Here Goes
Hello. My name is Jenny and I live on the NSW/Vic Border. I have gone to post in here a couple of times but backed out. Denial maybe? On Wednesday I was officially given the diagnosis of BC. I have had a large lump for around a year but I have 26JJ sized breasts and the lump is down along where the bra wire sits. I put it down to thickening because of the bra wire. I recently started Lite N Easy and after loosing around 10kg I noticed that the lump was much larger than I thought. It has its own postcode ;p Its 5cm x 3cm x 2cm. So I did the mammo and ultrasound and knew when I called for results, that the urgency by my GP to get me in to see her, that something was very wrong. That day I had bloods, CT scan and was booked in for biopsy. All along I was doing as much research as possible. Armed with knowledge I have always found it easier to deal with things. Must be part of the anxiety I have day in and out. I met my surgeon on Wednesday who gave me the diagnosis. I was alone at the appointment and was in shock, none the less. I guess I was hoping it was just a mass that they just wanted to remove for safety sake. I do remember asking him what type of Cancer and I vaguely remember him saying Metastatic and that its very common. I am booked in for a lumpectomy and node removal on the 22nd. (Tuesday Week). I am then too do 5 weeks radiation. I've got all of that in my head and ready to deal with. But now I am reading all of the paraphernalia and Metastatic means I have it in other places in my body? Do they know where? Does this mean I will probably have to do chemo after radiation? I know I am overthinking all of this and should take it one day at a time. I work 3 days a week and also on partial DSP. Being at work keeps my mind off things. I am planning on taking vacation leave for the rest of the week after my lumpectomy. I am so grateful that my oldest of 2 (daughter) is able to travel up from Melbourne to bring me home from the surgery and stay with me for a couple of days. Another questions. I had been using implannon rod to control my periods, over the years. The last one was put in around 2011 and is still in my arm somewhere. As I have very thick arms I cant feel it and haven't bothered about it. I believe that it has run out of the hormones anyway after all of this time. Is this something I should tell my surgeon about? I have so many questions. When will I start radiation? Will someone contact me or do I contact them? I met my Breast Care Nurse but she was heading on vacation to France the next day. I have the number of another one and I will phone her and make contact with her this week. It's like my whole life is about the Cancer now. I am being strong in front of everyone else but these times at home alone I am terrified. Sorry if this is all over the shop but that is how my head works. I have been treated and continue to be treated for Depression an Anxiety for close to 20 years and have only recently found a good balance. The Lite N Easy journey was me actually caring about myself. Some days I shake so much it looks like I am having a min seizure. Usually I am upbeat and cheeky and able to find the lighter sign of things. But tonight I am low. Any insights would be wonderful.
Radiation after lumpectomy
wondering what's the normal time after lumpectomy does radiation start? I had the small cancer and one node with cancer removed on 1st April. ( one node had changing cells - pre cancer). Oncologist radiologist has set start date at 26 May, but I've been reading they usually start radiation 3-4 weeks after surgery. I should have asked WHY 8 weeks as my scar is great but wondered what other BC people THINK.
Moo goo cream for radiation.
Received a big bottle of Moo goo cream for Christmas and when I started chemo received a gift from the chemo company which included a tube of the same cream. I was given Sorbelene by the radiotherapy nurse but I found the thick consistency of it unpleasant to smear over my breast. So I used up all my moo goo which had the ok from radiology. By chance I found the makers of Moo Goo do an oncology care pack for $40. It arrived within 5 days. It had my cream, milk shower wash for the shower, socks, and samples of tinted moisteriser. It was definitely value for money. They also do it as a gift package if you want to send it to someone.
StrataXRT
Hi All, I need some advice from our great hive mind I have a question, on behalf of a close contact who isn't on the forum at this stage. She's had a lumpectomy and sentinal node biopsy, and is having her radiotherapy planning session soon. The hospital where this is happening doesn't use either mepitel or strataXRT gel. I mentioned it to her, she's done some reading but is wondering if she should or shouldn't use another moisturiser as well, during treatment. I wasn't able to answer, as it wasn't an option that I even heard about when I had radiotherapy. @JoeyLiz, would you know? Hoping someone can help. Thanks in advance
Recurrence
Hi There, I'm posting my story on here as I am feeling lost - my family and friends are really supportive but I just don't feel understood. In 2015 I was diagnosed with low grade DCIS - my treatment was mastectomy, SNB with reconstruction in February 2016, followed by a prophylactic mastectomy of my remaining breast in November the same year. Based on my pathology and treatment, recurrence was a low risk. However last month, when I had my annual appointment I had a FNA on a lump which I was told last year was a cyst. Pathology suggested malignant cells so I was rushed in for scans - fortunately, there were no metastisis but I had surgery to further excise the tumors and another SNB. 3 days after my surgery I was readmitted for a second operation as there were 2 tumors identified (8 and 5 mm respectively). The second operation removed all of my skin (first mastectomy was skin sparing) and revealed a 3rd tumor, 4mm. Pathology was ER/PR+, Her-, micro mets to one lymph node. I will undergo radiotherapy but no chemo. I also found out yesterday that my bone scan revealed a benign hyperostosis on my skull and my surgeon has told me she isn't worried but wants a CT scan in a few months to check. After 3 weeks of scans, testing and surguries, and the additional worry now that the benign hyperostosis is actually a metastasis I am just at a low - for a disease that I thought I had treated 3 years ago I'm now left wondering (obsessing) about another recurrence. I just feel like I'm being denied a life but really I should be out there enjoying every minute of it. I have 2 gorgeous boys and a wonderful husband and it is so hard to see them deal with the events of the past 3 weeks. My surgeon has said that she hasn't seen a case like mine before so I feel quite isolated and scared. I've always been so healthy and now I feel like this will never end.
I said no
I saw the radiographer today. I told him no. I am not going to have radiation. I know you lovely ladies would have supported me through it but I couldn't handle anymore. I am taking my 85+% chance of non reoccurance along with the herceptin and risking it. They tell me I would have up to 95% chance of non reoccurance with the radiation but then they could never use it on that area again if it did reoccur. Also, my chances of lymphodema would be considerably higher. My head is not in a good space with this so I said thank you but no. Very proud of my sisters here on the forum who have been able to plough ahead but for me right now, it is a non event. My BC nurse is going to be fuming with me but I am a bit tired of the dictatorship and just want some support for my decisions. Fortunately, hubby 'gets' it.
i have had enough
only into my secodne week of radiation therapy, as the radiologist said im a beginner, i was told it would be 5 weeks of it but possibly more. and that contact type stuff they use just comes off . I its a long trip by mini bus to the rbh and back specially with spinal /hip /shoulder issues . my issues read like a shopping list. anyway, now the NDIS my daughter and I both qualify but i just cant deal with it , meanwhile niether of us get any help and daughter continues to do nothing. I was talking about needing transport to medical appointments etc and ozcare and centacare both said they couldnt do it god only knows why. I am worn out /burned out and I hurt that bus trip is agony, and to top it off this last weeked i spent battling the flu I darent ask what is gonna go wrong next
Side Effects of Radiotherapy - What to expect
So, I've had 19 treatments with 6 more to go for breast cancer. I had a lumpectomy so my breast is still mostly intact. So far apart from being tired my skin has held up well with regular application of Sorbolene and a couple of days of of Elocon for itchiness. In your experience out there in breast cancer land is this as bad as it gets. I am not having the 5 focused boost treatments as the radiologist doesn't believe it is necessary because of my pathology results so I'm just have the wide area radiation.
(Hopefully) At the end of my journey
Hi everyone. I have been reading all your posts (thank you) and never wrote anything myself until now. I was diagnosed with a pretty small but aggressive tumour last June, and pretty quickly moved to a lumpectomy, then 4 dense doses of AC chemo, followed by a planned 12 weeks of Taxol (I only got to 8 due to peripheral neuropathy), then 22 doses of radiotherapy (including 6 'boosts'). I had some rotten times, AC chemo was difficult- I tried to work while I was having it but had to go on leave at about treatment 4. I had issues with almost all my procedures- my hook line had to be done twice (nearly 2.5hrs), I became febrile and had to be admitted to hospital, my veins collapsed, my PICC line removal was difficult to say the least and I ended up in hospital for emergency surgery, and right now I am battling the radiation burns. I lost ALL my hair, couldn't taste anything, felt nauseous and exhausted and am still having a heap of side effects. I live alone, so looked after myself pretty much all the way along, although I had heaps of support from my sister and some very good friends. But the most important thing I wanted to say to anyone starting out- nothing that happened to me was as bad as I thought it would be. I used mindful and meditation techniques when I was having my procedures and they worked for me- well most of the time. I fought a battle in my mind with cancer every day and I am so proud that I feel like I beat it many more days than it beat me. I just made up my mind that it wouldn't defeat me on a daily basis. I had a great surgeon, a wonderful oncologist who provided a positive and confident outlook, and all the doctors & nurses at the hospital were gold. I thought the chemo ward would be sad and upsetting- instead I found it to be a place of laughter and hope. I used a mix of public and private treatment and still see somewhere around 13 medical and allied health professionals while holding down a full time job. I didn't write this for anyone to say I did well. I wrote this to say DO NOT BE AFRAID. You can do this and there is lots of help if you need it. Reach out to this community, to a breast care nurse (thanks McGrath Foundation), to your family & friends, to the volunteers, a psychologist- people want to help you. Then when you get better, you can pass it on. Pay it forward. All the best of luck from me. Believe your mantra- mine has been: Things could be worse Accept the things you cannot change Do not live your life in fear
