The following is an Editorial Resource from YourTotalHealth.
More Diagnosis Stories
Just Diagnosed
I’m Kathi, married 50 years, four grown kids, six grandkids and three great-grandkids. My doctor called me last Wednesday with the results of my biopsy, and they weren't good. Seems I've joined the club I never wanted to belong to—breast cancer!
I have an appointment … with my surgeon to see where we go from here. If any of you can lend any insight to questions I need to ask, things I need to know, please post them. I know I have invasive ductal carcinoma. I know that means pretty much what it says, and that it may have spread through the membranes that line the bottom of the cells to the tissue outside of the ducts, and left untreated it can spread more.
I'll try to let you know what I find out when I get back today. This is all so overwhelming for me.
—kathi_mdgd
I was diagnosed with infiltrating duct cell carcinoma on 8-8-08. I had a double mastectomy on 8-14-08 with the lymph nodes removed on my right side. I can understand your shock … I'm 39 and found two lumps in my right breast at the end of July and went in for a mammogram on the 26th of July to be told that I probably had malignant cancer … I had a vacuum-assisted biopsy on the 2nd and was scheduled for surgery on the 8th of August. I just had the drain tubes removed today and I feel so much more human. Those were awful—every time I moved my arms, they tugged under my armpits … You will be thankful that you had the surgery … Keep your chin up and keep us informed. This is tough, I've cried a lot too. Let's just pray for a good report. God bless you!
—ilovemyfamily1
Kathi, I received the news this afternoon that I have breast cancer, too. I have an appointment with my doctor on Monday. I'm going to have a very tough weekend. The tears are starting and I'm scared.
Just want you to know that I will keep you in my prayers and thoughts.
—iowa-mermaid
Trying Not to Worry
Like the song goes, sometimes "the waiting is the hardest part." Your mind races into all sorts of terrible places and takes your heart with it. The good news is that most lumps (something like 8 of 10) turn out to be benign and the only way to know is to have them checked.
It's lame advice, I know, but try not to worry until you know for sure there is something to worry about. See if you can do the Scarlett O'Hara thing and tell yourself, "I'll worry about that tomorrow."
—fergasmom
All Those Tests!
I do know that the tests and treatments have come a long, long way. My mom died in 1969 of breast cancer that she had for five years. The treatments from then to my diagnosis in 1995 were so different, and I was very surprised and grateful to find out that I could have reconstruction—something not even thought of in the 1960s! In '95 they didn't have PET CT's available. And even with my first mets recurrence in 2003, they didn't use (or maybe didn't have) the PET, and they didn't apparently know about being HER2+ then either. So that was different; that they knew about and could test for HER2 in 2006 when I again had another recurrence. I really like seeing the new technology evolve, and being able to hear when I go to the doctor that they have a new drug that was just approved, that they can use on me at a future time if necessary.
—joyoptomist
What's Next: Treatment
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