Oh No | Just Diagnosed

Sam2674

Found lump myself, had to wait 3 weeks for a mammogram. Had mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy all in one day. 3 days later was told I have breast cancer and 3 days after that I met with the surgeon and was told I have two different types of breast cancer. It's been a whirlwind of doctors appointments and information. I really don't think I've had time to process it all.

beachbum5817

Sam2674 you sure had to step on the roller coaster right away. I also jumped on as soon as possible. Should I have gotten a second opinion and done more research? Maybe, but I had to do what was right for me. I wanted the cancer out of my body ASAP. Let us know if we can be of any help to you. Ask whatever is on you mind. Experience is a great teacher. No questions are off limits. Keep us posted on how you are doing. We are here for you. Take care.

MelanieIIB

Yes, when you first get the news, it's quite a shock. May I ask what the two different types of cancer are that you mentioned you have?

In Oct. 2012 I had a mammogram and it came back suspicious. I had a needle core biopsy and the results were I had two areas, pretty close together that were infiltrating lobular carcinoma. They were also ER+, PR+, and HER2-. Mastectomy is what was recommended for me. Before my mastectomy, I had a breast MRI. It showed a third place that the mammogram did not pick up nor did my surgeon feel when he did a breast exam. It turns out this third place was HER2+. I also had LCIS and DCIS. I also had cancer in the sentinel lymph node so my surgeon removed all 18 of my lymph nodes (axillary dissection.)

It is all overwhelming at first and sometimes you don't even know the questions to ask. You will get a lot of things thrown at you all at once regarding all the different treatments. Just know that it is not all done at once. One day at a time, one treatment at a time.

The chemo drugs I had were Carboplatin and Taxotere. Another IV drug was Herceptin which is not technically chemo. It is a "targeted therapy" drug given specifically for HER2 + cancer. Each drug infusion is given separately with a wait time in between each drug.

Please ask any question you would like. Blessings to you.

Jouska

That is pretty much how it is for everyone. You think you are perfectly fine one day and then next thing you know you have breast cancer and you have to learn lots - types, treatment options etc. It is definitely is a whirlwind. It does slow down and typically you do have a brief chance to pause and sort things through and ask questions. Write those question down (and the answers) so you don't forget or get confused. Thankfully, treatment continues to progress and your treatment will probably be targeted just for you. Wishing you the best!!!

MarcieB

Sam, it happened like that for me too - three weeks of waiting for a mammogram then WHAM! I think the most comforting thing is to have a team that is committed to taking very good care of you. I am so impressed with the young doctors I have encountered, they have been very sensitive to my feeling, fears, etc. I hope you get that too. I only had one kind of cancer, but I did have another spot that was benign in the same breast. I did chemo first, followed by surgery, and then radiation.The chemo knocked my cancer down to the point of being *tissue responded to treatment* by they time it was removed. It's a whirlwind, it truly is, and there will be days you might think you can't do anymore. But then, it is behind you and you can step in to encourage others. We are all so much stronger than we think. Come here and ask us anything. I think between us we have seen it all! And above all, be very kind to yourself.

Bug

Yes, that's what it feels like - a whirlwind. There's so much happening and so much to learn. The four WhatNext responders before me gave you a lot of good info (one of the reasons I love this site - the way people jump in and help - love you people!). Ask your medical team about anything you don't understand or are not comfortable with. We're here, too. Good luck to you and please let us know how you're doing. You can do this - really.

Tricia2020

It is very overwhelming but you will get through it! In addition to this site, I found a newly diagnosed breast cancer support group very helpful. Ask your doctors about where to find one. You've got this!

legaljen1969

Wow, it sounds like definitely got hit by a lot of news at once. I am another who jumped on things right away and didn't wait around for a lot of second opinions and weighing my options. My cancer was found with my mammogram. I had ER+ PR+ HER2- Stage 0 DCIS.

I had my mammogram in early November 2019, my follow up mammo a week later. An appointment with my PCM the following week. Then it was about 3 weeks before all of my referrals came through and I started with my cancer treatment team. I did not have to fast track quite as quickly as some. I had my biopsy on December 10. It revealed there was definitely some cancer. As I was Stage 0- they didn't rush me right along but would have done surgery right away if I had been comfortable with that. The only reason I waited was that my family had planned a cruise for my 50th and my father's 80th birthdays. We went on our cruise and came back to have my first appointments to meet my medical and radiation oncologists on New Years Eve. Boy that was not how I planned to end 2019. And who would have thought 2020 would be filled with so much mayhem?

In late January (I think January 22) I had a lumpectomy. On February 26th a mastectomy (same breast because they couldn't get clear margins with the lumpectomy.) I was released to go back to work on the same day our governor shut our state down for COVID. I was already set up to work from home since I had been doing a little work post surgery. I have, relatively speaking, had best case scenario all the way around. I am very fortunate to have had an "easy ride" so far.

I was given a book "Breast Cancer Treatment Handbook" (Understanding the Disease, Treatments, Emotions and Recovery from Breast Cancer) by Judy C. Kneece. It was so helpful to me. It explained things in patient terms- layman's terms. It wasn't "too clinical" but it gave good information. It had lots of pages for questions and sort of journaling what all I needed to ask.

I was also given good guidance early on that everyone's journey is their own. I likely won't have the same story as my neighbor or her best friend or an aunt or whoever. Sure they can tell me things that worked well for them (and you will get lots of love and helpful hints HERE on this site), but I was told not to read ahead and overwhelm myself. I was encouraged to ask questions and I was given straightforward answers and credible resources to look up information on my questions if I wanted to know more.

There is so much information that it sometimes feels and sounds like a cacophony of grandfather clocks and cuckoo clocks all set to go off every few seconds until you want to cover you ears and scream "Stop it all."

Hopefully you have a support system and hopefully you have a team of doctors that you trust and you like. They will be invaluable to you.

It is okay to question. It is okay to be mad, sad, confused, relieved. It is okay to tell people in your life that you need time to process.

Know you have support here.