Hi Girls, Didn’t post yesterday, just couldn’t get on line for some reason. Hope you are all well today. Just been reading about the rads and the soap etc. I found it all interesting as years ago when I first had bc I had 20 rad sessions and wasn’t allowed to wash the area at all!! At the time, they just told me to buy Johnsons baby talc and use that. I had to put it on every day and I was terrified in case I started to be whiffy! As it turned out, I never did, but I couldn’t wash the area for about 2 months and by that time I was back in Saudi Arabia so I did think I would pong because of the extreme heat. I did get tired though, but just slept whenever I felt like it and got through it ok. The hair under that arm has never ever come back.
I actually woke up this morning pain free for a change. It was great not having to get up moaning. Maybe the glucosamine etc is starting to work. I went to Holland and Barrett and got three bottles (all they had!) on Wednesday as they have a half price sale so it was a good deal.
Isabelle, I’ll be thinking of you and keeping everything crossed for next Wednesday for you. How long will you have to wait for the results? - Worst part, the waiting.
Hope you are all well today, take care of yourselves and have a happy and painfree day. Lots of love, Dianne x x x
Just thought I’d let you know that your GP can prescibe Glucosamine and Chondroitin. I’ve been getting it on prescription for at least five years and so has hubby.
Hi Janail, Just seen your post and wanted to say thankyou for that. I was thinking of asking the GP for the glucosamine, but I know that sometimes they don’t like to prescribe alternative therapy type stuff! However, I’ll definitely give it a go, so thanks again. Hope you are well today.
Hi all hope you are as s/e free as poss. Got the Adcal D3 from my Gp this am.Tutti Frutti flavoured, so another med to take. Have decided to start the Fosamax on Sun as I have now had my dental surgery and it needs to be taken then you have to sit upright, or stand for 30mins and I don’t see me doing that when I return to work.Isabelle the pic is of me and my 2 grand sons when they were down at the w-e. the one on the left as you look at the pic has his pop up goal posts on his back.I know you are keen to come off the a-ds but did you realise that you cannot just stoptaking them and need to reduce them gradually- sorry if grandma and eggs comes to mind.I hadn’t realised you could get glucosamine on prescription might try that have just bought 3 packs earlier in the week.Good tip thanks Janail. Gosh Dianne fancy not being able to put anything on your skin during rads. I was specifically told no talc. Like Isabelle I have simple bar soap and use that in the shower too. It was quite difficult to find a bar of soap esp in a one pack rather than a 4 pack.I was told that aqueos cream can be used in the morning but at least an hr. before rads. As it takes me that long to drive to the hosp its usually been on a couple of hours. Isabelle its great that your skin is doing so well. Wonder what she meant by better than she expected? I too decided I would have a lie down when I get back from rads. I worked through chemo so have had it impressed on me that I should rest as much as poss.Yes I do feel a bit lazy but so what. I leave my lunch ready in the fridge and eat it when I get home then its feet up. Although this wretched abscess is taking its toll. The radiographers have to put their paperwork on my legs not my abdo only 2-3 sheets but if they brush aginst my abdo when they pick up the paper I am nearly on the ceiling and out of postion too.Hope you all have an enjoyable and treatment free week end ( except AIs of course) Love Jackie
Jackie - You are lucky to get the fruity Adcal-D3. I have the lemon flavour, which I don’t like. When I asked about the others, my GP said they had been discontinued.
When I mentioned Glucosamine to my GP, he agreed it was worth a try but didn’t offer to prescribe it. I didn’t think to ask.
Hi did not realise there was a choice of flavours, thought I was destined to eat blackboard chalk YUk. Am gearing up to take 1st Fosamax tomorrow morning. Hope you are all well. Love Jackie
Hi Girls, hope you are all well and having a happy weekend. Jackie, the fosamax sounds like the bondronat that I take. I take it first thing in the morning and then you have to stay upright for half an hour before eating or drinking anything else although you can drink more water. I usually just come on the computer and the time flies, but there again I’m not having to get ready for work. I agree it’s amazing how things have changed over the years. I couldn’t wash the area or put cream on or anything like that. It had to be Baby Talc, no perfume or anything. The skin under my arm eventually all peeled off and it looked like a piece of raw meat (not a pretty sight!!!) but it didn’t hurt or anything and eventually it healed over. I couldn’t wear my prosthesis or anything for a couple of months, but I lived in Saudi at the time and we all had to be covered up in shapeless black abaya’s anyway, so I got through it ok. (Looked like a walking bin bag!!)
Anyway, hope everyone is well today, how’s the weather up there Isabelle?
Hi managed the Fosamax this morning although I had been dreadong it,staying upright for 30 mins was not as difficult as I thought seems that this is to reduce the prospect of getting reflux. I have a sneaking feeling that my Onc ( a belt and braces man ) has started me on this to reduce chance of bony secondaries. There I have put my fears into words. Thanks ladies. When I spoke to Nat. Osteoporosis Soc the guy there thought that my lumbar spine density whilost below ‘normal’ was at least average for my age. My femoral neck was good.Am I right in thinking that osteoporotic/osteopenic bone is more likely to be affected by secondaries. Ladies hope my anxieties do not infect you too.Dianne not sure what Bondronat is but Fosamax is a bisphosphonates.Ah just looked at BCC leaflet on this and both our tabs are part of this same group for bone lol why didn’t I remember what I had read chemo brain continues. Dianne looking at your pic I think you would look glam even in a black bin bag. hope you are all having a good week-end. Love to all Jackie
Hi Ladies,
I hope everyone is having a good day.
Diane, the weather here in Cumbria is beautiful, really warm, I’ve even been doing a bit of gardening, just the shady bits though!
Jackie, glad you managed with the Fosamax this morning, it’s a bit of a pain having to stay upright that long, as long as it does the trick I suppose it’s worth it.
Starting my last week of rads tommorrow, it’s gone over pretty quick really. Just hope I get on ok if I get any SE’s from them, I’ll just have to wait and see, been ok so far, touch wood.
I’ve got the Adcal-D3 in Tutti Fruity flavour, but they are awful, I dislike taking them most of all.
Hi Isabelle was just checking on the other thread whether you were on your last week and see that you are.Glad it is going well. Hoping for no or few s/e of rads for you. I started having breast and axilla tenderness, aching and prickly tingling after 2nd rads. Very like after ANC and WLE but without the drain. Have been doing arm exercises but feels like I have a beach ball under my arm again, hope this is short lived.Doesn’t seem to appear on the rads threads as a s/e so hopefully just a bit of strain due to positioning for rads. Oddly I quite like the tutti frutti Adcal-D3 no accounting for some tastes is there. Would prefer choc coated ones though.
Despite a less than promising start to the day this morning it has been fine and sunny in spells, no rain.Managed some gardening most, no all of the heavy stuff done my daughter nad her b-f its looking so much better and the lawn is reviving after the recent rain too.
Hope all goes well for everyone in the coming week. Love Jackie
Hello Ladies, Hope you are all well today. Isabelle, hope all goes well today with your last week of rads.
I’ve been to see the Onc and I’m delighted to report that the Arimidex appears to be working. My tumour markers have gone down dramatically and I don’t have to have any scans or anything. I will see him again in 3 months time. Needless to say I could have danced all the way home. Went to Horncastle instead with oh and ate fish and chips, fab!
Have a great day everyone, lotsa love, Dianne x x x
Dianne that is such good news absolutely delighted for you.Brill that your markers have gone down dramatically what a relief. Mmm graet way to celebrate fish and chips did you have mushy peas as well.It really is great to share good news on here.
Isabelle hope rads went OK on the final countdown now.
Again today the weather forecast was wrong and no rain so far lovely sunny day.
Apparently the heavy tendernessin bresat is caused by the rads and the pricly feeling is from surgery, nerve endings knitting together according to radiographer so my brain can now have a rest from working overtime on the what ifs. LOve to all Jackie
Hi Ladies,
Just sent a post and lost it into thin air!!!
Dianne, Great new about the Arimidex, I read somewhere that they are the very best tablets to be on. The SE’s are a bit of a pain, but if they work it will be worth putting up with them. Sounds like you had a good day and fish and chips, well you could’nt ask for more, or could you?
Jackie, I hope you are doing well with the rads today. Like yourself I’m find that my skin is ok up to now but I am getting sharp stabbing pains through my breast, they come when you least expect them to. My breastbone and ribs are also very tender, but if I get no worse I’ll do. 11 down 4 to go!
Morning Everyone, Thanks so much for your good wishes, it is such a relief to know that I’m not about to pop my clogs in the forseeable future! I didn’t have mushy peas Jackie unfortunately, didn’t think to ask for them to be honest. Yes, you’re right, the Bondronat is to stop the spine mets from getting any worse and apparently that’s working too.
Isabelle, hope everything is going ok with the rads, you’re almost at the end of it now thank goodness. It’ll start to heal up properly once it’s over and then the pains should disappear completely. Isn’t it infuriating when you lose a post. The same for you Jackie, the prickly feeling will go eventually. - Roll on -
I’m going shopping with my friend today so that’s something to look forward to even though the weather is a bit miserable this morning. Looks like rain - again!
Hope you are all ok and I’ll be thinking of you today. Take care of yourselves, lots of love, Dianne x x x
Hi everyone. Isabelle good luck with the DEXA bone density scan tomoorrow isn’t it? Seemples compared to rads you only have to lie still briefly and for me the radiographer was in the room too and we chatted.Nearly there with the rads wow.I decided to-day to come back on the M25 big mistake on the route to the m’way a road was closed so a diversion which took me round an area I did not know but eventually got home OK. Have a few friends who are back from hols next week and have offered to drive me so that ios lovely too. Isabelle did you have your aromatherapy massage?
Dianne thanks for the encouragement re achey/ tenderness discomfort. The radiographer explained it too and seems a bit better.Hope you had a lovely shopping day with your friend and didn’t max out the credit card lol.Thinking of you all
Love to all Jackie
Hi everyone. Rads still going ok. Third of the way through now. Had the same problems as you re traffic Jackie as they have decided to make a dual carriageway into single file for road works on my route so you never know how long it will take. I either make it with loads of time to spare or at the last minute and having to dash!
Arrived In plenty of time today but the waiting area was heaving could hardly find a seat. Then after a half hour wait and no one going in or out guess who got called first - yep me! If looks could kill from some of the other patients who were there when I arrived! Seems they were having problems with some of the machines today.
Also still good news re arimidex as no side effects noticed so far. Long may it continue.
I live in Bucks but near Leighton Buzzard and have to travel to the Churchill in Oxford. Quite a journey each day!
Glad I have the support of family and friends to help with the transport. Luckily with it being school holidays have more helpers available. How far do you have to travel Jackie?
Hi I usually have a 50-60 min journey each way. Most of my friends are on hols but next week I have several drivers to take me so that will be good.Yes the journey during school hols is quicker but most of my friends work full time and no smal children involved Have a very quick session so journey takes up most of the time but hey nearly there Wow Love J