val, was thinking about you this morning , everybody is here for you
big hugs xxxx
galen
Thanks everyone,
I will need you all very much in the future i am sure.
I got a phonecall from the breast care nurse, i have to go to see the chemotherapist tomorrow, that was speedy!
My consultant recomended chemo first so i didn’t argue, as far as i am concerned she knows best.
She did say though that no matter how small the tumour shrank i would still have mastectomy, that does not bother me so much as i thought it would.
Feeling a bit jittery this evening mind you!
I went for a sleep this afternoon and awoke in a cold sweat which took me an hour to recover from, delayed shock maybe? even though i expected the result, it still hits hard.
Just a few thoughts i needed to share.
Thanks all
Be well!
Hi Fushia,
I couldn’t log on yesterday but so desperately wanted to read that you were OK. I am so sorry that it turned out to be bad news. I was diagnosed on the 15th August so all still relatively new and it does take time for it to sink in I don’t feel I am anywhere near it but I am sure we will be able to do this together. I hope you have a good support network around you, do you have children?
Let us know how you are and what their course of action is.
Take care
Love
C
Thanks zjlove,
I am still reeling but trying to keep myself together.
I don’t have any children but my partner is partially disabled, he can cope well on his own though so not totally reliant on me.
I start chemo next Thurs for 6 months then mastectomy then Rads, so long road ahead yet.
All you lovely people have been so great, i think i would have gone insane without your support.
Thankyou and will be on here a lot i am sure
Val
xxx
Hi Val,
Good luck for next Thurs I have my 2nd on Tues. The first was actually not to bad (FEC) felt sick the first night within a couple of hours but was actually and by the morning felt OK just tired for a few days. I am using the cold cap? Have they spoken to you about this? So far no hair loss.
I have just read your other tread and don’t worry about loss of appetite I didn’t eat for nearly 2 weeks after first being told but wait to the steroids (anti sickness) kick in you eat the biscuit tin let alone the biscuits. Stay positive and good lick
Love C
Hi again C,
Lol i like what you said about the biscuit tin.
I am not bothering with the cold cap, my friend did and still lost all her hair so didn’t want the extra fuss.
Hope your second chemo goes well too.
love Val x
Hi Val
Thanks. By the way I meant good luck not lick have food on the brain now!!!
Hi Val
Just saw your post. I am so sorry.
Just wanted to say that doing chemo first has one major advantage and that is that you can see it working or not working.
I was supposed to have 6 rounds of the same chemo (FEC) but after 3 my tumour hadn’t shrunk so they changed it to taxotere and that did the trick. If I hadn’t done it this way round I would have had six rounds of useless chemo.
Good luck tomorrow.
Love Lola x
Hi Val
Just saw your post and I am really sorry to hear your news… I am waiting for my first appointment on Monday 15 October as I found a lump in my breast below the nipple last Thursday evening. My lump is very deep and seems to be attached to something it is hard and not squidgy if you know what I mean.
I have not slept well at all since finding it and all thngs run through my head… I know thatpeople say that most lumps are not cancerous but I keep thinking I will be the one per cent…
I am 47 years of age and my sister was diagnosed with BC 3 years ago… she had a lumpectomy and rads…
It is very hard to not fear the worst and as you can see it it 02.22am and I am on this site… Good luck with your treatment and keep us posted… I agree with other comments made here that the people in here are empowering and as they can empathasie it is great to talk to them…
Lynne xx
Hullo Fuschia
Greetings from South Africa. I can only confirm what the others have already told you, but the main thing is to stay positive. BC IS treatable, the success rate IS good, there ARE new & better drugs, the survival rates ARE good, etc. etc.
Do some research & become informed on your condition, so that you can ask intelligent questions of your team - be a lion, not a sheep!
Don’t be shy to ask for tranquilisers & if your anti-nausea meds don’t work, ask for something else. Eat healthy, fresh foods (read Jane Plant’s book Your Life In Your Hands), allow your body the rest it needs (you will be tired), & be grateful that there ARE drugs to treat this disease. Also be grateful for every bit of good news your team gives you. Use all the support that is being offered to you, whether this site, counselling at your clinic, family, friends, etc. - don’t cut yourself off from people. They may not know how to help so tell them what you would like them to do, whether it is grocery shopping, cleaning your house, watering the garden, whatever.
I started a diary expressing my feelings, which eventually was used to make notes of all the wonderful messages I got from people, so on days when I felt very down, I read through some of the messages & they helped to uplift & cheer me up.
Allow yourself to express your emotions - get angry, throw around some things, don’t repress tears, it’s all natural so don’t think you must be superwoman!
When you feel stronger, then check out things like meditation, prayer, reflection, affirmations - these are all good ways of directing the mind more usefully.
Good luck with your treatment.
TheaJ
Morning everyone and thankyou,
Managed to get some sleep last night (yay) woke up a few times with horrid thoughts but managed to push them away.
I find that i sleep better on the sofa with the TV for company, the silence in the bedroom seems to scare me (strange)
Going shopping today, nothing in the house food wise and must start eating or i won’t be fit for anything, i must try and get back to some normality (the house is a bomb site lol)
Thanks for all the kind words, be well
Brainyblonde…i have everything crossed for you xx
Val
Hi Fushia
Just caught this thread and I’m so sorry to hear you’ve had to join.
I was diagnosed in June aged 37 and it’s been a tough few months. I had mastectomy and immediate reconstruction and now on chemo.
The strange thing is I don’t think about it all the time now - in the beginning it was my every waking thought but now that the treatment has started I feel more proactive and taking control.
It is tough but you somehow find the strength.
I don’t know your circumstances but you will find friends in unlikely places and people you thought would be there aren’t.
I don’t think this has been all bad, I now have a few really good people who have been there and so supportive.
You mention losing weight - when I first heard I lost a stone in a week - normally I would have been delighted, but I can say it has come back on and I am now back up to ‘fighting’ weight and boy do I plan to fight.
This website has been great - I can come on here and give off steam without feeling that I am judged or having to put on a brave face.
Good Luck and take care of yourself over the next few days - you will be delicate and I guarantee that every thought and worry you have , we all have been there!
MuddyXX
Lynne
Just seeing your posting - Good Luck. Let us know how it goes.
Thinking of all you anonymous friends out there - stay strong!
MuddyXX
Hi Val,
I am so sorry I’ve not been in touch sooner, for some mad reason I have only just caught up with your thread. I am so so sorry that you’ve had to join us but wanted to welcome you to this most awesome site. I have found it to be invaluable and I hope you will too.
I was diagnosed in March, age 34. I was seen at a one-stop clinic, went in with my boyfriend at 9.30 perfectly healthy and walked out at 12.30 with bc!!! It has been a very steep learning curve for me and those closest to me as I knew v.little about bc prior to diagnosis. I had my right mastectomy and total axillary clearance a week after diagnosis. I then started E-CMF chemo in May which I finished yesterday (hurrah!). Next on the agenda for me is rads, then Tamoxifen and Herceptin. Phew!!! They are throwing everything at this little bu**er and I’m not complaining!
I wish you well as you start out on this journey. Personally I felt better about things as soon as treatment had started and I knew where I stood. I’m sure everyone on here will agree when I say that chemo is tough but very doable. Trust me, if I can do it then anyone can!! Personally I found the mental/emotional side of chemo tougher to deal with than the actual physical side effects. To help me with this I have had some counselling, which has been great.
Take care of yourself. If you get a chance check out the ‘top tips going though chemo’ thread that is on the undergoing treatment-chemotherapy page.
Kelly
-x-