Hello lovelies. I woke this morning to realise that it is one year today since my BC diagnosis. My goodnes, how time flies. Although sometimes this trip feels like it never ends. Yep, one whole year since that dreaded pathology result said "highly suspicious for metastatic breast cancer". I remember the feeling of waiting for all the final results so i knew what I was dealing with. Felt like an eternity (which I am sure is a familiar feeling to everybody). Still gives me shivers thinking about it. The short version of the last year is. Final diagnosis was stage 2 ER+/PR+ HER2 neg. 19mm breast tumour (which was an absolute bugger to find) and 25mm lymph node tumour with 5/24 LN involvement. .So 12 months since D Day, 11 months since surgery, 4 months since final chemo and 2 months since last radiation. 6 weeks on Tamoxifen. Wow, where did that year go?After all that I am still waiting on yet another set of results from my 12mth scans. With the long weekend in the middle I guess I'll be waiting for a few more anxious days.I thank my lucky stars I found that lump under my arm when I did. I feel incredibly lucky that I have come out of it with very minimal side effects and my life is bsically the same as before, but I have this constant restless feeling that I should be doing something different, something more.Wondering if others have just picked up where they left off or changed things in their lives a little or a lot?

The surgeon gave me the paperwork for mammogram and breast scan to be done prior to my 12 month follow up with him in Jan 2018 . I'm at 9 months mark and have tried hard to get back the aspects of my life that I enjoy. Funny how there can be benefits from BC, Like Afraser I've given up things such as working 10 plus hours a day, working standard hours 7 hrs a day now seems like a part time job , I also resigned from a Board which I battled to get on and struggled with the huge additional work load without pay. It was almost a relief to have a BC excuse to resign. i now spend my free time on me and family ,cycling as much as poossible as cycling makes me feel great. I want to try new things and plan to try dragonboating when I get back from japan.Good luck kesmusc with your results.

What to do now. Well, at ungodly o'clock (which I just realised was ungodly plus one hour) I've Gumptioned my cookware. I'm just on 12 months post diagnosis and I'm not so worried about the disease as I am about the general state of my life. Everything is grubby and disorganised. My half arsed attempts at housekeeping--which was never my strong point anyway--mean I'm living in conditions that are starting to resemble my uni years. I am sure that 'That Poor Woman' (my shrink) would have some sage advice about priorities; such as concentrating on my work and studies. But, no. I'm having a mental churn in the early hours about how much I have to do, so I drag all my saucepans out and start giving them a super clean.The ceilings are festooned with cobwebs, there is dog hair everywhere and the bathroom...Phhffft. I'm two weeks off submitting an assignment that I haven't even started, my boss is making polite noises about my not quite meeting deadlines---so I polish my pots and pans. At a time that means I will be completely rooted for the rest of the day. Oh well, at least it will look like the kitchen fairies have visited in the night when I finally drag myself back out of bed.Marg xxx

Lovely @Summerhill38, heard the term "an oldie but a goodie", YOU ARE most definitely worth it, particularly if it makes you feel better about yourself. The rest of it will fall into line (enlist breast care nurses assistance and cancer council and use their contacts etc ) should you decide to go ahead. Xx

Ah yes, it's a pretty normal stage in the process. Congratulations on one year, it's a big step forward. I changed my job after one year, went to a 4 day week (I was 68!), joined a gym and worked on the suggestions of a beneficial short stint with a counsellor several months before to NOT resume my normal life. That didn't mean giving up almost anything, just not crazy work hours, frenetic overloading as the norm and weekends that were mainly about recovering enough to start the next week! I rediscovered film, have joined a local choir, stuck with the gym, still work and enjoy it, travel as much as I can. So much of cancer is about trying to get back to the old life. I finally found that building the new life was better, in almost every way. If I hadn't responded to a sore breast, no lump, I might never have met my two grandchildren. What next? Could be almost anything you want. Best wishes.

My scans are ordered by the breast surgeon

One year today since diagnosis. Reflections and what do I do now.

17 Replies

socoda
Member
8 years ago
Lovely @Summerhill38, heard the term "an oldie but a goodie", YOU ARE most definitely worth it, particularly if it makes you feel better about yourself. The rest of it will fall into line (enlist breast care nurses assistance and cancer council and use their contacts etc ) should you decide to go ahead. Xx
June1952
Member
8 years ago
Hi @socoda
Thank you very much, Cath. My breast surgeon does not do reconstruction and I would have to travel to Melbourne for surgery. At the moment this is not possible so I am still considering the options. My first preference would be DIEP but whether this is worth it for an ''oldie'' and whether I can get hubby taken care of for that length of time are all considerations as well as the cost.
I really appreciate your best wishes.
Sumemr :-)
socoda
Member
8 years ago
@Summerhill38, go public for your recon. You might have to wait a while but it will get done. My surgeon is sensational and does both private and public. If you wish to have reconstruction you are not banished from having it because you can't afford the private bill. Talk to your surgeon about going public and if he/she won't operate publicly get another surgeon!!! If you feel you can't argue this in your own behalf (you have a lot on your plate) get someone to go with you and advocate on your behalf! Huge hugs lovely, wishing you all the best. Xx Cath
June1952
Member
8 years ago
Hi all
My surgeon, who I see 6 monthly, orders only the tomosynthesis and mammogram plus the ultrasound if the radiographer wants one for additional clarity. I was to see the oncologist one 6 mth then the surgeon the other but as she says I no longer require her services he kindly picked up the dollars for both visits !!!!
Coming in on the cost of MRIs. My husband has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia and during the assessment phase we had to pay the full MRI cost. Had he just been having unexplained headaches the MRI would have been free under Medicare - go figure ! Having worked hard and paid taxes all our lives we are not impressed.
My out of pocket expenses for my BC are high, no discounts and I cannot afford reconstruction due to that (quoted $22k). We struggle to pay private health insurance but are now thinking seriously of leaving that and going public.
Summer :-)
kezmusc
Member
8 years ago
@Igray3911
The surgeon ordered a mammogram and ultrasound. I specifically requested an MRI as well as the two mammograms and ultrasounds I had at the beginning couldn't locate the breast tumour. This will make you laugh. Aparently if you have had breast cancer you no longer come under the "high risk" category as far as medicare is concerned so only the U/sound is bulk billed. If you are suspected of having or have a high family history of BC then you are high risk and don't have to pay. WOW. There was a gap of $120-$240 on the mammogram depending on if they needed to take biopsies. The MRI is $675. No medicare rebate. Go figure.
iserbrown
Member
8 years ago
(The shrink) would probably say you are deflecting (or deviating) away from what you know you should be doing! To that I would say the pots and pans were on my priority list and I felt they needed to jump the queue!

Hope you feel refreshed this morning! Take care
Zoffiel
Member
8 years ago
What to do now. Well, at ungodly o'clock (which I just realised was ungodly plus one hour) I've Gumptioned my cookware.

I'm just on 12 months post diagnosis and I'm not so worried about the disease as I am about the general state of my life. Everything is grubby and disorganised. My half arsed attempts at housekeeping--which was never my strong point anyway--mean I'm living in conditions that are starting to resemble my uni years.

I am sure that 'That Poor Woman' (my shrink) would have some sage advice about priorities; such as concentrating on my work and studies. But, no. I'm having a mental churn in the early hours about how much I have to do, so I drag all my saucepans out and start giving them a super clean.

The ceilings are festooned with cobwebs, there is dog hair everywhere and the bathroom...Phhffft. I'm two weeks off submitting an assignment that I haven't even started, my boss is making polite noises about my not quite meeting deadlines---so I polish my pots and pans. At a time that means I will be completely rooted for the rest of the day.

Oh well, at least it will look like the kitchen fairies have visited in the night when I finally drag myself back out of bed.
Marg xxx
Cyclo
Member
8 years ago
Just checked I'm having a mammogram and ultra sound sorry confused that with a scan
Afraser
Member
8 years ago
I have had a mammogram and ultrasound on my remaining breast annually and I also have a bone scan every couple of years as I am on Femara. That may reduce if I get through my 5 year tests.
primek
Member
8 years ago
@lgray3911
6 monthly or yearly mammograms required dependent on breast surgeon and if you still have any breasts.

Yearly bone scans or CT / pet scans are not routine after early breast cancer treatment.
Bone density scans are often done annually to bi annually to look for osteoporosis if on Tamoxifen or an aramatose inhibitor. Kath x

https://breast-cancer.canceraustralia.gov.au/treatment/follow

https://breast-cancer.canceraustralia.gov.au/life-after