Hi Kelly
so sorry you are going through all this. you are not alone and will find such support on this website. I had a breast reduction 4 weeks ago, along with the lumpectomy and sentinal node removal. I had chemo first to reduce the lump, which worked, so my breast was saved. best wishes for the op tomorrow and if you can get on live chat next thursday, you will find it a great help. Dont worry about all the ranting, thats what we are here for! I was terrified when i was diagnosed, but I have a great family and lots of friends who were so supportive. I have 18 year old twins, and they and my husband went through it all with me, the good and the bad, so dont be afraid to let your son in. he may well appreciate that you are letting him be a part of all this and be there to help you. dont shut them out. Believe me, you will get stronger as time goes on and the fight will come.
will be thinking of you this week and stay in touch
big hugs
deb
x
Hi Kelly
I too have a teenage son and understand your worries. My advice is to always be honest with him, tell him what he needs to know and what you think he can deal with but always with honesty. Tell him when you need a cuddle too x Will be thiking of you on the 13th.
Kelly, loo50 is right, have a cuddle whenever you can, I had many from my son and it does the world of good, for both of you.
hope everyone is doing well. Started rads yesterday and all is well so far. They have found a way to keep my shoulder up with minimum pain now, so this helps. They spent some time today admiring my new boobs and say they are looking and healing good. Swelling reducing well and more mobility each day. Eyebrows and eyelashes coming fast and looking great and hair noticably different each week. At long last!
visit with son at uni went well. lovely to see him again, even if it was just for one day! soon be home for christmas. daughter now looking at accommodation to move to her uni next year. house will seem so quiet with both of them gone.
anyway, lets hope the zapping continues with little or no problems
till next time
deb x
Debs, have just read your message about Facebook. If you go into Facebook then find The Lymphamaniacs, click on either Deborah of Julia (who set up the group) and request to join the group and they will approve you. Otherwise, if you let me know me your name on FB then Deb will send you a message asking you to join. We are a small closed group (20 members) and all very supportive of one another therefore you have to be approved by someone in the group to join.You may even know some of the girls on there from this BC website, think you might know Maggie. Glad rads are under way for you and everything is going well so far, hope to see you on FB soon.
Sandra x
hi Sandra
have sent message to Deborah. Will let you know if and when i hear from her. Rads going ok. only had 4 so far. very tired tho. lots going on, so all combined making me tired out. how are you doing? ok i hope
will be in touch soon
deb x
Hi Debs, Debora said she had a message from you and happy to accept you into Lymphs on FB. We have all become quite close and confide in each other so only take on members that are known to us but as I have spoken to you right from the time I was diagnosed and Maggie knows you too from BCC everyone is fine about you joining. Hope to see you on FB soon, we can have a chat on there and you can get to know everyone
Sandra x
Hey Debs
- I’m very impressed that this thread is still on the first page!!! I hope that those reading it with a new diagnosis will be able to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
I now have Kiwi head - about 1mm of hair all over, and I think it DOES have some colour as it looks like I have 5o’clock shadow!! Also found 3 pubes, but kicked them into touch with the tweezers!
Td xx
Td - how is it that everytime i read a message from you, i end up chuckling!!!
all hair moving fast apart from head hair - never was a fast grower tho!
radiologists still concerned over my red raw boobs and may call doctor later in week if no change. yet another upset stomach this weekend, felt really sick on saturday night, and no, it wasnt due to im a celeb! still trying to get enthusiasm to do housework, but what the heck, it will still be there tomorrow, and then next day, and the next.
this thread does seem to be slowing, dont know where everyone has got to.
hope Maz is ok
think we are all busy trying to get ready for christmas, so much to do and so little time, especially when coping with hospital visits and illness too.
anyway, catch up soon all.
hope you are all doing well
keep in touch
deb x
Hi ladies, I was diagnosed on 5 November and am just going to see the “team” at the hospital tomorrow (it seems a long time to have waited). I will know then whether it’s going to be a lumpectomy with radiotherapy afterwards or a mastectomy plus the Node thing for a biopsy to see if it’s spread. My head was all over the place and reading what these brave ladies on this site are going through, helps you to come to terms with your own diagnosis. Well, that’s the theory, I am alright until I think about tomorrow’s appointment and then I feel sick. Deb, just reading your comments, you say that you have had radiotherapy, did you have chemo as well as you talk about hair loss - do you loose it with radiotherapy?
Anyway - let’s all keep smiling and just to help us along… with light and love to all… Ann…
A frog goes into a bank and approaches the teller. He can see from her
name plate that her name is Patricia Whack.
‘Miss Whack, I’d like to get a £30,000 loan to take a holiday.’
Patty looks at the frog in disbelief and asks his name. The frog says
His name is Kermit Jagger, his dad is Mick Jagger, and that it’s okay, he knows the bank manager.
Patty explains that he will need to secure the loan with some
collateral.
The frog says, ‘Sure. I have this,’ and produces a tiny porcelain
elephant, about an inch tall, bright pink and perfectly formed.
Very confused, Patty explains that she’ll have to consult with the
Bank manager and disappears into a back office.
She finds the manager and says, ‘There’s a frog called Kermit Jagger
Out there who claims to know you and wants to borrow £30,000, and he wants to use this as collateral.’
She holds up the tiny pink elephant. ‘I mean, what in the world is
this?’
Wait for it……………….
The bank manager looks back at her and says…
‘It’s a knickknack, Patty Whack. Give the frog a loan, His old man’s a
Rolling Stone.’
(You’re singing it, aren’t you?, I know you are…)
Hi Annie
welcome to our thread. so sorry you have had to join us, but i do hope you can find some support from us and perhaps some friends to. good luck with the hospital visit tomorrow. we can all appreciate what you are feeling at the moment. we have all been there, and as you can see, we are all coming out at the other end, sense of humour still intact!! so, if any of us can be there for you, we will. I was diagnosed in April, with grade 3, 4cm lump, so had chemo first to shrink it and save my breast. This worked and i had a lumpectomy and sentinal node biopsy, and breast reduction, in October. This was successful, nodes and margins clear, so straight in for the radiotherapy. I have today had number 9 of 23. I did lose my hair with the chemo, but (a question I asked to), you do not as far as i know, lose hair with radio. (its already gone most of the time if chemo comes first). You will have a scary time ahead, but you will get through it all, us women arent the stronger of the species for nothing!!! Will be thinking of you tomorrow, please come back and let us know what is to happen.
ps. love the joke!!!
take care and big hugs
deb x
Hi Debs, got on fine with the consultant who I have every faith in. He explained everything clearly and says that I have a lot of pre-cancerous cells and a “focus” group of malignant cells approx an 2cm just around and under the nipple. He thinks that I should have a wide area taken away plus 5 lymph nodes and hopefully if all come back clear, I will only need rads. If not, then I go back in and have the full mastectomy. Due to there not being a lump for him to feel and cut away, I have to wait until he gets a specialist radiologist in who will put a guide wire in place whilst I am in the mammogram machine on the morning of the op. Then he will be able to see where the cells are and where to remove from. Because of the wait for the radiologist, it may be another 2/3 weeks before I get the op done, but I am sure it will all be fine.
I am more than happy to put myself in their hands and I go and see the breast care nurse next week and have the op explained in full etc. Hopefully I will be done and dusted before Christmas and well on the way to recovery in the New Year. Now that I know what’s happening, I don’t mind the wait - I can cope with it now. It was just the not knowing!
I am very lucky that it is at an early stage. Anyway, take care yourself good luck with the rest of the rads.
Glad you liked the joke, I send another to make you smile!
Light and love
Ann xx
The Helicopter ride
Morris and his wife Esther went to the Army show every year, and every year Morris would say, “Esther, I 'd like to ride in that Helicopter”.
Esther always replied, “I know Morris, but that helicopter ride is fifty quid-- and fifty quid is fifty quid”.
One year Esther and Morris went to the show, and Morris said, “Esther, I’m 85 years old. If I don’t ride in that helicopter this year, I might never get another chance”.
Esther replied, “Morris that helicopter ride is fifty quid
– and fifty quid is fifty quid”.
The pilot overheard the couple and said, “Folks I’ll make you a deal. I’ll take the both of you for a ride. If you can stay quiet for the entire ride and not say a word I won’t charge you! But if you say one word, it’s fifty quid.”
Morris and Esther agreed and up they went.
The pilot did all kinds of fancy manoeuvres, but not a word was heard. He did his daredevil tricks over and over again, but still not a word.
When they landed, the pilot turned to Morris and said, “By golly, I did everything I could to get you to yell out, but you didn’t. I’m
impressed!”
Morris replied, “Well, to tell you the truth, I almost said
Something when Esther fell out, but you know – fifty
quid is fifty quid.”
What a laugh that has given me and believe me i need a laugh. I have been reading your thread and i see that you do not have a “lump” to feel. I was recalled after mammogram i get them yearly through gentics as my sister died aged 32 of BC.
I also cannot feel the lump that they seen on the mammogram or the ultrasound. I am having a terrible time waiting for my core biopsy results 3 weeks tomorrow and still no word of an appointment to go an see my consultant. However that is another story and is on my thread i do not want to interupt yours. Like you i feel that if there is something that it will be caught early and wa hoping that it could just be removed under a small op but if there is nothing to realy feel then it might not be possible. I just don’t know what to expect. Did you have a FNA and if so did it show abnormal cells first then you had the core biopsy? I really don’t understand about the abnormal cell thing and if they can be abnormal but still not cancerous though you may need to have a mastectomy it realy is the not knowing that is driving me mad. Any advice Justannie would be great. I have been onto the thread that you started but you have not posted for a while. X
Hi debs waiting and all … I was a member of Lymphos but I cant get in now as I havent been in for ages ,
hope you are all well …not having too good a time at the mo too much to put on here and would prob all bore you senseless.Have a massive dilmna that only I can sort !! and its driving me insane ,anyhow what you all up to all ready for Christmas ??
may pop into live chat this week will see how I feel …love to all xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
hi maz - been missing you. hope you are ok and get things sorted. i am doing well. nearly done with rads now and then its all over, i hope!!! almost ready for christmas, just a few more bits and then the food. chris home on the 13th, so cant wait for that, almost a month at home! please try and get on live chat, not seen you there too often now.
take care and come back soon
deb x
I had a sixth sense that you were on now! Just been painting my chrismas cards!! It was only paint by numbers type think from the works mind you…
Feeling chilly today. And a bit miffed that the kiwi head isn’t advancing!
Nice to hear from you Maz! You can bore us with your dilemmas if you need too. That’s what we’re here for!
Got to go out shortly a I told Harry I couldn’t pick him up from school as I ‘had an appointment’ - so I can’t be here when he gets back! I wasn’t being mean - i pay 156 quid a month for his train/bus pass and its a round trip of 1hr20mins and I’ve too much to do… May go shopping instead…
Td xxxx
hi Td
enjoy your shopping, you horrible mummy!!! will tell him when i meet him!!!
raining hard here, but so glad its not snow!! yet!!! soooo cold tho.
will speak to you soon
deb x
hi all
well, tomorrow sees the start of the final week of rads! yippeee
i am so, so tired, and just want it over with now. getting fed up of travelling to the hosp every day, especially as most appts. are early and it takes an hour to get there. up at six in the morning!!!
cant fault the staff tho. they are brilliant and such nice people. will miss them. Friday is last appt. then have a counselling session and then home and off to pick chris up on saturday. he is coming home by coach to gatwick airport and we will get him from there, and then christmas starts for us. cant wait to have him home, even if it is for only 4 weeks or so. we have been busy decorating ( or should i say, finishing the decorating!!!) to get house ready for christmas. started it before dx and then it just got left!! looking nice, but still a long way to go yet.
my boobs are still doing ok. not too red yet, but still tender from op. sure the last 3 boosters will leave their mark tho!!
hope you are all doing ok and not overdoing it!
big hugs to you all
deb x
one more day to go!!!
well, thats it girls, had last radio today and all treatment now finished! still not sunk in yet, but sure it will.
putting up tree tonight and chris coming home tomorrow, so good weekend ahead.
hope you are all ok and catch up soon
deb x
where are you all?!!!
all must be busy with christmas preparations!! I am now approaching a week since finishing rads, and doing ok. all shopping finished, just food to get now. chris home from uni, lauren finished for christmas to, so both at home, which is lovely. boobs still sore and tender, but better than i expected them to be at this stage. hot sweats driving me mad, but small price to pay. now looking forward to spending christmas with my family, and then getting this year out of the way!!
hope you are all doing ok, feeling well, and resting plenty!!!
keep in touch
deb x