November Newbies 2013

[Janey160359]

Hi Sam
Hope your recovering well from your two surgeries. I found the ANC a nightmare....got a seroma size of a house(or so it felt) under my arm and had to have it drained 3 times. The bee stings at the top of my arm not pleasant too. Hope you are not suffering too much. It all subsides eventually and some normality returns.
Good luck with your chemo in November....let me now how you get on and we can compare notes.

Love Janey x

[Janey160359]

Hi Lulu, ...booked our holiday to Mauritius before diagnosis to celebrate our wedding aniversary. Haven't been sure whether we would be able to go but onco said yes!....enjoy. Just managed to get Insured. What a nightmare. Companies wanting up to £500 and I haven't even started treatment. But got a great tip from one of the ladies on here and got covered for £60 with Insurancewith.com. I haven't been looking forward to it up to now because of the uncertainty but up for it now.

Wow what a roller coaster bc journey you have had. The regime you are on looks pretty intensive and all those rads too!. How are you doing with the SE's especially with the new drug. Hopefully that isn't giving you too much trouble. Let me now how your getting on.

I am dreading starting the fecking Fec ....love that ha ha. It's great we can still laugh. But will give it all I have got. OH taking me for a wig when I get my prescription....think he's scared I will get one that looks like Boris Johnson's hair.

My two tumours were grade one but the little blighters decided to share some micromets with 3 lymph nodes hence the chemo. Never was one to to things by halves.

At least we will be here to cheer each other up and have a good shout or moan

Love Janey x

[alabamasam]

Hi Tadpole & Sal
Welcome to November - I think we all have the same worries especially when waiting on further surgery and results but you will find a ton of support on here from all of us as we are in this together
Hugs Sam xxxxx

[Sal49]

Hi everyone

I think I too will be joining the group. Had mx 17 th September and was due to have ANC today but op cancelled as I have an infection near my wound. Bit worried that the dreaded visitors are still lurking in my nodes but surgeon says priority is for chemo rather than ANC. He says chemo and rads should do the trick but I remain a little worried. Anyway waiting for my wound to heal before chemo starts so this group will be great! I celebrated my 50 th 8 days after surgery, have ILC grade and stage 2.

[Tadpole]

Hello, looks like I could join this group. Diagnosed in August having been picked up on a routine mammogram. Had no idea I had cancer. Masectomy, sentinel nodes, 4 with cancer cells. Auxilary node clearance, one nasty node. Waiting to see oncologist, but told it will be FECT. Rads x 15 and letrasole.
What an experience this has been, quite sure whatever emotions I mention, most of you have experienced them as well. Loosing my hair has been such a brick wall for me to navigate, anyway enlightenment came to me a couple of days ago, it was an amazing sunny autumnal day, trees changing colour, birds singing, and it reminded me that life can be lovely. Now about that chemo..........

[alabamasam]

Hi Natalie
I also have two kids both boys. Jamie is 14 and I have told him everything we know as I feel he deserves that and Alex is just 5 so knows mummy is poorly but will be better soon. It's hard with the kids and hard to look after them although Jamie looks after himself now and just grunts when he wants food !
You will find lots of support here with us and also on other threads but ask anything you want at all .
Sam xxxxx

[Lulu34]

Hi janey

Sorry you have to join us but hope you get lost of support from this thread... Im sure you will.

Like bernadette this isnt my first chemo.... I was first diagnosed at 37, then had a new primary in the other side at 40 and a recurrence at 43 and in august i was diagnosed with lung mets now age 45... I found out i was a brca 2 carrier after the second cancer... BRCA 1/2 can cause multiple breast cancers.

My first cancer was grade 1 stage 1 so didnt need chemo but i have had E-CMF, carboplatin & taxotere and this time im on a new trial drug called ganetespib.

I had 25 rads to each boob and a further 20 to my left clavicle area... Im surprised i dont glow in the dark! Bernadette between us we have had 130 rads! Yikes!

My treatment is twice a week... I already had my first dose on tues and second dose today.... Its a very intensive regime... 6 infusions per cycle, where most chemo is once per cycle... Thankfully my cycles are 4 weeks long so i get a week off to recover.

My tumour this time and the last two were all triple negative but my first one was ER positive so i did five years of tamox and 7 months of letrozole... A lot of folk worry about hormones too but i didnt find them too bad.

Good luck with the fecking FEC.... Thats the most common regime used for BC so im sure you will have lots of experience from others you can share.

Where are you off on holiday? I hope you have a fantastic time.... I love holidays and glad iv had quite a few earlier in the year as not gonna get any for a wee while now. XxX

[natalia_r]

Hello,

I was diagnosed with Lobular cancer in September. I had a mastectomy to remove a 112mm tumour and anc about 2 weeks ago, only one node involved. I'm due to start chemo 6x FEC in the next 2 to 3 weeks and am dreading it. I have also got a 12 y old son and 15month old baby. I have done my best to prepare my son for the changes he will see, but any advice would be great!

Nats x

[bernadetteh]

Hi Janey,

Welcome, I'm not sure if I'm going to be starting chemo end of Oct or beginning of Nov. This will be my third time having chemo, as it's my third diagnosis. I'm 50 now and was first diagnosed age 38. I have had two  primary cancers and a recurrence. I had double mastectomy (DIEP) with immediate reconstruction on 7th Sept and recovering well. My cancer is grade 3, Triple Negative and I'll be having 6 x Carboplatin/Taxol. Previous chemo regimes were AC for first primary and Taxotere for second. I've also had 30 sessions of Radio on each breast, so no more radio for me - ever!  I've also had two lumpectomy ad complete node clearance each time and a prophylactic Oomph. At times it feels like such a long journey! Best wishes to all you lovely ladies xxxx

[alabamasam]

Welcome Janey
I think ill also be starting my treatment mid November and good that you get to have a break before you start.
I was dx mid August and have had 2 surgeries, 1st for lumpectomy and snb and second one for full node clearance which I'm now recovering from.
Sam xxxxx

[Janey160359]

Hi Lulu and all you brave ladies. I was diagnosed mid July and have had surgery twice for ANC and breast reconstruction with implant and reduction to other breast. Only just got my treatment plan as I was told I was in the grey area lol. Upshot is I lost my patience and demanded decisions. As a result will be starting 6 x Fec mid November followed by rads then hormone therapy. My oncologist has given me the go ahead to have a much needed holiday before I start so looking forward to that but anxious about what I will be coming home to. I am so glad that this thread is around to support us all undergoing treatment in November (thanks Lulu) it will be a godsend for us all.

Love Janey

[Lulu34]

LOL at Drac.... Hope he gets his fangs out of you soon!

Iv send you a PM about FB x

[alabamasam]

Hi Sal
Welcome to November ! I was dx in August and am on the other side of a lumpectomy and a node clearance. They took 4 nodes and one was infected so this Wednesday I was back in the hospital for a full node clearance And I'm currently recovering from that op. I have a horrid drain in which is now called Drac and it seems he will be with me for the weekend.
My apt with my Oncologist is oct 30th so I will start my chemo sometime in November.
Feel free to ask anything, you will find everyone on all threads on the forums could not be more helpful and caring
Sam xxxxx

[alabamasam]

Hi Lulu
Thanks for starting this November thread, sad to think that very soon there will be quite a lot if us chatting here but the support is vital for us
I've not found your FB lead on your profile yet but ill keep trying
Hope you have a good weekend
Speak soon
Sam xxxx

[Lulu34]

PG yup have done done the chemo thing twice before.... That fear if the unknown is awful as you dont know what to expect but this time even the docs cant say what the SEs will be for sure as the drug is too new...... All i know is the rampant runs! And have to start i odium before the treatment and then double dose after iv had it! So will be holed up next to the loo and luckily its only 20mins to my house so long as its not rush hour!

[poemsgalore]

Hi Lulu and Sal

I'm so sorry to hear you are preparing to start chemo.  Lulu, I'm assuming you have had cancer before, so you will be very knowledgeable about these things. But I don't think that makes it any easier. So wishing you both good luck  and sending big hugs. 

I'm a February Valentine by the way. We are still very close and have our own closed facebook page now.

poemsgalore xx

[Lulu34]

Hiya sal good luck with the ANC.... I had one in 2011 and they only found 7 nodes.... Im not very generous on the node front lol.

Im off to get my flu jab today...... If you havent had one this year its good to get it before chemo and another vaccine called pneumococcal... You only need the pneumo once but the flu jab every year if your on or just finished treatment.

X

[Sal49]

Hi Lulu
I am awaiting ANC next week then once results back will be referred to ONC so hoping ( well prefer to start Nove rather than Dec) to join the November group! So like you saying hi in advance. Will be good to talk to others in the same position.

[Lulu34]

Hi ladies

I know theres a few folk having or starting chemo in november so thought i would start a thread. Im starting a trial drug next week but will be on it till christmas and if its working i could be on it a whole lot longer.

Lulu x