<p>My nurse for my biopsy and who was with me when i got my diagnosis was a 10 year survivor. She immediately said to me only allow yourself to give in to fear for 15 minutes. Allow that 15 minutes because sometimes it takes more energy to keep it at bay vs. just wallowing in it for 15 minutes. It was the best advice I got. I now struggle with every ache and pain being a fear of mets but I follow my 15 minute rule and move on</p>
<p>I’ll have to remember the 15 minute thing. I do have breast cancer, no surprise, but I was still in shock. I was at my volunteer position at hospice when I heard. I broke down in the office of the nurse who does the scheduling and she was wonderful. We talked and then I went home. My dearest friend from CA who has been battling a different form of cancer for 10 years called and we talked, also another friend is bringing over dinner which is the farthest thing from my mind right now. I have an appt. with the surgeon Thursday so things are moving right along. I am scared out of my wits.</p>
<p>Did they give you path results yet?
Don’t be afraid to get two opinions.
You might hear alot of stories and people saying what they would do but you have to focus on your situation and go with what you think is right.
I always said I would have a mastectomy if I ever had cancer but when I looked at the statistics for my situation I went with a lumpectomy.
You will get through this. It is a pain in the a** but you can do it.
Prayers to you</p>
<p>Sixties–all good thoughts your way. Echo keymom that you will get through this. Life will just suck for a while and then bit by bit it’ll start to get back to normal. Or something close. </p>
<p>Let us know how you’re doing.</p>
<p>Just another wanting to send you good thoughts and reassure you that you can and will get through this. It’s a royal pain, no way around that but doable, doable, doable. I think there are many of us here who have spent some time in the “trenches” - hopefully that is some comfort. </p>
<p>Slow down and don’t get ahead of yourself. You very likely DO have time to plan and be thoughtful about your next step.</p>
<p>Hugs and good wishes to you sixties. Be strong. You can and WILL get through this.</p>
<p>Sending you all good wishes and prayers, sixties.</p>
<p>Don’t be afraid of asking questions. Get another opinion once you get a treatment plan from this doc. Ask more questions. Vent. Keep yourself as well-rested as possible. </p>
<p>I am seven years in with a fairly rare form of leukemia. I don’t always agree with my docs, but I do my homework. More than once, they have come back later and said I made the right choice. I found online support groups invaluable – there aren’t that many of us. There are folks on my listserves who post about study results and new trials before most docs ever hear about them. I know others will advise you to stay away from the Internet, as it can scare the ^%$%# out of you. I was more afraid NOT to know what might lay ahead. </p>
<p>Peace and power to you!</p>
<p>And always take someone with you because you won’t hear everything that is being said. I’ve gone with my husband to two cardiologists since he had a heart attack last month and I find afterward that he isn’t hearing a lot of what is being said. This is very common. A friend of mine with BC took a tape recorder in with her to appointments. She realized upon listening that she had totally missed hearing the staging of her cancer. The mind can only process so much. Best wishes. Step by step. You can do this.</p>
<p>Breathe in…and breathe out…I didn’t hear ANYTHING that the doctor said after the phrase you have breast cancer. I just remember saying that I felt sick. (I still don’t know what stage of cancer I had…). Jump through the hoops and you will be fine. We are here. (oh…and cry when you need to…and make BIG plans for the future…and ask any questions you want to…either in a pm or in public.)</p>
<p>sixties, you can and will beat the crap out of this cowardly disease. I’ll join the others who said - be an informed patient and do not be afraid to ask questions and seek second opinions.</p>
<p>I do have the name of another dr for a second opinion and they also suggested a binder to take to appt. and collect all my information and copies of results. I guess that will keep me busy.Thank you for your concern.</p>
<p>Thank you all. You are wonderful. I guess it’s really that first shock of hearing it. My daughter and her fiance came over and brought me flowers yesterday and I told her that I really had wanted to lose weight for her wedding next June but sacrificing body parts wasn’t part of the plan. My oldest son who’s in grad school in Boston called and my friend’s dinner was wonderful and my H really appreciated that.</p>
<p>Sixties, hang in there. The waiting-for-results and waiting-for-appointments stage is tough, as there’s a feeling of – Get this bad stuff out of me right now!! (At least there was for me.) Once you have gathered all the information and established a plan, you’ll know that you’re on your way to leaving this darn disease behind. You can do it. Take care.</p>
<p>The binder is a great suggestion. When my DD was diagnosed with a chronic illness, another mom of a kid with the same disease suggested keeping our own copy of all records, test results, drugs tried, etc. I have an entire drawer where everything goes. It was the best suggestion I received because it’s very easy to forget important information, resources, etc. The drawer kind of helps because sometimes you don’t want to get out the hole puncher and so forth – it keeps everything in one place for when you do have the time.</p>
<p>Cyber-hugs, sixties. What a great blessing and support CC is for many of us. You have friends and comfort 24/7. Thoughts are with you.</p>
<p>I just can’t thank all of you enough. I volunteered at hospice this morning and again talked to a nurse and she said to go ahead and make my second opinion appt. After lunch I called the dr I had recommended to me and couldn’t believe I got in Friday morning so both surgeons appt. will be taken care of this week. Then I called the breast care center and asked them if they could get all my records to her by Friday and the woman said, dear, as soon as I hang up I’ll press a button and all your records will be sent to the dr. Then I’ll call in about 5" and make sure she got them. Thirty minutes later she called back and said they were there. I am overwhelmed by the kindness and efficiency of all these people. I’ll just keep going step by step and try not to worry so much since I guess it doesn’t do much good anyway. I have plenty to keep me busy. I think maybe having breast cancer is like having a job. Again, thanks to all of you for your kindness and caring. I really was fortunate to find you.</p>
<p>sixties - it already says so much about you as a person that you volunteer with a hospice agency. That being said, do not hesitate at all to bounce ideas off of them and lean on them for support. When we’ve had staff members/volunteers get sick with a serious illness, the employees really do want to offer support. I remember just before my sister-in-law entered hospice care last month, and they were considering palliative care first, my brother called me to ask some questions. Since they were more palliative care related and I am not quite up to speed in that area, I asked one of my bosses who is a nurse. She cut me off mid-sentence, grabbed a business card out of her purse, wrote her direct phone number on it, gave it to me and told me to tell my brother to call her right away. My brother lives over 1000 miles away, but she wanted to offer her knowledge and expertise. That’s just how hospice workers typically are. I would even go so far as to touch base with one of the hospice chaplains if you so feel inclined; I know that if one of our volunteers got a serious diagnosis and wanted some chaplain support, any of our chaplains would be more than willing… just some thoughts.</p>
<p>Thank you for your support. It is amazing how eager people are to help. I appreciate every message I get from this group and am so thankful I found it.</p>
<p>I kept a notebook of all my bloodwork and reports, too. I also made a list of short- and long-term goals that I wanted to accomplish – and I still keep it in my Day-Timer. Helps to keep me focused on the long haul and all the good things ahead!</p>