@moomoo716 I’m so glad you’re feeling better on Ribo now. I am too though I have bloods again on Monday and am dreading my neutrophils coming back super low again…
@runnerjen the heatwave gave me chemo flashbacks too. I don’t know how we all got through it last year. This time I felt very lucky to spend most of the heatwave kayaking and to have a full covering of hair again-even if it is a bit of a mullet…
Me too… on the memories of last year. Though feel my brain has blocked a lot of it. X
Oh, what I’d give to have a mullet right now.
That’s something I never thought I’d say!
Yes, I much prefer this stage to my previous Gollum look but even my husband says I look like Rod Stewart! On a positive note Ribo doesn’t seem to have caused hair loss-I know it’s a possible side effect and would be really depressing to lose hair again just when it starts growing post chemo…
That’s a relief! It would be too cruel to have more hair loss now. Mine is growing well / sticks up a bit, like McDonalds chips! Nice problem to have though!
I’m off to see my plastic surgeon this afternoon for a checkup, presumably the last one. I expect they will ask if I want nipple surgery (no thanks) or the tattoo - I’m really unsure about that so have asked on the forum if anyone can recommend it. I expect I will say no thanks!
Also just booked blood test for Zometa number 2 next month. That’s come round fast! Hope you’re all keeping well and enjoying the small things still - good coffee, a nice book, etc xx
I’ve had a little bit of hair loss/thinning on Ribo but nothing mega. My eyebrows are finer than they used to be. My leg hair is random and I no longer have to shave the hairs off my chinny chin chin everyday. Still buzzing the buzz cut but at least it’s thick. I’ve been delaying the zometa but I have run out of excuses so will have it next month.
I am thinking of giving wild swimming a go. I’m not a great swimmer but good enough to keep out of trouble. I’m hoping it will be good for the mental health.
Hi all! So good to hear how everyone is getting on. I’ve been working my way through a phased return to work for the past 3 months, bloody exhausted. The mental fatigue has been eye opening.
Can you believe it’s been a year since this group started. I got a bit emotional seeing that the June 2026 group had been created, thinking of all those amazing ladies starting their chemo journey.
@runnerjen hoping some people come back to your discussion on the forum about the nipple options. I always thought I’d want to go down the tattoo route but read terrible things about the NHS nurses doing it.
Also wanted to share about The Lounge Foundation they provide grants to women affected by cancer. Grants can be used for various things such as making memories, counselling, alternative therapies, financial impacts of cancer etc. I’ve just noticed their applications have closed but I think they open every few months. I applied last year and got funding for a tattoo artist to do a nipple tattoo. They even went away and found someone and will sort it all out when the time comes.
Hope you are all having a lovely Saturday.
It’s so hard to know what to do with tattooing, I’m so scared of getting it done and hating it. The surgeon suggested I come in and just have the ink painted on to see if I like the colour match to the other one. So I might try that with no commitment! I know a good one would look better but I’m just scared if I do it and it’s not good and then I hate looking at it! None of this is easy is it? Even now, when I’m getting heavy hints from an in-law that I should be putting it all behind me now like her friend did. As if I don’t want to do that! It’s still hard, the drug side effects, appointments for the infusion, waiting for a mammogram and deciding about my boob - it’s not behind me!
Anyway, apart from that, I’m enjoying the small things still and really getting back into my reading and book review hobby. X
Will it ever be behind us? A lady on the BCN moving forward course did say that it does get better and you do put it behind you but that seems a long way off atm. Especially with the Ribo. I can’t even be bothered to explain to people why the Ribo means it most definitely isn’t over. I certainly can’t put anything behind me. I’m tired of being a zombie.
The fatigue does my head in. Some days I’m ok but more often I’m a zombie by 2pm. Only having maybe 5 usable hours of energy those days is horrible. It’s genuinely life changing, I had some fatigue before this with endo, but this is much worse and barely anyone understands. Granted it might improve still, but it’s crap to think that this might be it for the next 9 and a half years. Learning to pace ourselves is going to take time I know, it will get better then but until then I keep overdoing it on good days then paying for it for days after!
I am in the same boat. My friends cannot comprehend in the slightest.
Hello everyone. It’s almost a year since my hair fell out and today I went for my first post chemo haircut! Only had a light trim just to tidy it up and get the fuzzy bits off but now it looks like a deliberate pixie cut rather than hair that has just grown on my head. It’s such a boost 
Just started cycle 3 of Ribociclib. I feel much more tired than before. Afternoon naps are a regular occurrence.
Hope everyone is ok x
That’s great progress on the hair front! A friend said to me today that mine looks like I’ve had one too many perms and frazzled it due to the halo of wispy bits that sticks up over my longer hair. I hope the new growth will gain enough weight to lie flat soon.
I just got cleared to start Ribo 5 today. I still need two weeks break between cycles as my neutrophils have never recovered enough after the standard one week break. I am feeling much less fatigued now than I did over the last couple of months so hope I’m getting used to it (or it could be as I’ve reduced my hours at work and done more exercise).
I hope you’re all doing well-what a year it’s been since the start of chemo…
Fantastic news @jenny4 - so glad you’ve got a plan moving forward. That in itself must be a weight off your shoulders. I was one of the late June starters so 27th will be a year and I’ve signed up to do MacMillan mighty hike on that date - 26 miles sounds scary and I’m really not sure how it’ll go. We’ll see. Definitely brings back memories to last year - lots of Wimbledon for sure.
One thing I keep on forgetting to ask, does anyone have different armpit sweat smell? Don’t sweat much since mastectomy or chemo but definitely different smell. Just wondering could it be the chemo drugs although there has been a while now.
Good news on the hair too @twinks77 @jenny4. I’m similar - think I’m heading for a Bobby Ball style atm
. Take care x
One year. Thank you ladies.
It is difficultt and the changes mrntally and ohysically still occuring. With out you guys it would be a dark place.
Yes i understand the smell change.
Good to read all the news. 26 mile wow. Will be routing for you.
Again from the bottom of my heart thank you.
Morning all, I think being June I’m more mindful of how far we’ve come since chemo. I also started on 27th June - good luck on the mighty hike @rach49 you’ve got this! When / if it gets hard think “this or chemo?”
This armpit thing is weird - I actually don’t seem to get any smell in my armpits now, I haven’t had BO for ages. I also barely have any hair in my pits, and what there is so fine, I barely ever shave them now.
My head hair is growing well, very curly at the back and straighter on top. It’s the same as when I was a toddler! I haven’t had a cut yet. It all fell out in July, in 2 weeks, it was so fast! Then my wonderful stepdaughter shaved it on July 11th. I think the falling out period was the worst, we all adjusted so well once it had gone (I think). Now mine is long enough that it sticks up in the morning and I don’t care! It’s fab!
I’m still tired a lot, and the joints are creaky after rest, but I think the side effects might be levelling off - I don’t think they are getting any worse these days. Fingers crossed it stabilised now I’m 5 and a half months into it. My application for ill health retirement is in the system, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they take pity on me and pension me off.
And yes - this group is still so important for me too! And I too felt emotional seeing the June 2026 group start up. 
I’m the same with the armpits. Don’t get any smell and don’t sweat either. Unsure why it’s happening on both sides but I’ll take it!
@runnerjen fingers crossed on your retirement application 
@rach49 what a great way to mark a year on from starting chemo! I could really smell the drugs coming out of my pores in the days after the infusions but don’t have that now. As others have noticed I have practically no regrowth in my armpits, which is the only positive hair-related change chemo has given me!
@runnerjen, I hope your app is approved.
It never ceases to amaze me how far we have come since this time last year. In the depths of chemo I could barely make it up the stairs and today I was playing with my grandsons in the garden 
I’m incredibly grateful.
armpits- I’m the same, hair free and not much sweat and no smell. Both sides too which doesn’t make sense leg hair grew back thick at first but hasn’t really come back much after I shaved it.
I’m on cycle 3 of Ribociclib. Those of you who are a bit further on, did the fatigue get bit more manageable?