Why did you turn down the clinical trial? You get extra surveillance if you’re on one those which I would have thought is a good thing.
It was a bit more complicated than that. It was trialling a test on the tumour called Prosigna, for premenopausal women with nodes involved. The Oncotype test has been proven to be accurate for premenopausal women with no nodes involved and they’re trying to show if this other test can be used when nodes are involved. So, depending on which arm of the trial I was randomised to, there was a possibility of not getting chemo if the test showed it wouldn’t be beneficial. However, the standard treatment for people with my diagnosis is chemo, and the NHS predict tool indicated a good survival benefit from chemo. I decided if the test said I didn’t need chemo and the cancer came back I’d regret not getting chemo. As it is, I’ll never truly know if the chemo helps. If the cancer doesn’t come back, maybe it wouldn’t have anyway. If it does, well then maybe the chemo didn’t work, in which case it would have come back anyway. But that was my reasoning for declining the trial. I’ll be on Tamoxifen for 10 years so I’ll get followed up all that time anyway.
That was a lot to mull over but you made a very understandable choice. I was very pleased when they said I’d be on Tamoxifen for 10 years. I was comforted to think they expected me to live that long.
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All the nurses and my oncologist advise to keep my feet warm to help my buzzy feet. Having hot flushes doesn’t help, cos as soon as I put socks up on I overheat and want to take them off again. Only advice about it I’ve been given, maybe it’d help you?
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I used a hot wheat bag on my feet last night in bed and it was better. Thanks.
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Hi all and Happy New Year!
I’ve been avoiding the forum for a while as I just needed a break from the cancer bubble for a bit! Christmas and New Year was nice but quiet.
Hope everyone is in a good place! I had my last chemo yesterday and had my picc removed - bliss! Radiotherapy (likely for 4 weeks, booo) should start around the third week of January. Anyone else hopping on the radio train in Jan? The biggest thing I’m worried about at this point is being naked from the waist up in a room full of strangers (ok so room full is probably a bit of an exaggeration 
). Don’t mind getting the bad boob out but lying with both the pups flapping about makes me feel a bit ick
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Happy New Year Sharlou. Congrats on finishing your chemo. Roll on luxurious hair growth. I’m still dithering about radio. It seems to me a choice between not having it (gambling on the cancer not coming back) or having it (gambling on it not causing irreparable damage to my heart/lungs). It’s not an easy choice but I’ve got a few more weeks yet to mull it over.
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Hi Sharlou,
It’s great to hear from you.
I will be jumping on the radio train but I have to have an operation first so i assume radiotherapy won’t be until Feb/March.
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I was a bit shocked by the side effects, although she didn’t mention heart issues as mine is on the right hand side. She did say that future scans and CT scans may show up lung scarring but it will in all likelihood be so minor it won’t cause any symptoms.
I decided to definitely go ahead, as mentally I would really struggle if I didn’t have it and the cancer came back. I know that’s bonkers as it can come back even if I do go ahead, but that’s just how my brain works
I should be finished by Feb so I’ll be able to tell you all about it! When is your op due?
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I have my last chemo on Monday and Ive just spoken to the nurses station…they will take my PICC out after! I plan a full force shower on Monday night! Might even use some of my Christmas smellies!
I start radio for 3 weeks on the 20th of Jan.
All a bit overwhelming. I understand stepping off the forum and cancer bubble for a bit @sharlou … Things are starting to appear on the horizon that I should be happy for like a phased return to work in Feb/March but I feel very emotional and a bit unhinged. This time of year has that affect on me normally though! Even more so this year!
Sending everyone love for the start of 2025 x
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I won’t tell you my multiple worst-case-scenarios fears because I wouldn’t want to put you off.
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I’m not sure yet. I’m due to see my consultant on the 15th so all will become clearer for me then.
One more chemo to go on the 10th 
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Hi everyone and happy new year ! My last chemo is Tuesday and j can’t wait ! I’m not sure when my radiotherapy is - I think I’ll find out at my hospital appointment on Monday but guessing it’s about 3 /4 weeks after chemo finishes. Haven’t really thought about radio much as been taking things one thing at a time but now it’s becoming a bit daunting - that and all the drugs I have to take !
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I’ve had my Hickman line removed which came out easily. I just have to put a dressing on it for afew more days and can shower today. Just had a local.
So now I need to have a CT on the 30th to check a node nr my collarbone on the other side. Has anyone had this due to covid/flu jabs as that is what they think it is? Also to check 2 lung nodules that decreased slightly after 3 months possibly due to using a different CT and no contrast. Then I will have an op.
Just want to say that coldcapping worked very well for me. I lose some when I wash it still 7 weeks after finishing chemo. I cut it short which did the trick beforehand. I had Paclitaxel weekly so maybe due to that as I didn’t do so well before on FEC-T. I used a panty liner on my forehead which worked better than a hairband.
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pace yourselves on rads fatigue can kick in drink lots of water to keep hydrated and carry cream in your handbag so you can keep slapping it on during the day to cool the sizzle it’s very doable so just wanted to share. Also do look into the moving forward course that bcn runs they do face to face ones and online ones, might be something to look at and if you feel it’s for you try it, you don’t have to stay and can leave at any point during the course if it’s not for you I also help support these so have seen how they help start to put the jigsaw puzzle pieces of you back if you feel like a broken jigsaw after everything think a lot of us have after treatment, that and feeling like a hurricane spat us back out and dumped us on the yellow brick road while you sit there in a daze watching it go off into the distance step at a time you will get through 
Shi xx
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@epic1 me too last chemo on Tuesday 
I have to have mastectomy first before I know whether I will need radiotherapy.
Good luck to us all moving into the next part of our treatments 
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Has anyone here had a mastectomy with implants? I can’t decide if implants are right for me worried about complications and more surgeries. So confused
@lainy0203 ive had a mastectomy but my hospital would not offer any implants / reconstruction . Seems all hospitals are different ? They will do a reconstruction but not for a year .
Yeh everywhere seems different. I’ve been offered reconstruction at same time as mastectomy. Not sure if I need radiotherapy yet but they don’t seem to bothered about the implants if I do need it. Kinda felt like if you experience issues then they might need removed.