@buggeringon I love the hat and t-shirt. I bet they produced a few giggles in the unit!
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You look incredible @buggeringon
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Great pic @buggeringon am sure everyone had a good laugh and you cheered up their day, certainly gave me a smile 
Well done on finishing the chemo stage. A massive hurdle overcome. Good luck with the radiotherapy. Do you know yet how often you will be having it?
Hope you are feeling better today @anim4l
@bellbert I have become aware of some tingling in odd toes and finger tips. But only every now and then. Can’t pin down when it happens to see if there is a pattern. Hoping that is the extent of it. Still waiting for the sun here.
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I’ll be having 26gy over 5 days - Whole breast and then 5 days boost delivering 13.35gy
Dreading it really, but found out whilst chemo already underway that one margin was only 1mm - not sure why they didn’t give option of further surgery (think NICE guidelines recommend a joint decision in that circumstance). But the close margin makes the boost necessary
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It’s been so lovely reading everyone’s news and fabulous for the bell ringers. Ailsa @molly.m i love that pic, you look fantastic, and you are so talented! Friend of ours was on pottery throw down, season 1 , Tom Knowles Jackson, he does it full time now and does retreats at his studio, I’m going to do one with him when I’m well enough. Anything creative is soothing isn’t it. Must feel wonderful to have chemo behind you. You had it so tough, hope you’re feeling much better. @anim4l so sorry you’re struggling with tummy. I’m on daily omeprozole too as standard. Are you allowed to try some probiotics? Glad you’ve joined a support group. The only one I can find near me meets the 3rd Wednesday of the month so not very helpful. The next is the day after my next EC so that’s off the table. Mind you I’m properly isolating now bc of the A&E scare, I don’t want to get anything else! Everybody seems ill right now with upper respiratory problems. @emsd2025 totally understand your anxiety. Hope you managed to reach a satisfactory outcome re scans just to put your mind at rest. 21st Jan! Next week- bloody brilliant. I think worrying about what might be going on inside our bodies will be our new normal. I already live more in the present than I used to even with bloody chemo. @dizzy3 what a relief getting your picc out and great news about the nausea hope your plans for surgery moving along. Jane @bellbert i totally agree, spring is a comforting time to be doing all of this even though it’s shit, it’s shit with lighter nights and soon a few snow drops and daffodils. I got a bit of tingling towards the end of paclitaxel I use a cream called Mira and I massage it in, I rarely get the sensation now I think I was lucky. Keep feet warm and use loads of moisturiser x @cathie2 that’s a pisser you’re delayed!! Any news on extra injection? Do you have to wait until Friday? Kim @cridders any news on surgery meeting? @buggeringon epic T-shirt!!! lol. Feel your pissed offness, I’ve had enough. I saw oncologist today and he is thrilled with my results, scan last night showed tumour now under 4mm and of course that might very well be inactive- definitive answer only comes after surgery, but he was chuffed so I kind of am but I just can’t wait to get to the finish line now. He’s reducing last 2 Epirubicin doses to 75% and I’ve got my consultation with surgeon on 6th Feb. Then an MRI after final dose and lumpectomy with radiation. Immunotherapy for 6 months after. Antibiotics did the business and I feel back to normal this week but very chemo fatigued, almost 5 months and I feel sick at the thought of the last 2. Isolating is harder than I thought and I’m trying to channel my inner student slob. Working on an edit to try to escape to the highlands of Scotland (a standalone set in a castle). The crap weather helps. One good thing about EC is I can tolerate a normal diet again which is wonderful. And I’ve got more energy for walks and I don’t nap as much. Weird. Onco asked me which was worse, EC or tax/carb and I couldn’t decide. Spoiled for choice!
Hope everyone’s treatment this week for those having it goes well and good luck to those with upcoming surgery. Hang in there.
Rachel xxx
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Is that radiation? Friend of mine started her radiation yesterday (3 weeks) and she said it was fine xxx it has a scary reputation and I think I’m dreading that part too xx she was given a cream to rub in I’ll find the pic x
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@emsd2025 absolutely best of luck for surgery next week. Hope it goes well. What surgery are you having, what was agreed for you?
@story1 Great to hear from you and glad you are feeling better after your stint in A&E. Good idea to keep away from everyone. Every time I go in a supermarket all I hear coughing or sneezing. Brilliant news on your scan result. 4mm – wow, amazing!! Was that a scheduled scan pre surgery?
I had message today from onc. Bloods will be redone on Saturday and if all well chemo will happen on Monday, so that will be one full week delay. He also said they are reducing the dose of Epi which I was surprised to hear. I have asked if I can have a call with a member of the onc team this week to discuss. My husband has been ill the past week, we have kept completely away from each other and even though I have not been ill, or had any symptoms I am wondering if I have picked something up that might have affected my neutrophils. If it is something like that and my levels bounce back then I would prefer to stay on the full dose of epi. I will see if I can have a proper chat with someone. I just want to get through to the end!
@buggeringon Good luck with radiotherapy next week. 10 days - hopefully it will fly by before you know it and you can get through it comfortably.
Good luck to all on treatment this week. x
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Hi @story1 so glad to hear you’re feeling better! Infections are so rubbish. I think you’re right, worrying is the way life is now but it’ll be ok (I hope)
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Oh you’re so close @cathie2 i hope you get your treatment on Monday! I’m having a lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy next wed - hopefully just a day case. Picked up my surgery bras today - yuck! Also I’m now a 36A literally the most depressing thing ever - pre kid and cancer I was a 32 D 
, and my body hasn’t changed much at all. These tits are causing a lot of problems for tiny ones with a fat back
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If anyone is having radiotherapy, here is a couple of helpful links
https://radchat.transistor.fm/ RadChat have a podcast and social media. Lots of helpful information.
https://www.respire.org.uk/ Sheffield Hallam and Leeds hospital have provided this. Helpful videos for breath hold and skin care.
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Hi @cathie2 no I think he ordered another scan to give me a bit of encouragement because I wanted to stop treatment. To be fair it worked. I see how much it’s shrunk and I know I have to keep going. To see just a couple of millimetres left made me see how little there is to go and even though we’ll never know if it is the chemo or the immunotherapy or both, EC has played its part even though I detest the inflammation and fatigue in the first 10 days. My onco is a traditionalist, I mentioned complimentary therapies to try to make myself feel better (red light, IV infusions, herbs etc) and I think if I wasn’t on immunotherapy he’d say say go for it but keytruda treatment is so new they darent endorse anything that might interfere with the immune system at the same time. I was so in charge of my body pre cancer and being just a passenger on this journey is killing me and I think he saw that and wanted to just give me a boost, which the scan did. I’ll get a final MRI after my last EC and that will be the one that informs surgery but it was nice to see how far I’ve come xx
I was starting to get worried about long term damage from chemo but he reassured me that my bloods and health markers indicate nothing like that. I suppose I’m starting to fret about recovery and what that might look like. I know life is never the same but I hear such horror stories about keytruda and I’m still hanging onto the hope that I’ll get my fitness and vitality back in tact (is that too much to ask?)
Xxx
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@emsd2025 ard you watching the Schmidt webinar tonight?
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I am @story1 but it’s around bedtime which is unfortunate - James may have to sort it. Bad failed my second driving test today but called the breast nurses again and this one was great. She could pinpoint the pain said chostochondritis and will tell my surgeon for next week but no need To see me. Wish I’d known this pre my driving test when I could barely open the car door
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Bloody hell that’s painful!! They say it’s viral don’t they so just have to rest? Xxx if you miss the webinar and you’ve registered they’ll send you the recording xx
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So apparently it’s just time. The pain isn’t too awful but the anxiety is a bitch so I’m relieved. Still trying to exercise etc - it’s more mental than anything but so relieved that something should have shown on mri if I needed to worry xxx
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Thought that was a good session - did you find it useful @story1?
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@emsd2025 thought it was brilliant, very clear. And really positive x
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Same!
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Just catching up - tomorrow I’ll have my 8th weekly paclitacel of 12. I’ve now had weird feet tingling and my digestion has not recovered before the next dose - mouth ulcers, stomach cramps and diarrhoea but only a month to go.
@buggeringon HUGE CONGRATULATIONS on ringing the bell
And being done with chemo - at least one stage in the process done!
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