Breast Cancer Now Forum

hi Imp, i was on steroids that I started the day before chemo, 4 with Brekkie n 4 with lunch, just had to take them for three days, the first night I was up at 3 am, but the the next night got 5 hrs sleep n last night got 6hrs, but I did have energy in the daytime to do some housework n washing, I’m very lucky to still feel so well and this morning I went out at 8am for a 17 mile bike ride, but like an idiot I forgot to take my water and could feel a bit of a headache coming on, so drunk plenty since I’ve been home and headache has gone, loving my vest I got and the free hat she sent me,      ... View more

Sian, I have found drinking lots of water and no hot drinks seem to be keeping the headaches away, I have had another really good day today, done some housework n a couple of wash loads n pegged it out, if I feel this good tomorrow I’m going to attempt a smallish Ride at 8am  with a couple of friends for support then I can relax the rest of the day, I’m beginning to think if they just gave me water, this is so different than last time, I did hear of some ladies being given anyltriptiline to help with sleep, might be worth asking the docs,  Imp, I hope you get home really soon and that things are improving for you,  ... View more

Imp, so sorry you’ve to be admitted I hope you won’t be in for too long and they can sort out the problem,  i,m a planner and like things to be ready, so my go bag was packed before I started chemo yesterday, short sleeved Pj’s, slippers, toilet bag n towel, spare phone charger n book reader, hoping being prepared will mean I won’t need it, lol,  you lucky ladies living in Lincolnshire, I did a work detachment at RAF Coningsby for 2 years in 2018/2019 I stayed in various hotels in Woodhall Spa, I’ve been back the past 2 years for a cycling holiday it’s so much flatter than Wales, and due to back again end of Sept staying at Woodhall Country Park it’s such a peaceful site, be lovely if we could meet for coffee,  i had a great night with at least 5 hrs sleep, the meds are doing there stuff and so far I’m feeling really good, I hope everyone has the best weekend they can,  ... View more

Yvonne, so sorry to hear about your daughter it must be so hard not being able to go n see her and give her a big hug, I got my wig voucher today so I’m making an appointment so she can see how my hair is now, but I’m not going to buy the wig just yet until I know I will need one,  Sian, thanks for the good wishes today, my nurse Pravi was lovely and explained everything so well, so far so good but I’ve only been home for an hour. Imp, sorry to hear about your downside to the treatment, I really hope the Epsom bath helps to ease the pain. Anabel, I think it must be different treatments for different chemos with regards to the steroids, I have been given the 7 day course of injections to start on Sunday, I’m more scared of doing them than having treatment, lol I need to put my big girl pants on and stop being a wuss, hope the cold cap was bearable for you and that it helps, I was there for 3.5 hrs today and got served a nice lunch of veg soup with an egg sandwich, also the offer of crisps fruit and cake,  Louise, I love the red glasses they draw the attention straight to your eyes, but to be fair you wear the shave well, my hubby bought me some great badge pins to add to my cycling bag,    Hi  ... View more

Thanks Yvonne,  well I don’t know how Heels got on last night, but after taking the 8 steroids yesterday I had some heartburn last night and a heavy headache I was wide awake by 2 am, finally got up at 3am n found out that the telly is crap at that hour, this morning Hubby has got me Netflix, so I might actually watch the crown,  were all aboard the train now for June aren’t we, so let’s hope we have more good days than bad, xx ... View more

Yvonne, so sorry to hear what you’ve been through but it’s great that you had such good care and attention, I hope things get much better going forward,  Imp, I hope you get some physio sorted for the pain you have and it can be eased, it’s good to know that Day 13 is a good day for you and you’ve got out with the hubby, Day 8 will be my birthday and friends had planned a ride with lunch, I doubt I will be riding but I was hoping I might turn up for cake, but maybe it’s just wishful thinking, it’s greats that you have a plan for getting your head shaved, I remember my hubby doing mine last time and he said that was the hardest part for him, so I’ll need a different plan this time, I was given some good advice for sleeping, I was told to put a silk cover over my pillow and I found it did help ease the Velcro feeling against the pillow,  Heels, today is the day we start on the steroids, I’ve taken my morning 4 just before 8am with my weetabix, good luck for tomorrow, how crazy is it that we’re happy for this day to arrive, but like someone has already said the start gets us nearer to the finish, hope things work out better than we are expecting, 😠🤢🤮 love to all 💗💗 ... View more

Kim, I’m so glad Day one has been ok for you, and really pleased they let your hubby be with you, I’m hoping mine will be allowed in with me on Friday, I don’t like that he could be sat in the car for hrs, as I know he won’t go home n then return when I phone him, he came with me to every appointment 13 yrs ago, I hope you both get a goods nights sleep tonight and you have a good day tomorrow x ... View more

Kim I hope today wasn’t too bad for you and I hope the next few days go well,  Sharon, I’m so pleased to hear you’ve had no sickness compared to the last time, I’m so anxious of being as sick as I was 13 years ago, your post has made me feel slightly better,  ... View more

Hi Heels i’m also in Wales and starting next Friday but I am being treated at Glan ClwyD I’m going for my pre assessment checks on Tuesday, it will be interesting to see what we are both on and if we will both have lines fitted or be treated by cannula, I feel like I’m getting more anxious as Friday looms closer, I just feel so dam good at the moment and don’t want this feeling to go away, I know it will return with time but it just makes me angry, I think the fact I have waited since my last Op on 9th April I just feel like I’m back to normal, but know I’m not if that makes any sense, have a lovely Fathers Day to everyone  and best of luck to everyone going forward,      ... View more

Thanks Hopeful for the tip for meds if I need to sleep, last time I used to be up cleaning at all hours of the night n used to make the hubby some lovely lunches to take to work, I never thought to ask for anything, I will this time,  not sure yet if I will need a pic line maybe I will find out on Tuesday, I went for blood tests yesterday at my surgery and for the past 13 years the nurse has known not to use my left arm, so she was surprised yesterday when I told her things have changed, but she’s brilliant, first attempt straight in n not even a bruise, I wish I could take her with me to all appointments, I’m hoping I won’t need a pic line as someone told me I won’t be able to go cycling with one in, and as you know Cycling is my escape from reality,  hope everyone has a lovely day today and a fantastic weekend, I’m seeing my foster daughter and her son today and a meal later to celebrate an early Father’s Day for hubby, sisters birthday BBQ on Saturday, and celebrating Fathers Day (Sunday) at my sister in laws with Hubby his brother and their Son in Law,  ... View more

hi all, Yvonne, so glad the day went smoothly for you and I hope the feeling fine stays stays with you, Louise, good to hear your getting out and enjoying some walks, I suppose we will all get tears moments there to be expected with what we’re going through our emotions are all jumbled up, well mine are,  Hopeful, thanks for sharing the advice for dealing with the trots, sorry that’s easier to spell, I also need to take the steroids like you but a nursing friend has suggested I try and take them very early in the morning and have an early lunch maybe at 11am so I might sleep better,  Gonna get through, thanks for the info I have my pre assessment next Tuesday on the 22nd, I hope the cold cap works well for you, I have decided not to try it, I’m a wimp really, I agree with you about the surrealness of it all, I feel so perfectly well and I know this treatment is needed, but I’m going to be made to feel worse to make me better and it could be 12 month plus before I feel as good as I do now, I just get frustrated and angry with it all some days it’s crazy how bloody good I feel right now, . Fairee, thanks for your updates, I also walked this path the same as you in Aug 2008 it’s great that you say treatment has advanced so much I have been quite anxious at not wanting to feel like I did 13 yrs ago, but your update is easing my fears,  Imp, your comment about plucking chin hairs made me chuckle, so thank you we all need to remember to laugh,  we have got this and each other, let’s all stay strong together, I’ve just ordered a Vest top that I saw on the BRIC site on Facebook, F**k Cancer the BRIC site is good and ladies share lots of info and no one can see what you post if there not members,  ... View more

hi Ladies,  theres so many messages and so hard to reply to each one separately, for those that have started your treatment I hope your doing ok and thanks for any tips you can pass on, I know I did chemo 13 years ago but I do believe things have changed so much, and you ladies are the ones in the know right now, to the ladies starting tomorrow, I wish you well, do they still tell you to take boiled sweets to suck, I hope you don’t have too much sickness and get more good days than bad, I have been getting out on my bike but I nearly had a hippy fit today, 21 miles n we stopped at our destination but the cafe was closed, so another 6 miles to another cafe we like to support, it’s a community cafe but due to staff problems it was also shut today, so another 4 miles on to a garden centre and guess what their cafe was closed for refurb, so I’m now 31 miles in and I need my caffeine fix and some food, so onwards once again another 3 miles and finally I found a cafe open, only 5 miles from home but I needed my fix, I was about to throw myself on the floor n scream if it had been shut, so a great ride of 39 miles, let’s hope tomorrow is a better day for cycling, I know I’m lucky I can still get out and I’m trying to go everyday before my chemo starts on the 25th, thanks you all for the advice, the tips and support,  ... View more

Welcome Kim,  It’s a whole new world to us all, and isn’t it strange how we all learn all these new words so quickly, it is daunting some days and some days can feel quite normal, we will all pull each other through this treatment and I’m hoping we all have more good days than bad, hugs n best wishes Trowster aka Shirley ... View more

welcome gonna get they this, and we will, hope the oncologist meeting goes well today, I hope you taking someone with you, it’s so hard to take it all in, but the nurses are very helpful,  Heels, there’s a Breeze Group that runs every Wednesday evening just a gentle 10 to 12 miles, Louise is the leader and she is lovely, I think they set off not far from Farndon, she also does longer Sunday rides, I sometimes join her on a Sunday, the ladies in my group have been so supportive and helpful, I can really recommend Breeze for making new friends and cycling budges,  ... View more

Heels, i run the local Breeze Cycling Group for British Cycling and take ladies out cycling from Deeside, maybe one day you can join us,  ... View more

Hi Heels n welcome,  we all learn so many new things with a diagnosis, but there is so much support on this forum, hope your meeting with the Oncologist goes well on Friday I had mine yesterday and I start my chemo on 25th June at Glan Clwyd in North Wales,  ... View more

imp,  a positive attitude really helped me through it last time, hair grows back if you lose it, things do get better and some normality returns,  Louise glad you so well organised, I was prescribed the mouthwash at the hospital but luckily I didn’t have a sore mouth, remember to buy a good thermometer as it’s important to keep a check on your temp during treatment,  Fairee Love your Mantra but it might change to IFHC, it can be yukki but looking back it’s doable but I wasn’t hoping for a second turn, but it is what it is and we will get through this. Simplyeve hope you n hubby are both ok and finding some time for yourselves. JessicaB hope you have answers very soon, I don’t know about you but know I know what’s happening I feel like I have a plan and hopefully it will all be done for Christmas. Flower123 my Pub run was a great evening and the pizza n cider went down a treat, today I cycled 35 miles to a fisheries near Rosset with friends for lunch we had a lovely day, out with another friend tomorrow to Greenfield Heritage Centre, n on Sat I’m cycling 40 miles to Tattenhall Marina with 12 friends, I’m really trying to get out most days while I can, but going to book a Pedicure n Manicure before treatment because I’ve been told treatment could effect the nail beds n painting with a dark polish may help,  ... View more

Hi Ladies, had a call from my Oncologist today, he said there was a mix up with my appointment he really wanted a face to face but a phone consult had been booked, But he doesn’t want to delay my treatment any longer and I will be starting chemo  on the 25th June, and he wants to see me face to face before my second treatment, don’t know if I’m spelling this correctly but I will be having Dositaxil and Cyclofoxmide it wasn’t a very good phone connection, his nurse will be phoning me back with more information and I need to go to Glan Clwyd to sign the consent forms for the treatment and arrange blood tests for 2 days before my first treatment, he did tell me the node under my arm was enlarged to 1.5 inches and wondered if I had felt it, I hadn’t, my cancer is HER2 NEG, ER Positive. So I have 14 days of feeling great left before treatment, so tonight I’m off with the girls to the pub for pizza n half a cider on the bikes, n I will try and get the miles in while I can, also going to book to get my nails painted a dark colour, n get my eyebrows tinted while I still have them, take care everyone, Louise I hope all goes well on Friday xx ... View more

simplyeve, I am so sorry for the loss your family has had, it must of been a very anxious time for you all and not something any of you expected or could foresee happening, to think of all of us at this time shows just what a kind and thoughtful soul you are, try not to overdo things but I’m sure you must be running on adrenaline and having to sort out her house isn’t a quick and easy job, could you maybe sort what you want to keep and get a house clearance company in, my friend did that with a company from Chester and they totally cleaned his MIls home when they had emptied it, I remember with my mum the council let me keep for a couple of weeks longer so long as I paid the rent, take care of yourself and hope hubby is doing ok, Mums are very special there the glue that holds the family together and nothing can replace them, hope soo goes well for the funeral and that your appointment goes ok on Friday, I’m getting more anxious the closer tomorrow gets, but I just want to know so I can plan ahead with hubby working away, big hugs and love to you and yours 💖💖 ... View more

Hi Louise, glad you’ve got your hats ready, I’m sure by December you might have a very short covering of hair, you might still feel a bit tired but not to tired for a good time out with a drink n a dance, you can always rest the next day, I hardly wore my wig last time, but did put it on for me works Xmas meal, n ended up taking it off because I was so hot, just wore it for the pics, try and relax and take time for yourself now before your next stage starts, I’m sure you will be anxious in the morning your treatment starts, I have my Onc app next Tuesday and I’m getting more anxious each day, wondering what my next phase is going to be, I think once we know what’s happening we cope better, we’ll do anyway, I like a good plan of action, have fun trying your hats out and maybe post a pic, I’m off to the hairdressers today, she’s decided to put pink streaks back in my hair like she did 13 yrs ago, lol ... View more