@carrie5 hope all goes well on Monday 
xx
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@naughty_boob and @salbert Itās lovely of you both to say so , this forum is amazing and I had so much support when I first joined ā¦ itās nice to be able to give back some help ā¦ I never thought Iād end up spending most of my time on a breast cancer forum ! 
Here we are though ā¦
I agree Her2 needs its own forum ā¦ Iām happy to join up as a persuasive force with you both !
I have agreed to be a CC and have an online meeting next week x
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Had my op yesterday. Decided on level 1 nodes only unless she thought more needed removing as they feel fibrous if they had/have cancer. So she said it was as she expected and only needed to remove level 1 and where the lump was/is which felt lumpy. She removed some skin where the lump was so the scar is a cm longer than the SLNB scar before (which she said was long). This was what the surgeon would have done who I got a 2nd opinion from and the oncologist at Bristol said would be OK too as I had a good response to treatment. I will now have radiotherapy to the other lymph nodes (levels 2 and 3) which I wouldnāt have had if they were removed.
Just on paracetomol and came home today so on sofa as didnāt get a long sleep as had blood pressure etc at 2am and 6am.
Hoping to get results on Friday at my appointment after MDT on Thursday but she said the results may take 10 days due to op being on a Friday. Iām private so quicker than NHS I think. I will also ask the oncologist to look out for the results which he said I can do. He said they have about 50 a week so he wouldnāt realise unless I ask him to look out for them.
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@Linda_Corinne so pleased you are on the other side of your operation.
Take the time to recover and do your exercises as much or as little as you can.
@caz591 be thinking of you Monday.
@arty1 you could be on the same call of @salbert , mine was with one other person. I remember reading the results of the Persephone trail with 9 Herceptin and it was very positive. Hopefully the pre meds will help with number 6.
@lucy99 its not easy when you loose family but after a cancer diagnosis I found it quite hard. I had to sell the family home while having surgery and exchange and completion was over my first 2 chemo infusions. It was a very emotional time and I hid a lot of my feelings. I eventually had some counselling after radiotherapy and then again towards the end of the Herceptin. It really helped make sense of it all.
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Hi Kadcyla ladies. Have any of you had zometa infusion at the same appointment as Kadcyla? Is this a regular treatment path? X J
@Linda_Corinne Glad the op is out if the way , get plenty of rest and drink plenty of water to flush the anaesthetic out of your system x
@naughty_boob I think Iām a different day to @salbert x
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Hi everyone. Just wondering if I could get your views on this one.
So Iāve recently been told that I achieved a pcr (a bit of DCIS left but all IDS gone) from neoadjuvant chemo. Iām based in Qatar and while the care Iāve received here has been excellent, I was going to get a second opinion from a surgeon (who is also a trained oncologist) at the Royal Marsden on the rest of my treatment plan for peace of mind.
I donāt have the follow up with oncologist until Wednesday, but have effectively been told that I now need radiation, target therapy (phesgo) and then thatās it.
All seems quite straightforward, but Iām wondering if I should still have this call with the Royal Marsden surgeon to check nothing has been missed? What do you think?
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I would as a second opinion I had recommended a bone scan which hasnāt been mentioned but I will try to arrange. Itās because I have lung nodules that have decreased slightly that he thinks are cancer but are being monitored by another CT in 6 months I think so July. Different trusts do things differently and the main thing is they are stable. A CT will also pick up bone cancer. I asked about biphosphonates too which he said may be added in as I have Osteopenia.
I had to have a face to face when I enquired re a second opinion at the Marsden.
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If youāre having doubts and would feel reassured by a second opinion then go for it. It canāt do any harm.
At the beginning of my treatment I was constantly wondering if I should get a second opinion. To start with I wanted someone to tell me it was all a terrible mistake and I didnāt have BC. Then later I wanted someone to tell me I didnāt need an op and Iād be better off without one.
I suppose you might run the risk of a second consultant giving you a whole lot of new options to choose from and youād end up doubly confused. Go with your instincts. Theyāre usually right.
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Hope all going ok @caz591 and @lucy99 good luck tomorrow @jobieejo
My first oncology appointment went ok today, she was lovely, discussed my concerns about travel ( delays, diversions courtesy hs2 rail works, general heavy traffic and other roadworks ) and sheās referred my chemo to another hospital that is closer to home and a better journey by car and a rail link. Iām very relieved as Iām doing it all on my own. Small delay for the transfer but she dictated the letter while I was there and said it would be chased and they wouldnāt discharge me until they knew it was picked up. Balancing the delay starting against potentially missing appointments in the current arrangement I think its probably the best option. Nice they would be flexible.
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Hi @carrie5, Thank you. Glad you got moved closer to home, Iām lucky to be only 10 mins away from where Iām having mine. Iāve got myself all wound up about the appointment, but I know I know what they are doing, I just want it done quicker!!! Keep in touch on your journey we can trade insights x
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Great news @carrie5 travelling distance on top of your treatment can be very tiring. Well done for advocating for yourself, itās not easy at the best of times let alone with a cancer diagnosis.
@jessybessy if you feel a second opinion would be beneficial I would go with that gut feeling.
@Linda_Corinne How are you recovering from your surgery?
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Had my enhanced mammogram and contrast MRI results today.
Itās 14 millimetres and unifocal, which I think means in one place. I know I should have asked but I always end up flustered when talking about my Breast Cancer.
Iām seeing my consultant on Thursday to go through my treatment plan and have a pre assessment on Monday.
Sending love and positivity to you all 
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I had my first zometa at the same time as my first Kadcyla. The only problem was I didnāt know what was causing the side effects. What I realised when I had my 2nd Kadcyla was that it was the Zometa which gave me the flu like symptoms. Iām due them both together again next months- will be taking paracetamol as soon as I get the Zometa! Good luck!
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Write down your questions for your meeting. I always had a notepad to write the questions and then add their answers. I then used it to look back over the conversation if something was on my mind.
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I definitely get flu like symptoms for 4/5 days with Zometa. I hadnāt had Kadcyla so canāt comment on that.
Thatās a good tip thank you
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Thanks for zometa advice. Iām hoping i can have Kadcyla first to see side effects and introduce zometa later.
Iām really feeling the radiotherapy at the moment. Strange fatigue for 10 days now. Canāt find a comfy bra and ended up on the sofa for 2 hours today after a 45 minute sunny beach walk. Its taken me by surprise, Iām considering doing half days at work this week and Iāll be conservative with booking appointments next week.
@erica your diagnosis sounds similar to mine. Best wishes for Thursday. Iāve always had someone with me at consultations, they have my notebook with questions written in and they write the answers down for me. It really helps as can then go over it with them afterwards as a way of digesting/confirming the new info. I took my husband for initial diagnosis appointment but heās been pretty lacking in this journey so my sister usually comes or a close friend.
Blockquote
ffects.
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Well hello, my dears
Life is hectic and I find myself wistfully thinking back to last yearās cocoon of breast cancer treatment when I wasnāt expected to do anything more than work from home and repeat my pattern of self-care after finishing work each day. This consisted of a walk, a meditation, my arm exercises, dinner and a book. Now I am racing to the office, racing off to teach, racing round the supermarket, racing to my parents and today I had to race up to London for my heart scan where I felt like saying āIf you could see just how much racing around I do, youād know full well thereās nothing wrong with my heart!!ā I found myself saying to the specialist āTake your time, itās just lovely to lay here on a couch listening to Glenn Madeiros for 20 minutesā.
Anyway, @erica the waiting IS awful. Glad to hear that itās all in one place. Get that treatment plan in place and kick its arse to the kerb. Then stamp on it and tell it never to show its sorry face again. Thanks for the love and positivity. Sending some right back to you.
@gromit12 Wow! You are an iron woman! I take my hat off to you. I love that pic of you in your running gear. With an attitude like yours, breast cancer will be running scared of YOU!
@jayveebee - The heart medication sorted me right out. Like I say, I belted up to town today in 1 hour when I really should have left myself 2 hours. If that doesnāt speak volumes for Candesartan then I donāt know what does! The meet up is the Cancer in Common event on Saturday 5th July in London - Events ā Cancer in Common. It says wear glitter. 
I think putting all your waits in a box is a great idea.
Hello @jobieejo and Iām so heartened to hear that we have nipped the breakdown in the bud. I remember it well. When I met up with @naughty_boob the Saturday before last, we agreed that if we can stop just one woman from feeling the way we did when we first got diagnosed, then itās all worth it. So glad you liked that knitted hair. Itās stuffed at the bottom of my wig drawer but who knows, maybe it will get an airing for the Cancer in Common bash! Sorry youāve had to join us but so glad you found us. Good luck with the quitting of smoking and drinking. Oh yes, I remember that too! I actually couldnāt believe it was possible back then but now I just love waking up with a clear head and not needing to go to the loo in the middle of the night. Of course it now means Iām more of a lightweight than ever and after one drink I canāt keep my eyes open but thatās not a bad thing as I was something of an old lush and it was all getting a bit Carol McGiffin!! Keep us posted.
@lucy99 What an awful time youāve had. Iām sending you one of my big, oppressive, squeeze the breath out of you, bear hugs. Thatās too much for anyone to deal with. If you need to come on here just to let it all out, then you must.
@arty1 Iām thrilled you are becoming a CC too!! 
My first session is tomorrow. Youāll be excellent.
@Linda_Corinne Iām so glad to hear your op is done. Another thing out the way. Time to heal again. Hope the results come in this week. Please let us know.
@jessybessy Iām at the Royal Marsden in Sutton and I cannot speak highly enough of the place and the amazing staff. If itās only a call then why not? Personally I like to know Iām barking up the right tree if nothing else.
@carrie5 Thatās great news that you will be closer to home. I felt extremely lucky that my hospital was just 23 minutes drive from my home compared to some people on here that had to travel for over an hour. It makes a big difference when youāre feeling pants.
I did a food shop, taught a private LAMDA session tonight, have knocked back some celery soup and sourdough and now I have to test my sonās lines for his Drama GCSE piece which is Thursday of this week. And so the hectic pace continues but when I think back to this time last year, when I was getting over my first dose of EC and I compare it to now, I hope it shows that the body recovers and life gets back to normal. And now I must away. Zoooommā¦
Happy Monday, wonderful women,
Salbert
xx
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@salbert Thankyou for thinking of us all and your inspirational account of how youāre handling life now. I think we all need our healing time out so I think youāre still entitled to take some!
Meanwhile, while the sunās out I will leave the dust to settle in my house, the windows looking streaky and head with the dogs to the Peak District!
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