Recently diagnosed... need support and questions
Angelisa
Comments
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right now you are in that
right now you are in that agonizing limbo stage you dont know exactly what you are dealing with. So the anxiety is horrible. as the days unfold you will have better information and a plan. Try not to project anything. BC is not a death sentence, it is survivable, and many women are doing well. At all stages. No lymphatic involvement is excellent. small is good.
Welcome to this site there are people with all kinds of breast cancer, all stages, who will help you through this. They are a lovely group. Take a deep breath. If you are too anxious, you can ask your doc for some antianxiety meds to get you through this tough spot. Hugs it will be ok Penny0 -
We all know that initial fear
I'm sorry you were diagnosed. By your description, it does sound like it's been caught early. You'll know more once you get back conclusive results. Just know that we are all here for you. We understand what you're feeling. You'll BEAT this thing. Turn that fear into hope.
You have my prayers and you have tons of support sister. Keep us posted. You'll be okay.
Blessings,
Sylvia0 -
So you are one of the special group of us that are triple neg. I just finished my treatments and am doing very well. Had lumpectomy in Dec.09, and chemo and radiation following the surgery. If you have a breast cancer support group close to you please go!! They are so helpful in answering questions and providing support. If not, keep posting and we will answer what ever we can. There is lots of experienced people on this web and can either give you feedback or resources to find answers to your questions. I know it is really scary to get this diagnosis but most of the fear is from not knowing. You can survive this!!! Keep positive thoughts.0
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Welcome Angelisa
I felt the same way you do when I was first Dx's But I have learned as you will that this is NOT a death sentence. Your cancer is small and it is caught early. You will be fine. The more you learn about it the more at ease you will feel. We are all here for you all the way. The ladies here can answer all your questions. Let go of the fear and turn it into fight. Keep us posted and let us know what you need. We are here for you. On the left side of this page in the blue box Cancer.org You can get allot of information by clicking on cancer information in that box. Or just read all the post here. That is what I did. It is a tremendous help. take care Kay0 -
we understand
We all understand the shock and fear...... it is ovewhelming at first. As you learn morn info and get a plan with your drs. to beat this.... it will get better, I promise. Sounds like you are lucky in the sense it was all caught very early...this is very good. You will find the strength to do whatever it takes to win the battle and live a happy life.
Good luck, and lots of hugs and prayers are going your way.0 -
Thanks..
Thanks for all the responses. I keep telling myself it was caught early, then I read a post where someone was diagnosed and waited x weeks to get surgery and it was bigger. I don't know if I'll be Her2 or triple negative, but I think both of those grow quick.
I forgot to mention, they graded mine as a 2. Are the biopsy results accurate enough to go on? In terms of grade, and type of cancer? Because a grade of 2 doesn't exactly sound like triple negative, which I'm really pleased it's a 2. It had a total score of 7, and grade 3 starts with a total score of 8. So maybe that means it's not growing as quick. Plus I worry that the lymphatic and vascular invasion will start as we're playing the waiting game.
I have no idea what I should be eating, or taking in terms of vitamins. I've heard gluten free, and low fat, and take fish oil and vitamin D, and even drink Olive Oil. I've never "dieted" in my life being I only weigh between 99-106 and wear a size 0 to 1!0 -
Hi Angelisa
Glad that you
Hi Angelisa
Glad that you found this site -sorry you have to be here. This place is an excellent source of information and support. As stated before, breast cancer is not a death sentence. Neither is having triple negative breast cancer. The good news with trip neg is that it's most responsive to chemotherapy.
The beginning is the hardest -there's so much unknown, and you have so many fears and questions. i spent hours just going through all the posts on here in my first few days after being diagnosed. Yes, it's good to read all that you can about the subject - but you get an almost peace & calm from reading from other women who have been through it.
Sounds like it was caught early, you get yearly mammos that's good, means it wasn't there last year. It sounds like our stories are somewhat similar -although i had a palbable lump that I found & contacted my Dr to get the ball rolling on mammo, ultrasound, biopsy. I had a 2.5 cm mass in my right breast, had double mastectomy (i'm 34, triple neg, aggressive BC) with immediate reconstruction. No vascular or lymph node involovement. Oncologist recommended 6 chemo treatments, I'm going in 5 days for my 4th this Friday. I had the expanders put in under my chest muscles at the time of my mastectomy, and get 100cc's of saline filled every 2 weeks. My chemo is also every 2 weeks, so 1 week i'll have my expanders filled, the other week i get chemo. Things move a little bit quicker that way I think. I'm at the halfway mark with my reconstruction also, I currently have 550cc's filled, i have about 2 more fills i think before i'm done, and after that i'll find out when i can have my exchange surgery to remove expanders and put the silicone implants in. The expanders at this large size are just not starting to get painful for me. I'm in the unique situation in that not only am I dealing with my own treatment for breast cancer, but a few short weeks ago my mom was also diagnosed with breast cancer, just this friday she had her lumpectomy. Hers was also found on her yearly mammogram, was very tiny in size, less than half a centimeter, she had the sentinal node biopsy & 1 of the 3 sentinal nodes they removed had cancer so they removed all her lymph nodes in the armpit area. So now I'm in treatment, (i have 2 young girls at home, 9 yrs and 2 yrs), and I'm also my mom's "Cancer & Chemo Coach" as my husband likes to call me.
I believe it is normal for you to feel something at the biopsy site, i remember that the feeling of mine had changed after the biopsy as well. A few weeks waiting is not going to be too long of a wait - a few months, yes, but a few weeks will not make a difference. You seem to have a good additude, which is half the battle right there. I highly recommend seeing a plastic surgeon before you make your surgical decision, or if you're unsure which surgery you want. I saw mine before, just to see what my options were, and he explained which reconstruction procedures I could have with which surgery I chose. I thought it was the most helpful information for me in regards to deciding.
Sorry -i've gone off and written you a short story here....i tend to do that as you'll soon find out please feel free to contact me on here, you can send a private message if you want, if you have any questions. I really like talking about my experiences with other newly diagnosed women because I don't want others to have that icky, scared, alone feeling in the beginning like I had. I had some pretty amazing survivors to talk to in the beginning that helped me out, I call them my BC Godmothers, I just want to pay it back and help out other women. Next month for breast cancer awareness, my mom and I will be sharing our stories in some interviews & with our local news station, in conjunction with the Making Strides for Breast Cancer walk that will be in our area Oct 23rd.
Best of luck to you, you ARE going to do well, and beat this. You will find that once you start the fight with having your surgery, everything goes so fast. Take time for yourself, do the things you enjoy doing, read and educate yourself as much as you can, and ask us any & all questions that you have.
*hugs*
Heather0 -
Welcome Angelisa
Glad you found us. My Dx was also found by my yearly mammo. I was so scared I cried for 2 weeks. Then I found this site and found some wonderful angels that helped me get through every step I had to take. The fear was not as bad, did not go away but I understood more. Waiting and waiting, is the hardest part. I was DX in April,Her2 pos aggressive and did not have a lumpectomy until June. Then after surgery, you wait some more. I think most of us, when we are first DX we think as you are that we will now die. Well here we are a year later and some of us 20 years later. You must keep positive, it will help to get you through the worst. Keep in mind, it's all doable. It's not a picnic, but you can get through this, so many of us have. We will all be here for you anytime 24/7 helping you every step of your journey. Sending prayers0 -
I want to welcome you and Icarkris said:right now you are in that
right now you are in that agonizing limbo stage you dont know exactly what you are dealing with. So the anxiety is horrible. as the days unfold you will have better information and a plan. Try not to project anything. BC is not a death sentence, it is survivable, and many women are doing well. At all stages. No lymphatic involvement is excellent. small is good.
Welcome to this site there are people with all kinds of breast cancer, all stages, who will help you through this. They are a lovely group. Take a deep breath. If you are too anxious, you can ask your doc for some antianxiety meds to get you through this tough spot. Hugs it will be ok Penny
I want to welcome you and I am sending you prayers and all the support you need!
Leeza0 -
How do I pm on this site???Heatherbelle said:Hi Angelisa
Glad that you
Hi Angelisa
Glad that you found this site -sorry you have to be here. This place is an excellent source of information and support. As stated before, breast cancer is not a death sentence. Neither is having triple negative breast cancer. The good news with trip neg is that it's most responsive to chemotherapy.
The beginning is the hardest -there's so much unknown, and you have so many fears and questions. i spent hours just going through all the posts on here in my first few days after being diagnosed. Yes, it's good to read all that you can about the subject - but you get an almost peace & calm from reading from other women who have been through it.
Sounds like it was caught early, you get yearly mammos that's good, means it wasn't there last year. It sounds like our stories are somewhat similar -although i had a palbable lump that I found & contacted my Dr to get the ball rolling on mammo, ultrasound, biopsy. I had a 2.5 cm mass in my right breast, had double mastectomy (i'm 34, triple neg, aggressive BC) with immediate reconstruction. No vascular or lymph node involovement. Oncologist recommended 6 chemo treatments, I'm going in 5 days for my 4th this Friday. I had the expanders put in under my chest muscles at the time of my mastectomy, and get 100cc's of saline filled every 2 weeks. My chemo is also every 2 weeks, so 1 week i'll have my expanders filled, the other week i get chemo. Things move a little bit quicker that way I think. I'm at the halfway mark with my reconstruction also, I currently have 550cc's filled, i have about 2 more fills i think before i'm done, and after that i'll find out when i can have my exchange surgery to remove expanders and put the silicone implants in. The expanders at this large size are just not starting to get painful for me. I'm in the unique situation in that not only am I dealing with my own treatment for breast cancer, but a few short weeks ago my mom was also diagnosed with breast cancer, just this friday she had her lumpectomy. Hers was also found on her yearly mammogram, was very tiny in size, less than half a centimeter, she had the sentinal node biopsy & 1 of the 3 sentinal nodes they removed had cancer so they removed all her lymph nodes in the armpit area. So now I'm in treatment, (i have 2 young girls at home, 9 yrs and 2 yrs), and I'm also my mom's "Cancer & Chemo Coach" as my husband likes to call me.
I believe it is normal for you to feel something at the biopsy site, i remember that the feeling of mine had changed after the biopsy as well. A few weeks waiting is not going to be too long of a wait - a few months, yes, but a few weeks will not make a difference. You seem to have a good additude, which is half the battle right there. I highly recommend seeing a plastic surgeon before you make your surgical decision, or if you're unsure which surgery you want. I saw mine before, just to see what my options were, and he explained which reconstruction procedures I could have with which surgery I chose. I thought it was the most helpful information for me in regards to deciding.
Sorry -i've gone off and written you a short story here....i tend to do that as you'll soon find out please feel free to contact me on here, you can send a private message if you want, if you have any questions. I really like talking about my experiences with other newly diagnosed women because I don't want others to have that icky, scared, alone feeling in the beginning like I had. I had some pretty amazing survivors to talk to in the beginning that helped me out, I call them my BC Godmothers, I just want to pay it back and help out other women. Next month for breast cancer awareness, my mom and I will be sharing our stories in some interviews & with our local news station, in conjunction with the Making Strides for Breast Cancer walk that will be in our area Oct 23rd.
Best of luck to you, you ARE going to do well, and beat this. You will find that once you start the fight with having your surgery, everything goes so fast. Take time for yourself, do the things you enjoy doing, read and educate yourself as much as you can, and ask us any & all questions that you have.
*hugs*
Heather
How do I pm on this site???0 -
waitingKat11 said:Welcome Angelisa
Glad you found us. My Dx was also found by my yearly mammo. I was so scared I cried for 2 weeks. Then I found this site and found some wonderful angels that helped me get through every step I had to take. The fear was not as bad, did not go away but I understood more. Waiting and waiting, is the hardest part. I was DX in April,Her2 pos aggressive and did not have a lumpectomy until June. Then after surgery, you wait some more. I think most of us, when we are first DX we think as you are that we will now die. Well here we are a year later and some of us 20 years later. You must keep positive, it will help to get you through the worst. Keep in mind, it's all doable. It's not a picnic, but you can get through this, so many of us have. We will all be here for you anytime 24/7 helping you every step of your journey. Sending prayers
When I was diagnosed I was in the process of moving. WHat a delemma, should I have treatment here or where I was moving to. I decided to have surgery at my old address and treatment at my new home which made the wait very much longer, had to get slides from hospital in Queens to send to Rochester Hospital which for some reason took months, all in all I waited 3 months in between surgery and treatment.
I was assured that anytime within 8 months I was safe. So I trusted, had no choice so this week I finished my radiation and now will take Arimidex for 5 years and try to relax. Not easy since it will always be on my mind but life has to go on.
As far as fear of dying, yes it's there but after a while we realize that this disease takes many forms and I don't plan on letting it take me just yet.
There are so many women with breast cancer now and it is amazing but most of us are survivors.
Life is good, Angelisa, and every day we learn more and can relax more.
No matter what the future brings, we will be here for you and you will find many more angels in your world as a result of your diagnosis so keep your eyes and ears open for those people.
BTW, I love your name, R0 -
I found a pea shape lump in my left breast so I finally had a mammo in June. Had to have an ultrasound biopsy done and it showed suspicious cells. Had an MRI and found another spot but it was ok. Had a petscan done and it came back clear. The waiting was the worst part for me. The doctor performed a quadrantectomy on my left breast on 9/08/2010. I will not know what my next treatment will be.. I know how you feel because I thought I needed to have the surgery as soon as possilbe. I will pray for you as well as for everyone else. Will keep check on you to see how things are progressing for you....Just know that God is holding our hands as we start our journey!!0
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I never knew so many nice people.Heatherbelle said:Hi Angelisa
Glad that you
Hi Angelisa
Glad that you found this site -sorry you have to be here. This place is an excellent source of information and support. As stated before, breast cancer is not a death sentence. Neither is having triple negative breast cancer. The good news with trip neg is that it's most responsive to chemotherapy.
The beginning is the hardest -there's so much unknown, and you have so many fears and questions. i spent hours just going through all the posts on here in my first few days after being diagnosed. Yes, it's good to read all that you can about the subject - but you get an almost peace & calm from reading from other women who have been through it.
Sounds like it was caught early, you get yearly mammos that's good, means it wasn't there last year. It sounds like our stories are somewhat similar -although i had a palbable lump that I found & contacted my Dr to get the ball rolling on mammo, ultrasound, biopsy. I had a 2.5 cm mass in my right breast, had double mastectomy (i'm 34, triple neg, aggressive BC) with immediate reconstruction. No vascular or lymph node involovement. Oncologist recommended 6 chemo treatments, I'm going in 5 days for my 4th this Friday. I had the expanders put in under my chest muscles at the time of my mastectomy, and get 100cc's of saline filled every 2 weeks. My chemo is also every 2 weeks, so 1 week i'll have my expanders filled, the other week i get chemo. Things move a little bit quicker that way I think. I'm at the halfway mark with my reconstruction also, I currently have 550cc's filled, i have about 2 more fills i think before i'm done, and after that i'll find out when i can have my exchange surgery to remove expanders and put the silicone implants in. The expanders at this large size are just not starting to get painful for me. I'm in the unique situation in that not only am I dealing with my own treatment for breast cancer, but a few short weeks ago my mom was also diagnosed with breast cancer, just this friday she had her lumpectomy. Hers was also found on her yearly mammogram, was very tiny in size, less than half a centimeter, she had the sentinal node biopsy & 1 of the 3 sentinal nodes they removed had cancer so they removed all her lymph nodes in the armpit area. So now I'm in treatment, (i have 2 young girls at home, 9 yrs and 2 yrs), and I'm also my mom's "Cancer & Chemo Coach" as my husband likes to call me.
I believe it is normal for you to feel something at the biopsy site, i remember that the feeling of mine had changed after the biopsy as well. A few weeks waiting is not going to be too long of a wait - a few months, yes, but a few weeks will not make a difference. You seem to have a good additude, which is half the battle right there. I highly recommend seeing a plastic surgeon before you make your surgical decision, or if you're unsure which surgery you want. I saw mine before, just to see what my options were, and he explained which reconstruction procedures I could have with which surgery I chose. I thought it was the most helpful information for me in regards to deciding.
Sorry -i've gone off and written you a short story here....i tend to do that as you'll soon find out please feel free to contact me on here, you can send a private message if you want, if you have any questions. I really like talking about my experiences with other newly diagnosed women because I don't want others to have that icky, scared, alone feeling in the beginning like I had. I had some pretty amazing survivors to talk to in the beginning that helped me out, I call them my BC Godmothers, I just want to pay it back and help out other women. Next month for breast cancer awareness, my mom and I will be sharing our stories in some interviews & with our local news station, in conjunction with the Making Strides for Breast Cancer walk that will be in our area Oct 23rd.
Best of luck to you, you ARE going to do well, and beat this. You will find that once you start the fight with having your surgery, everything goes so fast. Take time for yourself, do the things you enjoy doing, read and educate yourself as much as you can, and ask us any & all questions that you have.
*hugs*
Heather
Cancer.. I've grown up hearing about it. Mammograms and paps.. just like preventative cleanings by the dentist. I took it all for granted and never was concerned about it. Cancer walks, and benefits.. heard about them but never participated. I didn't know enough about cancer, all I knew was it killed people, and honestly I thought everyone who got it just got sicker and died. I think I'm finding out that's not true. I think I may have seen someone obviously going thru chemo only once or twice, even as a nurse aide. Again I thought that was horrible and they might not make it... but that's not true, is it. The things I thought I knew about cancer are skewed at best. The things I didn't know are many. Never did I realize that breast cancer can hit someone in their 40's. I guess I thought it hit "old" people, I don't know. But the more I read, the more concerned I become. Lumps, cancerous conditions, and DCIS seem to be happening to younger people. Why in the world are we telling people to start mammos at 40?? And why aren't they giving us the actual radiologist report once we have a mammo so we know it's not always "two thumbs up"?? Why don't they suggest an MRI when we have such dense breasts? And why did no one tell me I had dense breasts that might miss something? We're failing somewhere. And why didn't someone tell me that dense, small breasts have actually a higher chance for cancer?? Because I always was told the opposite.. larger had more chance.. therefore I never worried! Sorry, just doesn't make sense now that I know what I never knew...
And I never ever knew that some of the nicest people I'd ever come in contact with would be ones diagnosed with cancer.0 -
Rolling Out the Pink Carpet Just For You!
Welcome! I'm so sorry we had to meet this way!
My website may help. It explores both lumpectomy and mastectomy and why the person chose their routes (mymastectomyonline.com).
The limbo stage is such a bummer!
We've ALL been there.
This is the place to come and vent!
xxoo,
SamuraiMom0 -
Welcome Angelisa
to the bc network. You've come to the right place for support, encouragement and our bc experiences with surgery, treatment and dealing with side effects.
The beginning shock that one has bc is enough to take in at one time. Then the tests, biopsies, etc all become overwhelming. Ask lots of questions and try to be calm as you wait for the pathology report.
{{hugs}} Char0 -
I'm trying...cahjah75 said:Welcome Angelisa
to the bc network. You've come to the right place for support, encouragement and our bc experiences with surgery, treatment and dealing with side effects.
The beginning shock that one has bc is enough to take in at one time. Then the tests, biopsies, etc all become overwhelming. Ask lots of questions and try to be calm as you wait for the pathology report.
{{hugs}} Char
I'm trying to remain calm until the surgery... that's my main focus right now. And each day that passes, makes me want this out of me even more. It seems like it's taking too long, but I've read other people taking 6 weeks until surgery, some even longer. I'm still going to be a squeaky wheel though. If I could just see my plastic surgeon, then I think everything would speed up. In the meantime, I'm trying my BEST to trust God will keep this thing from spreading.0 -
Ugh..the Waiting STINKS!
Angelisa,
I know it's a really scary time right now. It's so hard to wait to see what is really going on. Try not to let your mind wander. From what you have said so far, it sounds like they caught it early, which is great! And the fact that ther is no lymphatic or vascular invasion is SUPER GREAT!!
There are so many great treatments and thousands of women out there that beat the dreaded BC! You will too! And the great anxiety you feel now, will lessen once you know what's going on and get a plan of action together.
This is a great group of gals to connect with! SO as much as you don't want to be in the club...welcome!
Oh, and lose little Xanax pills are a WONDERFUL thing! Don't be afraid to take them if you need them for a little bit.
I'm celebrating my 9th Cancerversary today! Went through all the treatments, lumpectomy radiation, chemo, tamoxifen and then reconstructive surgery! I'm doing great and there is no reason you can't get through this too!
Hang in there. I'll be saying a prayer for you:)
Blessings,
Sally0 -
Angelisasal314 said:Ugh..the Waiting STINKS!
Angelisa,
I know it's a really scary time right now. It's so hard to wait to see what is really going on. Try not to let your mind wander. From what you have said so far, it sounds like they caught it early, which is great! And the fact that ther is no lymphatic or vascular invasion is SUPER GREAT!!
There are so many great treatments and thousands of women out there that beat the dreaded BC! You will too! And the great anxiety you feel now, will lessen once you know what's going on and get a plan of action together.
This is a great group of gals to connect with! SO as much as you don't want to be in the club...welcome!
Oh, and lose little Xanax pills are a WONDERFUL thing! Don't be afraid to take them if you need them for a little bit.
I'm celebrating my 9th Cancerversary today! Went through all the treatments, lumpectomy radiation, chemo, tamoxifen and then reconstructive surgery! I'm doing great and there is no reason you can't get through this too!
Hang in there. I'll be saying a prayer for you:)
Blessings,
Sally
What a pretty name.
We all support you, and if you have any questions ask away. There is always some strong sister that can answer any question you ask.
You can and will get thur this. It's a journey, and you have only began. There will always be someone here to hold your hand as you walk thru your journey. We all know what you are feeling.
Take care
Jennifer0
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