Recently diagnosed

[SueW]

At one time or another everyone of us have needed the support and hugs and I am sure we will again
Strange for me is I can say things on here I sometimes struggle to share with family and friends x

[sask]

Blimey ! Its surprising how much better you fab ladies make me feel ,am used to just being a tough cookie and struggle to show weakness , especially considering you own struggles so thank you ,you little gems ! X

[ann-m]

As Jill says, Sask, my thoughts too, would it be posssible to enlist their dad in backing you on this?

[Jill1998]

10 is maybe a bit young ,but 14 yr old should understand the need to pull together and help Sask .Maybe a few bribes as well as the potential to remove tech stuff .Hard when you are feeling rubbish and vulnerable - maybe their Dad needs to have that conversation again rather than you ?

[sask]

They are 14 and nearly 10, have taken away tech stuff and they just kick off about even after plenty if warning .i was 18 when my mum was diagnosed and i know thats older than my two but she was a single mum too and l just wanted to help .kids are just lazy i guess .thank you for listening ladies ,and at least i have my 2 furry boys percy and henry😻

[ann-m]

Hi Sask,

Do come & 'moan' if you want to, it's allowed here.

As Sue says, it sounds like they could do with a calm talking to, so that they're clear about what you need & maybe lay some ground rules before treatment starts, rather than them just taking you for granted.  Would it help to also offer some sort of celebratory treat for them when you're through treatment, so that you can all have something to look forward to? 

hugs

ann x

[Jill1998]

How old are your kids Sask ?? Think taking the broadband router and locking in the car may get some co-operation ....

[sask]

Thanks sue ? I constantly ask for help  their dad ( my ex ) has told them and they just watch me do everything , cant see the point in having treament if i dont get a chance to recover ! Just more stressful  ,

[SueW]

Lay your cards on the table not caress lol x

[SueW]

Autocorrect again sorry sask x

[sask]

Filling up again !! Feel bad moaning ,its not even prob that .my children arent helping me at all and am worn out with housework/work makes me worried for when the treatment really kicks in 😢.maybe when my hair starts to fall out , they may actually start to wash the odd cereal bowl ? 

[SueW]

Saskatoon try taking to your family ask for help it is hard when you are trying to do it all
Lay your caress on the table so to speak maybe they don’t realise you need help x
Hope it isn’t filling up again x

[sask]

Filling up again !! Feel bad moaning ,its not even prob that .my children arent helping me at all and am worn out with housework/work makes me worried for when the treatment really kicks in 😢.x

[SueW]

wont let me delet after edited previous comment with my typos lol x

[SueW]

edited earlier post 

[SueW]

Glad you have regular support from a medical professional and also glad to read no signs of refill x

[sask]

I live in wendover bucks but go to high wycombe hosp,surgical team amazing , but turns out they are know for poor aftercare.will prob get into trouble for saying this on here now !

[sask]

And yes go to bc nurses ,just make sure its between office hrs !!!!!!!as if we dont have issues the rest of the time ! I know make an app with my gp ( her suggestion)every week ,she is really pro-active and i feel much more like an idividual with her than just a number x

[SueW]

Sask I am so sorry to hear your experience with them hadn’t been good where are you ? X

[sask]

No it was my onc at the the bc clinic ,the bc nurses on the whole havent been there for me at all ,the dr i saw last week that drained the seroma had a bc nurse with him ,they both made me feel like i was time wasting ( i wrote a thread 'aftercare not so caring') cos idont want anyone to think that its ok to be treated that way , had a better nights sleep last night and am relieved to see that so far it hasnt started filling again 😀😀😀😀my onc even gave me her mobile number !! Hope your arm continues to improve ,one less thing to deal with x

[SueW]

Gosh was that your normal gp as my bc nurses said to only go to them if there was a problem not normal gp x
Wishing you s speedy recovery x

[sask]

Ah ok sue ...i thought you were due to have op , sorry i got mixed up .mine was still draining 175 in 24hrs and still removed it ! Was so happy to see that it was my onc that was draining today 400mls ! and now have a lymphodema around my breast .this is all done to the dr last fri who drained 210 mls and and let me know that it would need to be more in future to be worth his time , so i did as i was told and ended up with a very sore lymphnode scar cos it was so stretched 😠 anyway have learnt my lesson and i will speak out now if something isnt right xx

[Jencat]

That doesn't matter Rosie, nice to hear from you anyway and glad you've finished chemo x

[Rosie65]

Sorry this was supposed to be in the May starters thread. I 've had a long day!!!

[Rosie65]

Bell has been well and truly rung today!! Woo hoo🔔💃💃🎉🎉

Couldn't use super vein but another vein was found at first attempt. Have hardly had time to get used to the idea that chemo is finished as straight into discussions about surgery. Pre-assessment for SNLB and lots of leaflets to read plus large pack from the hospital re reconstruction options and handbooks about the recovery including a DVD. So lots to read tomorrow- I am absolutely shattered now.

Fantastic news Jay you must be ecstatic and so relieved, so pleased for you

treehouse - not long now for you, are you having immediate reconstruction too? Sorry I'm losing track with where we all are. It all seems to be moving so fast now

Great poem Mai, how did you get it published? The irony though, bearing in mind what's happened now!

[SueW]

Hi sask I had a drain which they left in for 9 days ( I bought a drain Dollie bag) when they took mine out it was still filling to 100 ml in 24 hours fortunately I didn’t have a problem when drain was removed
My op was 7th September but area still numb but I have done my exercises and can now reach almost to were it was before
No drain on lumpectomy but had drain on axillary clearance x
Hope you now settle down Sask and it doesn’t refill x

[sask]

Just thought i would add in that my mum ( that i sadly did lose in 1997to bc) had loads of chemo ,and we decided that i would chop her long dark hair off in preperation  ,thing was she it didnt even thin much let alone lose it completely !!! Needless to say , i dont think she ever forgave me lol ! (She did ask me in my deffence)the only thing we noticed was that her fingernails got slightly thinner .x

[sask]

Just thought i would add in that my mum ( that i sadly did lose in 1997to bc) had loads of chemo ,and we decided that i would chop her long dark hair off in preperation  ,thing was she it didnt even thin much let alone lose it completely !!! Needless to say , i dont think she ever forgave me lol ! (She did ask me in my deffence)the only thing we noticed was that her fingernails got slightly thinner .x

[sask]

Evening sue ,yes i did have drain ,which i decided to carry around in a sock cos it was a bit goss to look at 😁! Had it changed after 5 days ,but just a little poss bit of advice ,my drain was still filling up quite alot  so much so that they had to change the bottle on day 4 ( they say you have to have it removed on day 5 ) .i had to go back to the hosp today to have a seroma drained for a 2nd time .i think the drain( which wasnt painful at all) ,shouldve  been left in longer to help drain the fluid off .so please bare that in mind as i was more comfortable with the drain than the seroma so please speak up if your continues to fill .just because i got a seroma it doesnt mean that you will at all so please dont worry ,i was just a bit unlucky ! My op was on 13th sept and the feeling is startingto come back now 😊( handy considering i started work 6 days afterwards ,am a hair colourist ) x

[CK]

Hi Rabbit
Nearly all my hair come out now and 2nd cycle of chemo yesterday. Hats, wigs, satin night caps a must to be in control!
I had my hair cut in 3 stages to just get used to it short the last one being a number 2 with clippers to avoid shving as I have sensitive skin so easy to have cuts and coyld cause infection.
I am putting coconut wax on my bare gead now to protect the follicles. Breast cancer drugs do make us all lise our hair unless you use cild cap and that is 50/50 guarenteexx

[SueW]

Caz sometimes things do change with lump removal and lymph node removal but trust in that your team will do what is best for your individual bc x

[Cazbo04]

Yes then radiotherapy after im not scard of being put to sleep it the thought the lump is bigger than they thought

[SueW]

I was told I will lose my hair (I believe everyone does) I have taken back a bit of control my hair is currently bright pink for bc awareness and I am braving the shave on 9th Oct before I start chemo on 13th I have got wigs in advance but make sure you get proper hair loss wigs rather than fashion wigs and most authorities offer a voucher towards the wig your bc nurses should be able to tell you what your authority do x good luck with lumpectomy i actually found it much easier than I anticipated x keep us posted x

[rabbit28]

Hello,

I've been toid I will defintely need chemo, radiotherapy and herceptin after my lumpectomy next week.

Does everyone lose their hair? Did you buy wigs before you lost your hair? Not sure whether I need to start preparing for this.

Some advice would be much appreciated. x

[SueW]

Ali hope you have a good nights sleep x

[Ali49]

Thanks Jencat. It was fine. Feeling tired now so hoping for a good sleep. Hope you are ok too xx

[SueW]

Evening Jen
Ali has posted on October chemo thread
Not seen ck tonight
You ok? X

[Jencat]

Hi CK and Ali, hope chemo went ok for you both today xx

[SueW]

Hi sask
Did you have a drain after op ?
Is the draining painful?
I still numb under my arm x

[sask]

Evening sue , just trying to push forward to the next stage ,cant wait to get my mango seroma drained again tomorrow ( not a word i even knew 2 weeks ago lol)x

[SueW]

Glad to hear you going well sask x

[rosietd]

Hello Caz - just a quick note to send a hug.

You will get fabulous support from the ladies on this forum.

xxx

[sask]

Evening caz , had my op 2 weeks ago today , i was so surprised how smoothly it went , i am the biggest worrier/overthinker !  This time next week it will be done 😉

[SueW]

Bra not Brad autocorrect lol x

[SueW]

Caz just to add I bought post surgery Brad from Asda ordered on website to be delivered to local store 2 for £15 no bones and very soft well worth the money x

[Debbie1964]

Hi cazboo,

 I would just like to say to you, im the biggest woosh in the world, i had my op in july, i hadnt had an op since i was 9 years old, and i was very anxious, the team were amazing ,  i think i was more worried about being put to sleep , but when the time came, they gave me something to breath and it was the best stuff out i just didnt care ,  when  i woke i actually wondered why i was so worried . Then i went through a feeling of feeling very proud of my self, You will be well looked after, big hugs to you xx

Lose clothing after, easy to change into, with button up front as lady bowerr suggested, also if you are on a special diet, im gluten free, hospital had nothing for me and wouldnt allow me to leave untill i ate a little something so i had to send hubby to find something, if  i ever have to have another op i would take something gluten free.

[ladybowler]

Cazboo

Hello and welcome to the forum

As the other ladies have said honestly there is really nothing to worrry about in relation to the op.  I am assuming that you are going in as a day patient, are you having a lumpectomy?  If so I had the same, i went into hospital for 7.30am, had my op about 10.30am, was back in the ward haivng a cup of tea at 1pm and discharged at 4pm.

Your team will look after you on the day and will totally understand that you are nervous, they will do everything they can to make your time as comfortable as they can.

If I was you I would wear something on the top that is button or zip up so that it makes it easier to get dressed, have a comfortable, soft, non wired well fitting bra.  Take a dressing gown and slippers with you for when you are walking around after the op.

Sending you a hug

Helena xx

[SueW]

Caz I agree with ali
I had 2 ops and both times consultant came to see me whilst on ward to reassure me the nursing staff were fab and also the cup of coffee in resuss was the most welcome cup of coffee I ever had 👍x

[Ali49]

Hi Cazbo welcome to the forum. When i had my op i was truly terrified as i had mever had an op before. I can honestly tell you there was no need to be scared. The staff were fantastic from start to finish. Are you having a lumpectomy? You will be in really good hands xxx

[SueW]

Hi caz sorry to see you here but welcome
From personal experience I found keeping myself busy distracted me (at least for the main part) though I won’t lie it does lurk in the back of your mind.
I had trouble sleeping and found 3am a lonely place x boots lavender sleep spray and dream cream by lush helped
I also took kalms (but check with your bc team first)
Mostly take a deep breath and look after yourself unfortunately it is a tough time but once you are on your way through treatment it does get better. The support of the ladies on here is invaluable, keep posting to us and I am sure someone else will be along shortly to answer you too x big hug 🤗