Hello, can you give me infor on Mc Millian counseling? I never heard of this
Also anyone Not choosing to take tamoxifen? 
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Hi @chiara the MacMillan Cancer charity have combined with BUPA to offer up to four sessions of counselling for free. The counselling would be either by phone or video call, are one-to-one and are meant for you to discuss your fears and anxiety stemming from your cancer diagnosis with the aim of improving how you cope emotionally with your situation. There are certain criteria that they will go through with you to make sure you are eligible. For example, that you are resident in the UK, not currently receiving counselling elsewhere and are struggling emotionally with your cancer diagnosis but are not in severe crisis or having suicidal thoughts. If you are in severe crisis (not that I’m suggesting that you are!) you should see your GP immediately.
The counselling is offered to anyone living with a cancer diagnosis of any sort, not just breast cancer, so, as you can imagine, it is very sought after and the wait for a slot might be a number of weeks. If you are interested in having this counselling you can do one of two things - 1. Call 0808 808 0000 8am - 8pm (just to warn you, there is quite a long and a bit preachy recorded message to start with but stick with it) or 2. - go to the MacMillan website www.macmillan.org.uk
- scroll down to Support from MacMillan
- click on that then scroll down to Help with how you’re feeling
- under that click on Free Specialist Counselling
that will give you lots of information but there is also the option towards the bottom to click on “ Book a Well-being Assessment”
I haven’t done it myself but know of quite a few who have and found it very useful.
As for your question about Tamoxifen, I have seen on another thread that you are concerned about taking it because of the family history of strokes. I am in no way medically qualified and could not advise you on that but I do recognise your anxiety about it. Have you discussed your fears with your oncologist or Breast Cancer Nurse? You really should particularly in the light of family history. Only they will be able advise you. It is difficult sometimes to advocate for yourself in the face of specialists, particularly if they tell you that you are going to take something without discussing the implications first. That happened to me, the prescription for Letrozole was slid across the desk by the oncologist with zero discussion and I was so busy thinking about what she had said about radiotherapy, I didn’t question it. I did later on though! So I respectfully suggest that you have a full discussion with your medical team prior to starting the drug. You have every right to be considered a partner in your own treatment rather than the recipient of instruction from a ‘higher source’.
If it would help, why not call the wonderful nurses here at Breast Cancer Now on 0808 800 6000 any time before 4pm. They will take their time to chat through your concerns and give you some insight from a more professional angle than I could ever do! Try it, you’ll feel so much better if you do.
Hope this helps and good luck with the counselling if you decide to go for it.
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No Kat you aren’t going to hear that although it doesn’t come back for everyone. You might also die of old age, fall under a bus or win the lottery and so might anyone else - none of us can see into the future. What we can all do is live for the day, not always easy when you’ve been through cancer but it is possible.
I know you won’t want to hear this but it has come back for me - so I’m one of the unlucky ones. I can’t pretend it’s been easy, I was just as devastated at being told it had returned as being told about my primary. However, I’m still here as are loads of others living with secondary cancer and, believe it or not, we’re all living fairly normal lives. It’s incurable but I’m told it’s now regarded more as a chronic disease rather than a terminal illness and is treatable. Many of us stay on the same treatment for years. One lady I’m now in contact with has been living with SBC for 12 years and still going strong.
So deep breaths Kat, be nice to yourself and give yourself time. There’s good advice on this thread so “listen” to these lovely people. They get it. Sending hugs. x
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Thank you Cool_Nanny for your wise words.
Seagulls
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Hello Kat,
Uncertainty is very hard to deal with, and you are right, I’m afraid, that no-one can ever say ‘it will never come back’, because this diagnosis confronts us with the uncertainty that’s there every day but which we don’t normally have to face head-on. However, I do wonder if there’s a misunderstanding here which is making things worse for you. When you read that these cancers ‘come back later’, I don’t think the point that’s being made it that they inevitably reoccur, it probably means that in comparison with other types of breast cancer such as triple negative, they can come back at a later stage. So (generalising of course) IF you had a recurrence of triple negative (which it sounds like you don’t have), it would be more likely to be in the first 5 years after diagnosis, but IF you had a recurrence of ER+ cancer, it would be more likely to come back after five years, so ‘it would come back later’ than the other type IF it came back.
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