Hi everyone, am pleased to say I had clear margins and surgeon was very happy with outcome! I am very relieved but hasn’t sunk in yet! Radiotherapy soon, have agreed to go on a clinical trial for radiotherapy, it is to assess side effects and how to treat them in future, have had such wonderful care and support I felt like giving something back in a small way.
My tumour eventually turned out to be 20mml and oval shape and also had pre cancer cells in the centre of it, very aggressive which is why I had chemo before surgery.
Rosie, sounds like you had a lovely weekend, just what you and D/H needed, I too would have gone crazy without this forum! Hope you are not too inflated and uncomfortable.
Lisa, hope first day back went well with " new " hairstyle!
Wildpurl, hope you have a good week, bet you looking forward to wales! Thought of other really nice places to go- beddgelert village is lovely, don’t know if you are familiar with the legend? It fascinated me and still makes me feel sad when I read the story- google it and see, anyway in the village there is the grave of the dog (gelert) and it’s a very attractive mountain village too! Also " portmeiron" village is nice- home of the pottery and also the 1960s series " the prisoner" was filmed there- you probably know this anyway, but just in case!
Jackie, thanks for your best wishes, hope you are ok?
Thanks Rosie! Poor you.x
Lovewine, that’s great news. What a relief. How is the seroma?
Rosie, glad you had a good weekend. I think I’ll be on this thread for a while longer too.
Wildpurl, a second hair trim, how amazing. My husband thinks I am getting more hair but if so it’s not very dramatic. And my right eyebrow has given up the ghost. Until now I have been able to pretend I still have brows by filling in with pencil but I can’t even see where they would go now. How long are you going to Wales for? We had a couple of hols in north wales when our children were small and I remember going to some of the places you and others have mentioned, but not well enough to make any recommendations.
Rolicarpet, hope work went well today. Interesting about the effect of a tamoxifen on your headaches. I wonder if this has been reported by other people.
The family day went well. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food and the walnut meringue was a success despite the mishap making it. But I felt absolutely knackered afterwards even though I stayed behind when everyone else went for a walk and actually fell asleep. Appointment with breast care nurse tomorrow, though I can’t honestly remember what it’s for. Not heard anything about appt with radiologist yet. Wish they would hurry up. My nails continue to fall off so now wearing plasters on three fingers and both thumbs, which makes life interesting. Big toenail fell off yesterday but although it looks pretty awful it isn’t as sore as the fingernails, which is some consolation.
Oh Rosie how awful, maybe you have caught a bug from the children? Hope there are not going to be side effects from letrozole. Hope you don’t feel too bad for rest of the day.
Wildpurl, I also have the same problem mascaring! Am just blobbing it on and not sure what’s there! Am very envious of the hair even if it is fluffy, mine is growing very slowly.
Joan, my eyebrows have also totally vanished and now very hard to draw an acceptable line! My nails are awful but not lost any yet though., glad the family meal went well, but yes agree it is very tiring!
Ironically yesterday after returning from appt with breast surgeon there waiting for me was a routine call up for my first mammogram for Friday 3rd October!, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry! Will ring up and explain it’s a bit too late as have had cancer all year and having treatment!! Not sure why I wasn’t called for screening at age 50 and with sons wedding etc didn’t give it a thought why I hadn’t.
Anyway, working for 5 hours today so better get on with it! Have a good day everyone and Rosie hope you feel better soon and also not so fed up although I think you are justified in feeling really pi…d off with this expander business now, it’s been going on too long.?
Hello ladies
Havent been posting as sooooo tired since chemo last week. The steroids hit me hard this time found myself cleaning thr oven at 1.30 am! Barely slept for 5 nights then when finally did feltmeven worse just can’t win sometimes.
Chemo went much better than usual it was actually well organised and I was on my way home in less than 4 hours usually there at least seven.
Still finding tax better than fec re side effects and not as low emotionally thus far. My mouth is awful though tongue feels scalded and usual horrible taste.
On happy note booked holiday for November at center parcs in Cumbria and can’t wait we’ve not had a break since June last year.
Just collected our new hardwood driveway gates we’ve had on order for weeks, eyewatering price but a no brainer for our little boy’s safety.
Rosie hope you had a lovely bitthday weekend we went to Kyrenia four years ago it is a lovely spot. Sorry your expanders are still so uncomfortable we are just expected to get on with the problems I havent been comfortable since surgery in April am hoping once chemo out of system body can get on with repairing damage from surgery. You had so much treatment so quickly your body’s probably still trying to catch up !!
Wildpurl not long til your holiday hope its even better than you anticipate.
Lovewine great news re surgery results, hope things improve for your son I was married for a very short time to someone with depression he had other issues too they couldnt sort with drugs (like being a complete a**e) it was a long time ago but al my family were beside themselves not knowing if or how to help. When I needed them they were there for me which I eally appreciated . Affairs of the heart are so complicated I am grateful my sons issues are simpler, like not wanting spaghetti for tea.
Jos hope your last week with your sister is good I really feel for you.
Rolicarpit you sorted out your admin people they are the most powerful people in my organisation and call all the shots hope work goes ok I never want to go back at all but will have no choice.
Joan hope you are ok and feeling better now you’ve had time to digest results
Have to go now son wants to watch tractors on my computer !!
Hi tulamo, lovely to hear from you, I found tax not as bad as Fec too, still not great, centre parcs sounds something nice to look forward to after chemo, at least your little boy is under your control at the age he is! When they are adults and you just watch the mistakes and see the hurt you feel powerless to help, it really seems not long ago when my sons only got upset when the carriages- " Annie and clarabel" came unhooked from Thomas the tank engine!! Happy days!!
I am quite tired from work now, but not in a debilating way like the tiredness of chemo.
Rosie, good that you slept a little, I know the feeling of fighting the dog for best sofa, I usually find myself sandwiched between 2 collies and if I am really lucky the cat curls up on my tummy- I would never need a hot water bottle in winter!
Wildpurl, hope your working day went well and you are not too tired, regarding knitting, I havnt done so much in the last week as seem to have always had something to do!
Joan, you asked me yesterday how the seroma is- it’s still there and is sometimes a bit uncomfortable, surgeon looked at it yesterday and has decided to leave it to go on it’s own, it’s been drained once before but soon filled up again!
Morning Rosie, good you are feeling a little better this morning, hope you get some answers from the cancer nurse! Nobody really seems that concerned about the seroma and as oncologist thought it was cancer popped up in nodes halfway through chemo I don’t care as long as it’s not cancer and will put up with it!!
Wildpurl, yes it agree your meals do sound lovely and far more interesting than mine! So satisfying too that most of it is home grown, on that subject you mentioned peppadew peppers- I have a lovely recipe using these peppers and have never been able to find any to grow- we searched for weeks this year for seeds and couldn’t get this particular type! So have had to pay over the odds for bottled ones to use in my ghoulash!
Off to work again today as gave quite a busy one too, hope you have good days too.
Rosie. I’m glad the nurse was sympathetic and explained why the expanders might be proving so uncomfortable but if course it doesn’t make them any less so. Hope you managed to get through to Nicosia eventually and get a date for your CT scan. Mine came through today: scan next week with radiotherapy due to start on 15th October.
I had a very useful session with the breast care nurse yesterday. Essentially it was about what happens after radiotherapy apart from goodbye. The only follow up with be yearly mammogram-starting from the date of surgery. However they have just started a Living Well course aimed at women who have completed treatment so I have put my name down for that. It’s being done in conjunction with a new Macmillan Cancer care centre which is in an adjacent building. I was also able to raise the question of reconstruction since my right boob appears to be getting ever smaller and while I am deciding about this she is arranging for me to have a fitting for a partial prosthesis. So all in all it was worth going.
Less positively my elder daughter has just learned that her fifth and final attempt at IVF has failed. What can you say to comfort them. As others have said, it is so much easier when they are small children.
Taking the plunge tomorrow and heading up to London for a work related meeting. I haven’t met any of the people who will be there since I have been having treatment so a bit of anxiety there.
Can’t get back to the board to read and respond to other messages so am posting this now and will try again later.
Lovewine, how bizarre about the mammogram. I suppose there is no communication about these things and it is up to us to sort it out.
Morning all, I had a very busy day yesterday so trying to cut back the work a little today if possible!
Rosie, good luck with the driving, sure you will soon slip back into it! Hope all goes well with echo scan today, also hope your dad copes ok back at home, he does sound well supported, but it is a massive worry for you all.
Joan, I am so sorry for your daughter and the family, how cruel life is at times, words are just not enough are they in these situations, hope in time she can come to terms with it and maybe explore other options.
At least things are now moving on for radiotherapy for you.
Wildpurl, a day closer to your holiday! Your hair sounds like it’s doing very well!
I wrote a long post earlier but it disappeared, how annoying, so just a quick " check in " will catch up later!
Morning everyone.
Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. Don’t quite know where the time goes.
Rosie, I hope your appointment goes well today and the expanders behave themselves. I can’t believe people are talking about hair cuts! Mine is barely visible and very grey so you can’t see it against my white head, so I still look like Kojak.
I had my CT scan yesterday and was told there was nothing nasty to be seen. Thank God. I have to admit I was more worried about the outcome than the scan itself. I have an appointment in 10 days time with the oncologist which I hope will be the last time I see him for a long time. The next day I have an appointment with the surgeon to discuss whether I am going to have the port to my inflatable implant removed and whether I’m going to have surgery to my other breast to make it match my new boob.
Otherwise everything is ok. My son seems to be having a great time at his new school. I think he will be exhausted when he comes home in a weeks time. He’s travelling to London today with his school’s sports team to compete against Westminster School. So he might be competing against a few potential cabinet ministers!
Feeling slightly guilty that everyone is talking about going to work. I’m considering a trip to the shops to enjoy a browse, unhindered by children which is the first time in months.
Hope you all have a good day
Rosie, good news that your dad is thought to be well enough to go home but I can understand your anxiety as to whether he will cope. How fortunate that your sister is nearby. I know what you mean about the driving. I haven’t driven since March. First there was the sentinel node biopsy, then chemo made me feel so shaky and made my eyes run, then surgery. But it has also been easy to avoid it because husband has been around. Must make an effort.
Evening everyone, have had another 2 days of consoling my very stressed son and his problems with his depressed girlfriend who returns this weekend, he is not eating , sleeping and looks dreadful, am very worried about him, but feel hopeless to help and quite drained with it all,
Jackie, am sorry you have had such a stressful appointment and not the news you were expecting to hear, and the loss of your uncle , sending you a hug and am thinking of you, it is awful at times like this to be away
From your family, I so feel for you.
Rosie, a cold on top of everything else, what a bloody nuisance, hope you can start on herceptin soon, at least your scan has showed some improvement, your dad will feel unsure and vulnerable for a while I would think after being in hospital, hope he settles into an acceptable routine that he can manage safely, it is such a worry for you.
Wildpurl, hope you get everything sorted before you go away! Fingers crossed you get some nice weather to appreciate the beautiful scenery.
I did manage to cut my workload down a little today, but with the problems with my son I feel like I’ve worked a 12 hour day !
Sorry about all the bitty posts. Having had one post refused I decided this was the safest way to proceed this evening. London trip went well, it was good to feel involved again in work, even if only for a couple of hours and everyone was so welcoming, lots of hugs. Feel pretty knackered now though with a three hour journey each way.
Wonder what we will wake up to tomorrow morning. Will it be goodbye Scotland?
Evening Joan, sounds like your granddaughter has settled in school very well so far! Let’s hope the enthusiasm lasts for at least another few weeks! I can remember one of my sons was the same in his description until about day 5 then said he was fed up with school now and would rather not go again- as if he had a choice!!
I agree with you regarding hair, hardly have any and as it’s white/grey just looks like a boiled egg anyway!
Tij, did you have a succesful shopping trip! I hope to go at the weekend to look for some wellies for winter dog walking- how exciting!
Joan, not surprise you are knackered ! Did you go by train? Nice though to be part of the normality of work and catch up with people! Maybe have an easy day tomorrow?!
Morning Rosie, am just watching the news and Scotland staying in U.K !
Have a good day everyone, Rosie, how are you feeling today- hope a little better! Sounds like you and D/H had your fair share of obstacles too, I admire you for meeting and building a life together from a young age, I married young( 20 ) and divorced at 23 ! Then had a few " wild" years until meeting my husband and having my 2 sons . So hopefully one way or another my sons relationship will be sorted this weekend, he is going into work, but looks dreadful.
I am doing some work and then a big of boring , essential shopping and then maybe nag hubby to mow the lawn- think I might be pushing my luck to try and mow it myself!
Yes good idea Rosie, think I might threaten to get it out! Glad Panadol is helping!