Please help....

Just like Cabbott I am really sorry to hear you are having to fight the beast. I am going through my second time around fighting it. You did not say what type of cancer you have is it invasive or inflammatory? Make sure when you go back to the surgeon you take someone with you and a note pad to write down answers to you questions. The reason for the second person is to help you hear what the doctor is saying to you. I would also make sure they run the normal tests such as: cat scan, bone scan and maybe a pet scan. These test show us if the cancer has spread to other areas of our body. I am now going through chemo to fight inflammatory breast cancer, not to many people on the sight know much about this form but I love it hear because everyone here is so loving and informative great support system to have.

Please don't get upset with family as they are just as scared as you and may not know what to say or do to help. Just remember they love you and will be there for you, so will I. Hope this little bit of information helps you and you will be in my thoughts and prayers.

A big ((((((((Hugs)))))))))

God Bless,

Terry i

Hello I am new to this site as well, I was diagnose a couple of months ago. I am schedule for a lumpectomy
this Friday. I know you probally feel overwhekmed at this time. Hearing this news really is tough to bear, once you find out the type of BC you're dealing with you will have a better understanding. I still am overwhelm and I find myself on the internet as much as I can. Having support really helps I am finding out, I have went to a couple of support groups maybe you can do the same.I wish you luck, taking with other people who are going through the same thing as you really helps.

CR1954 said:

Hi,

Thank you all so much for the words of encouragement and the "understanding" that you all have.
I don't know what type of cancer it is. I asked my gyn when she told me the diagnosis, but she said that she had just had a call from the radiologist and did not have the written report yet. So, I am going to guess that I will find out much more on Thursday when I meet with the surgeon.
I have an MRI scheduled for next Monday. That was the soonest that they could get me in.
I have gotten myself a purse size little notebook to write any questions I may have in and to write down things that the doctor tells me.
Frankly, the only thing that my gyn told me is that I was in for 6 months of Hell. She said to expect to lose the nipple & surrounding area at the very least and to expect chemo. that was pretty much where she left it. Which has let my mind go totally to the worst possible scenarios, of course.
My friends say that I don't have the will to fight. That I am spending too much time in tears. But I think I am still trying to digest and come to terms with having cancer in the first place. And I am waiting for any kind of encouragement from a doctor. And, I have been taking premarin for the past eight years and it has now been abruptly stopped, so I am guessing that is also adding to the mood swings and emotional turmoil.
I am hoping that once a treatment plan has been put in place and I am able to take each step as it comes, that the fighting spirit that I know I need, will come.
At any rate, I have found this site and women who understand what I am going through. Thank you.
CR

Crying when you are scared and angry is a completely normal reaction to traumatic events. Cancer diagnosis is a traumatic event. There is even a book at my public library titled, "First You Cry." Then apparently you are supposed to get yourself together and do what needs to be done, not that grief is a one-time thing, especially when you are looking at cancer and its treatment. It took me a lot more than a day or two to quit crying. After a week of crying non-stop practically, I told God he would have to handle the fear because I sure couldn't. That helped a lot. So did getting a plan, but I still cried daily and had nightmares regularly. I think I noticed I was making it through the day without tearing up by the second or third year...and I started sleeping through the night without nightmares after year four. I don't feel a bit abnormal about it either. There are meds to help you with the stress and grief. Lots of exercise and terrific support groups do the trick for me. But I did take the time to talk with one social worker about the nightmares, reoccurring thoughts and tears. She told me that I seemed pretty healthy and normal to her. I was just overwhelmed by an overwhelming mostly uncontrollable situation. She got me in touch with the Wellness Community in my hometown. It had free support groups for cancer patients and it was great. It also helped me to find out more about cancer. I realize that doesn't work for everyone, but knowing the worst helped me limit my fears, at least during the day!!! While lumpectomies followed by radiation treatment (with or without chemo) are standard treatment for discrete lumps in the breast, mastectomies are often used for cancer in more than one place and inflamatory breast cancer. I had a mastectomy done because my kind of cancer, though caught early, was in more than one area. I chose not to have reconstruction done and got a prosthesis. The surgery was day surgery and I was home putting the dishes away that same night. I have a battle scar, but I recovered fairly quickly and my grandpa taught me to be proud of battle scars (he had had heart surgery) rather than ashamed. A nurse told me that undergoing chemo is a lot like childbirth. It lasts about 9 months and there's new life at the end of the process. It is aggressive medicine for aggressive cancer. If you have to have it, remember it is your friend. They will not bother with any treatment if they think it will not help you get better. They will leave the choice of how aggressive your treatment is totally up to you. They have to tell you all the gory statistics and side effects, but keep your eyes on the fact that they are trying to make you better not worse. Many, many women have benefitted from today's cancer treatments. Everyone is different in how they weather these things, so focus on getting a treatment plan for yourself and taking it one day at a time. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
C. Abbott