Hi Sarah glad everything went ok today - did you try the cold cap? Yes drink plenty of water to get it through your system and I usually try and drink lots every day now xxx
Judi wonder what happened there - I know they were asking everyone to re log in about a week ago and reset password and I had a bit of trouble with that. Hope it's sorted out soon xxx
Hi carole trying to retrieve your private message but saying access denied so have emailed them the joys of technology!!!!! Love judi xxx
All the best for today Sarah. I am doing my chemo induction later, but have a 3pm slot for my actual chemo next week. Agree early is good & you will be done before you know it & back home. Let us know how you get on. Good luck for tomorrow Carol & BlondeAmbition. xx
Good luck for tomorrow Sarah and glad your pic is much better. I'm feeling good today - arm has gone down and scan last night revealed clot has broken down so just waiting for the clexane injections to work to get rid of the rest. Hope everyone else is ok this week xx
Good luck Blondeambition - If you're having the cold cap, they gave me 1mg lorazepam last week and I found it much more tolerable, infact I had a nice sleep - but that's only if you're not driving yourself home xx
Bibi I had echo scan and not muga - not sure of the difference but hope yours goes ok tomorrow. I'm due my second herceptin injection on Thursday along with paclitaxol no 4. I find that I'm ok for the first 2 days after chemo then go downhill for next 2 days and then start to come back up again although have had a bit of a set back with this blood clot malarkey. I don't know if there is anyone else on here having paclitaxol?
Sarah hope your picc line is not causing you too many problems and good luck for chemo on Wednesday.
Lisalou hope you are feeling better today and good luck with your ct scan. Sending virtual hugs to everyone having chemo and tests this week - let's hope it's a good week xxx
Blondeambition thanks for the info on the MUGA. Mine is tomorrow & will remember to take a sarnie . . . Nice place for a picnic(not)! My chemo has been bumped a week to 3/9 now. Part of me is disappointed, because I really wanted to finish a few weeks before Christmas & now last treatment scheduled for 17/12, but the rest of me is just happy to have another week of normality (& hair).
Good luck to everyone having chemo this week.xx
Have you got a pICC line fitted Sarah I was supposed to have one fitted last week but they delayed it due to finding some thing on a scan on my pelvis. Went for a biopsy bu ultrasound and they could not find anything. I was scared of having the biopsy took 3 Valium between 9.30 and 12.30 for imp appointment . I did not feel any different and it was canceled anyway. Know I will have to have a PICC soon and that scares me too. How did you find it.
Hi everyone, I had my 2nd chemo on Thursday, went well, used cold cap again and tolerated okay. I had lost some hair in previous few days but because I had my hair cut short and its quite thick I haven't got any bald patches yet. I do have my wig all trimmed and ready to wear if needs be. It's day 3 today and I'm feeling sleepy and achey but okay if I just rest. I'm 49 and from Mildenhall, Suffolk. I go to West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St. Edmunds. I have two girls 21 and 23yrs. They live at home but the younger daughter returns to Uni in September. My older daughter starts her first job as a primary school teacher in a nearby school next week. Hope everyone is having a reasonable day today.
Best wishes to you all
Sandra x x
Hi Lisa Sorry to hear you have been feeling rough the last few days, but hopefully it will start to get a little bit better soon for you. Just take it easy. Also second time in a few years must be very tough for you, especially with a young child. All the best for the rest of the weekend.
Hi Josie11 sorry to hear about you & your mum. Best wishes to you both. I sat next to a lady at coffee after (they played) golf yesterday & she told me she had it last year. It seems like an epidemic to me, it's everywhere. Thank goodness the treatment has improved so much in the last few years. Have a good weekend. xxx
Hi Lisa, welcome - so sorry to hear your news and thinking of you. I hope you can get rest so that you can enjoy time with your wee one. BC is such a hard disease. My mum who is supporting me through round 1, had a lump removed 9 years ago and is just being diagnosed with secondary BC in her lungs so will be joining me in the chemo suite. All we can do is take one day at a time and try to make the most of it. I try to tell myself that what I will regret is not taking the chances I have to enjoy my kids, my family and friends and the sun on my face ( and yes I know, you're not supposed to do that during chemo....;-)) because I am feeling sorry for myself. Maybe easier said than done.
Take care and be good to yourself, xxxx
Thanks Carol. I've made an appointment at Trendco for Monday morning!
Everyone, have as nice a weekend as you can. My husband has taken the boys away camping for the weekend - not too far away, though, in case of emergencies - so the house is blissfuly quite and peaceful.
Would be lovely to meet up at some point Sarah 😊
Blondeambition, what's the reconstruction like? I'm much older than you and at the moment am thinking I wouldn't mind just staying flat post mastectomy. But everybody tells me I'll feel different when I come to have the operation.
Hi Lisajane. Sorry to have to welcome you to our group. It is, however, a real godsend.
I too am having chemo first, before mastectomy and total lymph node clearance. I had my first chemo session on Wednesday. I'm still feeling ok. A little tired today, perhaps, but that's not unusual for a normal Friday! Good luck with everything. What regimen are you on? I'm on eight cycles of AC- T, with a session every other Wednesday.
Sorry Sarah Perry's is hobo uniformed.blogspot.co.uk, but you can access via the other one. I read so many I got confused!
LisaJane Try chemoforbeginners.com for practical advice. There is an a-z section on the bottom right. Although she hasn't finished them all yet, they are full of practical advice. Also a girl called Sarah Perry has a blogspot called something like asecretdiaryofachemogirl.blogspot.co.uk which has good stuff on about how to access the young breast cancer network. Her tumour shrunk to nothing on chemo too. She has put some graphic photos on there (surgery/hair loss) so avoid if you are squeamish. You'll be ok. We're all going to get through this. xxxx
Lisajane I'm so sorry that you've had to join us and at such a young age, but Sarah is right we will all help each whatever our age, to get through this. My bcn recently told me that one young patient in her early 20's had a large tumour and had chemo before surgery and the tumour shrunk to nothing! Do you know what chemo you'll be having yet xxx
Hi Blondeambition, I had a girl with me at rads who was 24, she was dismissed by Doctor for months as being too young for it to be anything but persevered and was eventually diagnosed with BC, I was so shocked! I felt young at 46 but I'm very humbled by how well you all cope with young family's, it seems so cruel and I feel fortunate to have reached middle age and have grown up children before being diagnosed, it does seem that nobody is immune but the treatment is fantastic now and enables us to get on and live long and happy lives xx Jo
Lisalouw How are you doing? I am hoping you are Ok & it wasn't toooooo bad for you yesterday. Let us know when you feel up to a post xxxx
You are very welcome to our little team LisaJane & so very sorry to hear your story. Must be heartbreaking to have to do all this horrible stuff when you just want to be looking after your babies. We will all try & help you along the way. What have they got planned for you? Chemo first? Big hugs xx
Thanks Sarah and glad your PICC fitting is over and you're ok.
bravescholar I went to Trendco London for my wig and they were really lovely - especially the older man there. I rang and made an appointment and then went back again for the wig as they had to order it. They also cut the fringe for free as it was a bit too full. Both times I combined the visit with a shopping trip to Westfield as I got the overground to Shepherd's Bush and then the 31 bus to Westbourne grove. Portobello road is just a walk away too xxx
Hi Sarah, yes I'm a regular IKEA shopper! we love eating at Cosmos or Za Za bazar with our friends and often combine it with a cheeky shopping trip 😉
Hi everyone, back home from chemo and touch wood it went well today. They gave me 1mg Lorazepam and I felt very relaxed and tolerated the cold cap much better. Had a little sleep during the 3 and a half hours I was there but woke up for lunch and then went back again. OH just gave me my daily injection of clexane after looking on YouTube and it's a bit sore but sure will get used to it - might even try and do it myself. Hair has shed a tiny bit this evening but still a lot left touch wood. My daughter did really well in her GCSEs and got into 6th form and congratulations to all those that received their results today.
i think I'm the oldie on here - 58 with three children aged 39, almost 19 and 16 so big age gap between my first and second two. I also had dcis only (no invasive) and right mx because three sections when I was just 45 but no other treatment including no tamoxifen and did ask how I would be protected as I was worried what would happen when I went through the menopause and the answer was I would have the same chance of breast cancer as anyone else when I reached that age. So 13 years later and now this is a new primary in left boob and nothing to do with the previous one and has happened just after I have gone through the menopause. Just really bad luck! Last time I never went through any of this so I have great admiration for you ladies going through chemo and especially the ladies who have had chemo before. You are very brave women - oh and forgot to say I am from Islington, North London but moved out to west herts some time ago. My mum, sister and other family are still in Islington so we visit there regularly Xxx
Bravescholar my sister said she thought the wig was lovely & better than my own hair because no greys! She's never usually over complementary either, so I can get the truth out of her. It's actually very like my own hair, except fringe/front bit which I haven't got quite right yet. When you put it on it needs quite a bit of fiddling around to look better, but it's sure nice to have it there as an option in case cold caps fail or I can't stand 'em. Well done on the other GCSEs & glad your PICC wasn't too bad. Just wondering how your chemo went Carole after all the palaver last time. Ok I hope xx
Your not that far from me Sarah, I'm near Burnham on sea, my son lives in Bristol, he's 24 and my eldest is 26 , I was 46 on diagnosis in March and tuned 47 in May, I felt too young for this but there are so many younger, it's scary! Xx
Bibi, good news here on GCSEs too. My son did really well, better than expected, which is great. Will check out Trendco for wigs here in London. Thanks.
Sarahd. Gosh but you're young to get this bloody thing, aren't you? Bad luck there. Must be nice to be a young grandma, though. Or maybe I'm wrong there! Enjoy your takeaway!
Re PICCs and ports, etc, my oncologist said to try veins first. So we did. First session went fine.
Sarahd how was PICC? I asked about that, but they seem to like to try your veins first where I am. x
Bravescholar hope you are still feeling not too bad. I am not far from you in North Surrey. I went to trendco in Brighton for my wig & they were lovely. I think there's one in London too. I'm 51 & have a stepson who's just passed his GCSEs. Whahey for some good news!