lump in breast

[kamckellar]

my darling mum has found a lump the size of a marble but its not sore and its hard and doesnt move.im going with her tomorrow for ultrasound,mammagram and biopsy.she already thinks shes got cancer and is dying.which like most people u think the worst immediately.but what im worried about is what if she does have cancer?shes been my rock since my hubby and i seperated 3 yrs ago.all my kids adore her.i dont wont to worry her by letting her know im worried,so i keep saying it could be anything not necessarily cancer and its early days yet.what would i say to her if shes told its cancer?and how would i tell my boys who are old enough to know when somethings wrong?my twin girls would be fine but my nearly 7 yr old is the first born grand child and has such a special connection to his 'nan'. :( mum has had regular mamos since she was 50,shes now 59.

[kamckellar]

no one has replied to my thread so maybe here is not the place to ask for advice but i just wanted to let you know how my mum went today.the mammogram showed up nothing but the ultra sound picked up the lump plus to others deep within the breast.so concerned the radiographer was that she called in a dr for a second opinion.the original lump is thought to just be a cyst.but serious attention has been brought to the other 2.my poor mum now waits til tomorrow to find out the results and to book in for a biopsy.has anyone else been in this or similar situations?

[Baby Girl]

Hi,

I read your post yesterday and really wanted to say something but as I have never been in this sort of situation I didn't know what to say.

So, I just want to say that I hope your Mum is okay.

I am really close to my own mother and couldn't imagine how I would feel in your situation.

Sorry I can't sympathise with what you are going through but I do hope for the best for you and, of course, your mum. :)

[razzle]

Ditto what Kelly said.

I hope the news tomorrow is good. Fingers crossed.

[Chickadee]

*hugs* to you :(

It's a difficult thing to go through and I think waiting and not knowing must be the worst. My mum was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001. Silly woman, she didn't tell us kids for months because SHE didn't want to worry US. But it's a sad fact that parents get older and at some point they need our help and support instead of the other way around. She finally told us just before she started treatments. She had a partial mastectomy and chemo treatment and has been cancer free for 3 or 4 years now.

There are a lot of success stories out there, and it sounds like if it is cancer then it's been caught early. I hope she'll be fine and it turns out just to be cysts. But worst case if is cancer them maybe the best approach is to keep the positive mindset as much as you can. Get as much info as you can, talk to the support groups out there, and keep talking to each other.

Some possible resource links:
The Cancer Council (national) http://www.cancer.org.au/
National Breast Cancer Centre http://www.nbcc.org.au/
The Cancer Council NSW http://www.nswcc.org.au/
New South Wales Breast Cancer Institute, Australia http://www.bci.org.au/

You'll actually be part of the "treatment" for your mum - having a lot of support and encouragement from family can really make a difference. I remember going wig shopping with my mum and we had a lot of fun out of what could have been a very sad thing. She actually got so many compliments on how she looked and people were surprised it was a wig - they just thought she'd had her hair done and gone for a more blonde look! We also went to a special session put on for cancer patients where they are taught beauty tips and basically some tricks for looking good even in the middle of treatments. Looking good and feeling good about yourself when ill is important. That was in Canada, I don't know if there are similar programs here but I would imagine there are.

As far as your kids, I can't really offer any advice except that I think honesty is the best policy. Your son doesn't need to be told all the details but he should be gently told that gran is sick, will be in hospital a little and maybe not feel so good on some days or be able to play as much as she did. She might look different too for a little while but she's the same gran as always and loves him just as much as ever. If he's been sick himself or someone else in your family is then you could use that as an example to help him understand what's going on ("you remember when X went to hospital/was ill..."). I'm pretty sure there are some tips out there on helping kids to cope with cancer in the family.

Good luck, let us know how the tests go.
Martha

[Briannabear]

My mum had some problems with lumps a few years ago. She had them removed and they ran some tests on them. They werent cancerous thankfully. They have since grown back though and are quite painful for her. They are looking at options for her at the moment.
My heart goes out to you and to Martha. It truly is a difficult time for you and your family. I will say a prayer for her tonight.
I hope her next results come back ok.
Good luck... :)

[kamckellar]

thanx for the replies girls.mum goes for a biopsy on the 28th of this month.that was the earliest appointment.mum says shes not going to think about it til that time comes but i can see by the look on her face that shes petrified.i told my son that im going to the doc with nanny and he asked why?i said that nanny found a 'bump' in her boobie and has to get it looked at.he said nothing else to me til that afternoon after school when he asked is my nan ok mum?i told him shes ok.my mum came over not long after and he ran and gave her a hug.mum was more upset that her grandson was worried than about the lumps.
but on another note i spoke to a girlfriend about it and she said shes had a lump for some time i told her to get it checked but she said shes to scared.anyway she did and shes been told theres 7 lumps and is going for a biopsy on the 30th of this month.shes only 35 yrs old.so if any good comes from all this its that regular check ups are a must.so i now have 2 people close to me with lumps and ive be reading up on everything on the net.im ok for now but we'll see how i feel after the results come thru.

[Chickadee]

Thanks for the update. I'm sure we'll all be thinking of you & crossing our fingers for your mum on the 28th. & your friend! How lucky is she to have you prod her.

You know, the whole thing with Kylie Minogue upset me a bit, that she got such fast treatment while other women have to wait. But if it raises the profile and awareness of breast cancer then I don't mind so much. I admit I'm really slack about doing self breast exams, even after my mum found her lump that way. Must read up on it again and start a routine :o

Good luck, and hugs to your son too.

[maybe1more]

I hope everything turns out ok, it must be so hard for you to be a single mum as it is, but im sure thing will turn out well, if it is the dredded 'C' word then at lease your mum found it quick therefore she will have the best outcome, she is only young and its great shes been getting mammagrams since she was 50. This is also a warning for us to make sure our own mother have regular mammagrams, please keep us posted! :)

Mum to Connor and trying to concieve bub#2

[kamckellar]

mum had her biopsy done yesterday. the dr said theres no need to worry but we will wait for the results this friday before we get too excited.my friend goes for her biopsies on friday.

[Briannabear]

Good luck to both of them! :)
Keep us posted.....

[Chickadee]

mum had her biopsy done yesterday. the dr said theres no need to worry but we will wait for the results this friday before we get too excited.my friend goes for her biopsies on friday.

Fingers still crossed for you here... how were the results for your mum & friend?

[kamckellar]

its been a while since i updated so i thought id fill you in.mums so called "nothing to worry about biopsy"has actually turned into a major worry.the biopsy came back with abnormal cells and has been referred on to a specialist who will book her in to have the lumps and surrounding tissue removed.so we've all been upset over this.but on a good note my friend karen has her results and everything is gr8.it seems that a very severe case of mastitis left her with scar tissue in her breasts.so now we play the waiting game again with my mum.our fingers are crossed.

[Briannabear]

Im so sorry to hear that news. I truly hope everything turns out ok for your mum.

My thoughts are with you and your family...

[Baby Girl]

Just want to send love and good wishes your way.

I hope you and your Mum are okay.

Remember, we are thinking of you.