Hi everyone, Im Donna and last week i had WLE and sential lobes (4) taken, i get my results next Tuesday, im terrified that they are going to say that i need chemo, my biopsy was triple negative and this i hear is a definate for chemo, im so scared.
Hiya Donna,
Im sorry youre feeling so terrified, I remember how I felt at diagnosis, its worse when youre the kind of person who puts a brave face on either for the sake of your nearest & dearest or cos you dont wish to appear a wimp. Well this forum allows you to rant & rave, gives you a sense of sisterhood and theres always someone whos at the same stage as you so that if you get any strange side effects, you can post on here to find out if youre unique or not. The thought of chemo was the worst bit for me and, hand on heart, it was nowhere near as awful as Id imagined. Follow the advice of the chemo nurses if you have to have it,mine were full of useful tips and were always so reassuring and just so kind. I personally had all 3 lots of treatment and tamoxifen for 8 years, 6 1/2 to go, and I feel almost as well as pre-diagnosis, just a little faded & jaded.
Take care and don`t refuse anything be it the offer of company for a couple of hours or a meal out, distract yourself as often as poss.
Love & best wishes, Mags xxx
Hi Donna, sorry that you are here.
I just wanted to echo what Mags has said… the thought of chemo is more frightening than the reality for many. I too had an easier time that most, side effects were manageable.
The unknown is always scarier than reality… my imagination went into overdrive, I did not think that I would be able to cope… but I did.
If I was given a choice re chemo, I would have said yes, absolutely. Throw everything at it!
Wishing you lots of best wishes for next week, keep us posted
Marguerite
Hi Donna
I had the same as you with 6 nodes removed… I had my 1st chemo last Thursday and i was terrified!! I walked into the hospital and the chemo nurse only said “hello” to me and i burst into tears.
Like you i was more frightened of the chemo… I dont want to be sick, i dont want to loose my hair and i dont want all the side affects that go with i thought to myself. I really do understand where you are coming from.
A week has nearly past and i can honestly say it really wasn,t as bad as i thought, I know i have only had 1 so i may not be very much help at the moment but i just want to reassure you that you are not on your own.
Please try not to worry too much easier said than done i know. This site is fab there is so much advise and support from everyone and you can always ask a question and it will be answered.
If i can help in answering any questions please fire away and you can always pm me if you prefer,
Take care, sending you gentle hugs
Kaz xx
Hi Donna, I had my WLE in June last year and like you I had sentinal node biopsy (4 removed). The waiting is honestly the worst part - once you know what you are dealing with you will gain strength you didn’t know you had. I was fortunate and when I got my results my nodes were clear so escaped chemo and required rads for 4 weeks.
I’m sorry you have joined us but if there is any advice I can offer it is to deal with the here and now and try not to second guess the results. I can’t comment on chemo but can appreciate why you are worried, but listen to the advice of those before me who have experienced it - I really hope you don’t need it though.
Good luck for your results next week - keep everything crossed xx
Hi Donna,
My results came back inconclusive, however I still had to have chemo due to the cancer type and size. Next week I have my final one… yipee and I just want to say that although it is not nice, it is manageable and as someone else said, the waiting is the worst part.
Some advice that I am able to give to you, is that you must speak out. If you are experiencing any side effects then you must let your care team know. Every treatment is different and individual to that person and as I was told by my team…‘the last thing that we want to do is make you sick’!!!
For me, when I spoke out with regards to anything that I was not happy with, the nurses went out of their way to support me.
Of course this advice comes only if you have to have chemo and as yet you do not know. We all imagine the worst case scenario and sometimes that scenario becomes a reality. However ,whatever the outcome may be,you will cope with it, we all do.
I wish you luck and try not to worry. xx
Hi Donna
I’m in the waiting room with you, so we can fret and worry together. I also had WLE and SNB though I already know my nodes were clear (thank goodness). But there are other things I’m still waiting to find out and chemo and Herceptin are still both possibilities for me, I’m already down for rads and hormones so could still end up with the works.
This waiting absolutely sucks, doesn’t it, and I don’t really know if there’s anything we can do to make it better, it seems to be something we just have to grin and bear.
Hugs to you from a fellow waiter
CM
x
Hi Donna
iam going for surgery on friday 28th jan iam waiting also but iam waiting to see if i will have a WLI or mastectomy
iam really fightened about the surgery at the mo then i will be in the same shoes as you i do know 1 thing the ladies on this site are brill so when you are feeling up or down just post cus there is always somone on here
Hi DOnna
Just to echo others comment - I am triple negative too. I started chemo just before Christmas so have 4 more to go. It certainly isn’t nice,in honesty ir is quite horrible BUT it is the best & really only additional treatment for triple negative BC as we cannot have hormone therapy. It is there as a safety net for any stray cells that may have gone travelling ( we hope there aren’t any of these but no one knows!)
The thought of chemo is scary but try to see it as helping you have the best chance possible.
I hope all goes well for you. None of this is easy but it does get better once you are in treatment & you just kind of get on with it. the scariest times are at the start & then you get used to it all & then it’s head down & onwards.
XXXXXX hugsXXXXXXXXXXXX Jo
Hello to all you wonderful kind people, ive had my results, well its gone to grade 3, and i need x6 of FEC, then i need a masectomy then radiotherapy (ive never scored a hatrick before), I will be seeing my oncologist to discuss the start date, But i must tell you that i went out and bought a wig yesterday, after also getting my hair cut short, i still get so emotional about the thought of loosing my hair. Im seeing my surgeon later to discus my WLE & SLB i had, i must say its been 2 weeks since the op and other than being swollen and alittle sore its not been to bad. I have such wonderful support from my family and friends and i feel blessed, im still scared of the thought of chemo and the feeling of being ill, but im determind that i will get through this. Thankyou for everyone on this forum you certainly dont fell alone at all, although my hubby did say i should keep of the internet but once id shown him this forum he changed his mind,speak soon you fellow campers xx
Donna, I was worried sick about chemo (FECx6), but the first one wasn’t too bad. The main thing to remember is that if you feel sick, are sick, or have a side effect that frightens you, you should phone so they can do something about it. You don’t have to suffer.
Someone should go over it all with you beforehand and then you can ask about anything that worries you.
Best wishes,
Cheryl
hi there, thankyou Cheryl,how many cycles have you had now? have you lost your hair, eyelashes and brows?
Choccomuffin, how are you getting on?
what a long road we all have to travel along, phew,
Hi Donna,
So sorry youre going to need chemo, I hope all of us that have replied to you have given you a bit of reassurance, I only threw up once in the entire 6 doses of FEC, and Im one of those wimps who heave at anything, bad smells, someone with a rattling cough etc.
The worse thing for me was lack of energy, being confined to the house so much but yet not having the stamina to pull out the wardrobes or clean out the pantry. You will get a few unpleasant things but dont keep it to yourself, this time next year youll be giving advice to the new girls. BTW, treat yourself to some thermals,
cold weather is even colder on chemo. Good luck, don`t do too much “googling”, trust the whitecoats, they know how best to treat you, love Mags xxxx
Hi Donna, I’ve had one cycle with number 2 this Friday. My hair started falling out a few days ago, but even though my hair is fine and thin, my head is still covered. The kind lady who did my wig told me it usually takes a couple of weeks at least, so the wig is still waiting in its box.
I haven’t noticed anything dramatic happening to my body hair yet, and the eyebrows and lashes are still there.
I haven’t had too much trouble at all so far; I know things like tiredness will get worse, but now that I’ve been through one it’s not nearly so bad thinking about the next one. They’re very good at making it bearable. You’ll get time to recover from the first op before they ask you to start FEC.
Best wishes,
Cheryl
Hi Donna.
Well I’ve got one better than you, I’ve got herceptin to come as well… results today - grade 3 not 2, HER2+, Er+, Pr+ (BUT MY NODES ARE CLEAR!!!) need another op too as unexpected DCIS lurking in there, so there’s even a possible mastectomy on the cards too.
Haven’t seen Onc so don’t know what the treatment plan is yet, but I have to get over the second surgery before I start chemo anyway.
Four Weddings…
HI, I dont know if I can join in this discussion, I am new here and have posted 2 new items and had one reply, feel very alone but have incentive reading everyone replying and supporting each other, I hope too that I will be able to support and be supported. I get my results tomorrow and Im having hot flushes already and not even started treatment yet. I am 43 and had a lumpectomy, my cancer has not been identified to me yet but my nodes have been removed from under my arm, though the lady from the helpline found it hard to believe cos she asked how hollowed out under my arm i am but im not at all but have been advised all nodes removed. I am trying to remain positive but i am so scared and feel isolated. I have pain from the op and swelling and have been told a lump i found is fluid build up and that will be drained tomorrow. just want to be me again and feel out of control like body invaded, so glad this website is here though i am sorry that we are here if you see what i mean. Good luck to you all with your treatment
Silvershar xxx
Silvershar, of course you can join in! It’s possible your post just got missed by accident. The forum gets really busy and posts drop off the first page really quickly.
The waiting room is completely the pits, a horrible place to be, but do come on here and vent if you need to. You will probably feel better once you get your results, whatever they are, as at least then you know what you’re dealing with. Make a note of any questions you want to ask, and bring your questions with you. I don’t normally do that sort of thing but went with the advice and was really glad I did, as even writing the answers down gave me the necessary breathing space to take in what I was being told. You might also want to bring someone with you, and you can probably get your breast care nurse to sit in as well, and then get her to go over the results with you again afterwards if you need her to.
The fluid build-up is probably what’s called a seroma, and is fairly common. They will probably stick a very very fine needle in to draw off the fluid which should make it a lot more comfortable for you.
Waves of sympathy to everyone in the waiting room
CM
x
hello everyone, silvershar jump on the bus bab we are all here for eachother, Im going private for my chemotherapy as i work in a private hospital, ive just returned from having a pre-treatment chat and ive discussed the cold cap, i really dont know what to do, i didnt realise the chemo would be given to me by the nurse through suringe i thought it would be in a bag, also ive to wait 2 hrs after my chemo is through with the cold cap on, has anyone tried it?
Hi Donna
I’m not there myself yet, still waiting on the results from my WLE and SNB, but my late husband had the cold cap for his chemo and it did work. He didn’t want to lose his hair because our daughter was getting married and he never did; he wasn’t the best at braving things either. He also had all his treatment done privately as it was paid for through his work and I envy you having the option.
I’ve got another couple of weeks to wait for my results and trying not to worry until I know what I have to worry about, but its not easy. The consultant originally talked about just lumpectomy and radiotherapy, but every one since has been talking about chemo so I may be in the same situation soon. I’m already thinking about whether to do cold cap or have a wig as I’m getting married again in the summer.
Good luck xx
Hi Donna
I was really really scared aswell and it really was not as bad as i thought i had minor side effects but i must say i am feeling very tired this weekend and i have my second dose on Thursday!!!
Good luck with ur treatment and keep positive 
x