Got some horrible news and looking for support

[dancinonwater]

Hi everyone, I'm rather new on this forum, but I have OCD and my anxiety has been getting REALLY bad lately. Yesterday at my dance class, one of the dancers (shes in her 20s) told us that she has breast cancer. The two of us are not particularly close, but at my dance studio, we are all a family, so we will all be going through this together, which means dropping everything to help her through this, and rescheduling performances that interfere with her treatment. I am just so scared... I haven't slept at all and my nausea has gotten to the point of actually vomiting. It's all I can think about. I know so many women that have had it because it runs in my family, and I have also lost some people to it. :'(
Any words of support would be greatly appreciated!

[Roux]

I am actually a pathology resident so I deal with cancer a lot. I have seen what it does to families and in fact I lost my mother to brain cancer several years ago. You just really have to trust the doctors who deal with this stuff every day. That being said there is that intangible (spiritual aspect) that I firmly believe plays a huge role. I dont know how spiritual or religious you are but some times when things like this happen the best thing to do is to first and for most be there for the person (which it sounds like you and your dance class are doing) and second pray, think about her, try to be positive. It really does help. I am personally a catholic and when my mother was diagnosed with her cancer (around '92) the doctors gave her 6 months to live. Thankfully for 12-13 years she proved them wrong! I firmly believe that was because of positivity from her, from our family, and prayer.

I don't know anything about your friend's cancer but the fact that she is in her 20's is usually (and I say usually because I dont know what type, stage, grade, ect the cancer is) a good sign. Older women usually (again as before this is a generalization) have more aggressive cancers. The best thing you and everyone around her can do is be there for her when she needs it. For your well being I would say if you dont get yearly check ups start now. Also make sure you know how to do a good self breast exam and try to do it often (I would defer to your OB-GYN doc here).

As I said earlier I do not know the whole story on yourself nor on the person you are concerned about so I can't give "medical advice" but those are some things that I would suggest to someone that I cared about. Again I would make sure to bring up your concerns to your OB-GYN or general practitioner. I hope this helps.

[dancinonwater]

Thanks so much for the support and tips! I am not a religious person, but I know that it has been proven that positivity and moral support really can help patients be more likely to get better, and I want to do everything I can to help her through this! Thank you for the information, too. I don't know all the details like the stage and stuff, but I know that there is a good chance that she will be ok, so I'll just be hoping and supporting her. I am not too worried right now about myself, mostly just about her. Thanks again for the support and the information, it helps a lot! I know that the chances are in her favor, but I'm still a little scared. I love my friend, so I'm willing to do everything I can to help her through this!