Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi give it a go it really works for me and upto yet kept me off the drain, Good luck, let me know how you get on, Love Teresa x ... View more

DUH..... Sorry Johnny, Just realised, you went to the correct forum for men, would like to blame it on drugs but haven´t started them yet! Love Teresa x ... View more

Hi Johnny, sorry to hear your news, welcome to the forum there is a link down the left hand side of your page saying "Men diagnosed with breast cancer" this will put you in touch with the other males although of course you are welcome to join us on this site, How are you feeling? Quite a shocker isn´t it, life knows how to kick you straight between the legs at times, yep even females feel this one! Anyway, don´t not visit us, keep in touch, what treatment do they have planned, let me know, Take care love Teresa xxx ... View more

Hi Lynvee, Welcome to the forum, I am also a newbie, and this has been my lifeline, however silly you think your question might be these girls will help! I was dx in early dec had op on the 17th not full mas as you but partial, 25mm tumour, and full lymph removal, I´m 42 years old, surgery is not as bad as it sounds, although of course scary at the time, I can´t advise you on your op but i´m sure over the next few days you will get many people contacting you, my advice to you listen to them, they have all been and going through the bc the same as you! At the moment you find it difficult to be positive as I did, all your friends will keep telling you how brave you are, i´m sure you will find out it´s not bravery, you have no choice. But in the end it´s all doable!!! You will do it the same as the rest of us! Good luck, Take care, keep in touch, love Teresa xx ... View more

Hi Richo, not quite sure if i´m offered a wig, but biggest battle overcome in finding oncologists who speak English, now accomplished that! I don´t know but it hits you when you live in a foreign country when your ill a little harder, every appointment you have is via a third party translator, then you think did they tell me everything etc, the list goes on, normal day to day living I love the country, in my village where I live it´s mainly spanish and they have found out that I have cancer, most days early morning theres a bag of fruit and vegatables hanging on my door, avacados, oranges, lemons, cauli, pots, etc, nobody admits to leaving them there just there! It´s great, but on the other hand i was sent home with partial masectomy, 22 lymph removal, seroma, 2 drains, no nurse, no exersises etc. 15 hours after my op, the list goes on! Even though we apparantly one of the best cancer research hospitals in the whole of Europe, Malaga University hosp! Many thanks, Teresa x ... View more

Hi, Thanks Richo thats helped, the side effects seem to be pretty quick, am I correct in thinking this? How soon am I likely to lose my hair? Is it after first session or does everyone differ, I just want to be prepared, I´m also going to make my own ginger ale as this is hard to come by and quite expensive out here, do you all think this will work the same? Sorry to ask so many questions but stuck out in Spain no care nurse given who I can ask these questions I feel a little in limbo and a little lonely, Thanks Teresa x ... View more

Hi, I was told yesterday that I have 6 sessions of chemo and 36 days of rads plus full drugs, The chemo is only once every 21 days is this normal? Does this mean I shouldn´t feel so ill? Sorry for stupid questions but for some reason I thought chemo was done every week! Duh! Oh and can someone please explain to me what FEC is? Thanks Teresa x ... View more

Hi Many thanks for all your comments and advice, I still have the seroma but find massaging it helps to be re-absorbed into my body, as for my treatment my app came through for my onc on the 11th Feb but then today I had a phone call at 4pm from Malaga hospital to be there at 11.30 tommorrow, this has worried me a little as Malaga is the large main hospital here 60 kilometers away, anyway I will keep you all informed. Love Teresa x ... View more

Hi Chica, you have come to the best place for support, I know your head will be all over the place it´s normal, i´m 42 had tumour in breast grade 3 and 22 nodes removed on the 17th Dec, Feeling SH-- Scared is perfectly normal, I was petrified. I go to Malaga main hospital tomorrow to start next prgress of treatment I can´t say what as I only received the phone call at 4pm today to go in tommorrow. I´m sure everything will go ok, be positive and take all the support from your family, rest as much as you can. I will be thinking of you, take care, and ivé found there´s someone on the forum 26-7 if you need to chat, Love Teresa, xxx ... View more

Hi Richo, good luck for today hope all goes well, The good thing about corned beef hash it tastes better the day after so hopefully you won´t miss out! Teresa x ... View more

My family love corned beef hash, one of my favorites with potatoes is slice them thinley, then slice onions, and layer them in a baking tin with either a little fennel or tarrogon on each layer also seasoning then mix 2 veg stock cubes with water then equal amounts of milk, mix together then pour over the potatoes until just level then pop into oven until nice and brown on top, yummy great hot or even cold as a snack, served hot with salmon is lovely. Thanks teresa x Thanks Anne definately going to try bolognase sauce recipe that sounds lovely! ... View more

Hi I found a lump back in Sept end of, I had my first mamogram middle of Oct, This I paid private for as my app from the hosp had still not come through, nothing shown the nurse said "Bien" good all clear basically, then just as I was leaving she told me to ask my Doctor for a ultrasound, this I did so end of Oct my appointment came through I went for this which the hosp decided also to give me more mams on that day, I was in agony, 2 days later biopsys, 9 days later results, 17th Dec Tumour grade 3 breast and removal of 22 nodes, also a very aggresive cancer! If I had listened to my first mam results, I probably wouldn´t be here now, im 42 years old, Thank god that in my case they followed up with ultrasound! Teresa x ... View more

Many thanks to all, it seems to depend on where you live by all of your comments, my problem is I live in Spain, so not sure of the system here, although I dont know of anyone being offered free wigs out here, I will check out all of your suggestions. Thanks, Teresa.x ... View more

Hi, Mine at the moment is "Oh god teresa you look so pale, have you thought about putting a little make-up on" I wouldn´t mind so much but i´m wearing make-up, Duh I have cancer! Is what I really want to reply! But there is some classic lines in this thread.... ... View more

Hi, My surgeon is supposed to be phoning me on Thursday with the outcome, but I just feel I should have been there at this meeting tomorrow, maybe i´m being a little sensitive as we all get but it is my body! I just feel so angry that why didn´t they do the masectomy in the first place? Or probably it´s me just having moan..... ... View more

Do you know as far as I can make out as alot of side effects there is no answer to Seroma, if I rest it swells, if I move about it swells, the only advice I can give is I am now on a drain until god knows when, what works for me is to put pressure on the drain in my case in my chest when swelling develops, this then drains freely and takes down the swelling, I am too on antibiotics now! Never mind girls we are made more than this as i always say don´t let the B------- get you down! and on another note all my spanish neighbours who don´t speak English at all.... have learnt to say "Don´t worry, Be happy" how greats that! ... View more

Im tempted to do the same where I live in spain I live in a very small english community and to me there is too much cancer! in a small hotel where i worked for only 2 years out of nine staff 5 of us have or had or even died of cancer! thats just the hotel, in my research ive been doing is our water has a very high concentration of chlorine, you can sometimes smell it in your tea its awful, and when you research cholrine its highly toxic and many speacialists believe ther is a strong connection to cancer! Just a theory i think worth looking into! ... View more