@alig1961 thats a good point! When it comes to it I’m sure I won’t have a choice and will just be given a time. A 2 hour wait on top of 3 hours driving would be pushing it! On the other hand an 8.30am appointment would mean leaving home just before 7am 
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Remember that lovely hotel we all talked about back in June for all of us, with lovely views and lovely people to take care of our every need - well we should still have that for radiotheraphy!!!
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Just wanted to share the amazing news my oncologist just gave me. My MRI showed no evidence of the tumour remaining, it’s completely gone with the chemo! I’ll still have to have my lymph nodes removed as they were infected but it may mean I don’t have to have a mastectomy. I’ll know more when I see my surgeon on Friday I guess! I’m totally stunned!
God luck for radio today ladies! X
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That is amazing news. So pleased for you. Fingers crossed for Friday. Xx
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@ljlj thats amazing news! Good luck for Friday.x
@pat when I went for my initial radiotherapy appointment they asked me what time of day I’d prefer and to be fair my appointments are all around that time. I agree with @alig1961 re the delays though. Yesterday my time was 11.40 but I didn’t go in until about half an hour later. Today was 9.45 and I was in on time, out 15 mins later. It usually takes me about 30 mins to drive but I did hit a bit of rush hour so took me an extra 15 mins.
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@ljlj awww I am so pleased for you!!! Fantastic news!!! I bet you are grinning from ear to ear … all those shit horrible treatments definitely did their job!! 
@pat me too … but like everything on this “journey” we have learnt to expect the unexpected and we will roll with whatever we are given 
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@ljlj that is really fabulous news!! Makes the chemo crap worth it, especially if you are able to keep the boobie!!
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@ljlj what amazing news So pleased for you.
The message above @charlie22 was for the insta link…
So sorry some of you have such long journeys to the hospital. My local one does it and so i only have a 15/20 min drive, makes me very grateful.
Taking myself for the first one tomorrow, 2.36pm. Love the specific timings!! Will have to be an hour earlier for the parking situ!
Im a rightie too…will let you all know about whether i have to breath hold. Theyve not mentioned it so far…
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@ljlj WONDERFUL news… so glad it’s all gone. The fabulous words in this process. Hope you get to keep your boob too… fingers crossed xx
I’ve had 3/5 radio’s now and still no real affects. I’ve been continuing with my chemo arvo lie downs anyway so don’t really notice any additional tiredness. Maybe a bit of more tingling in the area they are zapping but not much and I may be imagining it!! I spoke to someone from the well being bit today and they said 2 weeks post end of radio, you might get a peak of tiredness so to watch out for that. But then you get back to ‘normal’ pretty quick… usual advice of be kind to yourself, take it easy etc… etc…
Happy Wed cake team xx
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Ahhh that’s good to hear @donna_51 … and I’m loving that you are continuing the afternoon naps
So I had the news that my surgery will consist of a lumpectomy with some lymph node removals as well … all on the 28th November, will be a day case unless and adverse reactions. They still are unsure what the node is in my left lung, but whatever it is seems to have shrunk and they will do another scan in 6 months. So whilst I feel fairly positive it can’t be anything that sinister I’m still a little concerned, but putting it to the back of mind for now!
I feel ok about the lumpectomy… slightly nervous on how my boob will look after and apprehensive that they may have to do further surgery if the margins of surrounding tissues don’t come back clear. Did anyone else feel like this? Like they are still in a bit of limbo… everyone keeps saying it’s really good/ positive etc but until I get told that they have got it all I just can’t fully feel joyful … if that makes sense?!?
But i have three weeks of “normality” to focus on … got a couple of gigs to look forward to and a sleepover with my two best friends 
so definitely things to look forward to!
Hope everyone else doing ok? 
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@charlie22 Glad to hear everything has been clarified for you about your surgery. It sounds as if you are having exactly the same as me.
I am also worried about getting clear margins. I asked the surgeon and he said its unusual to have to operate again and he was fairly confident that it could all be done in one operation. I also asked if the breast would look different or be a funny shape. He said there was likely to be a bit of a dip but that this often filled in after a while.
The other thing discussed that has made me worry a bit was the lymph node clearance. He said that I could either have most lymph nodes removed, level 1 and 2 nodes, and hopefully avoid radiotherapy to the armpit, or just have level 1 nodes removed and have radiotherapy. I will have it to the breast anyway.
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Hi @pat and @charlie22. I had a lumpectomy on the 20th March. I’m pleased to say that my boob now looks fine. The space where the tissue is removed does fill back in. Obviously, tissue will be taken and so it won’t go back to looking exactly the same but I’m happy and amazed that I’ve got the result I have.
The surgeons are fantastic.
Xx
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I’m also having surgery on 28th November - lumpectomy and lymph node clearance. So many people have said that chemo is worse than surgery, but I am nervous for it and especially nervous for the results afterwards x
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@charlie22 at least you have a plan and a date now!! You’ll be free from all this soon. We’re all on slightly different timeframes now but we’ll still be here supporting you - we’re a team now. A cake team!!!
Glad the lung thing isn’t worrying you too much - we have lots of blob things all over our bodies and sadly this process picks up stuff that we’d never normally know about! You enjoy your gigs and sleepover (fab thing to do!!)
@pat hopefully they’ll help you decide about the lymph nodes and radio??!! It’s odd how different areas of the UK do things so differently. I was told a mastectomy and full node removal was best as one of the biopsies showed one node infected + radiotherapy as another layer of protection but others seem to have different options and choices. I put all my faith in the doctors because I couldn’t see past the darkness I was in and definitely couldn’t have made any sort of rational decision months ago. I guess having a choice is a good thing but my Doctor friend said to always ask ‘if it was your wife/daughter, what would you recommend?’!! to get the conversation going!!! xx
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@rrey chemo is definitely worse… nothing can be as bad as that!!! You’ve done that so surgery will be a breeze … as long as you’re kind to yourself and all the usual stuff (we need to print those words on T-shirts!!!)
Yep, more results are definitely nerve racking but nothing compared to that first set of results that confirms cancer!! You’re strong - you’ve got this xx
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@donna_51 and @rrey I am worried about the results afterwards too. Quite a few people seem to get a different result from surgery than they do from the initial biopsy which is worrying. Also, they haven’t gone into such things as the stage and prognosis because I had chemo first. I’m not sure if they’ll do that after but that’s scaring me too.
I think the surgeon is leaning towards doing the level 2 clearance to avoid radiotherapy, therefore, in theory, reducing the risk of lymphoedema.