@naughty_boob Thank you ! I went to a festival and forgot all about cancer for a couple of days .
A friend of mine currently having chemo has one that says
When I said I wanted killer boobs , this ISNT what I meant !
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Morning!
@arty1 Thatās great that you are seeing a good consultant who fills you with confidence. It makes all the difference. My implant is really pleasing. Itās a Motiva tissue expander and looks and feels very realistic. I am getting my first saline pump up this Friday. I have also had a fairly hefty pair all my life which is why I am getting a lift on the other side or I would be decidedly lopsided! I got my husband to cop a feel the night before last as I was so impressed at how similar the implant one felt compared to the real one. My hair is growing back fast and wavy (and dark) and so are my eyebrows and eyelashes so itās a really good time, literally seeing your body repair and in some ways, improve.
Well done on your birthday fundraiser and Happy Birthday for last week. What a brilliant thing to do. I want to find out how to hold the tea party fundraiser as it would be good to invite lots of the people in my village who have been incredible friends over this time and raise some money for Breast Cancer Now who I cannot imagine this journey without. Love the ākiller boobsā T-shirt slogan. I hadnāt seen that one but I might have to get one. It raises awareness and raises a smile and we need all the smiles and laughter we can get on this journey.
@naughty_boob YES! MASSES of hairspray. Wella Shockwaves Hard Rock Hairspray in the purple can. Couldnāt be without it. Not sure where I saw that T-shirt but it made me laugh. I hope some money does go to BC charity.
Hi @jeml I was told to do my Filgrastim injections the following day after EC chemo. I didnāt get given them during my Paclitaxel. I know breast care teams operate differently from one health authority/ hospital to the next but definitely check with your team. One of the best bits of advice I was given is to advocate for yourself (Thanks @naughty_boob!) and I will make sure I do that for the rest of my life. I was always so accepting and trusting when it came to anything medical but have become more questioning.
I have to go into the office shortly. It will be the first time everyone has seen me with uber-short hair. Some of the computer whizzes are lacking in social filters so I can rely on them to be brutally honest about it. 
Everyone says it suits me but I trust that lot to actually let me know if itās true!
To everyone having surgery this week or recovering, and to everyone doing chemoā¦YOUāVE GOT THIS! You are strong, you are doing it and you are getting there.
Love Salbert
xx
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Hi all
@jeml i had filgastrim injections the next day after treatment, side effects such as achey bones came about a week later.
@arty1 great idea to raise money for Breast cancer now after all this forum and thecharity have done for us. I couldnt have managed without this for support. I have been on a !acMillan fundraising committee for years, but will definitely be adding this one to my fundraising activities in the future.
@salbert great to hear your life is getting back to normal, although iām not sure our lives will be entirely the same again. Its great you are getting some hair snd eyelashes back. I have some grey fluff growing at the moment, was only slightly grey before. I kmow you are only a few weeks ahead of me so it very encouraging. Dr
I am a week out from op (both sides) and havenāt been in much pain. Iāve had the Pico dressings taken off, so thats good, they were a bit tight, but they are supposed to be firm. Iā m a bit more sore now as had to walk backwards and forwards round the hospital from the breast unit to oncology for Phesgo which are at opposite ends of hospital , plus went for a coffee in between. Anyway i now have two new multicoloured boobs, with well healing scars. Its s lot to go through to get an uplift tho. My follow up appointment is Friday 13th! Wish me luck.
Penny
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Hi All
I hope you are all going ok. Sorry for not mentioning your indvividual names, lack of sleep is affecting me badly!
A short update after my DMX and snlb last Wednesday. Being flat feels ok but letās see how I feel when my big plaster is removed on the 12th.
I am still in a lot of pain and my strong painkillers have not helped. Luckily I have a high pain treshold. I canāt imagine what the pain would have been if I had accepted a diep flap using both my belly and inner thighsā¦ sleeping on my back is tough even with a wedge and a v shaped pillow. If I move slightly it is a big ouuucchhh. My surgeon does not use drains so I am wondering if this could cause additional pain?
Otherwise I am still waiting for my genetic test results after the first ones were lost. That may change my radiotherapy plans.
Seeing my onco on Friday, there is a tiny chance my surgery results will be there, if not I will get them when I see my surgeon on the 12th.
I really hope No cancer cells are found and I stay on phesgo!
Have a relaxing rest of the day
Take care
Marion xx
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Oh dear @marionse25 so sorry you are in a lot of pain. I sympathise with the lack of sleep thing, i canāt think straight without sleep. Ive had a few bad nights, but not directly becsuse of surgery, mainly because of restless legs, aching knees and tingling feet all driving me mad! Iām trying magnesium spray for legs, but it stays sticky, ick. Its difficult sleeping on back all the time, but have V pillow and made a sort of nest around me. It does feel better with the big dressings off. Hope results are good, fingers crossed 
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Yes me too - started the evening after chemo then every night for the next 5 days.
Iām so glad your implant is working for you , and hair growing back too ! It feels good to start reclaim āyouā again .
In the short time Iāve been on this forum itās been a lifesaver , itās awful that there are so many of us if you get my drift , but Iām so glad not to be alone .
Today was actually a bit shit 
Iāve so many serious health problems that my surgeon (who was lovely ) doesnāt feel she wants to risk an immediate implant due to the risks of me having an anaesthetic. She feels itās better if I spend as little time as possible on the table .
She said sheād be happy to attempt lumpectomy but this would mean radiotherapy afterwards , which she isnāt happy for me to have with my heart issues (left breast) and she couldnāt guarantee I wouldnt ultimately end up with a mastectomy due to the extent of the cancerous areas . She has put me on the list for a simple mastectomy but is emailing my cardiologist to ask his thoughts on everything .
I came home and had a big cry , I feel more upset than I thought I would surgery wonāt be for at least 4 weeks so that takes it to 9 weeks from diagnosis
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@marionse25 That sounds rotten , Iām so sorry you are in so much pain, can they give you anything else pain wise ?
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Hi @arty1
Sorry you have had a shit day. I am also sorry that reconstruction would be risky.
9 weeks from diagnostic to surgery is not bad. I waited 11 weeks to start chemo after diagnostic. My onco sat on my MRI results for a month and then called me late on a Thursday to say I am starting chemo on Monday! I have a better onco now as I could not cope with lateness, rushed decisions and last minute changes of mind.
Implants were not an option for me and I did not want a diep flap which would have been a good 10 hour operation using tummy and thighs. The thought of a very long recovery, more scars and potentially more surgery put me off. I joined Flat Friends and support has been amazing. I must say it feels a bit surreal to go from 34E to nothing but i donāt hate my new body. Not yet! And I am happy to have symmetry and the cancer out.
Not sure that my cardio would have said ok to recon. My dmx already took close to 4 hours.
I spoke to my lovely BCN yesterday and I wonāt be able to get more painkillers. Oxycodone is apparently very strong so unless pain gets worse it is a wait and see situation.
On top of that I am now getting night hot flushes! Chemo put me in menopause and I am starting to feel it already. Life is unfair isnāt it!
Otherwise I am getting bored. I managed to continue working full time through chemo so being off waiting for recovery is tough. I am told I will feel much better when my big plasters are removed. Only one week to go!
My advice while tou are waiting for your operation is to get ready (get a V shaped pillow etc) and more importantly take a few days off with a change of scenery. I went to Brussels a week before my op, one of my fave cities, and it was a real treat.
i hope you have a kinder rest of the week.
Big hugs
Marion
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Thank you @pennyp
I sympathise with the tingling too. I had some all day yesterday, left arm and hand, coming out of nowhere.
I canāt wait to soak in an epsom salt bath as it usually helps a bit. Where do you get your mg spray from?
Take care
Marion x
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11 weeks ! Flippin heck ā¦ thatās a wait , they keep reassuring me itās not a worry but my left boob is so swollen and painful . Iām sorry you werenāt suitable for a reconstruction either , it is such a huge surgery though .
Menopause symptoms added into the mix just feel like the final Insult donāt they 
Iāve bought a v shaped pillow already and the hospital gave me a goody bag donated by the local breast cancer support group , there was a lovely soft knitted cushion in there , sherbets, herbal teas, hand cream and a journal x
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@marionse25 can you do a Netflix binge ?
Make yourself comfy on the sofa with biscuits and Netflix , or some good books , you deserve to just rest and your body needs it x
Iād love to go away but schools are back now so I canāt go away in the week and we run an events business so we are fully booked every weekend .
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Hello
@pennyp Really pleased to hear that you arenāt in too much pain. Itās great to get the Pico dressings off, isnāt it.
@marionse25 Youāve had such a crap time of it. It really has been one thing after another. Perhaps you are right that it hurts more without a drain. It kind of makes sense. My histopathology results came back quickly at Sutton Marsden. Let us know what they say when they come. I see my radiotherapy oncologist for the first time on Friday so I will learn what my timetable is for that. Are you going to be at Sutton this Friday?
@arty1 I love your profile pic! Itās surprising how many of us HER2+ women there are, but reassuring in a way too. Strength in numbers, kind of thing. Also I have learned how many of us are treated very successfully. We have really great statistics. Iām so sorry to hear of all the health problems that will affect your treatment. That must be so worrying and distressing too. Iām sure everyone who has had one on here, will tell you that a mastectomy is quite straightforward as far as the op is concerned. I think the hardest bit is the psychological aspect of it all. I would say that going straight for a mastectomy is the best option. Itās awful to keep having to go back for another op when it could have been done the first time.
I think that itās essential to have as much stuff booked in as we can to keep us from getting down. Netflix, day trips, biscuits, whatever it might be, distraction is a good weapon against the mental torment of waiting and we sure do a lot of that! I have booked loads of stuff for October now that my energy is returning, only to remember that it will be my radiotherapy month. Ah wellā¦one day at a time. Iām back to drama teaching this Saturday but only for the morning. Iām not sure if Iām quite mad or whether it will give me an energy injection. My kids are so lovely that I tend to leave on a high. Iāll let you know Saturday afternoon! 
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I think itās nice to put a face to the name ! Iāve been very open publicly about my breast cancer diagnosis as I didnāt want it to be a ā secretā and by sharing , Iām hoping to make more women aware of breast cancer , as I never felt a lump and it was pain I felt , which they say is less likely to be cancer but not in my case .
I was gobsmacked by just how many of my colleagues in my industry came forward and told me theyād had breast cancer , it really drives home how common it is
Iām an ex surgical nurse but my day job now is that I do high end face and body art so Iām not short of body painting friends eager to paint my one boob and scar into something beautiful when the time is right , if I feel brave enough !
Weāve talked of doing a calender of body painted breast cancer survivors to raise money for Breast Cancer Now , obviously when Iām up to it treatment wise
Iām sat here now watching my phone for a pre op appointment to appear or hoping theyāll ring with a date ā¦ ughh the constant waiting 
Donāt discount your October plans , my dad had radiotherapy last year for his lung cancer and despite having more health problems than you can shake a stick at plus being in his late seventies , he still managed at home , did his shopping and drove to visit his sister three hours away !
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Hey ladies! Hope you are all as well as you can be.
Had my third round today! 
half way markā¦ 3 out of 6 complete so i feel like today is a big milestone.
Just back home now, decided not to cold capp from this round because it started to come out anyway! Got a proper boy cut atm so expecting it all to come off soon. Got some lovely real human hair wigs though that as given me confidence again. Hope everyone is managing with there treatment. Jemma 
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Hi @arty1
That is early planning well done!
I didnāt get a goody bag from hospital but ordered one from Little Lifts thanks to @naughty_boob
I am so tired that I have no energy for books or watching anything. I am keeping an eye on my cat who was neutered on Monday. He is a wild cat that adopted us a couple of months ago. We have been feeding him for years and were losing hope. My husband was about to call a rescue center to find him a home. Then all of a sudden he decided to stay with us, day and night!
Last night he managed to escape the house with his cone. God knows how he opened the kitchen window. He is keeping me busy for sure.
hi @salbert
You are right that I have had a tough ride. I am going to London on Friday. My onco thinks he may have my results, provided they go to the MDT meeting in the morning, otherwise my surgeon will share on the 12. i also have to go on Friday 13 for phesgo.
Time is going to fly as I am due back to work on Monday 30.
I received lovely flowers from work this pm, that got me out of bed! A lot going on at work I just hope they wonāt make more reductions in my team.
I hope you all have a relaxing evening
Big hugs
Marion
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Hi all
Hi @arty1 its always the waiting for things to hsppen tjat is the worst part. I hsf a goody bsg from hodpitsl with all sorts of useful things in, including a heart shaped cushion that iām using now under arm after op, mskrs it a bit more comfy. Also have a lovely knitted patchwork blanket that the cat is currently appreciating. I like the sound of the body art calender.
@marionse25 are you able to tske ibuprofen, i donāt normally take them but did on first day after surgery and it helped, now just tsking paracetamol. The magnesium spray i think i got from Amazon - Magnesium oil body spray by Better You, it does stay tacky though. Hope you feel bettrr soon.
Penny
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Iām so sorry to hear you are in pain. Oxycodone is quite strong, it made me very fuzzy headed but itās also blocked me up 
. Had to have lactulose to help me go to the loo. I hope the pain gets better soon.
I also love Epsom Salts and sometimes add blended essential oils (nighttime lavender clary sage and chamomile).
Be kind to yourself, binge watch some TV, watch a film (previous foot operation I was given a box set of Elvis films) or read.
Hi Everyone
Iām having my surgery today a mastectomy and Axillary node clearance.
Terrified and looking for some of you to support and cheer me on!
It has been a difficult journey from unexpected mastectomy decision last minute in the treatment plan when I was expecting a lumpectomy.
I got second opinions,ā¦the hospital forgot to do some blood tests and my op was cancelled and i was also cancelled on the evening of my operation which was hugely distressing.
It is over 3 months since I finished chemo and I was getting increasingly worried as I am not receiving any cancer treatment whatsoever and I started experiencing new and progressive symptoms in my breast and axilla region.
I had to fight for my operation date through my doctor as it would have been many weeks down the line.
On the bus home last night 8pm I picked up the free paper and it says that Elle Macpherson had breast cancer 7 years ago Hertz2 * and refused mastectomy chemotherapy and radiotherapy advised by 32 doctorsā¦well it has been difficult to get here for me with this decision and to see that on the eve of my op was is confusing.
This is very controversial and may influence many women I think this story will blow up.
It just makes it a little harder for people including me and may make you question your decisionā¦I was wondering what are your thoughts?
Best wishes and virtual hugs to anyone having surgery today im with you,
Lots love,
ChakaKhan Xx
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