Side effects havent been too bad tbh. I feel like my left side has been sunburnt but i have been washing with aqueous cream and applying moo goo moisturiser and aloe vera gel religiously. Seems to have kept it calm enough. I finished last week friday, they said itll get worse over the course of the next 2 weeks (fatigue and redness) but if anything i feel better than i did whilst having it. But i feel like ive just jinxed myself now 
Xxxx
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@zaran Hopefully not 
Good to hear it wasnāt too bad and hope you continue to feel ok. Think I need to get some Moo goo moisturiser, Iāve heard a lot of people recommending it. xx
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Morning ladies. Hope all are well. @cf640 ive 7 more radio sessions l finish on the 17th. @zaran Omg. Looks like you have a sense of humour similar to mine. You beautiful bald boiled potato. 
sooo funny 
. Bless him. You are right. People ive met in waiting room are definitely not shy. Its good chatting tbh. I think people talk about things that they wouldnāt necessarily talk to family about. The thing about talking to strangers who are going through the same thing is easier. Well look ad us lot. Donāt think any of us feel like strangers anymore though. 
@angieb1 ive no side affects so far after 8 sessions Iām putting E45 lotion on 3 times a day. Xxx
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@debi1 Youāre right, this group doesnāt feel like strangers any more. Itās been my little safe haven to come to for advice and to hear how everyone else is getting through this journey on good days and bad. 
Pleased youāre over half way through your radiotherapy with no side effects. Thatās so good to hear. Iāll get some E45 to add to my lotions and potions 
xx
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Hi ladies
I have my radio planning scan tomorrow at 8am 
. Means me leaving the house at like 7am.
They said I should start on the 30th x
Hope everyoneās elseās radio is going/gone well xx
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@kerrylou1 How did it go? That was an early start
Hope your appts arenāt always at 8 
Iām having post radio shoulder / arms pains but onoc has referred me to the physio & already have a appt
It was meant to be this week but that bisphosphonate floored me
I havenāt experienced that muscle / bone pain since I had swine flu like 15 yrs ago
Ugh
Anyways Iām on the mend and normal life resumes. Y13 parents evening this week & think I am getting a ticket for getting stuck in the yellow box this morning
Life really just carries on
Hope everyone is well & looking forward to Xmas
No more hospital appts for me til 2 Jan
Happy days
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Well I was all positioned - arms in the holders and boobs out (under a covering) and the machine broke down so had to get dressed and wait. After a short wait all was well although am tired now . Didnāt like the tattooing thing though - the centre one bloomin hurt! But over it now .
Yes life goes on doesnāt it - I had a
Parents evening last week.
Hope the physio helps @idcand4!!
Have my 2nd zoladex next week then radio starts on the 27th or 30th with New Yearās Day off 
How many radio sessions will you need ?
So glad itās AFTER Xmas you start
You can enjoy just being at home
Canāt believe the machine broke lol - gotta love an NHS machine
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I have my 15 sessions booked in - mostly at 9am - I asked for early sessions where possible @idcand49 after you suggested!
Yes the lasers wouldnāt work so they turned it off and on 4 times and it sprang back to life!
I finished chemo todayā¦ had my last EC. That is 16 sessions over 6 months. I feel sick as a dog, but I know it will pass in 5/6 days. Then I can celebrate Christmas.
@cf640 and @booklover1 - my TNBC friends, I know you are on the same path. @booklover1 we are both having surgery on 9th January! Iām having lumpectomy and full node clearance.
There was no bell at the Royal Marsden but I rang it in my head!! I have lost more hair (not that I had much on EC) I have a few eye lashes holding on!
I have weirdly came out with lots of freckles on my skin, the Dr said people can get a rash or freckles! Anyone else seen an increase in moles/freckles since starting chemo?
Santa- 
please 
can you kindly give me and all my lovely friends hair for Christmas xxx
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@bex1
Yes 
last one done, well done you !
How nice would it be for us all to wake up Christmas morning with hair again 
I have had 9/15 radiotherapy sessions so more than half way now thank goodness.
Well done lovely ladiesā¦ we are getting there š«¶š»
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@bex1 congratulations. Thatās wonderful that you got through all that treatment and dnow you can relax!! Ready for the next onslaughtā¦Iām dreading and also looking forward to my surgery. The idea of losing a whole breast makes me feel nostalgic- those days when I could look at my body and trust itā¦Ill miss feeling whole. Iām having an implant which makes recovery slow in terms of what movements i can do because it needs to mesh onto whatever is left. Itāll be a relief to get the bad cells off though.
And to get the results of whatās been going onā¦i have my results appointment already booked by the hospital. My best friend, ,who has been taking me to all the important appointments is going skiing in January but has arranged her trip around my results appointment- Iām so grateful. I couldnāt take either of my sons- they are embarrassed by the whole breast thing. And nobody else felt suitableā¦i could have asked one of my brothers, I suppose. I just donāt want to go alone in case it is bad news.
Remember everyone when we got our diagnosis? I knew I had three tumours including lymph node before they told me I had cancer. I was devastated. It feels like a life time ago.
I imagine we are all different people now after our experiences of cancer. I certainly am- less accepting of other peopleās nonsense but also, at the same time, I have more time for kind people. I spend more time alone and im really focused on fitness and keeping the house clean- Iām worried about infections and germs. How have you all changed?
,xx
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Hi @cf640 thanks for the reply, surgery is our next step and definitely scary but like you Iām keen to get on with it and get this cancer out. Iām glad you have a friend to support you. On the day of my diagnosis I was alone as I didnāt think it was cancer, why would it be - Iām young, no family history etc. after I found out, I phoned my husband who was on a train into London, he got off the train immediately and got an uber home to meet me. A day I will never forget as we both sobbed and comforted each other.
As for changes in my behaviour- Iām kinder, I appreciate things and people more. I miss my holidays and value them. Iām definitely going to have a better work/life balance. Xx
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Congratulations on finishing your last chemo @bex1 My last one is next Tuesday also at Royal Marsden. The nurses are so lovely. You can relax and enjoy your Christmas now.
I am booked in for a lumpectomy and they are removing a sample of nodes. I know one was affected. Surgeon didnāt want to remove all if them (hospital protocol). She talked me through the reasons but still feel a bit nervous but trying to trust my team.
I havenāt noticed more freckles but I have quite a few alreadyā¦so a few new ones might have appeared without me noticing 
I think chemo makes your skin more sensitive to sunlight although that seems unlikely atm.
Thats lovely that your friend has booked her holiday around your appointment in January @cf640. Hoping you will get the best of news.
I have been cleaning a lot this week too as I know it will be harder next week. Its an uphill battle with the rest of the household :grinning I find I am appreciating kindness in people and sometimes its unexpected like a old friend I usually just send cards at Christmas has been in touch through the last 6 months.
Hope the radiotherapy ladies are doing well. Its amazing that even with the most high tech of equipment turning it off and on again is the answer
I have been recommended rosemary oil for my scalp/ hair regrowth. My scalp is very tender with the shedding and the oil seems to be helping. If I wake up with hair down to my waist I will let you all know
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@bex1 what a milestone
This feels likes Christmas has come early xxx
@bex1 @cf640 I was literally looking back at 20 Feb earlier this week thinking - wow what a year
I was also on my own as the GP thought the lump was hormonal (age 49 & perimenopausal no history)
The first things I uttered was, āBut I donāt have time for this, I have 3 teenagersā 
I didnāt even cry for the first few days
Think it was shock
As for behaviour changes, where do I start?
I definitely have a kinder outlook but also little patience for what I think really doesnāt matter in the grand scheme of things
It has strained some friendships but strengthened others
@cf640 think your friend is wonderful to be with you for your appt 
@booklover1 I giggled at the beam needing turning off and on too
And hooray for last cycle being around the corner
My surgeon was also for radio vs full node removal
I did have a panic last week and asked my radio oncologist if I did the right thing - yes a bit late to ask but sometimes that voice in the head doesnāt go away
He confirmed due to my pathology and age it was fine.
Think this diagnosis has made me even more neurotic
X
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Also havenāt noticed more freckles and hair still not filling in as fast as I was expecting
But my brows are almost normal (and the odd chin hair )
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Morning everyone. Just catching up. Im off in a minute for my 13th radio. Finish on Tuesday. Same as @booklover1. Its been fine, no real side affects do far. @kerrylou1 the machines broke twice while i was waiting but staff were great. Hope you can relax and enjoy Christmas. @idcand49 when did you srart taking the bisphosphonates? I was waiting until i finished radiotherapy in case of side affects but might start now Iām coming to the end. @bex1 so glad youāve finished chemo and hope you feel better soon. Being TN is all i could focus on in the early days but once l stopped and just concentrated on the treatment l feel more positive. I donāt want to spend my life worrying so will do my very best not to. @alisona1 nearly finished my love good luck with your last few treatments. @cf640 sounds like you have a really good friend so glad you have support
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Hiya, also TNBC and surgery due 9th January! Nervous but will be glad to get it done 
What a year its been for us all 
xxx
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Great to hear everyoneās progress and milestones this last week 
well done everyone
Just been for a tootle round the garden again with my sparklers!! Last radio for me today YAY!!! Had a little tear in my eye during treatment as I thought that all the big hospital based treatment is finished. Hope all goes well with yours tomorrow @debi1 x and @alisona1 this week too x
Had appointment with a different oncologist about skin as part of end of treatment, been given some steroid cream in case redness gets worse. Bit itchy too yesterday, but not sore yet, so weāll see how it goes.
Went to hospital pharmacy to collect and 2 hour waiting time, so picking it up tomorrow when Iāve got appointment with my usual oncologist- no doubt the great news about a date for starting abemaciclib (Verzinios). Can do without sitting on the loo all Christmas, so January start as far as im concerned Canāt say Iām looking forward to that one as I was hoping for a bit of normality and freedom after 8 months of restrictions, so I hope I can get it under control once I learn the food triggers etc.
Thatās it for hospital visits til 3rd Zoladex early new year.
Feel like sleeping for a good couple of weeks 
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Hi aall
I wenet out for a meal in Saturday to celebrate the end of phase 1 chemo - ive alaways been a bit pessimistic and perhaps i will have oral chemo after surgery so it might not be the end of chemo!
I was nervous, thinking that people would stare at my turban but my friends said i looked regal!! Perhaps what i see (cancer cancer) isnt what other people see which is a lovely thought.
Itās great to hear all your treatments and celebrations/milestones @pipspops - I must get some sparklers!!. I had my pre-op today which was a relief. I donāt have to go back to the hospital until my operation now so itās like Iām on holiday from cancer. My steroid dose is down to 20mg and next Iām going to work on my fat faceā¦
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