#paget's

[kaime27]

Biopsy

​Ive had my specialist appointment and biopsy. 

The specialist did not fill me with confidence. He first said that if this was anything bad then the symptoms would not come and go like they do. I know this not to be true for Pagets disease and the symptoms do come and go early on. 

When he asked about family history, i told him about my dad and my mum filled in the blanks. He told my mum male breast cancer is very rare and there's no need to worry. This is despite the fact my dad's specialist does believe it to be breast cancer and also told my parents that given my symptoms and my dads diagnosis, im incredibly high risk. 

Anyway, he took a look, said my nipple is slightly inverted and initially said he wasn't sure about ding a biopsy as my symptoms are not at the worst at the moment.  told him i wanted a biopsy. 

He spoke with my mum again, asked a few more questions about my dad and grandma and then did the biopsy. He took two punch biopsy's. OMG the needle going into numb it was soooo painful. I actually yelled out in pain, then promptly apologized. Oh gosh it hurt. The punch biopsy itself didnt, the stitches didnt but my nipple and breast are now very very sore. 

He said test results will be in 7-10 days and they will ring me. Follow up for stitches coming out is next Tuesday so i imagine if i haven't heard from then before Tuesday, they will give me my results at my follow up. 

[kaime27]

what would you do?

So im waiting to find out if i have breast cancer. I have an appointment through the public health system (free) on the 10th of December with a surgeon. 

Now i dont know if at that appointment i will have a biopsy or if i will have to come back on another day for it. 

I have the option of seeing a surgeon privately on 25/11/14 (not free, approx $450 out of pocket). I dont know if on that day i would have a biopsy on that day or have to come back. 

My Dilemma. If i go privately and dont have the biopsy on the day then the likelihood is that by the time i get a biopsy my free appointment will have come up. On the other hand i could wait until the free appointment and find that i dont have the biopsy on the day and have to wait. Given that its getting very close to x-mas by that point i may or may not get a biopsy before x-mas. 

What would you do in this situation? Pay privately and risk the wait for the biospy or wait for the free appt?

[kaime27]

I have my specialist appointment. Its four weeks away. I was so hoping it would be sooner than that. Four more weeks of stress and worry. Prob another week or two until I know for sure. It will be Christmas by then

[kaime27]

I haven't posted anything for a long time. I'm rubbish at the whole social networking thing and putting my life out there for the world to maybe be interested in but i've got some big stuff going on and have no one irl to talk to about it so i'm guna put it out there in tumblr land. Maybe just be writing it, it wont be so big. 

I am terrified i have breast cancer. 

I'm 27 years old and the changes of my having breast caner are small but i have all of the symptoms of Pagets disease of the breast. I've done a lot of research over the last few days and the more i read, the more convinced i am that this is what it is. 

For the last few months i've had terrible itching of my left nipple, i've had flaking skin, a rash/ sores that come and go. My nipple and areola weep a clear or sometimes yellowish fluid and i've noticed a bit of pain deep in by breast. The symptoms come and go and they aren't all present at the same time. 

When i first noticed it i didn't think much of it. My flatmate works as a radiographer who does mamogrammes and i asked her about it. She thought i should definitely get it checked out but then it seemed to get better. Its come and gone a lot since then. 

Saturday night the itching and rash was back so i had a look of my country's breast cancer website. WELL..... That's when i realisd this is bad. My symptoms are exactly the same as pagets, my nipple looks just like the examples given of pagets and now i'm terrified. 

I cant get to my GP until tomorrow, its a public holiday today. 

Im even more terrified that i will go to my GP who will brush it off as eczema (that's what i thought it was at first) and send me on my way because, hey, the chance of a 27 year old having the rarest form of breast cancer is slim right. 

It is BUT, i've had other medical stuff go on in the past and gone to my GP multiple times with my symptoms only to come away with no answer. Ive then done my research, found the answer online pretty easily, referred myself to the appropriate specialist and been diagnosed with exactly what i thought the problem was. All it took was a little Google search. So its pretty safe to say i don't have much faith in my GP and i also know my body well and when there is something wrong. I don't want to be right about this but i'm 90% sure i am. 

Im terrified. 

Im also terrified that im going to have to fight my GP to get the referrals and test that i need to hopefully rule it out.