I am newly diagnosed (two days ago), after being referred to various doctors/specialists by my GP one week ago - I have a number of small liver lesions and possibly some affecting the spine, however they have yet to find a primary. I have had bloods taken and undergone numerous tests (liver biopsy, abdominal ultrasound, CTs for the brain and chest (negative)), and have ultrasounds booked for chest/breast and pelvis. Though still waiting on more tests, the oncologist strongly suspects it could be originating from the breast - somewhere deep that is challenging to see. I do find it frustrating that these CTs/ultrasounds are being done section by section (e.g. abdominal, then breast, then pelvis); my thinking would be that if you can't find the primary immediately, don't waste time by scanning for it bit-by-bit - do whole-body scans/ultrasounds, etc. Does anybody have advice on why this might be? At this stage, without knowing the full picture, my partner and I are also finding it very challenging to remain positive and not be scared by what's on the internet. I am 30 years old and this has come out of nowhere, so he and I are struggling to know where to start with regards to support - especially relating to family planning. Obviously without more information, we don't know what sort of treatment will be needed, but I'd anticipate any treatment would affect the likelihood of falling pregnant (let alone being strong enough to carry). It also begs the question of how to cope with the possibility of death, and the conversations that would need to be had regarding the future of a relationship in that situation - such as any feelings of 'obligation' for the healthy person to stay in the relationship if the prognosis doesn't look good, and questions around the harvesting of eggs. I am not afraid of treatments (though they won't be a barrel of laughs) - but I am afraid of dying. And I am afraid of my loved ones being part of that process. I've heard people say that cancer is not a death sentence, but it doesn't feel like that to me right now. I am terrified. And part of me feels like I'm letting people down, especially my partner as we have been planning for our future together. I know it's an irrational thought (and the oncologist said there was no way to have seen this earlier), but it's the way I feel. This is quite a long post, but it was hard to stop once I started writing. Hope to hear from anybody who has advice on how to cope, and how to have these difficult conversations. Thank you in advance.
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