How to find a good medical team? (Brisbane / Gold Coast)
hi all - my partner has just been diagnosed with BC, it's very early days and we don't have a lot of information yet, but are wondering what to do about finding a good Dr (and possibly surgeon if it comes to that). We live in regional SE Qld, and my partner will most likely be seeking treatment in Brisbane or the Gold Coast. But we haven't been here long, we aren't really plugged into the local community yet and don't know anything about how to find the "right" help - and by that I guess I mean the best person/people for the job. Google searching seems like a pretty hit & miss option - everyone presents well on their website - but that's pretty much all we have to go on at the moment. Are there forums where people recommend medical practitioners in particular areas? I can't find anything here. [Edit: And I understand that the main forum isn't the place for naming names, so please feel free to DM me]
Struggling tonight
I know I'm not alone in this journey but tonight I'm really feeling quite lonely. Just wondering what other people do when they are feeling this way even when they might be surrounded by supportive family and friends. Night-time is always the hardest because I live alone and have little to distract me.
Radiation therapy and support groups
Hi, I start 3 weeks of radiation therapy this coming Tuesday. I'm feeling good, exercising and (trying) to eat well although still not a big fan of tofu and the odd deserts still creep in! And, I'm being as positive as possible. I have been reading a lot of the radiation discussions here which have been really helpful. This is such a good forum! :) What I'm really missing are friends / people (who might become friends) who I can go and have a coffee, meal or just catch up with. A walk, something, anything! Local to me who have been through or going through BC. I live on Sydney's North Shore. Can anyone point me in the right direction to finding a group? I have found that most of my friends are very supportive but some have backed away. The people you least expect to.
What a Whirlwind!
Out of sheer luck I found a suspicious lump on my right breast in early June 2023. I didn’t think much of it, but thought I should have it looked at (as a friend of mine had breast cancer at 23). All I can say is thank god I did because after a mammogram, ultrasound and a painful biopsy I was diagnosed with breast cancer. This all happened 4 days after my 29th birthday and it was an absolute shock to me! My cancer was defined as hormone based, HER- and Grade 3. The days after my diagnosis were an absolute whirlwind! I had multiple tests, appointments and then a full mastectomy of my right breast. As my fiancé and I are yet to have children, I am currently in the process of fertility treatments so I can freeze my eggs. Once this is complete I am looking at 5 months of chemo. I am feeling nervous about chemo because of the side effects it may have on me. I am a primary school teacher and have taken term 3 off from work. I am hoping to return in term 4 on a part time basis, but this will depend on how hard the chemo is on my body and mind. I am hoping to reach out and connect with others (especially young people) with breast cancer near me 💕
Updated/removed post
Hello everyone, I'm new here, very new, I was diagnosed with Brest Cancer on the 14th Dec 2022, one day before I turned 50, great birthday gift huh? Thank you for the ladies who responded to me, I have received a personal message, explaining that possibly the friend (s) I was referring to could see this, possibly a good point? And then I should just edit the post I had originally made if I could not delete it. So I've taken out the question altogether. This site was given to me by my beast care nurse at the mater hospital as a good reference for support groups and articles, the 1st day I tried to log on and ask a question, I couldn't stop crying and just had to walk away from my computer, so today being a good day, I thought I would reach out and try it for the 1st time. OOpppps my bad! So I thought I would ask a question on if other people had experienced friends who just bulldoze there comments away with no regards to your feeling, like suck it solider, move on, deal with it, and so forth, I went into sharing a few things that were said to me, however that was pointed out as a mistake, as the people who said these things could see post and figure out who I am should they be on this site. Lesson learnt. Don't ask for help, Don't ask for advice, I wont do that again. I'll sort this Brest cancer battle out myself, but thank you anyway for the responses I did get. As you can see its only been coming up 3 weeks tomorrow I've been diagnosed with Brest cancer, so its all still super early, I've seen my surgeon, my Brest Care nurse, the hospital admission clerk, now waiting on the RET-CT Scan, I should have never asked my question in here. I wont do that again. Sorry to have bothered you all
46 / Hi / Comfort of knowing you guys are here /(IVF link?)
Hi all I know this is a weird first post for “Newly Diagnosed”! but Im alone today, the day I got the call, and I literally just wanted to reach out to my sisters who know how I feel. It’s comforting to know you’re out there. Right now I can just say hi. I’m still numb and I can’t bring myself to write the details just yet. I will go into my story later but it’s literally only been a few hrs since I got the Big C phone call and then met with my lovely GP who stayed back late for me. The timing today was awful as my husband is currently overseas and he’s still asleep over there. I even called but he sleeps through anything! I don’t want to tell my parents yet until I know more about what my diagnosis is. They will worry themselves sick and that would make me feel even worse. It is such a shock - no cancer family history! The “coincidence” is that I just had 3 IVF cycles - last one December 2019. it’s just making me think, all those oestrogen injections.... (I know the studies say the link is inconclusive - this may just be me trying to rationalise it atm) Anyway thank you guys for humouring me - I will write more after my specialist appt. My GP got me in for tmr morning for which I’m eternally grateful. I’m glad I don’t have spend the weekend not knowing more info. This is a whole new world to me and I admire each and every one of you. xxxx
How did you find out about BCNA?
Hello ladies! I hope everyone has been keeping safe and healthy 😊. I wanted to ask everyone who wants to share, how you found out about this site, BCNA? I think it’s really important for women (and men) to be told about it as soon as they are diagnosed, before they have even seen their specialist. I think it would be really helpful to be informed about all things bca from here before starting the dreaded ‘trip’, as getting advice from ladies who’ve done it is extremely helpful and supportive. I think we all know how we felt when we first got diagnosed, so terrified, petrified, mortified, lonely, lost, confused, frightened, surreal, panicky, to say the least (or was that just me? 🤔). And we all know how much our loved ones, despite them trying so hard, can’t and don’t know what to do or say at times, which makes us feel even more lost, confused and lonely. I felt a strong need to find others like me, and was very grateful when I found the pamphlet about BCNA in my pack with the free Berlei bra. However, I found it after my main surgery, which was about two months post diagnosis. I really wished I’d found it pre-surgery, because a lot of my anguish and depression in regards to my surgeon could’ve been avoided. I mentioned this at the BCNA zoom meeting we had a couple months ago, as I felt it was important to try and get those pamphlets out to gps and screening centres, so more women can know about the site ASAP once diagnosed. So if you’d like to share, I’d love to know how you all found out about it 🙂. M Xxx
