Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi! Hope your first session went well for you. I've now had 3 (12 more to go!) and so far it's been fine. Monday's session took ages as they were running very late, yesterday they were running 30 mins late but today they were on time and I was home within an hour and half of leaving so that was pretty good I thought. I got my appointment time changed from 3.20 to 1pm which is easier to organise and today was my first at the new time so I'm hoping that they keep to time better at that time of day. No skin reaction yet but it's early days, I'm slapping on the aqueous cream and drinking lots of water as recommended. Linda xx ... View more

Hayz - good to hear your skin stood up well as it sounds just like mine. Hope the new lot of rads goes well for you. My hospital have advised using aqueous cream twice a day both before and during treatment so I've been slapping that on for the last few days in preparation. Finty - I'll be thinking of you on Monday, hope all goes smoothly for you. How many blasts are you having? My appointment is 3.20pm - just about the most incovenient time possible as my eldest son has to be picked up from school at 3.15pm. I'm going to see if I can get my appointments changed to earlier in the day but not holding out too much hope as I know the dept is very busy, so wish me luck with that! Linda xx ... View more

Hi, I had a portacath fitted just before I started chemo in november last year. It was fitted under a local anaesthetic under light sedation and although I can remember talking to the surgeon and nurses while it was being done the whole thing is a little hazy due to the sedation which made me feel like I'd been at a really good party 🙂 So the actual fitting didn't hurt at all. It was sore and bruised for maybe a week afterwards but nothing too bad and no worse than the discomfort I had following core biopsy. It sits under the skin on my upper chest just below the collarbone. There's not much flesh there so it is visible as a bump under the skin but all my clothes cover it so it doesn't attract attention. It doesn't stick out a lot, just enough to raise the skin over the port which is around 1cm in diameter. As the port is compeletly sealed under the skin it doesn't require any special care once the wound from insertion has healed. My wound healed within about 10 days and is now just a small scar about an inch long just above the port. On a day to day basis I'm no longer aware of the port at all and don't think about it. I got used to it very quickly. I have had no problems with it and having chemo and blood tests via the port was very easy. There was no battling to find a vein, just a quick prick of the needle going in then all systems go. I finished chemo in March but will be having more in a few months time. In the meantime I have to have the port flushed with saline and heparin every 3-4 weeks to keep it clear ready to be used again. That only takes a couple of minutes and is not at all traumatic. Having heard stories of ladies who have had problems with the veins I'm very grateful for my port and wouldn't hesitate to have one again in the same circumstances. In my understanding it is also far less trouble and less vulnerable to infection than a Hickman or PICC line. Hope that helps and good luck with yours! Linda xx ... View more

Thanks, Ann. It's good to know that fair skin doesn't automatically lead to a bad time with rads, gives me a bit more hope even though I know that the 'bolus' will intensify the effect on my skin. Linda xx ... View more

Before I started chemo (FEC + Taxol) my onc asked if I suffered from morning sickness or travel sickness as there was a possibility that if I did I might be more susceptable to chemo induced nausea. I had no morning sickness in either of my pregnancies but do suffer from travel sickness. I didn't experience any great degree of nausea and never vomited during chemo but the big difference between chemo sickness, travel sickness and most especially morning sickness is that with chemo you can be given really strong and effective anti-nausea medication. Like other posters I was given Emend which is said to be about the best available and as I said I had no problems at all. (I also had Kytril and domperidone during chemo and for 3 days after, though I didn't take the domeperidone once home as I didn't need it). If you are concerned about nausea then discuss it with your onc/chemo nurses and definitely ask about Emend if you are not offered it from the start. ... View more

Lol, snap! Matching links, Ann! ... View more

I'd just like to point out that milk from the UK and Europe doesn't have high IGF levels as the artifical hormone given to cows that results in high IGF has been banned in Europe. If you want to avoid high IGF levels in dairy then you need to avoid dairy products imported from the US where cows are still injected with growth hormone to increase their milk supply. Link here:- http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/about-cancer/cancer-questions/can-the-hormones-in-milk-affect-breast-cancer HTH ... View more

I had chemo before surgery. I had 4xFEC with great response and was due to have 12x weekly Taxol but after 5 it was found that the tumour had started to grow slightly so chemo was stopped and I went straight to surgery. I had Mx and ANC at the end of March, 6 weeks ago today! I had rads planning yesterday and will be having the first of 15 sessions next monday. The plan at the moment is to have 3 more cycles of FEC (as that worked well for me) after I've finished rads, this is unusual but is just precautionary as I didn't complete a full course of chemo. I coped well with chemo so don't have a problem with this. Linda xx ... View more

Hi Ladies, How are you all doing, especially those who were getting results this week? Hope the news was good for you. I'm still having to have fluid drained a couple of times a week but it was a bit less yesterday so I'm hoping it's starting to reduce now. I saw my oncologist yesterday (a couple of weeks earlier than originally planned as he was due to flu to Peru today -oops, poor chap!) and now have an ongoing treatment plan. Next step for me is radiotherapy - planning on 10th may and starting 17th may - then another 3 cycles of FEC. The additional chemo is just precautionary, may not be necessary as my initial chemo cleared my lymph nodes but onc thought it was worth doing some more and I agreed. Can't say I'm looking forward to the rads, he's going to blast the skin as well as the chest wall and neck, and as I'm fair skinned there's a good chance the skin could 'break down and weep' - I might well do the same if it's too uncomfortable! Ah well, bring it on and let's get it over with! Hope you're all having a good weekend and enjoying the sunshine. Linda xx p.s Annette, have you still got the tightness? It does sound like cording but I have no experience of this myself so can't say. My arm is ok but I do have some tightness across my chest though it feels a little better today. ... View more

I had both FEC and Taxol to shrink my tumour before having surgery. I had FEC first - 4 cycles at 3 week intervals, and then weekly Taxol. There was no gap in between the two i.e I had my 4th FEC and at the end of the 3 weeks I had the first Taxol instead of another FEC. I had no side effects to speak of with the Taxol so that was the milder of the two however the FEC wasn't at all bad for me. I felt a little nauseous for the first couple of days of each cycle and tired for the first week but the second and third week of each cycle I was back to normal. The main troublesome side effect was constipation but that was due to the anti-nausea meds rather than the chemo so that resolved after the first few days. FEC was extremely effective for me, shrinking the tumour from 15cm to 4cm however the Taxol didn't work at all and the tumour began to grow slightly so although I was supposed to have 12 cycles it was abandoned after 5 and I went straight to surgery at that point. I am now recovering from my Mx and ANC and waiting to hear what the next step will be, it's possible I will have another couple of cycles of FEC as that worked so well for me, the prospect doesn't worry me as even though it was harder that the Taxol I still found it very do-able! HTH Linda xx ... View more

Glad you've had a good weekend, Annette. It's great to have a bit of 'normal' going on isn't it? We had a lovely day yesterday with lots of friends and family round - the birthday boy thoroughly enjoyed himself. Today we went out to a chinese cafe for lunch which was great though like you I'm feeling a little tired this evening. I'm back to the hospital tomorrow evening to have more fluid drained off. It's built up quite a bit since the last draining on friday and looks quite alarming but it's not painful just a little uncomfortable. Most of the build up is where my breast used to be so it's almost like I'm growing a new boob - just rather more sloshy! My wound is healing well and is well above where the band of my bra goes around so I have no problem wearing one. I also don't have any pain or inflammation around the wound (haven't needed painkillers for the last 2 days) and the area close to the incision is numb anyway so the bra doesn't cause me any discomfort. I guess I'm lucky that way as it certainly makes me feel more comfortable to have the appearance of 2 breasts even if one of them is fake. My main discomfort now is around the back of my arm and my shoulder where some areas are very sensitive to touch with tingling and burning sensations in the skin. I know it's just due to nerve damage and things healing themselves but it can be quite unpleasant at times. My next thing to look forward to is a meal out with hubby tomorrow night. My mother-in-law is looking after the boys when I go to have the seroma drained so we're taking advantage and goint out to eat after it's done! Linda xx ... View more

Annette, Hope you have a wonderful birthday. I'm glad the last drain came out in time, it feels so much better with them gone! I had my stitches out yesterday and although the wound still looks like something off of frankensteins monster at least I feel I'm healing up. I'm having fluid drained off every 2 or 3 days at the moment, it doesn't feel particularly uncomfortable when it's collected under the skin but definitely feels easier after it's drained,just hope it doesn't carry on too long as it's a bit of a hassle going back and forwards to the hospital - especially as I can't drive myself! I'm finding my 'softie' boob quite comfortable to wear though it does tend to move upwards gradually (no weight to hold the bra down) so have to keep yanking it back intp place. My BCN said not to bother with a mastectomy bra yet as I might not need one so I've been using my old nursing bras which have been fine and are nice and soft so very comfortable - wasn't expecting to need them again but glad I hung on to them! I'll be glad to get a proper silicone prosthesis though as I'm hoping it'll stay in place better but have to heal up first, BCN says she'll arrange a fitting in about 6 weeks. Well I'm off to make loads of sandwiches as we're having a load of people round to celebrate my little lad's birthday. Hope all you ladies have a lovely day and get to enjoy some spring sunshine. Linda xx ... View more

Glad you got good news too, Tors! My cancer was also Grade 3. I did discuss that with my oncologist and although that's not great as it means it's more aggressive he also felt that that may have contributed to the chemo being so effective. This was on the basis that the faster growing and more abnormally dividing the cells the greater effect the chemo would have on disrupting that cell division and killing the cancer cells. So bad news in one respect but good in another - given the FEC chemo did such a magnificent job in my case I'm happy to take the good with the bad in this instance. Since my tumour was triple negative chemo is the only treatment available to me so it's great to know it worked! My little fella's birthday was on saturday but we decided to hold off celebrating as I was still in hospital that morning. We've told him that it's this coming saturday instead so he hasn't 'had' his birthday yet. Grandma is baking a cake as we speak and all his grandparents and godparents are coming over on saturday to celebrate. We're all looking forward to it and my good news makes it all even more enjoyable. Hooray for feeling positive - we CAN beat this!! Linda xxx ... View more

Well it's been a while since I posted here as I've not spent as much time online since my Mx and ANC last week - using the computer made my arm ache too much! Tors - I'm sorry you had such a miserable time in hospital but glad that you are beginning to get past it and that the surgery went ok. I was very lucky as I was well looked after in hospital (was in from tueday to saturday) but even so I had some down moments and a strange feeling of abandonment if I hadn't seen been visited by a nurse for a couple of hours, I can only imagine how horrendous it must have felt for those of you who had poor levels of care. My surgery went well, I was taken to theatre at 2.30 and back in room at 6pm feeling very drowsy but otherwise ok. Has a fairly comfortable night but unable to get up due to drips and drains so had to face the horrors of the bedpan! By the morning I was deperate to get up so begged the nurse to detach me from the drip so I could go to the loo, she was great and when she couldn't get hold of the doc for permission to take the drip out she agreed to disconnect it for long enough for me to have a wee and a wash - I'll love her forever for that! Drips were finally removed permanently at midday so I was able to get up and about and look after myself from then on. The drains came out on saturday morning and I was home by lunchtime. I've had some stiffness and swelling and the area around the wound and the back of my arm are numb but it's not too uncomfortable and I've been a good girl and done my exercises so have pretty good movement in my shoulder. The wound is healing well and I'm going back to have the stitches out on friday. The best news though is that I saw my surgeon this afternoon for the pathology results and it showed that they removed 16 nodes and they were all tumour free! This is especially great as when I was diagnosed at least 4 nodes were affected so it means the chemo worked really well for me and, as the surgeon said, gave me the "best possible chance for the future". I'm feeling very happy tonight as for the first time in 5 months I feel that there's a real chance that I'm currently cancer free, still a long road to travel with more chemo and rads but it doesn't feel like quite such an uphill struggle now. The boys are doing great, they are very accepting of the fact I now have only one breast and can't lift or cuddle them so easily at the moment. We told them that Mummy had to have an operation to make her sore booby better and that the doctor would take it away to fix it and might give me a new one one day. My 5 yr old is fascinated by my "pretend booby" and loves to poke it. I'm glad it's the Easter holidays so hopefully he'll have lost interest by the time he goes back to school and there's less danger of him wanting to take it in for "show and tell"! Linda xxx ... View more

Lol, we have had lots of baby sitting offers too. Hubby and I have had more meals out alone together in the last 5 months than we have done in the previous 5 years! Got to take advantage while you can milk it I say! Have a lovely time, you deserve it! Linda xxx ... View more

I think I'm the winner so far in the 'largest lump' category as mine was 15cm (!!!) at diagnosis. It was also found in at least 2 lymph nodes during my first appointment at the breast clinic (checked during core biopsy). I had bone, ct and mri scans that showed no further spread - big relief! I also had chemo first to shrink the tumour as it was way too large to be sure of getting clear margins. I have to agree with Jan about the advantage of chemo first in showing if it's working or not as I had 4 cycles of FEC that shrank the lump to 4cm and then started weekly Taxol which sadly didn't work for me as I had an ultrasound last week (after 5 doses of Taxol) which showed that the lump has grown slightly since finishing the FEC. That being the case I've stopped chemo and am having my Mx and ANC on tuesday. I'm very glad that the FEC had such a great effect so that surgery is now possible and as we now know that Taxol isn't right for me I'll be having a diferent chemo after surgery - probably more FEC. Linda xx ... View more

Tors - FEC is one type of chemo, there are many different chemo regimes and usually they are known by the initials of their component drugs. FEC is fluorouracil, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide. It's one of the most commonly used chemo's for primary breast cancer and is given at 3 week intervals, I had 4 lots of that so it took 12 weeks in total. As you find out what treatment you will be having I'd advise you to ask questions on here and people who have been there before you will be able to tell you how it was for them and how to cope with any problems that my crop up - I never thought I'd discuss constipation and piles in such detail with complete strangers as I did after starting FEC! 🙂 Linda xx ... View more

Deb - welcome to the forums, sorry you've had to join us here but I hope you will find some support and help here. My boys are a 5 and very nearly 3 now and they keep me fighting and also help to keep life ticking on with some degree of normality. Tors - it's very hard to imagine how life will be while you undergo treatment and everyone is different but it might help you to know how it has been for me so far. I have been having chemo since the end of November, 4xFEC followed by weekly Taxol. The Taxol was easier than the FEC but even with the FEC I was able to cook, shop and do the school run as normal on most days. I felt a little nauseous for the first 2 days of each cycle and tired for the first week but not so bad I couldn't carry on with normal activities as long as I rested when possible, the second and third week of each cycle I felt completely normal. I would certainly have been ok to have a week in Cornwall during chemo if the timing was right so that I wasn't due for a dose of chemo that week. Are you able to delay payment until you know your treatment schedule and ideally see how you react to chemo? I would discuss the holiday with your oncologist before you either cancel or pay. The cold cap doesn't work for everyone and some people find it too uncomfortable to use but I decided to give it a go and see what happened, I felt I had nothing to lose by trying it. I found it uncomfortable for about the first 5 minutes while my scalp cooled down but not too bad after that, it discomfort was like a severe 'ice-cream' headache and I found it was slightly less bad if I took some paracetamol about an hour before it was put on. I had thick shoulder length hair before treatment and had it cut to mid neck length at the start of chemo. I did lose a good amount of hair especially on the top of my head but I still have enough covering that anyone who didn't know me well wouldn't notice anything wrong, there are plenty of people around who naturally have hair as thin as mine currently is. Although I'm not worried about telling people I have BC I haven't felt the need (or desire) to tell all and sundry. My friends know, as do my family but other than that I have only told my work collegues, the teacher of my son's class and four of the Mums at my son's school who are mothers of friends he sees out of school. I spent a couple of hours on friday afternoon helping run the tuck shop at the school disco, I didn't wear a scarf or hat and I'm certain that none of the other parents realised that I am unwell in any way. Try not to be too hard on yourself if you can be snappy and irritable, you are on an emotional roller coaster and anyone who expects you to be reasonable and cheerful at all times is living in cloud cuckoo land! My biggest piece of advice to try not to think too far ahead, read and ask about the treatment you are currently facing and leave the rest until you get there. Keep to trusted websites like this one and macmillan or you can get some very dodgy and misleading information and try not to scare yourself by reading about situations you may never have to face! We have elected not to tell the boys much about my diagnosis and treatment and just tell them enough to explain anything that may worry them as we go along. I have been so well during chemo that they are currently unaware that I have been having any treatment at all, now that I am having surgery on tuesday we will obviously have to explain further but we will be keeping it as simple and low key as possible. We have found that they are very accepting as long as we don't appear worried or concerned. Remember that you are still very near the start of this journey and things will get easier as you adjust to the unexpected road you find yourself travelling. Linda xx ... View more

Hi Tors, I'm so sorry you've found yourself in this situation but glad you have found these forums as you will find an enormous amount of support and understanding here. I was diagnosed in November and like you have children who were 2 and 4 at the time of my diagnosis. It is so hard facing this disease when you have small children, all my worries are not for myself but for what the future may hold for my boys. However at the same time my children give me a reason to fight and to get up each morning and do my best to live a normal life as far as treatment will allow. My lump was large (15cm!!) so I had chemo immediately after diagnosis which caused it to shrink to 4cm, unfortunately my current chemo isn't working and the tumour has grown slightly in the last few weeks so I've now stopped chemo and will be having a mastectomy and node clearance on tuesday. I totally get where you are coming from with the contrast between antenatal ultrasound and the ultrasound for breast cancer as the thing that is bothering me most about the mastectomy is that I will be in hopital for my son's 3rd birthday - I am very concious that the last time I underwent surgery was when he was delivered by c-section and now almost 3 years to the day later I will be having more surgery to remove the breast that fed him immediately after his birth. Talk about bad timing!! Still I am grateful that he is too young to know when his birthday is so we can delay celebrating until I am home again which hopefully will be just a day or two later. Like you I did everything 'right' - don't smoke, drink very little, healthy diet, breastfed 2 children - but I still find myself dealing with this horrible situation, just unlucky I guess. On the bright side I haven't found treatment to be too bad so far, chemo was nowhere near as bad as I feared and I still feel fit and well - I even still have a good amount of hair thanks to the cold cap! Things do get easier once you have a treatment plan and start treatment so it will get better for you after these first few dark weeks. Hold on to that thought and take comfort and support from your family. Linda xx ... View more