I’m sat here stroking my lovely pooch. He has been a huge comfort through treatment, love him to bits. He helps to keep me going - and walking, in the rain today. I know one day I’ll lose him, but don’t like to dwell on such things as it’s heartbreaking. I hope he gets to a ripe old age for his breed meantime, like your cat. I also hope he has a peaceful end. Our pets know when they are loved, and they give so much back in return, and for that we are blessed. My deepest sympathy Salbert x
@salbert So sorry to hear about Stockton. What a week for you. Good news on the drain and 
for Friday’s appointment.
@entropy I also threw my toys out of the pram when changes were made. I wasnt cross with the nurses, I think it was the stress of dealing with constant uncertainty. Luckily there were very few disruptions to my plan in the end. But I did feel I needed to speak up.
Had my first radiotherapy of twenty today. Feeling shattered but I think that’s a combination of the build up to it, Phesgo injection yesterday and going to the gym (my 4th post chemo session, actually probably about my 4th ever🤣). But will see how things go. Any advice from the group on radiotherapy?
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@salbert @bigpickle
Your posts have made me cry so much! I am so sorry life is really unfair. @salbert I am sending you a big big virtual hug.
I have finally been adopted by my cat after feeding him for years. He knew my cat who I lost during the first lockdown. It was lymphoma cancer and she only survived 4 weeks after diagnostic. I thought at the time no more pets I won’t be able to cope. I am crying just thinking about her.
We need to remember the wonderful times we have had with them. No judgements, no bad words from them, just love.
My cat will get neutered on the 27th, for now he has had a first vaccine and a microchip. My surgery is on the 28th so my other half will have to nurse both of us! I told him timing was not great but he thinks we can manage…
Apart from that I had a call from my genetic consultant yesterday, telling me the lab could not find my test. I have to do another one, which means I won’t get results this week but well after my surgery! Right now I have just shut my work laptop and will start packing for We Out Here festival. Let’s see how I can cope with 3 no sleep nights!
I hope you all have a relaxing evening
Take care
Marion x
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Hi @Linda_Corinne sorry to hear you have joined our group and that this is a recurrence for you. I hope you have your dates to start soon. I cold capped with 12 weekly Paclitaxel and lost two small patches above my ears with some shedding. It was successful for me but others on the same regimen lost more. www.coldcap.com is always a good place to check out what is possible, you can check your chemo drug and the likely success rate as well as up to date information about increase in hair growth after cold capping. Are you having Sciencus for your home chemo, they come to me for my Herceptin injections. I’m at Velindre in Cardiff but it’s apparently cheaper for me to receive my treatment at home with a private company than drive 30 miles to Cardiff. Are you in Bristol? I’m just across the River Severn.
@salbert Fingers crossed for your results. I’m so sorry to hear about your cat, it’s not been a great year for you. Hopefully a new dog or cat will come into your life soon.
@helsbels2 I have a MUGA every 4 months and yes I would chase. I had to chase my Lymphoedema clinic and annual mammogram as the referral had gone missing. There are treating so many of us, it’s so easy to be missed. We all need to advocate for ourselves, I hope by chasing my ‘missed’ appointments I may have helped others missed of the list that month.
@norts wishing you luck with your radiotherapy. I would say to moisturise a lot. Your team will advise when and how. I used a product from Radiaderm which I won via Dr Liz O’Riordan on Instagram. It was a two part gel and cream, I had no redness or burning. Others have used Aveeno etc. My team said to use what works for you and not try something new just for radiotherapy as a red rash could be an allergy. Radiotherapy can be tiring so just be kind to yourself and rest when you need it.
Oh nearly forgot to say. My annual mammogram was clear 
Take care all 
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I’m not sure yet but I think the 1st 2 herceptin will be in hospital and the rest at home although I have been told the cold cap is better in hospital but then that’s not the case. No I’m in Devon but told by Bupa to go to Bristol. Thanks I’ll have a look at the link.x
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Wow that’s a trip from Devon to Bristol, I thought I had it bad travelling to Cardiff. If the cold cap machine is a Paxman I wonder how it could be different to hospital, unless they use another machine for home use.
Let us know how you get on.
@salbert
I’m so sorry to hear of your loss Salbert. Pets are such a great comfort and companion for so many of us throughout our lives, inevitable that we will loose them but we don’t preempt the sadness until the time . Sending lots of hugs 
@naughty_boob thx and what actually is a MUGA and do the NHS offer them as well ?
My 15 days of radiotherapy went ok . 10 days after and the treated points feel very red itchy and prickly. Thank goodness they gave me medi honey as it’s so soothing . Also moisturising the area at lest x2 per day. Lungs feeling a little tight now but I expected it due to close proximity of my treatment . I’m sure I’ll start to recover in the weeks to come. Good luck with yours . Phesgo number 9/18 today; it sure is a slow process !
@marionse25
Good for you , shut the laptop and get to that festival - enjoy 
Just keep swimming ladies xx
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A MUGA scan uses radiation (its get injected into your blood stream) to access your heart function.
I found this for the RUH in Bath. Yes I have it on the NHS, some people get offered an Echocardiogram which uses ultrasound to assess the heart.
You lovely lot. What beautiful messages from you all. Thank you. It means so much to me. I just think this group is the most supportive and friendly place and I think everyone should have one, not just us special HER2 Crew.
@bigpickle That’s heartbreaking. I’m so sorry. Big hug back. Yes, they are part of the family and it hurts like hell.
@pennyp You also have elderly cats. They are just wonderful creatures, aren’t they. Such wonderful companions and little characters and the love they give makes the pain of losing them worth it.
@entropy This is so lovely to hear about all our pets and how much they are helping us through. Give your boy an extra squeeze from me for being such a great dog for you through this time. They really do help, don’t they.
@norts Thank you. Good luck with the radiotherapy. Please let us know how you go with it. Cheering you on. Well done on the gym thing. I’m in awe!! 
@marionse25 Thanks. I got your hug and am hugging you back. Well done on being adopted by a cat. I love that they are so independent and that we are the ones feeding them but that they are the ones who make the decision as to whether they shall live with us!! Mine used to frequently find second homes. So rude! It seems that even though you had plans for no more pets, the Universe had other plans for you. Gutted that your test results have gone missing. Get to that festival, dance your head off and don’t think about it for the weekend.
@naughty_boob Thanks for the good wishes for today’s results. I’ll keep you posted. I have a feeling that a dog or cat will find its way to us somehow. I’ve never been without an animal and the house isn’t right. ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC TO HEAR YOUR ANNUAL MAMMOGRAM WAS CLEAR!!! 
@Linda_Corinne I hope that trip isn’t too long for you. I guess Devon is a big county so I hope you are the Bristol side. My cousin has just offered us a few days in Brixham at her cottage as it is available. I’m thinking I would be crazy not to take her up on the offer as it’s August!!
@helsbels2 Thank you so much for your hug. It means so much to have such understanding and sympathy over losing a fur baby. I’m going to order a lovely canvas of him later today. He deserves a place on the wall to honour his magnificence and fabulousness. Thanks for the update on radiotherapy. I’m interested to know what to expect. Medi honey is one for the list then. ‘Keep swimming, ladies’. I love that!
Whatever my pathology results are at 1:30pm today, I’m determined to be cool and accepting and grateful for everything. I’ll let you all know.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
Salbert
xxx
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Hi norts, just done my final 19th radiotherapy today including 4 boosters. In my case I was ok and going to the gym for the first 3 weeks. Have been too knackered to contemplate it this week though, the final week it seems to have hit me, boob more itchy - for which they give hydrocortisone cream. They seemed to think my skin is not in too bad a condition though - been using Biafine ( French cream, specifically for RT, off Amazon for about £15, which has lasted beyond treatment, plenty left still).
Aim to arrive on time, but its pretty pointless being early as there is often a wait.
I went off on one when they wanted to cancel an appointment this week and make me come in next Monday instead of finishing today. I told them in that case that I wouldn’t be in Monday and lets just drop the last one, and I ment it. You gear yourself up for the end as you approach it, plus I’m having a meal out with friends tonight to celebrate- which would of been hollow if I had to go back still. They gave me an appointment rather than have me not turn up. Feels like I wouldn’t have another week in me, so its finished just as Im feeling at the end of my teather with it.
Quite spaced out and woosy today.
The boosts can take a bit longer as they assess pictures each time of clips that the surgeon leaves in to mark where the tumour was, if had a lumpectomy.
Its doable, it doesn’t seem like much, until the final week where resilience wanes.
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Well done @entropy, you’ve done it!! Woohoo!
As for me, there was no residual cancer and it’s all out. I can hardly believe it. 
Katherine Krupa is an angel on earth, I swear.
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By the way, my boob currently looks like a deflated football as they haven’t put much saline in yet. If you’d told me a year ago that I would be typing that sentence and yet feel so elated, I would have told you where to go!
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Wonderful news.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
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@salbert Such wonderful news after all you have been through. Is the champagne being cracked open tonight? 
As far as your deflated football, I’m sure you’ll let us know its progress. Will it be all ball sizes or maybe fruit?
I’m sure in some way you will make us laugh. Thank you for that, always lovely to read your messages.
Brixham sounds just the ticket!
@entropy Well done for pushing back at them and getting your last radiotherapy in on time. I totally agree that you mentally set yourself up for finishing and to change the last one is unbearable. I had a similar thing with my one of my chemotherapy sessions and threatened not to have it because they wanted me to travel over 50 miles away and we didn’t have anyone to look after the dog. They suggested I get a taxi and my husband stay at home, thanks sitting in a strangers car for 1 1/2 hours each way no thanks. They eventually found a space! I know they are busy but sometimes you do feel like a number not a person.
Take care all
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@salbert That’s fantastic news. I’m so pleased for you.
@entropy Understand your situation completely. It’s so hard to cope with changes and uncertainties. There’s so much mental and emotional preparation for each treatment.
Well I’m 2 down out of 20 radiotherapy sessions. Moisturising like crazy and drinking lots of water. Not sure how the boost will work for me as my surgery came first so no markers. Maybe they just aim for the huge scar🤣
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Hi @salbert that is fantastic news I am so happy for you! It deserves a nice bottle of Champagne for sure!
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Glad they got it all, does that mean no radiotherapy? Fantastic news, hope your boob gets satisfactorily reinflated soon.
Thanks for the congratulations, its nice to know I wont be back. They asked me if I wanted to ring the bell, I said " no thanks, it’s not my style." Gave a thank you card and chocolates to the nice ladies on reception as they were lovely. Radiographers are hit and miss IME. Actually, the male ones were better at getting the right position for treatment by tweaking the body, whereas some of the younger inexperienced women seem to think that pushing your boob down and to the side causing pain like some mammograms do, is going to be effective, when unsurprisingly it doesn’t work, because they don’t defy gravity, they are fully attached to me and I’m not made of plasticine. Boobs rest where they rest depending on how one’s body is reclined.
Having radio makes you feel tender like when premenstrual, last thing you want is being fruitlessly manhandled.
Lol, thats me offloaded, time to put the experience in a box and move on with life.
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Thats great news @salbert what a relief! Keep going strong.
Well done @entropy for finishing radio, i shall bear on mind what you have said about positioning etc. in mind when i get to that after surgery. I’m hoping that i will only need five sessions, although it may be 15, especially as its quite a long way to go.
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@naughtyboob
Thanks for the info on MUGU , my oncologist must be on holiday as I’ve not had a peep since b4 radiotherapy started. I hate the bits in the middle where you are left hanging . My BC nurse did I should have an apt or contact in 6-8 wks.
@salbert oh my , that’s absolutely brilliant news, I’m so happy for you 
you certainly deserve a holiday after the past 9mths . Hey wouldn’t i5 be great to have boobs we could just pump up and down pending on what we are doing, maybe this is as near to it as we will get.
@entropy
What a lovely feeling it is when you complete another element of this journey that just keeps giving, I hope you’ll feel ok to spoil yourself. You did make me laugh as my experience was similar when a newbie tried to move me in a similar way 
Good luck with your radiotherapy ladies. I was initially due to have 5 but when the radiotherapy team looked at my initial scans again they identified a couple of additional areas worth blitzing so I too had 15 . I was pleased they’d checked those early scans again.
I’m now 9 days post radiotherapy and my areas of lazered skin look like the surface to the moon but I’m sure it’ll heal in the coming weeks.
Why is it that when you can’t do something you really miss it ! I really want to get into the water for a swim .
Happy weekend all x
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Thanks, my friends, for all your lovely congratulatory messages. My next door neighbour gave me a bottle of pink Moet Chandon which we had with dinner last night and I found myself giggling uncontrollably at things I wouldn’t normally laugh THAT much about and also confessing on Facebook that Richard Madeley is my ‘shouldn’t but would’. (I know…I need help…)
It really does feel good to have another major stage ticked off. Thanks for all the info on radiotherapy. I’m told mine will start in early October. Good to know what to expect.
There seems to be quite a lot of room in my deflated football at the moment but I’m told it all tightens up and shrinks again with the radiotherapy so I guess I had best get ordering some of these cream recommendations that you have kindly shared on here. Or I’ll end up with a shrivelled pomegranate.
Happy Monday, my friends.
Salbert
xx
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