Hello all, I will start the chemotherapy tomorrow and the PICC line at the same day , hope everything all rightš
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Gkad youāre feeling relatively OK.
No surgery yet for me. Iāve had so many tests and scans and there was always a long wait so Iāve been on tamoxifen, now chemo to (hopefully) shrink my whopper of a tumor and eviction notice afterward.
Good tip on little and often for the food x
Sheās 3 in June. Yes itās a very emotional time. Luckily Iāve been able to continue with the pregnancy and the doctors said treatment is safe in pregnancy but will need to see what the oncologist advises.
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Hi, this is the first time I have posted on this forum, I was diagnosed with breast cancer last April 2023. And I am also almost at the end of my treatment, which was 6x dox snd carbo chemo together with phesgo injections of which I had to have 18, the last of which will be in mid May 2024. I had a lumpectomy and full lymphmode removal on the left side, followed by 15 sessions of radiotherapy. I am now on letrozole and will have 6x tsmeto bone infusions. I was given the good news that the chemotherapy and surgery were successful and no cancer in the left breast and none in the lymphnodes.
The reason I have written all the above is to hopefully give comfort to you, as all the above chemo etc was given through a cannula, I was not given the option of a picc line (not sure why), but the cannula worked fine for me and all the nurses were wondeful.
My advice would be take one day at a time, as you are not aware how the chemotherapy and other treatments will affect you but ask questions and take their advice.
I hope all goes well for you. X
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Like most people the treatments have had their side effects from severe diarrhea with the Chemo ( but was sorted with medication) to soreness and numb feeling with surgery and fatigue and muscle aches with the radiotherapy and letrozole and phesgo, but I see it a small price to pay for the excelkent results and the side effects will get better I am sure. I hope your treatment goes as well. X
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Thank you so much for your message, that is all reassuring to read. It is good to hear from someone near the end of their treatment, how are you feeling about that? Though still a way to go. What do the bone infusion entail?
Great advice as wellā¦one day at at time. Iām hoping tomorrow i can relax into it all a bit more x
Hi, hope you manage to sleep ok and all goes well tomorrow x
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Most of the time I feel very positive about yhe future, but like all things sometimes I still feel wonbly, but I have booked myself on the moving forward course as I thought it would be good to meet up with others in a similar situation.
The bone infusions are given intravenous through a cannula and take only 30 mins, I will be having them for 3 years every 6 months, and they are the same as given to people with osteoporosis but in my case they are a preventative treatment to stop the cancer possibly going into the bones.
The treatment itself was not too bad, but the following day I felt really rough, apparently 1 in 10 people get flu like symptoms. Sadly I was the 1 in 10 but it only lasted 48 hrs, again I thought a small price to pay.
I hope your treatment goes well, and as saud before tske 1 day at a time. X
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thanks, hopefully itās okā:weary:
I think if you go to your MacMillans at your trust there is a book that helps you with telling and guiding children, sorry I donāt know the name of it, also if you ring the number on here bcn will be able to tell you what it is. I hope others who have previously used it pop on this thread and share the name of it with you 
Shi xx
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do book your look good feel better sessions through your Macmillanās too free goody bag of make up and afternoon with beauticians giving you tips and tricks of how to apply make up Shi xx
Hi - this is my first post, Iāve been reading posts on this forum for a while now but the anxiety is building now, so I thought Iād join the conversation and hopefully find some people I can learn from and help. I know everyone has a different story but hereās mine. I was diagnosed in January from a routine mammogram, surgery in February and (I think) starting chemotherapy next week (itās the uncertainty that is making me anxious). I have a pre-treatment assessment with the chemo nurses next Tuesday but no start date as yet although I imagine it must be soon. This is my second cancer, ten years ago I was diagnosed with Grade 3 ER+ which was successfully treated - and now I have Grade 3 HER2+ in the other breast. Lumpectomy both times. Iām having 3 x 3-weekly cycles of EC, and then 9 weekly cycles of Paclitaxel alongside 12 months of 3-weekly Herceptin injections - a lot to remember! Hopefully having a PICC line in before the treatment starts, as I requested it when I saw my oncologist - last time my veins became very sore and didnāt want to play, so they fitted me with one half way through. Iāve been working (from home) but Iām stopping on Friday until I understand how the side effects hit me.
I think this thread will be really helpful to all of us, I already feel like some of my questions are being answered - thank you!
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Hi @hopefulheart, thatās a lovely username, I hope some of your anxiety starts to ease soon. It must have been such a shock to have a second diagnosis but you sound very calm despite being anxious. Xxx
Thanks @tori123, Iām trying hard to be calm, Iāve managed to mostly keep a lid on the box since my diagnosis, but itās falling off now! I think itās the waiting thatās the worst thing at the moment.
I hope your first chemo goes smoothly. Sending positive thoughts
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Had my first EC today and Iāve been home for 7 hours. No nausea, yet, but my brain isnt really working and Iām pretty tiredā¦ but weāll see what tomorrow brings.
Weāve got this ladies! Xx
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Thanks for checking in @beth1 Iāve been thinking about everyone having their first session this week.
Glad youāre not feeling too rubbish so far. One down!!
Sleep well if you can xx
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Hi. I met with my oncologist today who is looking at 4 x EC, then more but didnāt say which one followed by radiotherapy. I need a heart scan first and theyāre aiming to start in 2 weeks. He advised to try cold capping. Feeling very scared and anxious.
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Hi @rosa1 it is so much to take in, isnāt it? It feels like we are on a conveyor belt now and we just have to trust the process.
I had a heart scan last week. I had an injection of something radioactive (like a reverse blood test) then waited 20 minutes for a second one, then lay still (fully clothed) on the scanner for 15 minutes. Itās to check how the blood pumps through the ventricles in the heart, in case there are any changes once treatment starts. It was all absolutely fine and there was no need to feel nervous. Hope that helps.
Iām not cold capping - my hair is really fine and Iām pretty sure it wonāt hang in there - but I understand why people do it. Iāll have mine cut in a week or so and use scarves and maybe buy a wig just for a bit of fun. Iām really hoping to be well enough to go to the Take That show at the end of May so I want to wear one then - might get a pink or blue one!
A lot of us seem to be on EC first so Iām sure weāll get each other through it xx