Hi Clare
I think I am due to have diep reconstruction although my surgeon has said he will not even discuss it for another 6 - 12 months, so by time that happens then get referred to Plastic surgeon and put onto waiting list looks like it could be couple of years away.
Like you I do find the constant reminder hard to deal with, I feel deformed and cannot even contemplate a summer holiday until after surgery. I have noticed on this forum that a lot of ladies who were unable to have immediate reconstruction like me have had temp expanders and wonder why I was never given this option. Don’t get me wrong I’m grateful to the surgeon for saving my life but am a bit unhappy that when I was diagnosed he told me mastectomy followed by reconstruction 6 months after rads and now won’t even discuss it and it appears 6 months was totally unrealistic.
Hope you are feeling a bit better today and that your implant settles down soon. As you say it’s a permanent reminder but I suppose it is still early days considering this time last year most of us didn’t even realise we had anything wrong.
Take care, love Karen x
Hi Clare
You’re right different trusts do seem to have completely different procedures. To be honest, if I hadn’t been reading this forum I would probably have been content with my treatment. I do feel that everyone else seems to have been part of a decision making process whereas I don’t feel like I had a say. Never mind, what’s done is done, I do envy you your cleavage though ?
Love Karen x
Hi All
Cath, I’m definitely not looking forward to going back to work now that the time has come. I’ve been there a long time and was very comfortable there but there have been major changes whilst I’ve been off. Going back to new teams, new boss and different work practices so to say I’m apprehensive is putting it mildly! Hope you are doing ok?
Hi Clare, I cold capped so only wore my wig a couple of times so can’t really help. One thing I have noticed though, I had my hair cut very short at the end of November and one side is definitely growing faster than the other. I’ve used a Holland & Barrett colour on it which made it feel much more ‘me’. Good luck for when you do decide to go wigless.
Love Karen x
Hi Wendy
Hope you enjoyed the second day of your course and that the travelling wasn’t too tiring. Sounds like you made the right decision working 3 day week until April, I’m lucky in that I only do 3 days anyway and I am on a phased return. My Gp put on my certificate to work 10 - 2.30 but this honestly does me no favours at all so luckily work will let me get in at normal time and just leave a bit early. I think the travelling will be most tiring as I have an hour and half each way commute.
I am hoping to go back for couple of days then use up some of my leave before going back properly. Don’t want to learn all the new practices just to forget them again.
Back to hospital next week to see Radiotherapist and then bone density scan in a couple of weeks. Also got 3 blood tests lined up over next few weeks, thought I’d seen the back of them for a while.
Hope everyone is keeping well
Love Karen x
Hi Ladies,
Cath, like Wendy I also used Naturtint and was very impressed. I found it better at covering grey than some other brands I have used previously. Good luck, must admit colouring my hair did give me a big boost.
Gill, I think it is quite common to feel a bit deflated after treatment I suppose we look forward to it so much but when it actually arrives we are still left with underlying fears and despite whatever surgery we have had our bodies are not what they were.
Thanks for all the good wishes for my return to work, Clare and hbunny I’m full of admiration for you continuing to work throughout treatment, I couldn’t have done it!
Hope everyone is feeling well and enjoying the weekend x
Hi ladies
Sorry to hear so many of us feeling lack of support from oncologists. Must admit mine is other way round my regular oncologists have been great but feel my surgeon is a bit dismissive. After being told he wouldn’t even discuss reconstruction for 6 months - 1 year, when I saw my oncologist on Wednesday she said I should insist on immediate referral as waiting list is so long!
Got first couple of days back at work under my belt, felt shattered by end of second day but it was good to be back.
Hope everyone has a good weekend x
Happy birthday Gill and Cath, hope you both had a really good time and were able to put the past year behind you, at least for a while.
I’m also sorry to hear you are still having problems with the muga scan, Wendy.
Glad to hear you’re feeling. Ok Clare hope the next herceptin goes well.
I’ve had a cough in the mornings for a couple of months now, my onc wants me to keep an eye on it. Hope everyone else is doing well
Hi Cath and Clare
I’ve had the cough since Christmas and it is only in the mornings so doesn’t really trouble me but I think the only concern is about lung mets. She didn’t seem unduly worried but just wants me to keep an eye on whether it gets any worse.
I hope your rash improves soon, Cath. Are you allowed to put anything on it? Not good that you haven’t got any follow up appointments scheduled at the moment, I’ve had one with my rads onc, one with my normal onc and another booked for April. As we have said before on here it’s amazing how varied the standards of care are in different regions. I do hope you get something through soon as I think we all still need the reassurance that we’ve not just been forgotten and left to get on with it.
Hope everyone else is doing well
Love Karen x
Afternoon Ladies
Had a phone call from my rads onc at 8pm last night. Apparently my pre rads chest scan looked ok, but after showing them to another specialist she has written to my normal onc suggesting that he sends me for a high resolution chest scan if my cough hasn’t gone by the time I see him in April.
Haha Cath, that is so true about people’s comments on how well we look. I had someone tell me the other week I look much better than I did before all this started so I dread to think how I looked then!!
Glad that your Gp was able to set your mind at rest re your rash.
Wendy, I too am having problems shifting the excess weight. I managed to lose a bit at the beginning of the year but seem to have come to a stop altogether maybe I’m not trying as hard as I should. Good news that you are nearly finished with the herceptin.
Hbunny, it’s encouraging hearing that you are working hard at the gym even if it means you are suffering more aches and pains. I really must make more effort.
I don’t even remember the date I found my lump under my arm, I was so sure it was nothing that I wasn’t at all concerned until I saw my Gp on 26th March who immediately said it was very worrying.
I have Dexa bone scan to look forward to tomorrow as a result of being on Letrozole then a couple of days away with hubby.
Hoping all the July ladies are doing well xx
Hi Cath
Glad to hear your rash is getting better and that you have got your onc appointment through. Can’t think of any questions you can ask offhand but I’m sure some will come to mind once you are in there!
Cough still the same but it is only first thing in the morning, I’ve had it so long I can’t see it going before I see my onc in April.
Hi Gill , glad you enjoyed the Look Good session, as you say you get so much more from it than just the make up tips. Hope you are doing well. I’ve not heard of the injections you’re having but they sound worthwhile.
Had my bone scan last week, they are ok at moment but been prescribed supplements and been told to expect big deterioration when I go back in 18 months because of the letrozole.
Hugs to all, Karen x
P.s very glad you didn’t steamroller all those other ladies ?
Hi Wendy
So sorry to hear about your husband, I can understand why it has shaken you. Its great that it has been caught early and is treatable but it doesn’t make it any less of a shock. We’re all here for you, and for your husband. Xx
Hi ladies
Wendy, I’m so sorry to hear about your husband. I’m glad they’ve caught it early and that it’s treatable but it is the last thing you both need after the past year. Hope the treatment isn’t too bad, do you know what it involves yet?
Hi Slyolddog, good to hear from you and that you enjoyed your cruise, seems to be the in thing. We all certainly deserve a bit of pampering at the moment. Good luck with the mammogram.
Cath, glad to hear you took the plunge with the Naturtint, it’s amazing what a boost a bit of colour can be. It’s good to hear your onc appointment went well too. My bone scan wasn’t like a proper one, the nurses didn’t even have to leave the room and they just checked one hip and my spine. Hope those antihistamines are doing their job!
Hi Clare, how did you get on with the breast surgeon? It can be frustrating when the different trusts do things differently, especially with things you think would be standard. Have you had your wig cut yet?
Has anyone else been offered a Moving Forward course? I’m booked on one for the following two Wednesday’s. Hopefully will be quite informative, probably the only course I will willingly attend.
Hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine
Hugs, Karen
Hi Cath
Just to let you know that BCC offer ‘Moving forward’ information and support including courses which you may find helpful, you can read more here :
breastcancercare.org.uk/moving-forward
Take care
Lucy BCC
Hope you had a lovely lunch, Cath and that you got thoroughly spoilt by your son! Hope your scan goes ok, seems like there is always something to worry about these days. Minor ailments I wouldn’t have thought twice about this time last year really play on my mind at the moment.
Have a lovely weekend
Hugs, Karen x
Hi Ladies
Cath, glad you enjoyed your family lunch it must be lovely to all get together. We are all in the same house at the moment but it still seems like we aren’t all together often enough. Someone is always out and girls spend most of the time in their bedrooms.
Clare - glad to hear your appointment went well and you have been referred to PS - hope you don’t have to wait too long. What is a risk reducing op? Can’t wait to start talking about my diep op and to feel like I’ve got the ball rolling on that.
Really enjoyed the Moving Forward course, I found it very informative. We were a small group of 7 (including shoes, we were surprised to see each other there!) and it was nice being able to speak to others going through the same thing at the same time.
I had been starting to panic a bit as all my lovely long new lashes have started to fall out and I have bald patches again but the lady next to me reassured me that the same thing happened to her and that they did grow back.
Yesterday was eating well, reducing lymphodema risks and counselling, next week covers what to look out for re recurrence, hormones and sex and relationships.
Right I need to go and get some steps in now, love to all
Karen x
Hi Clare,
I didn’t know about lashes falling out again either, I don’t think it’s that common so it was reassuring to speak to someone else who it had happened too, especially as she now has lovely long lashes again!
I like the sound of the risk reducing op, def seems worthwhile, hope I can have that too. Hopefully you won’t have to wait too long after you seen the PS.
Take care, Karen x
Hi Cath, hope the rash is still easing. Re the fatigue you are suffering we were told on the course last week that it can take a good 18 months to 2 years to recover from chemo related fatigue - hopefully won’t be that long for you though! Yes I am due to have reconstruction like Clare but I think I’m going to have to wait a lot longer.
Hi Gill and Clare, glad you are both getting back to work, what a coincidence that you are both midwives. That must be such a rewarding job, I imagine you are both very overworked too though.
Session 2 of Moving Forward tomorrow, I’m really looking forward to it.
My eldest daughter is going through a bit of a hard time at the moment. A school friend of hers was killed in a road accident a couple of weeks ago, it was such a shock. The funeral is Friday and all the girls from the year group are forming a guard of honour outside the school when the funeral procession passes.
Hope everyone is keeping well, Karen
Hi Wendy
You must feel completely drained mentally at the moment after everything you went through last year and now this. I’m glad your husband has his treatment dates sorted, is it at the same hospital you were at? Hope all goes well and that by the summer he is on the road to recovery. Good to hear that work have been understanding.
Hi Cath, I’m so sorry to hear about your sister that must be so hard for you to come to terms with. Life certainly doesn’t seem fair sometimes. How are you doing at the moment with the fatigue? I hope the rash hasn’t made a reappearance.
If anyone gets the chance to attend a Moving Forward course I can’t recommend it highly enough. At the last session I laughed and cried and more surprisingly I felt able to open up to a few ladies that I only met the previous week. I am usually quite reserved, so being such a small intimate group helped but there was no pressure to say anything if you didn’t want to.
I think we all gained quite a lot from the course.
Hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine
Hugs, Karen x
Took me quite some time to read though threads, its not simple, the way its laid out. Havn’t been here for a bit as wanted to forget cancer for a bit. Hope you can forgive me.
Cancer/ chemo fatigue, you read about it but there are no words to describe just how exhausted it can make you feel! Anyone else got tired, hurting body, easily tired?