The toll of tests, diagnosis and treatments

Hi Julie _D60,
I can relate to much of what you said.
I too was on HRT at time of diagnosis. Luckily my hot flushes did not return too badly.
I was one of the lucky ones.
Firstly was finding the cancer myself, as I wasn't due for 2 yrly mammogram for another 15months.
I was also lucky that I did not suffer any serious side effects of Chemo (no nausea at all) or Radiotherapy.
I was fortunate to have Income Protection  Insurance in my Superannuation, which I used.
So I suggest that you check to see if you have this. So many people I talk to, do not know that they do have it.
All the best. Let us know how you go, and which treatments you are going to have 

Thanks Julie, you described the initial shock exactly how it felt. In many ways feels a lonely journey but good to hear from other women who have been through it which are now in a different place x

Hi from another Julie!
I am coming up to my two year “ cancerversary” ( date of diagnosis).
I am 64 ( was 62) and was lucky in a lot of ways as I am semi retired and had the money to go through the private system but as someone said , no one is “ lucky” to get breast cancer.
I still remember the appointment where my ( lovely  caring) GP broke the diagnosis to me - I had an “out of body “ experience where I was looking down on the consult like it was someone else.
The stages of grief flow - shock, disbelief, anger,  acceptance and finally moving on - in whatever way you can.
I didn’t have cancer in my lymph nodes but due to the size of the tumour ( not picked up on a mammogram so I had an extra dose of anger there) I was recommended a mastectomy.
I decided on a double and after radiotherapy on the cancer breast ( didn’t have to have chemo) I had reconstructive surgery a few months later.
I certainly cried a lot but these days I try and concentrate on the good things on my life and not sweat  the small stuff.
There are a lot of amazing resources ion this website and of course this forum is a great place to check stuff out - no one really “ gets it” quite like the ladies on here who have all been through it one way or another.
Take care🌺

Once the pathology is through and treatment plan commenced you may find its not as hard as you thought.
Best wishes 

Glad to hear and good to hear it’s not always doom and gloom! Thanks for replying.

Dear @Julie_D60

I had a mastectomy, 17 lymph nodes removed, six months of chemo, a year of Herceptin and I am in my last year (of 10) of hormonal therapy. Happily, I didn’t get all that advice in one go, right at the start! But once you start treatment, it’s amazing how one thing makes the next a little more acceptable. I had a pretty good run with chemo (worked throughout) , Herceptin alone was a breeze after that and I haven’t had any of the joint pain, flushes etc that is sometimes associated with an AI. Sometimes it all seems quite fresh, but often it seems a lifetime ago. And that’s the point - I’ve had a life for the last ten years, a really good one. I’ve worked at jobs I enjoyed, travelled, had a lot of fun (including with two grandchildren who didn’t exist when I was diagnosed). Am I happy I went through it all? You bet I am. Keep your eyes on the prize. Best wishes.