Thanks for the reply @moyesie, and glad to hear you are doing well despite being in the thick of this. I’m taking a lot of comfort from the solidarity on this forum and it’s becoming clear that everyone’s journey is so so different and reality is, none of us know what the future holds. I’m sitting here a tad emotional as a young lad was killed by a falling tree on the road leaving my village during the storm on Friday…he was 19, same age as my step son, and it’s left me thinking about how much I’ve taken my health for granted over the years, and how I need to get my head sorted as best I can as things can change so quickly. So I thank you for taking the time to reply and the different perspective on things x
I was extremely balanced after my surgery and treatment and but was encouraged to do the Moving forward course.
I was very together about all I had gone through. I’m medical myself so had a very clear understanding of all that had happened. I counsel a lot with my job.
It actually really depressed me and actually sent me to quite a dark place so I did not attend the second session. It took me a few months to get over how bad it made me feel.
A friend of mine found the experience similar.
I suppose it depends who runs the session and who attends but the people running my course were not professionally qualified or trained counsellors and did not actually move me forwards but very backwards.
So just a different perspective on this ….
Thanks for this. I’m due to start a moving forward course in a couple of weeks time but I might delay it based on your feedback. My surgery and diagnosis was back in Aug and I am slowly recovering from it all with help of 121 counselling.
Thanks for the information. I’ll have a better look into the course as I definitely don’t want to end up in a similar position and thankfully can get counselling through work, so this would always be an option.
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Hi @ggx, I’m really sorry to hear about your recent experiences. Our Moving Forward courses are aimed at people who have finished their active treatment for primary breast cancer. For most people this is around 6 months after treatment – but usually there are a mix of people from the ‘just finished’ treatment’ to a few years past.
Week 1 focuses on ‘looking back’ to move forward – so a kind of ‘what just happened?’ approach - helping people to start trying to make sense of things
Week 2 is about practical tools to move forward, looking at wellbeing and with a Q&A session from a local breast care team.
Our Moving Forward facilitators are not therapists, and are not medically trained. They are there to provide a safe, confidential space. Our volunteers also support our courses, sharing their personal experience
There is lots of signposting to local and national support – our helpline 0808 800 6000 provides support 9-4pm Monday to Friday; 9am-1pm Saturdays. You may also find it useful to try our Someone Like Me service – you can call them on 0345 0771893. You can also access free counselling through Macmillan, by calling their helpline on 0808 808 0000.
Hopefully you will find some good support here on our forum about different things people have tried.
If you’d like to provide more feedback about the particular session you attended, you can email us on movingforward@breastcancernow.org
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Hi, I think your feelings are natural. I finished my treatment at Christmas and signed off by oncology with the usual follow-ups.
I have an overwhelming sense of vulnerability - I have never thought I would die, but I feel the whole thing was unreal.
I looked for groups but haven’t found one, so I have started private therapy. It’s help. Sometimes, my emotions will get the better of me, and I feel I won’t stop crying if I start. I guess I am saying that we have all gone through something challenging. Talking it through does help to process a life-changing event.
I have suggested to the breast clinic that they run some groups facilitated by people who have been through this and are taking this on board.
Give yourself space, its ok to feel they way you do. The pathway for me was very slick and quick bit gave little time for processing have I felt and had very little agency.
Find a group or therapist you can talk through your feelings and good luck
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Hi
I really enjoyed my moving forward course. It was almost a year after my treatment ended and it was just after Covid so that’s why it was delayed
I found it a really safe space to be open and honest about fears and hopes
And felt the volunteers were very helpful. It was two years ago and we still all keep I touch via what’s app group that we set up.
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Thanks for all of your posts ladies. I had thyroid cancer 16.5 years ago and was diagnosed with stage 1a tubular breast cancer in October last year, after a routine mammogram age 50. I finished radiotherapy 3 weeks ago and it absolutely poleaxed me! Really nauseous and exhausted. I had started a new job in September (I’m a teacher/assistant Head of sixth form) and had my surgery very end of October. I’m about to go back and feeling nervous as they don’t really know me, or me them, and I’m not sure how it’s going to go at all. I negotiated tamoxifen rather than letrazole as I’m terrified of the side effects and how they could affect my life but am yet to start that. It only improves my 5 year prognosis by 0.4% but it’s the thought of secondaries/recurrence that frightens me. I just wanted to say hi to everyone and that I guess, we are all in this together. Lots of love 
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Hi sarahjg07, I’m mid way through my radiotherapy and I’ve been shocked how tired I’ve been and generally how unwell it’s made me feel. Glad you are out the other side. Not sure if some of that is the emotional side of things starting to hit as well. Ive started Tamoxifen as well and just wanted to give you some reassurance as I’ve had no side effects so far aside-I’m in week 6 so it might be they haven’t hit yet but fingers crossed it remains ok. Good luck with the return to work, and hope your employers are giving you support as you start back. X
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Thank you so much for that, it’s very reassuring.
I am afraid I did not find the Moving Forward course very helpful at all. It made me feel worse. I felt as if the staff running it were trying their best but just did not cater for the very different diagnoses/ concerns. Additionally, there was one lady who dominated everything giving little opportunity for anyone else to speak.
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@Bookie Im sorry to hear the Moving Forward course was not right for you. I completed one last year and found it helpful. At first I found many people did not want to contribute and a few that did. I can see some might view that as someone dominating the conversation but maybe they were just trying to fill the quiet gaps or were nervously talking. I know there was quite a few ‘quiet’ moments especially on the first week. There were people who had just finished their treatment, others finished 2 years ago and some like me still having antibody treatments after chemo. Breast cancer diagnosis and treatment is so varied, how we deal with the diagnosis and how we can ‘Move Forward’ in life. I think some times the time we attend the course, the mix of people and how we feel at that particular time can impact what we get from it.
I’ve had at least two emails from BCN about my feedback on the course, I hope you also received yours and completed the feedback as the charity and the facilitators won’t know how you felt if you didn’t. If not you can give feedback by emailing movingforward@breastcancernow.org
I have surprised myself how easy I have found talking about my diagnosis and volunteering on this forum, helping others enriches my life.
I hope you have found a way forward. If you need help MacMillan do an online HOPE course and Maggie’s do a ‘When treatment ends’ course.
Take care 
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Thank you so much for your reply. I totally understand what you mean about people filling the gaps. Unfortunately in this case it was a lady who had a very early stage one grade one small tumour but was terribly anxious and in need of a lot of reassurance which I understand as breast cancer is breast cancer no matter what and people have every right to seek whatever assurance they need. In this curcumstance however others felt they just couldnt share their concerns as this poor lady was so anxious. I felt that the staff were a little lost and didnt know how to manage the situation effectively to help us all to move forward. It was just unfortunate I suppose but in chats afterwards several of us felt the experience wasnt as good as it could have been. The lady I feel could have benefited from more focused one to one support.
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I found the Moving Forward quite helpful. Unfortunately i only managed to get to the first week as i developed a nasty cough. I am having another go next month. The main thing i got out of it was just being able to chat to people, much in the same way as we do here but it was nice to meet people f2f. There was a good mix of lsdies of various ages and at different stages of recovery. I had only just finished radiotherapy a few days before and i think that was a bit too soon for me as i was still in that treatment ‘bubble’ and hadn’t had time to reflect. I’m hoping that the next sessions will be useful. The facillitator was very good at giving us all the opportunity to speak, but obviously there are always some people who have more to say than others and some who dont say much at all. It is a real skill to be able to manage a group with diverse personalities and needs. There were s couple of people who clearly needed extra one 2 one support and they were signposted to the appropriate services in our area and given lots of reassurance and support, but i wouldnt say it was to the detriment of anyone else. So i can understand that dynsmic of these groups can vary depending on personalities and issues raised that people may or may not feel relevant to them, but the main thing is that you are not alone in having fears and worries, we’ve all been through trauma.
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Thanks Penny 
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Dear Nannabee
That is such a kind message from you. I do appreciate it so much.
Love Seagulls
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Yes I understand what you are saying. It does seem like this lady would have benefited from more one to one support. It could be something the MF course could consider such as having 2 volunteers so that one could take people to one side if needed and the other can stay with the group.
It is difficult, I have met with ladies with very low grade bc had surgery and radiotherapy and treatment done in a few months, whereas I was HER2+ and needed 18 months of treatment including chemo. Our experiences were very different but they are more anxious than me.
I would highly recommend feedbacking to BCN.
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My class did have another volunteer as well ss facilitator, plus a nurse representing the hospital, not a BCN but a support worker who looks after the general welfare of breast cancer patients, i think she was Macmillan funded. So it obviously varies from place to place.
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I was dignosed with tnbc in december 2024, im 32, ive heard the im lucky remark many times as i started chemo end of jan 2025 and after 2 cycles my tumor has shrunk a decent amount, no one can tell you your lucky what you are and have been through isnt lucky, your courage is what is driving you, your the capitain, your the person who is kicking cancers butt, yes it may come back… but i believe you will rock on and have a long happy life 
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Welcome to the forum that nobody wants to join but you will find so much help and support.
I so sorry to hear of your diagnosis at such a young age but your attitude is great.
I wanted to signpost you to some links that might be helpful. There is a monthly chemo starters group to get support from others having chemo at the same time as you. Here’s the January 2025 group.
BCN also have a section for younger women under 45
- Younger Women Together: For people 45 and under. You can choose the support that suits you: online, one day or 2 day residential events. Find an event.
Take care
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