Just looking for some form of support really...

[Miss_Stress]

I don't know how to phrase this really because my head's in a bit of a spin. My auntie has just come back from the hospital and has had to have a biopsy on a lump on her breast.

It's so damned unfair. She's spent her life looking after other people and she has JUST got together with the love of her life after rejecting him years ago because she was caring for my grandparents.

Just....fuck.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I had one a couple weeks ago. There's a whole buncha weird things floating around in there that it could be. I still have the mark from the needle. If anyone wants to know how it all went down, I wrote about it on my blog.

What I've learned is that the odds of it being one of those is pretty high.

Worst case scenario and it IS cancer? That's not an automatic death sentence, either. Although it feels like one when you're lying on a table in a pink room.

It's fucking scary. I'm not going to kid you. And she's probably pretty freaked out. But the odds are well in her favor at this point.

I didn't even tell anyone till it was over because I didn't want people worrying for nothing (like you're doing over your Auntie). The husband knew, and the parents, but that was it.

[morgana]

I've also BTDT. Thirty-eight years ago, at age 22. Five months married.

They didn't do needle biopsies back then; I still have a scar the length of my thumb. But I'M ALIVE. Listen to RK; even if it does turn out to be the Big C, it's not a death sentence. Especially if they catch it early.

And if the dude really is the love of her life, and really does love her, now was the perfect time for them to reconnect.

Try not to worry. (Yeah, yeah, ask the wind not to blow, but still . . .) If it's benign, you've stressed out for nothing. If it's not, she's going to need you to help her be strong.

Hope this helped . . .

[Miss_Stress]

Thank you both we'll know by Thursday what it is anyway, it's just very worrying that we don't know. Once we do, we can deal with whatever it is.

[kansasgal]

Thinking good thoughts for you and your Auntie. I went through the same thing with several family members, I know how worried you can get.

[Seshat]

I lost one aunt to breast cancer, and another survived it. I've had two scares myself.

Note the 'two scares'. Lumps exist. Lumps do not inherently mean cancer. Lumps can be any of a number of things, including 'just lumps'.

Best wishes to you, and I hope for your sake and your aunt's that it's just a scare. Even if it isn't, the percentage of survivors for breast cancer keeps getting higher.

Good luck.

[Frantic Freddie]

Worst case scenario and it IS cancer? That's not an automatic death sentence, either. Although it feels like one when you're lying on a table in a pink room.

It's fucking scary. I'm not going to kid you. And she's probably pretty freaked out. But the odds are well in her favor at this point.

My wife had a mastectomy in 2000. 2 years later she was diagnosed with ovarian tumors,which turned out to be benign.
Today she's completely healthy,no trace of cancer & we credit that in no small part to the advances in treatment,she's a pharmacist,she knew what she was taking.

So like RK says,it ain't always a long walk on a short plank.

[Boozy]

What a timely thread for me!

I had a needle biopsy today. I have what is likely to be a benign tumor, but they are being cautious. I'll know for sure in a few days.

At least 80% of breast lumps (considered suspicious enough for biopsy) turn out to be benign. And even if it turns out to be malignant, it's important to remember that the majority of women diagnosed with breast cancer today will not die from it. Cure rates can be as high as 95% for early stage breast cancer.

It's just a diagnostic test. Take a deep breath and stop it with the catastrophic thinking. The odds are overwhelmingly good that your aunt will be just fine.

[ArcticChicken]

Just FTR, I know several people who have had to be tested, and only two of them had cancer, and they're both doing just fine.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

Wishing your auntie the best outcome. I've had several cysts and of course I freak out every time I find one...some go away on their own, some have had to be drained. This year I've been forgetting to get my mammogram done and this reminds me I really need to go...sending you huge hugs.

[Miss_Stress]

Thank you all and Boozy good luck with your results

[Mikkel]

And even if it turns out to be malignant, it's important to remember that the majority of women diagnosed with breast cancer today will not die from it. Cure rates can be as high as 95% for early stage breast cancer.

Quoted for truth. When I had chemo I talked with a 70 year old woman who was being treated for her third breast cancer (with 15 years between). She was expected to be cured once more. Chemo isn't pleasant but it ends and there is a good chance of a long life afterwards.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I'll be thinking about you, too, Boozy. Keep the ice on it and watch for all the pretty colors to start blooming on your breast. I got the most interesting shade of yellow with the bruise.

[Miss_Stress]

Well she does have cancer it's very early on though and the doctors think it's just a case of removing the lump and giving her radiation and she'll be alright.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Okay. Focus on the good news..which is they caught it early on, before it's harder to treat. This is not a death sentence.