The Weight of Waiting

After breast surgery, life can feel oddly different. The hospital noise fades, everyone else seems to slip back into “normal,” but inside, things may still feel shaken and unsettled. You might notice yourself checking your phone again and again, waiting for a call or a message about your pathology report, and wondering quietly what it might mean for you and your plans ahead.

If you’re feeling scared, teary, numb, or even strangely “normal” some days, all of that is okay. There’s no checklist for how you should feel while waiting. Some nights you might lie awake thinking of every possible outcome, other days you might just feel tired of being “strong” for everyone else. Please know: nothing about these reactions makes you weak or difficult. It simply means you’ve been through a lot, and you care deeply about your life.

While you wait, it might help to create tiny pockets of safety for yourself—your favourite tea, a short walk, a warm shower, a chat with someone who really listens instead of trying to “fix” things. You don’t have to be positive all the time. You just have to get through one moment at a time.

As an oncology nurse, I’ve walked alongside many women during this exact waiting period, and I know how heavy it can feel. Sometimes you don’t need more information—you just need someone who understands the medical side and also understands your fear. Through my online consultation service, you can talk to me from home, in your own time, without rushing or feeling like “just another patient.”

If you’d like gentle, practical support while you wait for your pathology results—or help making sense of them when they arrive—you’re very welcome to connect with me through my website. I’m here to sit with you in the uncertainty, not just after everything is “sorted out.”