Possible cancer spread, VERY ANXIOUS!

[bujabuja]

Please help, I am sick to my stomach with worry.  My mom had double mastectomies and sentinel node biopsy performed.  While she was in the recovery room, I was holding her hand.  I noticed blood on her wrist band with a small chunk of tissue that looked like a blood clot or piece of the breast tissue.  I was squishing it with my fingers to see what it was.  It disintegrated to practically nothing.  However I have been having panic attacks since then because I feel terrible that I could have been spreading cancer cells.  What if she got it in her mouth, eyes or bloodstream?  Also I was touching my family after including my 4 month old daughter.  I cannot stop crying with guilt that cancer cells could have been in the tissue, whether it was lymph node or blood clot or other.  What if I caused her cancer to metastasize to places it wouldn't have.  Please help me, I feel terrible and all I was doing was trying to see what it was to give myself some reassurance.  Is it possible that I caused metastasis for my mom or anyone else could have gotten cancer this way.  Please help me!  I should also mention that it was invasive ducal carcinoma with probable lymph node involvement.

[japdip]

As I stated before the things you are concerned about are NOT POSSIBLE !!!! The cells DO NOT live outside the body and CANNOT be transferred in this way. I believe with your fears that are evident based on your posts here and others in the Expert Forum you should avoid any contact with the hospital setting; this would free you from the stress that you are feeling by imagining all these impossible events. Stop and think for a moment .... IF these things were even remotely possible the entire staff of every hospital in the world would have cancer among the other diseases that you seem to be in fear of contracting. In fact everyone on earth would be victims of these diseases.
If you have never sought some type of counselling for this unnatural fear then I suggest that you give it some serious thought. Regards ....

[bujabuja]

Thank you so much for the response, however I am now concerned again.  The tissue I saw fits the description of either a fibrin clot or lymph clot based on my research.  If it is a lymph clot from the node boost, wouldn't that mean I was spreading cancer cells to her?  I am so upset again and feel terrible.  If she ingested or got the cells  in her nose, the cancer could metastasize this way.  I feel sick.  

[japdip]

I sympathize with your feelings and obviously terrible stress over this situation with your Mother BUT what you are thinking isn't even possible. Please get these thoughts out of your head so that you can be the number one support system for your Mother during her recovery from her surgery. There is NO WAY that cancer can be spread in the way you are suggesting OR any other way !! There is also NO WAY that you can have any effect on your Mother's cancer at all. Please calm yourself about all of this and do it ASAP. We wish your Mother a speedy recovery and successful post-op treatment plan so that she will be free of cancer very soon.  Kindest regards .....