Merry xmas and best wishes to all of you and your families and thanks for all your support. What a tough year it’s been for all of us, hope 2013 is better, and hope we all enjoy better health for many years to come!
Thanks too for the moderators for running these forums.
Squeakymouse xx
Hi everyone
Have been reading posts on my phone but can’t post on it, so haven’t been on for a while.
Meerkat - sorry to hear you’re having to postpone your trip to Oz - hope you get to reschedule it soon so you have it to look forward to after your op. Puppy sounds like a lot of fun!
Doggirl - keeping everything crossed for you.
Squeaky - Budapest sounds great. Wish we were having some of that cold and frosty weather rather than the constant rain!
Rattles - congrats on the submission to Breakthrough - go girl. That’s amazing.
Em - hope your wound is starting to heal, good to hear that the BCN wasn’t worried.
I saw my surgeon earlier in the week, looks as though I will definitely need an op to remove the implant in my reconstruction, as it just isn’t healing properly. They are going to do an MRI on the ‘good’ side in the next month or so, as the MRI I had done at diagnosis showed some benign changes on that side, so they want to check if there have been any further changes in case I need operating on both sides… The surgeon said he could try and replace the implant with a smaller one, but to be honest I think I might just tell him to make me flat on that side, so that it can heal up and I can get on with life.
Hope everyone has a really good Christmas, thanks to you all for all the support over the last year. I won’t be sorry to see the back of 2012 I must say.
Alix xx
Imagine - this time last year most of us didn’t know of the existence of this forum.
Hope everyone has as good a time as they can - and thanks for all your support in the last few months. Your support has been tremendous. Like most of you I can’t wait to see the back of 2012.
Merry Christmas one and all - and I did survive all of my concerts!!.
K M xx
Happy Christmas to all the May 2012 Buddies. Thank you all for your support over thd last few months. Heres wishing all of us a much happier and healthier 2013, Xxx
Has anyone attempted to dye their hair yet? I have bought some semi-permanent but not used it yet. And has everyone still got the downy hair at the sides of their face and managed to find a solution for that too?
Hope you all had a great day yesterday and didn’t get too rat-arsed! It was the port and stilton at 9 last night that finally finished me off!!!
K M x
Merry Christmas to all the lovely buddies and here is hoping that you have all had a lovely Christmas!
Whatever challenges we face, we could all taste the delicious dinner, enjoy mulled wine, be reasonably confident of sleep, be drug-free (prescription!) and have no fear of neutropenia.
We had a relaxing, quiet Christmas with family over last weekend and visits from friends coming up. It was so beautiful. I swear our Christmas tree this year looks more beautiful than any other we have had. We spoiled my daughter silly and just generally did whatever we wanted.I have never been so happy, but there were times when I felt tearful as I realised I just don’t have the same certainty over the future now.
I am so grateful to you all for your support this long, hard year. Thank you all and to bcc too!
Kitten-mad - I won’t show my hair until I can dye it. It is practically white and that saying (which I can’t remember) about your hair turning white over-night springs to mind! I am desperate to dye it but it is very fine and fragile. I planned to see my hairdresser and see what she thinks. I still have alot of downy hair too. Would welcome suggestions?
Sending lots of love, Rattles xxx
I want to dye my hair too - it’s come back a steely grey! My hairdresser friend is happy to do it for me anytime I want so I was planning on getting it done soonish. As for the facial hair I’ve heard threading is the way to go but not sure I will bother with mine.
Hi all
My hair has come back almost exactly how it was before, perhaps a shade lighter, but still v straight. I’ve always had fine hair, so can’t blame the chemo for that! Like Em, I might just learn to live with the facial hair, unless it gets thicker or darker that is…
Had a lovely Christmas Day, went for a walk in between the showers and drank copious amounts of champagne! Unfortunately I woke up today with an infection starting (again!) in my reconstruction, so had to see the emergency doc for antibiotics. Will ring the BCN tomorrow and check if the surgeon wants to see me.
Em - love your new profile pic!
Alix xx
Wishing you all a happy and healthy new year
Gillianxx
On the down side - I have a horrible bug - flu really and have just got out of bed - it made me think of the bad times when I was ill through Chemo SE’s.
On the plus side - I eventually got my new wig yesterday and I love it - they exchanged the one I was unhappy with so that was good. The girl said they should never have foisted a non monofiliment one on me and this one is much better quality. She is called Tia but I won’t be wearing her until I feel better! Anyone else got that model?
Just saw an advert for a hair removal system on tv - here is the link if anyone is interested although it is a bit pricey!
www.trynonotv.co.uk
Hope everyone is well and at least feeling better than I am at the moment.
K M xx
Seasons Greetings to all my BREAST friends! 
I do so hope you all had a good Christmas and are looking forward to the new year. I have mixed emotions regarding the New Years celebration this time: 2012 has been my worst year ever. Do I celebrate leaving it behind, having come through it, or celebrate the forthcoming year which I have no idea what it will hold? I celebrated last new year, and look what happened - LMAO !!!
Tried the HD eyebrows, but resented paying the £25 for no real benefit. I then went to my usual hairdresser/beautician, and got a better result for a mere £7. Kittenmad , I too have a new wig - not NHS - paid out for a decent one. Only trouble is that it is now getting uncomfortable as I have so much hair underneath it! My real hair is growing back 100 times thicker than before chemo, curly and grey/white. Still not comfortable going wigless in public! Mind you - these blinking hot flushes make me want to whip the darned thing off!
So, what’s your bestest Christmas present this year, & why ?
Me = OH gave me a watch. Every minute I see tick by is a minute more than I thought I would see … a minute more with my husband, children & grandson. Another minute nearer to birth of my granddaughter, and another minute with the wonderful woman that nurtured, supported and guided me through my life - my dearest Mum.
Thank you to each and everyone of you here reading this - your support has seen me through this, and I hope you can all take a little of the strength I now have to see you through.
Hugs to all,
Merc
xx xx
Hello. Feel like I’m barging in here but after starting chemo in May 2012, I’ve only just discovered this forum and this thread! Would’ve been useful. Have been writing a private blogthee whole time though which helped a lot.
I was diagnosed with 13mm lump in April, HER neg, ER positive. Had lumpectomy then 4 FEC then 12 weeks Paclitaxel. Finished chemo 16 Nov. Didn’t have to have radiotherapy. Opted for double mx on 2nd Dec just because I lost my mum and granny to BC young (I’m 38). Had the usual ups and downs with the chemo but the op has been the worst thing for me so far. Don’t think I had enough awareness of how I would feel afterwards. Which is how I ended up on this website, looking for threads on strattice & implants and found you guys. You sound like a nice bunch!
4 weeks on from the op and starting to get my head around the strangeness of my new boobs. Dreading the tamoxifen though. Shouldn’t have read the other threads on it… Hot flushes again, lack of sleep still, weight gain, no libido again. Thought I’d be all excited about NYE and a fresh start but what if it isn’t because of the Tamoxifen?
Golly I sound so negative… I was incredibly upbeat during chemo good weeks. isn’t it all supposed to get easier?
Darling buddies of May,
Came on to wish you all a happy new year! We went out for the day to celebrate. Like Merc, have mixed feelings about saying goodbye to 2012, and hello to 2013. I have started feeling quite panicky about the prospect of more surgery and cope be just thinking about ‘today’ so today was a good day and enjoy simple pleasures- being able to go out for a meal and do ‘normal’ things, albeit with plenty of coffee breaks.
Just a quick message for Alix to say, fingers crossed your infection is not flaring up again, and to kitten-mad, hope you are feeling better.
Also, big hello to Tatters, hope you are recovering. I always think there are good days and bad. Have to remember to be kind to myself, but very good at dishing out that advice to others!! I will pm you as I had bilateral mastecomies with strattice and implants. Its a massive op. My surgeon told me (afterwards!!) that the first week is always hell. It will take time to recover, esp on the back of chemo. It takes about 3 months for you to feel that the ‘new’ boobs are part of you, and I remember only too well the early days of not being able to sit for long and feeling like they could be on fire and I would not notice!! If I can help at all, drop me a pm.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Rattles xx
Hi Buddies, well Im feeling a bit emotional too about the new year too- dont really feel like celebrating but happy to be moving on from 2012… Too tired to be partying tonight, so a night in having a nice meal with OH and my lovely children 
We booked a holiday today to go to Thailand at Easter - very exciting, just hope I have more energy by then!! Hi to Tatters, I had an mx (no recon as i had rads) in Sept and still have a bit of an ongoing open wound situation. Saw the nurse today and have to go back on Friday to get it redressed…sigh…I think we all are impatient to get better quickly and it doesnt help when friends and family expect you to be ‘back to normal’ just because treatment is over! Tatters, I have been taking tamoxifen since late oct and haven’t found it too bad - I take it at night and get a couple of hot flushes in the night and a few during the day but they don’t last long. I’m hoping the new year will see a return of my mojo which has had a long vacation since my chemo days!! i also get stiff joints in the morning or when I get up out of a chair which I think maybe related to tamoxifen, but who knows?! Anyway, I hope all the Buddies new and old, have a good evening whatever you are doing. Here’s wishing us all a much better new year, much love Em Xxx
Hi all
Tatters - welcome! Sorry you didn’t find us in time for chemo. You’ve had a big op, so as Rattles says, try to be kind to yourself and give yourself time to heal. There’s a facebook page set up for younger women with breast cancer, it’s very active, let me know if you want me to send you the link.
Hi to all the buddies, I had to see my surgeon today about removing my implant which just hasn’t healed. The antibiotics have cleared up the infection, but the underlying lack of healing remains. At least I was ok for Christmas Day!
When I saw the surgeon today I had my overnight bag packed and was convinced I would be seeing in 2013 from a hospital bed, but he wants to delay the surgery until I’ve had an MRI on my ‘good’ side (it showed some benign changes when I had the MRI at diagnosis, so he wants to check if that side needs any attention, so if need be he can do both at once). So, I’m seeing him on Thursday and will hopefully get a date for the MRI and for surgery then.
In the meantime, I’m trying to make the most of New Year’s Eve, myself and OH have been tucked up on the sofa with the fire lit, watching The Sound of Music! We’re off to a friend’s house for a party tonight, don’t think I’ll manage to stay up to midnight though…
Em - hope your wound heals up soon. I’ve just started my third box of Tamoxifen, I’ve found the hot flushes not as bad as on chemo. I get a few during the night which wake me up, and now and again some stiff joints like you. My GP has just done an acupuncture course, so she’s practising on me as it’s supposed to be effective for some women with hot flushes. I’ve only had one session so far and I haven’t noticed any change yet to be honest.
Rattles - thanks for your thoughts, good to hear that you had a nice day.
Kittenmad - hope you’re recovered for Hogmanay, and thanks to Merc for the upbeat message.
Love to Doggirl too - let us know how you’re doing.
Here’s hoping for a happy and healthy 2013 for us all.
Alix xx
Merc - just wanted to say that your message was amazing! Oh and our prescription wigs are expensive up to £250 - so not really a compromise on something you buy! (maybe other parts of the country fob you off with something cheap!)
Just to wish you all a great new year and
Lang May yer lum reek!!
K M
xx
Happy new year to all of you and thank you all so much for your support during 2012. Here’s hoping 2013 is better, and may we all continue posting for many years to come. Sending gentle hugs to those of you who are having trouble with wound healing etc and a big welcome to Tatters.
Well I somehow managed to stay awake to see in the new year with friends, despite having herceptin earlier in the day!
Squeakymouse xx
Thank you for warm welcome. Emylou, thanks for your positive response about Tamoxifen. rattles, I have pm ed you. Happy new year everyone… X
Meant to say that I took the plunge and dyed my hair the other day. was so fed up with the grey look - I just used my usual home dye kit - Garnier Nutrisse. It came out ok and because its all one colour (brown) instead of white/grey/black it also makes it look like I have more hair !! I’ve been venturing out without the wig but will probably still use wig for work for a while longer. Seeing hairdresser at the weekend to see if she’ll trim my fuzzy ends off- how exciting is that???!!
Hi Buddies, I’m enjoying being off work and had a lovely day with daughter doing some shopping for her birthday next week (she will be 11). It was soooo nice to spoil her and I even took her to get her ears pierced (I was going to make her wait till the summer but i gave in after all the pleading!) - felt quite emotional about it as it seems a real milestone…I actually feel quite good at the moment and positive about the future but I have a meeting with my onc in mid Jan so will probably be brought back to earth with a bump!! How is everyone else coping at the moment, now active treatment is over for most of us? Doggirl, thinking of you Buddy-hope the news is good re the lump x and Meercat I really hope you managed to have a good Christmas with your family and you are finding the strength to face the further treatment you need, you are often in my thoughts, Em Xxxx