Essex Girls!

Hi All,
Supposed to be trying to catch up on some sleep today but heartburn raging woke me up! Saw Dr.L for check-up on Monday, was disappointed it wasn’t Prof. but will see him next week.

Lily, hope your first day back at school was okay (and if my D misbehaves please pretend you don’t know me ha,ha) Also, hope check up went okay and put your mind at rest.

Daisy, glad you are doing okay, my node scar was much more sore than the boob one and took longer to heal but now it hardly shows. Good luck for your results too.

Flora, I hope you are well and that Mammogram goes okay tomorrow.

Sharon, sorry it has been a funny week and has spoiled our plans, we will make up for it I’m sure. My Nan is slowly improving and is eating a little now so that has cheered us all up.

Hello to Carol, don’t worry you can join us wherever you are, we don’t mind!!

Lots of love to everyone
T xxxx

Thanks moonshine!! I s’pose I’m an ex-Essex girl - lived in South woodham for a while!!
xx

Well thats alright then Carol, ex-Essex if fine!!

Lally, sorry missed your thread earlier and that you had tough time with first chemo. Number 2 was my best one, I felt slightly different with each one. I had my last one Friday and have felt quite rough, but still managing to scoff mini eggs so know what you mean about the weight. Hope the next one will be better for you, they are quite good about sorting out side effects so don’t be afraid to ring the unit if you are struggling. What chemo are you having? I had 6 x Fec. If it’s any comfort the weeks flew by and it was finished before I knew it.

Hope you feel better soon,
Txxx

Hi everyone,
lovely to see so many people on here, especially with it being so different and tricky for some of us. Lally hi and really hope to meet you some time.
Daisy, brill that wounds are ok and time will sort the rest out for you. Just keep getting that arm moving or you can get frozen shoulder if unlucky.Most people find the first chemo harder so hoping you too will find number 2 a little kinder.What drugs are you having? I finished epi/cmf in November and rads on 31 Dec but know how hard it is to think of more ahead. Just think about the very next thing you have to do and really enjoy good days if you can.I used to go early and have a big cooked breakfast in the canteen so i had something to look forward to each visit. Carol, and everyone thank you for your good wishes. Flora hoping for a gentle squeeze at your mammo. Hope the mad woman has gone now!Tracey met her and she was lovely. I loved the whole class and will enjoy teaching them. It was lovely being back with all the kids and they stopped me everywhere to say such nice things. Are you having a baby home one weekend? They howl all night, I must warn you. How are you feeling now, hope heartburn is calming down. Not happy with some bits they might be giving me but hope to sort out tomorrow. Came home and cried! Sharon, keep being good and hope bloods are ok next week, they should be. Once you are better we must meet up and celebrate.
Lily x

Lily

Sorry your day was not as good as expected. Saw your other comments. I can’t believe they were so thoughtless especially as you are not the first to go back after BC. Good luck with sorting it out. What happened to reasonable adjustments!!

Flora x

Hi Moonshine , Lily and all,

Off for my refelxology today in hope it might help with no 2 chemo…I’m on Myocet/Cylcophosx4 then taxoterex4…anyone got the same??Seems to be lots of FEC?

How lovely to be at the end of chemo…is it a relief or a bit of an anti climax?

would love to meet you all and hear your tales…

The sun is shining so plan to get fresh air…

Lots of love to all
xx

By the mini eggs…sound nice…

Hi Lally

Last year I had 6 x all three at once myocet,cyclo. and taxotere (TAC) and survived without to many problems. They are hard chemos but doable.

Some people found reflexology very helpful the day before the chemo so hope it works for you.

Make the best of the sun before the snow.

Flora x

Lally, hope the reflexology helped, I really enjoyed it and Clare is lovely. I think I am the only one of us lot who had Fec? girls will put me right if I’m wrong! I do feel so relieved to have finished the chemo, but I’m to impatient to get over the side effects. Have to say that today one week on from last one I am starting to feel relatively human. Now I’m thinking about the rads and the hormone bit, which seems complex and confusing to me at the moment!
Lily, glad all went well yesterday but sorry you were upset. It is still early days and you have been/still are going through so much, and I hope the school appreciate that. Y says you are lovely but quite strict!! had a good chuckle to myself about that and said ‘you wait till you have Mrs.G she’s even worse’ I am only kidding of course, and she is lucky to have you teaching her. I have been warned about the school baby, can’t say I’m looking forward to it and goodness knows what the dog will make of it!
Sharon I missed you in Asda, I was very good and bought lots of healthy foods, but a few treats aswell!! I’m off to have a bath in a mo and looking forward to my feet treat, thank you so much for thatx
Snow is forecast next week so I hope the roads will be okay when we go to Colchester.
Hope everyone is okay and has a nice weekend.
Lots of love
Txxx

Hi,
isn’t it cold!!! I am freezing and trying not to go out, which is hard as I am back at work!
Flora, today went well at school. I just explained all my concerns to my line manager and most of them have been sorted out. I have a lot less work to do and I can arrive late and leave early when not teaching too. I have a brand new laptop and my chair and desk are now back to how I left them. Had to compromise on some parts but that seemed very reasonable to me. I am, feeling quite happy about moving up to a slightly heavier load after half term and then it will be reviewed again. It was just sorted out once I told the right people how I felt and what was being put on me. Good ending I hope. Thank you for your concern.
Lally, I guess Myocet is Adriamycin, The A in TAC? I had e/cmf, so 4 x epirubicin and then 4 x cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and flourouracil(they were 2 visits every 4 weeks, so 12 visits in total). Very glad to be at the end of them and you are getting closer every time. Sharon is on TAC too. Hope number 2 went ok and you are a little better this time. Finishing sounds great but when you get there it is also a bit scary. Each change takes a bit of getting used to I found.
Tracey, well day 2 went well and i spend a lot of time with Y these days. Strict!!LOL. School are having a really strict go at uniforms and they were all looking like wrecks and black nail varnish and facial studs!! You are right she would let them have it but not sure she has them this year. She has been looking after me so much in these early days and so kind and supportive as you can imagine. A real good friend. I really like the class(not pretending either) but it is always hard for them to think about GCSEs in year 10. She reminds me of your oldest in a way.
Sharon, how are you doing? Not long till the last one, then we can plan a meet once we know you are up to it. You may find that after a rest this one is not as bad. I hope so.
Lily x

Boo-hoo. Trudged through the snow yesterday to get to the C&E Hospital only to be told 1 of the 6 nodes removed had just a few cancer cells! So back into Broomfield I go this Thursday to say adios to the rest.

On the good side, my breast is OK, with clear margins, so I am very thankful for that.

I have to stay in for a few days and will have a drain (any tips on having a ‘bag’)this time. I am not looking forward to this and am really annoyed. I was doing so well with my recovery, full arm movement, minimal pain etc and now I have to start all over again…

Hope everyone is well and feeling fine & dandy.

Daisy x

Hi daisy 99 I’m sharon2, sorry to hear you have to go back in but that is excellant news about clear margins. I am like you in that I had a masectomy in June 08 expecting after being told that it was highly unlikely lymph nodes were involved but alas 4/4 were so I had to go back in and have them all remived and in the end 7/19 were infected. I used a bag they provided at broomfield and took it home and returned it later - this helped as I could more freely without freaking out my 7 year old son. Good luck!! xx

Hi everyone else as you can most probably tell I am on my steroides but only another 2 nights. Final chemo tomorrow and I hope and pray they can find a vein as the phlebotamist could not find a good vein and only removed a small amount of blood -THINK OF ME PLEASE!!! and then only 5 projection injections to endure. Tracy and I went into colchester today for our planning for rads and they start 17th feb, so posss meet up on the monday 16th for lunch.

Flora I do not have your number s o if you phone again please leave your number so I can phone you back.

well I am going to play cards now to try and tire myself

Lots of love and hugs sharon2 xxxxx

Hi everyone,
Sharon we must have posted at the same moment and you zapped mine off the screen. Bully!!! Nice to tak to you today and lots and lots of luck and fat veins for the morning. Wrap up warm to help it and if in bother insist on Roger. Woooweee last one!!!
Tracey hope you are on the mend now and rads planning was ok today. see you soon. Flora nice to speak to you this evening.
Daisy, so sorry to hear you have to put up with more surgery but after this it will be a big thing ticked off your list of things to do. I wish you lots of luck but know you will bounce through this. When you are better you must come and meet everyone. I came home with a drain in and then the district nurse pulled it out. I honestly did not feel it but was anxious at the time. My little Grandson called my drain and bottle Andrew and wanted a picture taken of the 3 of us! I forgot I even had it and used to frighten the family by walking off and dragging it along! You really don’t notice it except at night as restricts you from turning much. I used to have a wastepaper bin at the side of the bed to drop the bottle in, which stopped it from rolling around or falling off the bed. I also went in the spare room as it was on his side and he was too squeemish to have it in the bed next to him.LOL. Anyway good luck and get better soon
Love
Lily x

Hi all, yes I’m still up too.
Daisy, good news about the margins but sorry you have to have more surgery. I’m sure you will be fine don’t let it get you down and stay in touch.
Rads planning was okay, tattoo’s a bit ‘ouch’. I am to have 15 plus 5 boosters. Hope we can get some help with costs of parking or petrol, will cost a fortune. Prof.D off sick today so haven’t got any further about the hormone thingy.
Hope schools are back tomorrow,and Sharon I will be coming in to get you a nice lunch.
Lots of love everyone,
Tracey xx

Cheers ladies for the comments, glad to know I am not facing anything too awful. I just pity the folk on B28 as I snore like a a ships foghorn!!

Great idea about the bin, think I will wind hubby up and tell him to bring the wheelie bin upstairs! ha ha

Best of luck Sharon with your final session - well done.

Fingers crossed I will see you all soon.

Daisy xx

Hi everyone!!!

sounds like you are all moving on nicely.

Those who don’t know me- mx and diep recon Mar 08, TAC chemo till Sept,rads Oct and now Herceptin for a year with monthly Zoladex injections thrown in too! Waiting to find out about Tomoxifen.

Those who do know me,Lymphodema is horrible but like you Lily-back at work -yeah!!! What a difference it makes I feel normal again.Although as I work at Southend college I am very careful around end of class time and very protective of my arm. My employers have been fantastic too and couldn’t be more accomadating.In fact I’m beginning to feel like a spare part- they are worried I’m going to tire quicker than I am!

I’m at Broomfield next week for next dose,ECG and echo and also seeing the Prof. I want to discuss the Tomoxifen.He seems reluctant to give it to me-don’t know why. When I saw the consultant at Southend on my rads follow up appmt he was writing to the Prof to query it too. I am thinking of changing back to Southend now anyway as it is the second time I’ve queried my treatment,ie. 1st time only referred for rads when I approached the subject.

OOh I know the Zoladex is working I’m getting grouchy with hot flushes!!! Sorry about the winging!

Sharon - good luck with last session!!

take care everyone speak soon Jennie xxxx

Hi,
Sharon2 I went to send you a message tonight and discovered that I have lost your mobile number. OH bought me a new rather technical phone and got the shop to use my same number, credit, the lot. Trouble is the messages did not move and you are in my inbox. Old phone now has new number, which we don’t know! I don’t know what he has been up to but please send me a text so I get you number again. I am hoping to hear you had your final TAC today and hope not too terrible vein hunting beforehand. Big hugs to get over this last one and be better soon so we can meet up. Hoep this is not premature, but congrats on finishing.
Tracey, surprise you even felt the tatoos but then mine are minute and one has gone already. Probably why you got a bigger one!They are very efficient at Colchester but some of them are a bit cool in their care I thought. The receptionist could turn people to stone, really miserable. Daisy lots and lots of luck for tomorrow and hope you escape before too long. If you are well enough to meet I will come and get you if you like. Thinking of you tomorrow.
Jennie, brilliant to hear from you and back at work too. You have had a ton of treatment haven’t you? The prof told me I had had a lot and I thought well you are the one who prescribed it! I am sorry to hear you have had a few concerns.Is your arm still very bad? I am back fulltime but have a very light timetable, only 2 lessons this week and both were on the snow days, so nothing this week. It is really helping me to get back without getting overwhelmed. Why would you have tamoxifen if you are having herceptin? I thought you only had tamoxifen if ER+ or PR+ but having herceptin must mean you are HER2+. The Prof has very high success rates, so check out the other onc. I am sure he is at least as good but worth asking I guess.
Hi to anyone else reading. Provisional meet up for half term if we are not all walking wounded then?
Lily x

HI AGAIN

Just a quickie! Lily unfortunately I’ve got the lot.I’m Her2+++,er+ and pr+.
Yes work is fantastic,I feel “normal” again although tired. I have a risk assessment by Health & Safety rep tomorrow- should be interesting.My employee has said I can have anything I need.Never had such special treatment!!lol! Jenx

Hi,
Jen I understand now, you did get the lot. Tons of luck whatever you decide. Also glad your place are being kind, it makes going back much easier.
Daisy, I was in Broomfield tonight visiting my brother in law who has smashed his wrist/arm and is waiting for a plate to be put in. He was lucky as very close to losing a limb as no feeling in it and only had a short window of time to save it. Trapped the main nerve and the blood supply and headbutted a bus shelter for good luck!! Poor old thing is a wreck! While in there I am sure I saw J but was not sure enough to shout and ask how you were. I was thrown by him being nowhere near the ward I thought you were going to. Hope all went well and you escape real soon. Get well soon
Sharon2 sending you big hugs for your last chemo and hoping it is in and side effects won’t last too long this time. Tracey hope you are being very bosy and telling Sharon off if she even thinks about doing anyhting she shouldn’t. When do you both start rads?
Flora hope to see you on the next meet up.
Lily x

Oiii,
am I getting my half term piece of cheesecake next week? Please please tell me you will all be well enough to meet, miss you all
Lily x x

Hi everyone, guess what ?? I am very neutrapenic again and was within a cats whisker of being admitted yesterday. My neuts were 0.2!!! I am on strong antibiotics, reg paracetamol etc and have to have another blood test tomorrow. I will be coming on Monday so 12.30 at the usual place for anyone who wants to join the merry gang!

Love to everyone sharon xx