I think you may have already said you are using it but Vicks vapour rub is excellent for rubbing over the area where you have lost your nail. The wonderful facilitator on the look Good Feel Better hands and nail course recommended it. The camphor helps to prevent infection. If you do get an infection speak to your team or GP as you will may need antibiotics.
@fluffy888 thanks love. Hope you do talk to someone how you are feeling. When i started to get replies on here i mentioned to my hubby how i was feeling. He doesnāt want me to bottle things up but i dont want to bring him down. Everyone says youāre nearly there youve beaten it. Well i hope so but ia lot to deal with. You can always come on here to chat i think we all agree it helps. Glad youāre almost at the end of radio. Have you spoke to anyone about your arm? I will probably go for more support after xmas with macmilian counselling. Sending hugs 
@naughty_boob yes ive got vapour rub. Even though its not too sore im putting on where the nail came off. Thanks 
I totally relate to what you lovely ladies are saying. I finished chemo last week and start radio on Monday. Having a week off has left me an emotional wreck. I had a dentist appointment last week and could feel myself welling up when I had to mention my cancer.
Itās good to hear everyone progressing through their journeys.
@debi1 hope your nails improve soon and hope youāre feeling better - this journey is a real rollercoaster of emotions. Good that youāll get your radiotherapy finished by Christmas, Iām hoping mine will be too. Just waiting for the phone call for planning and dates.
@idcand49 hope your hair cut goes ok. Iām getting mine done next week. Iāve kept approx 40% of mine with cold cap but itās very thin so hoping if I have some length cut off it will look better.
@pipspops hope your radio is going ok. Are you having 3 weeks of 5 a week. Iām hoping I can get mine started soon to get it done by Christmas - not sure if they do it Christmas week though so hoping that doesnāt cause any delays.
@fluffy888 hope youāre feeling better. Think we all have times of feeling down, weāve all been through a lot. Think itās good to talk to a counsellor, Iām going to try MacMillan. Sometimes itās easier than talking to friends and family.
Hope everyone is having a good week x
Thanks @angieb1 both thumb nails are off but not as bad as i thought. Nails underneath have already grown half way and l think my other nails might just survive if i keep cutting the crap bit off the top.
Im feeling a lot better now Iāve started treatment again. Maybe it is that time in-between treatment that makes us feel down. Was absolutely brilliant having the free minibus to catch to the hospital xxx
Hope everyone is doing ok xxxx
Hi all
Its great so many of you- mist of us by the sounds of it- are moving onto radiotherapy.
My treatment plan (typical triple negative) was chemo with immunotherapy then surgery then radiotherapy then more immunotherapy.
I had a terrible weekend with diarrhea- because it was raining and i didnt go out much, I just put up with it until Sunday night when it was bad, bad.
So i phoned Monday and was told to get there within an hour. I was given steroids. Then booked in for an endoscopy that afternoon! Absolutely brilliant service.
End result is that Iām now on extra steroids for 6 weeks, my last chemo is delayed by a week and i canāt have immunotherapy.
Iām not sure what to thinkā¦Iām sort of relieved i donāt have to (hopefully) have such a bad stomach again. But also a bit concerned about missing the rest of my immunotherapy.
I thought Iād mention it in case anyone knows of anyone having similar experiences- there are solutions.
Has anyone booked a facial and been asked for a letter from their team for permission? Just wondering- I donāt want to be treated like a pariah if i walk in asking for an appointmentā¦
Xx.
Hi everyone. 
Iām nearly a week post chemo. Starting to feel a bit better after chemo and feeling quite well physically but NOW worrying about inhibitors and zoladex and verzinio side effects. So can only empathise with how everyone is feeling.
My radio planning isnāt till 18/12. Just been reading my consent form and they donāt start radio till at least 3 weeks after chemo at my hospital trust (they state due to side effects of chemo).
Iāve been off since end of May since my surgery so going to chill and look after myself till after Xmas and think about going back to work after radio so probably February. Although would like to go back now some days just to get back to normality! Feel very lucky Iām still getting paid and have a supportive team at work. Thinking about some kind of phased return in Feb. Xx
Thanks to everyone whoās keeping in touch - helps so much to know our journey is continuing! Xx
Ah glad youāve had great service @cf640 - no havenāt been thought about a facial but would assume it wouldnāt be too much of an issue after a few weeks have passed after chemo? I was thinking about one of these head spas Iāve seen on insta (once my hair has stopped coming out post chemo!)
PS - Just wondered how everyone who had radio or having radio is doing?
@idcand49 i know you finished yours a little while back and prob others? Xx
Xxx
@angieb1
I too think I have kept about 40% ish? With the weekly taxol and fortnightly dose dense EC.
My Thinning around parting is now evident. But still have a full covering on my head (just) and have bought a topper from Amazon.
Washing it twice a week is traumatic as still comes out but using the hair fibres (toppix) with good effect on parting. Iām hoping after three weeks (this is what we were told on the hair course that hair has a 21 day cycle) post chemo it becomes less and less. Would be cruel if it all goes now 
Xxx
Pleased youāre feeling better. I think it does help to get on with the treatment. Iām starting to get anxious as I canāt get any dates from my team and panicking itās going to be delayed until after Christmas.
Good that you have a free minibus to hospital - guessing the radiotherapy will be pretty tiring so good that you donāt have to drive. x
Hope the hair loss stops soon for you. I also have quite a lot of thinning around the parting. Have you found the toppers help? I wasnāt sure if they would stay in if they need to be clipped onto my thin hair. x
Morning all
@fluffy888 hope today is a better day for you. But I know what you mean. I remember telling my husband right after my diagnosis how lonely I felt - and itās an odd feeling as I have tons of people around me. My husband , 3 teens, family , friends ā¦ I still canāt shake it off but I have found it has become a bit less so
@debi1 i think itās āhoorayā for the nails coming off?? 
in all seriousness hope it stops hurting
@cf640 I spent the rainy weekend at home too on the sofa. I havenāt stopped working but Iām going into the office more & I am beat. I feel a cloud of fatigue constantly. Howās your immunotherapy given ? I donāt think we are prepped on post chemo treatment v well tbh. Iām day 3 of Letrozole & woke up yesterday achy like mild flu
Iām tired of navigating side effects
As for a facial, I say go for it. Havenāt heard otherwise ā¦ it will be a treat ! X
@kerrylou1 yes I completed my 19 radio sessions (4 were boosts) and it did tire me out
Also my shoulder is really stiff and getting nerve pains & my onco said it can damage the scar tissue so sheās referred me to a PT. I canāt do certain moves at the gym but guess itās a excuse to take it easy 
My hair still sheds when I wash it (still on twice a week) but my consolation is Iām not doing chemo so it must slow down soon 
Thatās hard @idcand49 to be working through treatment!! I couldnāt manage that. How do/did you fit in all your appointments?
Immunotherapy was an infusion and has lots of potential side effects. The chemicals our poor bodies have to deal with are scary.
I donāt know what post surgery drug options i have now.
My hair is still falling out. I have hardly any left. I keep wondering about getting it shaved off but the thought of showing my head to anyone is putting me off xx
@debi1 I mentioned how painful it was whilst having chemo to the nurses and Oncologist and she said it would get better with time but I didnāt have the indentations in my arm then and itās definitely got more painful. It was just one vein a but Iāve now noticed itās split off and itās 2 going up my arm in a Y shape from my wrist. Iām back in January to discuss Tamoxifen so Iāll mention it then.
@angieb1 @idcand49 I think this year has made me realise where I am on peopleās list of priorities and unfortunately Iām not very high up on some and itās quite upsetting. Itās the end of my treatment tomorrow and my partner hasnāt been to one apt since January and hasnāt even mentioned coming tomorrow or doing anything nice because itās all finished. Canāt even explain how itās made me feel. I honestly think it wouldāve been easier on my own because then thereās no let down or hurt. Maybe itās my fault and I shouldnāt have expected anything. Sorry if I seem like Iām complaining. Sometimes I just get on with it and then other times I just canāt get my head around it all. I definitely need to talk to someone about it all. Itās just getting it all started.
Hope everyone is well today and doing ok with their treatment. xx
Iāve not visited this forum for a few days but wish I had.
I have felt sooo low and fatigued since finishing chemo and it has shocked me tbh. But obviously Iām not alone, and should have checked in with you lovely lot 
. I have given myself this week āoffā and tried to be kind to myself, Iām not good at not doing much but the fatigue hasnāt given me a choice 
I too have cording, Iām going to look if there are exercises to help.
For you ladies mentioning their hair, I have been using Nioxin shampoo & conditioner and my hair is really thickening and growing although I did cold cap.
@fluffy888
Sending love, I think we are all finding it tough in some way at the moment and beat ourselves up about it! Try and talk to your partner about how you feel, I have reached out to MacMillan a few times and they really helped as did BCN. I also find a really good cry makes me feel better, get rid of those toxins 
Sending hugs to all xx
Sorry youāve not had good support, that must be so hard especially if your partner isnāt supporting you. I live alone but Iām lucky to have some good friends, 2 of them have been my rocks throughout this.
I do think talking to MacMillan or one of the other cancer charities will help you a lot. You can do live chat online first and get some advice if you donāt feel up to speaking to anyone straight away.
This is really tough to go through and you need people supporting you and being there for you. Sending you big hugs xx
Would you contact your physio again?
My cording wasnāt visible but was bloomin painful and was under the muscle in my arm. The physio plus yoga helped it wonderfully. Also I found massaging it gently every night did seem to help as well with a massage balm.
I also googled cording release techniques (from an NHS trust not just google ones 
) which really helped me too x
I agree itās bloomin painful - I contacted my BCN again for a referral to the physio. X
I will if it got worse but it mainly hurts to touch so not bothering me too much atm. Hope you get yours sorted physio sorted my in 2 visits she was brilliant xx
Ah sorry @debi1 thought yours was troubling you . Xxxx
Yes mine got sorted with physio and yoga but took a few months whilst on chemoā¦ my arm also did hurt to touch but sorted now . Keeping going the exercises though ready for radio .
Xx
