly to Egypt for 10 days!!!  I have recently moved to Australia from Christchurch, after the earthquakes, so have only a handful of friends here.  4 years ago I lost my 17 year old daughter to a brain tumour, so have travelled this cancer path!  I live in Kwinana, Perth and would like to meet up with or chat with anyone else who may have walked a similar path? 

I am plucking up courage to tell my 69 year old mother back in New Zealand and have no idea how to tell my 20 year old son, who has remained in Christchurch.   Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)

For now, it's one day at a time....

3 Replies

  • TonyaM's avatar
    TonyaM
    Member
    14 years ago

    Welcome to this site where you'll get lots of support.I was so sorry to read your blog,It's bad enough getting breast cancer but to lose a precious daughter to cancer is incomprehensible.Life seems so unfair. I hope you get to have your trip and push the cancer thing to the back of your mind(easier said than done). I have a personal rule now :don't have any checkups just before a trip.My mammo was suspicious(2010) but had to get the core biopsy done when I came back from a cruise.It was my second bout of bc-same breast,same spot. My first was in 2003 when I was 47yrs old. So come back here when you've had your trip.It's a great place to vent,get info, support and friendship from women who have been or are going through this wretched bc journey.

                                      Tonya xx

  • Lynne66's avatar
    Lynne66
    Member
    14 years ago

    Thank you for those words of wisdom.  I am going to tell my mum and son when I have all the facts and know when surgery will be and what is going to happen.  I am just extremely grateful that it's only a Grade 1 tumour, so is slow growing and there's no evidence of it having spread anywhere else.

    I am looking forward to my trip to Egypt, so am not going to let this little "hiccup" spoil it!

    Keep in touch :)

  • serenity11's avatar
    serenity11
    Member
    14 years ago

    One day at a time is good.   Take time, breathe, remember you are strong. 

    A good place to start may be to ring the cancer council counsellors.  I have found them very helpful just to give guidance on what to expect, and now to deal with shadows from the past.

    I am the same age as you. Diagnosed 2 months ago with Triple Negative, Grade 3 BC.   Soooo much information, so many decisions - all made very quickly because of the aggressiveness of my tumour.  Hardly time to think.

    I told my children (26 & 21) after the diagnosis but before my surgery.  I live in Brisbane, they live in Adelaide and Darwin.  I just told them the facts, the details of the surgery and what is known about TNBC.  At this stage I hadnt seen the oncologist,so had know idea what treatment path I would be on.  My kids did some reading and had questions and where I couldnt answer them I asked my medical team.  I also pointed them to this website and any others that I thought were relevant. I ordered all the literature that I could and read what I could.

    Surgery was OK. My son visited the week of the surgery, my daughter the week after so they could check on me for themselves.

    My Dad died of cancer 4 years ago, my neice is a cancer survivor (she is 26 now) so we have been here before - but it is so different.

    I took a week off work between diagnosis and surgery (was Easter) and took a holiday.  Set the cancer to the side and enjoyed everything with an extra zing.  I hope you will be able to do the same with Egypt.

    Take care.