Breast implants and radiotherapy treatment also fighting cancer alone

[blueash]

Hello Jencat,

The cold cap is not as bad as I feared and definately worth a go. It does not work for everyone and they don't know why but I can give you some tips.

Make sure you take a couple of nuerofen or similar about half an hour before your appointment and make sure you take a flask of hot tea or coffee so that you have it ready to pick up and drink as soon as they turn it on. They do have a drinks trolley but if you have just missed it you will be miserable. I am sure that is why I was OK with it and never got an ice headache.

I found it a bit spiteful for 5 minutes but then your head goes numb and it is fine after that. The chin strap can be a nuisance but it has to be tight to keep the cap  in place so don't have it slack. Someone gave me those pointers and I am glad to share.

None of this is easy but the chemo, the cold cap the injections etc just rolled into one big thing of "got to got through somehow" issues that I faced. After that it was the getting to the hospital at 9am every weekday for 5 weeks for the radiotherapy.

Looking back I don't know how I did it but I did as so will you xxx

[brainyblonde76]

They were talking mastectomy then we agreed to try and salvage the implants but I may still wake up with righty gone. They haven't mentioned chemo yet as I'm immunocompromised from mybtransplant rejection drugs and thank you. I forgave her but won't forget that's for sure! Where I live they don't really have support groups either which make it a bit hard so I'm glad I found y'all

[Jencat]

I'm in two minds about trying the cold cap blueash, how doable did you find it? xx

[blueash]

Well good riddance to the ex is what I say.

I had my implants removed because they said the same thing - the radiotherapy would be difficult for them. Plus I was having chemo anyway so I thought I may was well be flat chested as well as bald but the cold cap worked a treat and honestly I don't look a lot different with the implants gone. I had a lump removed not a total mastectomy.

We are a good and supportive crowd on here so you won't be alone and to be honest virtual friends that know what you are going through are better than real people that don't have a clue.

[brainyblonde76]

Well versed! Sorry for any typos I'm using auto correct and talking to the phone while I clean LOL

[brainyblonde76]

That definitely threw me for a loop! I totally understand wanting to be helpful but at the same time that was a bit over-the-top and I had to put off my biopsy results for three weeks because I was sick from having a pancreatitis attack so was bed bound then when I finally went to A&E on the 18th and I was admitted they came and tracked me down and they didn't want to give me the results without a friend or family member there but again at my age 41 most of my friends and my age group are busy with families or jobs so it's hard to just pin someone down and if they want to contact most of my family they need a Ouija board or their 7000 miles away the few I have left surviving LOL

[brainyblonde76]

Thank you for that! I'm really will burst and familiar with cancer because there were seven different cancers in my family and I had to take care of a lot of family members but it's still weird having it myself now

[Jill1998]

Welcome to the forum Brainyblonde, having cancer is a lonely experience even when you have people around you as it's hard for anyone who hasn't been through it to understand .There is lots of advice and support to be had here .Come and talk to us whenever you want / need .Im not sure re breast implant issue but I do know like you say that radiotherapy can cause problems - your surgeon will talk through the options with you .Jill.

[Optimissy64]

Hi brainyblonde

I can't help re the implant query as i don't have any, but just wanted to welcome you to the forum and let you know that you will get lots of support here and I'm sure there will be some answers to your queries.

People really can be crass can't they - there is no "good" cancer -though i guess she is right in a way as there are many sucessful treatment options. But we are allowed to say things like that about our own cancer, but people who don't have breast cancer aren't!!!!!! (They aren't allowed to tell us to be positive either. )

I'm sorry you feel so alone - this cancer journey can be a lonely one anyway, since no-one can really know what it is like unless they have had cancer, but the support of friends is still very important. You may well find that even though they are busy, your friends will want to support you in different ways, even if they can't attend appointments with you. I live alone so didn't even think to take anyone with me when I got my results from the diagnostic tests, and I took myself to all my radiotherapy sessions, though i did get a lift to hospital for my surgery and home again afterwards. Use this forum, and also there is a confidential helpline you may want to access. It's very early days - less than a week since you were given the diagnosis - and it does take a while to get your head around it all. Take it steady. xxx

[brainyblonde76]

Hi there! I was newly diagnosed Monday sept 18th of this year. I have grade 2 breast cancer and they are doing a lumpectomy plus removing 4 nodes to check deeper. My question is I'm trying to preserve my breast implants but heard radiation may not work as good with them in and it may make things trickier...., what is your experience or have any of you been in this predicament and how did things work out?

Also I'm 41 separated from my ex a year October and American living in the U.K. 7 years now. If you want to contact most of my next of kin you would need a ouija board and I lost quite a few friends when he said he wanted a divorce so I'm pretty much alone outside of my chihuahua I've had since 6 weeks old who's 11 now and may have cancer himself. I know I'm strong enough to do this but lonely thinking I'll be going to all the treatments, the surgery everything myself. I have a small group of friends but they have kids/grandkids/jobs etc so are quite busy and one of my well intentioned friends said today when I broke the news "oh you got the good kind of cancer because it's easy to cure 😳! It's a very lonely feeling going through this on my own. I am also a two-time corneal transplant recipient in chronic rejection as well as I have hereditary pancreatitis and other issues and that's why my ex left me as he couldn't deal with it anymore