Diagnosis

My roller coaster ride began on the 2nd of February 2013. It was less than 4 weeks from the time I found my lump to when I had my surgery. You don't get time to think or to feel sorry for yourself. You just have to make quick decisions and do what your Doctors tell you. I think back now - a year later , and I can see now that I was in a kind of trance, I kind of tuned out and that was because I had no time to adjust or to allow my diagnosis to sink in. The only times I fell apart was the day after Breast Cancer was confirmed and I was sitting in a tiny dressing room, waiting to have a bone scan and I totally lost it. I just couldn't go ahead with it, I was terrified . I explained to the Doctor that my diagnosis was still sinking in and he was very understanding. He sent me home and told me to return in about 3 hours. The other time I broke down was right before my surgery and I had to tell the Hospital who my next of kin was. It was the first time that I hadn't listed my Mum as my next of kin. 4th February - 27th February On Monday 4th February I saw my G.P. I had found my lump on the 2nd. Everything I read online had told me that breast cancer is not painful, so although I had a feeling I was in trouble, I also was confident that I had a cyst. My G.P did a breast exam, asked me lots of questions and told me he thinks I have breast cancer. He wrote referrals for a mammogram and ultrasound and a referral to a breast surgeon. He told me not to wait , if I couldn't get an appointment within 2 weeks to see the surgeon then he would send me to someone else. I am totally blessed and so lucky to have such a great G.P. I see him regularly and I feel confident that he is taking great care of me. On the 8th February I had my mammogram and ultrasound. It was my first in about 10 years. LOL I think the smaller your breasts are the more the mammogram hurts! The lady had to come back and take more pictures to get a better look from all angles. I think that was the exact moment when I really knew that I had breast cancer. She put the film up on the wall and I could see the lump.I took my results to my G.P and he went through the report with me, explaining everything. I had a lump of 2cm at 11 o'clock on my right breast. They suggested I have a needle biopsy to confirm Breast Cancer. The next step for me was to meet my surgeon.