Waiting time for therapy

So true!! Chatting here has kept me going.so much kindness and support..:-)) have never been sick before, so all new to me..I'm also the sort of person who wants to know every detail, and have things done quickly.. As much as I am.hating the idea of treatment, need to start to at least feel there is hope..the rollercoaster is getting annoying.!! :-)) xxx

Yes, the waiting is awful but it has nothing to do with hope or lack of hope. I was diagnosed in June and had masectomy early Dec. Try to avoid 'reading' to much into dates, times etc, that is, avoid over thinking which someone has already mentioned. Stay in touch with this forum, reading old posts gave me a sense of belonging to an on-going community. I told myself that I was not going to let anxiety and worry steal away my day! I did phone the BCNA help line and the conversation settled me down. The roller coaster ride that is BC is best endured with laughter, determination, tears, sprinkle of anger etc etc. Stay in touch! xxxxxxxx

Thank you !!! The waiting is awful because  I don't know if that means no hope??.'-((..have appointment on the 15th and 16th, hope things  make sense after that!!.:-))

Hi @Joarden,
The long wait between appointments were excruciating for me too. I encourage you to be your own advocate. I am very glad I followed advice to get copies of ALL test results and pathology results and my GP later gave me copies of the letters from the surgeon, medical oncologist and radiation oncologist. I went entirely through the public system and have been very well looked after. My confidence has been shaken on occasion, however, because there is little to no central coordination of data/test results or appointments with different departments, etc. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing :neutral: Plus, I was often 'handled' by the interns/registrars rather than the specialists themselves. One made a mistake which I was only able to pick up because I knew my own pathology results. Anyway, I take my folder with me to every appointment now, just in case. Doing research and organising my data helped me calm my racing mind. Just keep to reputable sources and medical journals. I read Breast Cancer: Taking Control and DCIS: Taking Control by Professor John Boyages. Others have recommended The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer, How to Feel Empowered and Take ControlAlso see https://www.bcna.org.au/news-events/book-reviews/

Hi..unfortunately I had 7 out of 10 lymph nodes removed come back as a problem.. The excision went ok, no new developments..haven't seen oncologist yet, so my mind is racing with all sorts of scenarios.. Just the surgeon so far, after surgery and checking wound/ dressing..hope things are ok with you.:-))

Non-node involvement doesn't mean cells haven't escaped - metastasis could have occurred with no node involvement.  That's the nature of cancer, and people with ILC may be more aware of this than most.  The MO said, relatively speaking and it varies from person to person, that the tumour biology (aggressiveness) is most important.  If you go to www.breastcancer.org and view various diagnoses, you will see some people have had chemo with no node involvement and others with node involvement did not have chemo.  I hope you trust that your medical team is doing the right thing for you.  If you have any doubts or concerns or don't understand the 'why's', speak up to your doctors.  They are there to serve you.

Hi, sweet of you to remember.. Heard back yesterday, appointments on 15th and 16th with oncologist, and radiotherapist.. The nurse said its a good sign they didn't rush appointment, as it could mean not an urgent case at this stage..hope that's it, and not that its worse than we thought??! REALLY overthinking everything.. Thank you for caring.:-)) xxx

Have you heard from them yet?  Try not to overthink it @Joarden - our brains just go into overdrive & almost always thinks up the worst scenarios!  grrr 

Wait til you see your Onc & be guided by them.   Different chemo mixes are used for difference types of BC - with a bit of luck you won't get the side effects that some get.  Some work thru, not everyone loses their hair, tho it may well thin out a lot.  

Take care xx

@Joarden
https://www.bcna.org.au/understanding-breast-cancer/treatment/chemotherapy/

This link may help you better understand why.  

Take care