Congratulations @rrey on finishing 
I also had a lumpectomy back in April and agree with everything @alig1961 says. Definitely re the exercises to maintain that flexibility in your shoulder. I got some sports bras to wear until things settled down and some non-wired bras for after that. I used bio oil to massage.
@alig1961 and anyone else whose had surgery, are you still massaging? This was a question I was going to ask. Was wondering if I should keep going up until my radiotherapy?
I canāt remember you recommended the free MacMillan/BUPA counselling sessions on here but wanted to say thank you ā¦ I just had my third one, and the first one that I didnāt cry, a really positive experience so far.
Congratulations @rrey on finishing your chemo!
@jojoh really good to hear another positive experience of the counselling, Iām hoping to see if I can arrange some after chemo and to help me through my surgery, radio and ongoing hormone treatment.
Iām having a lazy day today, just sat down with a cuppa and a doughnut which made me think to come on and say hello and see how everyone is doing. Iām down to 3 of my weekly Paclitaxelās left, starting to feel like the light at the end of the chemo tunnel is in sight and hope to get a date sorted asap for my surgery as all feels a bit like limbo land again!
Itās a lovely bright crisp day here, so think Iāll get some steps in to work off the doughnut & breath in the autumnal air! Hope everyone else is ok, any exciting plans for the weekend?
Also saw the attached whilst scrolling and thought it was very apt to shareā¦
I stopped massaging a long time ago and I thinks thatās why Iāve now got cording. Iāve started again and will keep doing as part of my daily routine. Hopefully seeing a physio Monday.
@ljlj thatās a lovely quoteā¦ just breathe, itās all we need to do 
I have to admit I didnāt massage at all after surgery as tbh I still havenāt looked or touched my missing breast properly since! I know I need to put oil on after radio so Iāll have to be brave. I think a physio can āpopā the cording bit back ā¦ my physio told me that if I got it!!! I donāt think itās as painful as that sounds!!! It can be sorted though so thatās good.
@rrey yay ā¦ another one done. I love seeing these posts. Weāre all moving on beyond this really tough bit. Keep going everyone else ā¦ weāre cheering you on xxx
I didnāt start massaging for a while after as was a bit scared to. I am a bit hit and miss with it now and donāt do it every day, but maybe a should start making more of an effort!
Hope you manage to get the cording sorted @alig1961 x
For radiotherapy they advise moisturising using a cream or lotion not oil. Iām going to use good old e45 and carry my moogoo cream to each appointment.
I got some Moogoo cream in my Little Lifts box. Iāve been using it on my face this week as the skin has gone so weird and I really think itās helping!
I donāt agree with obese cat bit but I saw this & made me laugh. A great reason to keep eating cake!!!
Happy Weekend team June
Yay - football afternoon for me - husband itās going to watch it I mean - God knows why as it isnāt an enjoyable experience nowadays as they are doing so badly. Anyway, that means that Iām off to the shops to stock up on snacks, and cakes before I plan my entertainment for the afternoon - a bit of telly, a bit of radio, some sewing 
who knows!!
Anyone else find the Chris Hoy news a bit triggering? 
I canāt mention it to my family but since I read about it this morning I feel a bit ughhh ā¦ do you think this is just how it is whenever we read stuff like this in the future? Trying to find my inner positivity but failing at the moment 
I know exactly what you mean @donna_51. Such sad news. I think going through this battle will now mean that any story like this will effect us just that little bit more than it used to. xx
Hi everyone ā¦ again thank you for the kind words regarding my dads funeral ā¦ we had a really wonderful, albeit emotional day celebrating my dads life 
however it all feels really strange now ā¦ like reality has hit and actually we are never going to see him again, but I suppose thatās part of the grieving process. One really great positive from the funeral is that we have raised Ā£924 for breast cancer now ā¦ which has totally blown us away with everyoneās generosity 
Hereās a little picture of me and my son embracing the wear it pink day on Friday
In other news I have my last chemo on Wednesday, meeting with the oncologist on Tuesday, CT & Ultrasound Scans booked for the 29th October and then meeting with the team on the 6th November to discuss the outcomes and surgery. So feel like I have lots to get through over the next week or so but I have a plan ā¦ and I do like a plan.
Hope everyone else is ok? And enjoyed this weekend?
@charlie22 sooo glad you had a lovely day to celebrate your dad. Take each day as it comes, grieving takes time xx
You look FAB in your pink ā¦ gorgeous. Well done for raising so much money for a great cause.
Lots going on for you in the next couple of weeks. Make sure you breathe and find those glimmers of positivity/happiness/contentment ā¦ youāll get through it. One more chemo ā¦ and this horrible bit is done xx
@charlie22 Iām glad you had a lovely celebration for your dad. My dad has been dead for 25 years on the 25th November this year 
It still shocks me sometimes, as does the fact that my youngest was 1 when he died and she now has a 2.5 year old of her own
I hope all your appointments, tests and chemo goes ok. At least theyāre getting on with it!!
I love the photos! You look soooo beautiful and I love your jumper
@donna_51 I hope youāre feeling a bit brighter than you were in your post this morning. I have been thinking about what you said a lot since I read it. When i read the Chris Hoy news I felt sad - heās young, it was obviously found too late and, illogically that he was so superfit that itseemed wrong that he should be terminal. I didnt ātake it personallyā in the sense that I didnāt think omg that could be me. Whether thatās because heās a man, I donāt know. I then read yesterdayās paper and turned to and article about women who have experienced breast cancer. I only read the headline and saw a glimpse of fabulous looking women wearing pink and thought āI dont want to read thatā. I found that more triggering than the Chris Hoy news. Was it because they were women? Looking happy and wonderful- and Iād just looked at my 3 remaining eyelashes and wispy hair? Yet I love seeing peopleās photos on this forum of them looking fab. Iām not sure but itās interesting how different we are in what we can cope with.
Well thats my twopennāth for today. Hot chocolate and flapjack for me now.
Love to all
Thank you @donna_51 and @pat ā¦ I know itās such early days and itās going to take a long time, I suppose this is my first big loss and I just donāt know what to expect.
With regards to the news about Chris I think I feel it a bit more deeply for any cancer news but definitely in particular breast cancerā¦ it always makes me anxious and fearful for my own situation but then I have to try and remind myself of he millions of positive outcomes ā¦ it is hard and it does all depend on the day and how my mood is how that goes!
Can I ask those that have finished chemo now and had surgery before hand, do you still have scans before your radiotherapy?! Also has anyone on here finished chemo and then been told that they possibly may have more, potentially after surgery? As that is one of my biggest worries 
I know everyone is different and what may be a plan for one person isnāt the same for another, suppose Iām just curious as each hospital seems to be so different!
X
@charlie22 at my last chemo appointment,
I happened to see the Specialist Chemotherapy Nurse in the corridor, who I have been seeing for follow up rather than the Oncologist, sheās been brilliant btw, anyway I said to her that my dread when I saw the surgeon 2 days later was that he would say that i would have to have more chemo before or after my surgery. She said Oh no that wont happen you"re totally up to your limit on Chemotherapy. I took that to mean I had had the full dose and couldnāt have any more. I guess that if you had a recurrence they might give more but not straight away I wouldnāt have thought.
@pat ā¦ ahh thatās comforting to know I bet. I hope that will be the case for me ā¦ I know a while back my oncologist said we could always revisit chemo after surgery if needed, but I think he meant back when they thought they may bring my surgery forward. Itās definitely on my list of questions to ask on Tuesday. main one being when can this blooming PICC line come out 
Looking beautiful @charlie22 22 & Iām really pleased to hear you had a good day celebrating your Dadās life. Amazing work raising such a huge sum for BCN 
My husband and I spoke about Chris Hoy this morning, I think it touched him more too, such terribly sad news. Every time I read something about someone with cancer I do find it more triggering than prior to my diagnosis, and sadly like @alig1961 said I think that will always be the way now. I definitely find any news of celebs or stories of other ladies with breast cancer most triggering. When Shannon Doherty died over the summer I took myself down a rabbit hole of trying to find out what her diagnosis had been, her course of treatment etc was to compare/see if Iād be ok. Which is ridiculousā¦
To stop negative patterns of thinking I have often found myself replaying what my consultant said originally at my diagnosis-it was something like āStatistics are statistics, just that. What happens to one person wont be what happens to you. Weāre treating you with the aim to cure, and that is a reasonable expectationā I utter that to myself most days in my head, as have to believe what the experts told me & that my body will give up & stop trying to kill itself & that the chemo, surgery, radio and hormone blockers will do their thing. 
It doesnāt always work, but most the time it stops me in my tracks.
Have any of you got any other good ways to move on from negative thoughts, or picked any useful tools for dealing with them from the counselling sessions? x
