I am HER2 also and would like to chat and share advice and tips
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@jobieejo Iām going to say donāt panic but itās easiest said than done ā¦ I was the same last year , I visualised the cancer going on an all you can eat buffet through my breast and rampaging through my body like Pac-Man! The reality is, it wasnāt ā¦ I was convinced Iād have lymph node involvement by the time I had my surgery which was a 8 weeks from my initial appointment where they said I probably had cancer and took biopsies ā¦ but. I didnāt . I had a mastectomy with clear margins and then started chemo 8 weeks later in November last year.
What I will say is once you start the treatment things will feel like they are moving quickly x
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Hello everyone 
. Wow, a lot of comments to catch up on and lots going on!
Iāve tried to have abit of time away for afew weeks. I had wonderful news in January with news that Iād had a pathological complete response but then had a very dark cloud over me as I had a suspicious mole removed and that brought all kids of worries. Fast forward 6 weeks and I got the results today - itās not cancerous. I cried (again) and am so relieved. I also finished 2 weeks of radiotherapy last week and whilst Iām still in some pain from it, Iām looking forwards with hope and gratitude.
Iām starting to make plans for some holidays with my beautiful family, which I couldnāt even contemplate 9 months ago. I couldnāt see the light or even dare to hope that I might come through this. So to everyone who is just starting their journey or is very much in the thick of it, I see you and send so much love and support. You will get through this xxx
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@rrey very pleased to hear your good news, enjoy planning for future fun
General query- anyone used polybalm to protect nails during chemo and how well did it work? Thanks
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Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. Kadcyla seems to hit so different. Iāll just have to wait and see how I react.
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Hi @arty1
Thatās really reassuring to hear and I love the analogy as that pretty much sums up what I was thinking, are you still having Chemo? How are you feeling?
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Hi @rayasnan, Iām fairly new to the group but welcome, Iāve found this thread so helpful and reassuring, I havenāt got much experience but happy to chat.
Jobieejo
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I used it through EC and Docetaxel/ herceptin and it worked wonders and I had no problems. Nothing seems to help during Kadcyla 
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I was the same as @gromit12 with the polybalm. My poor nails just keep ripping off with Kadcyla and nothing I do seems to help. I just try and keep them as short as I can to avoid them catching on anything and ripping off.
Iām delayed now for cycle 8 of Kadcyla because I brought back Covid from the US. Iām on Paxlovid and that stuff makes everything taste FOUL. I was fine the whole week of meetings and dinners and then as soon as I got back, I felt really grotty and tested positive. Not a happy camper. Iāve tried so hard to be positive and just get on with stuff but this just feels like too much.
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itās just never ending isnāt it, and to have a delay 
zxOhh @kartoffel I feel for you having a dose of covid as well as everything else. Iāve found that any viruses seem to literally affect my brain, and i get depression symptoms that lift as the virus leaves. Itās really hard to deal with while in the thick of it, but try and remember āthis will also passā. Wishing you fortitude!
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Hi, I just looked into Polybalm for my Mum, my goodness the cost! Are there any alternatives? My mum is a pensioner, and Iām a single mum on a low income - I just canāt really afford to spend Ā£100+ on this 
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Morning all and welcome to @rayasnan. We are a super friendly bunch and we have a wealth of info on here so have a read and ask away!
@rrey Itās great to hear from you and a big whoop-whoop on your wonderful news. As I always say, itās so important to share the bit where you reach the light at the end of the tunnel to illustrate just how many of us get there. It may be a tiny pinprick in the far distance at the start of a journey none of us wanted to undertake but oh how brightly the sun shines when you reach it. I genuinely have a new found appreciation of the most mundane things in life now. It sure does give you perspective. I am also planning holidays now and it feels so good. Thanks for your positive message for everyone.
My nails are in such a state after all the treatment that I went and got some blue gel nails a couple of weeks ago. Goodness knows what they are looking like underneath but Iāll cross that bridge when I come to it. I was just sick of the sight of what was left and found myself crossing the street and marching into a nail bar on a whim. Iāve not heard of polybalm but good to hear of its existence.
@kartoffel Sending you love and strength and I hope you are on the up now. Thatās a double blow getting Covid after youāve been so amazing throughout treatment, both physically and mentally. I have found you inspirational as Iāve walked this walk with you and I send every good vibe I can across the airwaves to you. Youāve retained a sense of humour throughout and I want to tell you how much I have appreciated your presence. And of course our mutual love of potatoes.
@mum-a-lums30 I have been using Dr Organic Tea Tree Nail Solution and I could see the new growth coming through and looking a lot healthier before I suddenly lost patience and compulsively marched into the nail bar the other day. Itās probably not as effective as Polybalm but it certainly helps. Anyone else got any nail tips?
Salbert
xx
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Nail tips? Just discovered that applying nail polish, then using paint stripper on window sill, doesnāt improve look of nails!
My sewing pattern to make head wraps just arrived in the post. My latest occupational therapy project for old scraps of material. Nowhere does it define what small medium and large heads areā¦this could turn into bald woman wearing blindfold!
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@carrie5 Look Good Feel Better charity do amazing course for cancer treatment and hands and nails.
I was advised to use a balm rather than an oil daily on the whole nail bed. Use a strengthener every 3 days and reapply to check nails underneath. Coat in varnish ( dark if on a taxane chemo) with a top coat. Moisturise hand after each wash.
The lady I had in the course was based in Northern Ireland and recommended Oriflame, similar to Avon and available online in UK. Generally she said it didnāt really matter what brand. The courses are face to face and online, you get a bag of goodies. If you e been online you have to wait for it to be posted to you.
@carrie5 I think you need to step away from the paint stripper for a while!!
@rrey fantastic news about CPR 
@rayasnan Welcome to the thread. I hope you get as much out of it as everyone keeps saying.
@kartoffel sorry to hear you have Covid, it just seems to hang around. Glad you have the anti virals Paxlovid and hopefully you feel better soon.
Thinking of you all.
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@carrie5 What I am gleaning from this is that you are making your own head wraps and stripping paint all in one day. In my book, you are uber-practical, even if it doesnāt always go according to plan! 
@naughty_boob I am also envious of your ability to absorb knowledge at the rate of an encyclopaedia so that you always have it to hand whenever anyone has a query. I mean, I attended a few workshops and have watched various YouTube videos but can I retain the information?? Not on your Nelly!
Iām off to see my consultant today and as we know, I always look forward to my trips to the Marsden. They are all so lovely and I associate it with the point at which my worries and fears were turned around and I had hope restored.
I have about 30 kids doing an assortment of LAMDA exams this weekend. Please keep everything crossed for me!!
I hope the sun shines all weekend for everybody.
Salbert
xx
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Omg I remember the LAMDA exams! X
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Hi all,
You werenāt kidding when you said that Iād feel better once I had a plan!!! Went for my appointment today, got pre op on Monday and then operation on the 21st 4 weeks recovery and they are predicting 6 months of chemo, then the endocrine therapy for many years!!!they have pursued me that a lumpectomy is better for me as the tumour is tiny so Iām hoping for clear margins and no genetic cause as that will mean more surgery but for today, I actually feel almost like my normal self and for that Iām grateful.
Hope you are all doing okay?
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@jobieejo Iām so pleased you feel better now you have a plan.
We will be with you every step of the way. Make the most of your time before your surgery in 21st, if you can. Time will pass so quickly and before you know it the day will arrive and you will be on a treadmill/conveyor belt/ferris wheel until your treatment ends.
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