Hi Historygirl
I am sorry to read of your diagnosis of secondary breast cancer. I just wanted to mention that BCC have lots of support and information for women diagnosed with secondaries. If you are interest the link below will take you too the website page which provides details of the different services available:-
breastcancercare.org.uk/secondaries
I hope this is helpful.
Best wishes Sam, BCC Facilitator
Hi Della,
Glad to hear the appointment went well (even though your husband did the notice-me-toddler-cough for a bit of sympathy LOL)
EC - usually nausea and hair loss (but you get to keep your brows and lashes)
Top tip for wig - If you’re going to wear one, go for the best that you can afford (or tap your nice relative hee hee!) I’ve got a pricy one and a cheapish one and the cap on the pricy one is soft and makes all the difference to comfort to the point that I don’t bother with the cheap one 'cos it’s too itchy.
Can’t remember if you said you are ER/PR+. Assuming you are HER2- as you haven’t mentioned Herceptin.
I know it’s all a bit rubbish but in the great scheme of things “Fairly optimisitic” sounds good to me - I’d have that emblazoned on a t-shirt!
Lx
Hi Historygirl,
Sorry too hear that it is lung mets, your really brave to look at the CT scan’s they have offered to show me but its something I have not done yet, I didn’t need to see the scans to appreciate what they could look like having an artistic imagination is bad enough without having the images burnt into my mind.
Glad they have a plan of action in mind FEC chemo is very effective as is taxotere (docetaxol) I’m sure you will have a good response just like I did, so far I am fine with the occasional bad day. Some people have such a good response that it puts them in the land of NED (no evidence of disease) something we aspire to. Really and truly can anyone who has had cancer think they are cured! I agree with onc. the best we can hope for is control or keeping us stable as long as there is no pain or symptoms we can carry on life as normal, hopefully with breast cancer as a footnote.
Sending you all my best wishes any questions you know where I am, sending you love and light
sarahlousie xx
Hi Della, glad your Onc appointment went well, as I have said to you before, my Ct looked like a starry night, but the treatment kicked their ass and now I am as good as NED, so keep your chin up, as soon as your treatment starts you will feel like the fight has begun, it’s a long journey but you WILL get there.
Good Luck and a big HUG from me.
Jean xx
Hi Della
Haven’t really got anything to add to what the others have said. I would grab hold of the ‘optimistic’ - they don’t tend to say things like that lightly.
Hoping you have as good a result as Jean.
Re wigs - did the onc/nurse tell you about Will’s Wigs visiting the Hamar Centre every Tues?
Dx
Hello, me again, just popping on once more to say a big thanks for all the lovely comments.
Laurie – Thanks for the helpful and positive info. Will take the wig advice. Also hadn’t realized that I might retain brows and lashes – that’s a small bonus at least. The onc is chasing up my HER status as it is still unknown. My ER status is apparently moderate ++ and so I’m a candidate for Tamoxifen after chemo.
Sarahlouise – Thanks for lovely uplifiting message
Jean – It was you I nicked the starry sky thing from for describing the CT scan. Sorry – but it really does sum it up well. Thanks to you too for such a hopeful message.
DJ – Both you and Laurie are right – I’m off to the shops tomorrow for my ‘Fairly Optimistic’ T shirt! The nurse told me about Will’s Wigs and also about a hairdressers in town that might be able to help (might get them to chop my hair short too – as I imagine having short hair fall out is marginally less traumatic than long).
Thanks all. You really are a massive help!
D x
Evening History girl…Good news that you had a satisfactory oncology clinic result. Control is good, it can go on for years and years and years. There is a thread on chemo called “top tips for those having chemotherapy” which I will “bump” for you. Chemo is do-able and it does work. As for wigs, I have four, two are expensive Trendco and Trevor Sorbie trained stylist cut. I decided I had enough clothes and what my head looked like was important. However I did buy one at the Oncology centre shop for £110 which is lighter and just as good as the expensive ones. I call it my blonde Meg Ryan look. It even has dark roots. The maker is Gisela Mayer a German Company. The range is quite extensive. My NHS one is also very , very good in fact and my husband likes it best. So don’t worry just take your time in choosing. Short styles are more realistic than long.
I am sure everybody on the forums would say we will be there every time you need us.
Cackles
Thanks Cackles for niceness and also useful wig info. My husband has, helpful as ever, suggested he make one for me for free out of an old swimming hat and his chest hair. Classy. I think I’ll stick to your advice instead.
Evening Historygirl,
I didn’t mention the purple wig £8 Amazon or the Scottish tartin hat with orange hair !!! Both so sexy!!! You could try cold cap it realy works well from some people. I had it for the first two sessions but it didn’t work on me. I hated being bald more than anything else which surprised me. I long for it to grow. It has gone through the startled baby Gibbon look, dalmation, Gloucester Old Spot, carpet felt and it is now heading towards a Badger’s pelt. My paint pot is at the ready to eliminate Cruella Deville .
Sleep well
Cackles