Confused and Stressed: My Breast Cancer Diagnosis Journey

First off, I feel for you. Cancer can always move forward. I know my shelf life with current science.I remember being first diagnosed. The best advice I got from a survivor when I reached out for help was how do you eat an elephant. You can't eat it all. Piece by piece. This piece is in front of me, how do I eat it. How will I get there to take the first step? Sounds like you need help with planning steps and appropriate control over the situation. It's best to have someone with you at these appointments to make notes, ask questions. If you can't record the conversation to recover. Many appointments to me were like being boxed in the ears. Couldn't hear or respond. Oncology is Oncology. Gynecologist is a gynecologist. Is your gyno truly fixed with the cancer society? I'm going to be straight with you about the boobs. You should of had an MRI and PET scan. Waiting for the PET scan results made me vomit hot acid waiting for the results. Your not alone. While going through all the multiple imaging and testing, many of those made sure to make it clear to me that they see many back after a lumpectomy due to reoccurrence. Luckily I grew up in the medical community and got their secret words and affirmation. Which aided my decisions of a bilateral mastectomy. Also when it comes to breast reconstruction. The insurance company is always back and forth about if it's needed. They approve and redacted the approval. I didn't want to be caught in having implants and 20yrs later the insurance company wont pay for replacing the implants and I'm stuck with aged implants. Implants depending on make and model will have to be replaced 10-20yrs. Chemotherapy for BRCa1/2 is harsh. I had keytruda as well. I started with Taxol and Keytruda. You have to get the foot and hand gloves with the ice packs to slow down the neuropathy from Taxol. Also follow the suggested diet of game meat for the Co Q10 and neutrafil count and juicing of beets. Get through the consultation, get the chemo, when surgery time happens make your decision. One piece at a time..... I'm always here.

Thank you so much for taking the time to brake it down and I so respect you honesty , I will keep you in my prayers as well as the good advice you’ve shared with me .

The waiting period and getting conflicting information from different doctors can feel overwhelming, especially when dealing with multiple health conditions. It's completely normal for medical teams to refine their understanding as they gather more test results, and having a general oncologist coordinate care alongside specialists is a standard approach that helps ensure all aspects of health are considered together. Many people in this community have navigated similar uncertainty during their diagnosis process and found that having the full picture from all tests helped their medical team create the most appropriate treatment plan. Consider writing down questions before appointments and asking about having a patient advocate or care coordinator help explain the timeline and next steps.