@pollyanna1 Have the most wonderful time! That sounds like the perfect place to be! I hope you can taste the ice cream. You really deserve a nice breeze, some ice cream and some peace! X
He mentioned the fact that Iām private in reference to my internal mammary chain but not about the Abemaciclib being on offer. Other than wait times/central line approaches, itās the first time Iāve seen anything be different since theyāre NHS consultants too. Seemed crazy that one extra zap area shouldnāt be included for NHS if he believes itās of benefit. He was very pro-patients bullying doctors into extra treatments though, even on the NHS! X
Just a wee updateā¦. Iām getting my Hickman Line in on Monday donāt have my chemo appointment yet but hopefully it wonāt be too long after! At least they managed to get me in within a week for the actual line which is nice and quick
Thanks for all the information @swk1981 you are a little bit ahead of me, Iāve got 8 more treatments left. I donāt know much about the radiotherapy. I just know the plan was radiotherapy, Abemaciclib and hormone therapy so I will make sure to ask a few more questions too!
Hi, those of you whoāve booked overseas holidays or are planning to do, what travel insurance companies are you using? Avanti, who supposedly covers health stuff (husband had heart attack so we need specialised insurance) said they wouldnāt continue to cover me
@gromit12 āInsurance withā are highly rated and Iāve seen quite a few recommendations for them. I intend to use them next yearāŗļø the woman who founded them actually done a Facebook live with Breast Cancer Now on travel insurance and had gave advice/mentioned other places to check if you want to have a watch of that too
@isthisreal well done for getting out there, but sorry for all the āreactionsā, but as you say, good lesson for us all to learn in the future - not much consolation for you tonight though xx
@gromit12, like @ belle said Insurance with is good. It depends where you are in treatment, whether lymph node involvement, need surgery etc.
I priced insurance a few months back for a a trip to Rome in November and it was a few hundred pounds. I priced it last week and itās Ā£20 for a single trip travel. That is with AXA and theyāve a 5 star defaqto award.
I know M&S is very good and they donāt exclude any conditions as some do. Also try Saga, post office, Admiral. It might be worth going on Go Compare and doing a search. If you need any help let me know. I worked for the NFU for 17 years. NFU is great but excludes some conditions and I know Cancer is one.
Pauline xxx
I booked my hols before cancer and have an annual family policy with Barclays. Iām assuming Iām covered by that since Iām not purchasing after diagnosis. Am I being thick thinking that? Iāll check of course x
Avanti wouldnāt renew my annual policy as I was going to have chemo. Policy expired end of April - but managed to get my summer holiday refunded before it expired but they challenged it as they said I hadnāt informed them I had breast cancer ā¦ But I didnāt, and thatās why Iām now claiming,.they were very difficult
@swk1981 check when your policy renewed. If it renewed before your diagnosis itās normally valid until renewal. At renewal you have to inform them of any new health conditions. This is normally industry standard but double check with your insurer xxxx
Well of course it renewed 5 days after I was diagnosed with cancer!
Couldnāt make it up! Iāll call them tomorrow.
Thanks Pauline. I hope youāre loving being on your hols! X
@swk1981 noooo that is just so typical, I hope you manage to sort it out!
Just wondered what everyone had done about jaw and tooth pain, mine started yesterday the side of my jaw started hurting then last night my back teeth were sore. I hate the dentists but I know this can be a side effect and just wondered if anyone had any good ideas to help. Iāve been using the poly balm too but today all my fingers feel bruised.
H x
@hc1973 so sorry youāve got the jaw pain, itās something else isnāt it adding codeine helped- you can get either paracetamol and codeine or ibuprofen and codeine - I went for ibuprofen and took it regularly for 3 days. I also had food that wasnāt too hard to chew. The oncologist wasnāt surprised when I said how bad jaw pain was xx
@swk1981 absolutely typical about the travel insurance I think the annual ones that just renew automatically catch you off guard. Hope you get it sorted x
Oh well done!!! Iāve got Sports Day for the entire Senior and eldest 2 years of Prep on Friday and, judging by the small interactions Iāve had so far, Iām worried some peopleās heads may actually fall off their necks on Friday!
Hi Helen,
Are you on first cycle Docetaxel? My jaw pain was at its worst in that cycle. Still have it in second but nowhere near as debilitating. Mine eased around Day 10 of Cycle 1. I couldnāt take anything except paracetamol due to the antibiotics hammering my stomach but Iād probably have reached for something like ibuprofen. Also, Gelclair and mouthwash helped weirdly as theyāre both analgesics.
Maybe ask someone to gently massage your shoulders and neck too to release any tension through your jaw. I found a cold damp flannel helped ease the pain, even if it was to sit there and watch a programme and not feel consumed by the jaw.
Keep going on the Polybalm as many times a day as you can. My nails feel like each one has been hit with a hammer and itās worse this cycle but theyāre holding firm still for now and I think itās down to the Polybalm as they werenāt doing well until I started. X
Iām on Nab-pacitaxel as I had 2 anaphylactic shocks to the docetaxal. Iām on my first of 9 as having them weekly. Unfortunately they said as Iām diabetic I may suffer more from the neuropathy side effects. All very boring!
Thanks for all the advice @swk1981 i will put a bit more poly balm on I think too!
I hope your sports day goes Ok and you sort out your travel insurance. H x
I wonder whether the ice gloves would help at all? They may also give you some pain relief between cycles perhaps? I hadnāt thought to use them for that but may give them a go. Could double up to help with the random sweating I seem to get too.
I hope you have a nice chilled weekend and that youāre not in too much discomfort. Weekly must be so very hard and consuming. Xx