Breast Cancer Now Forum

I read rececently that those who take up weight lifting after bc treatment have a 33% less chance of developing lymphodema....food for thought! I too am a gardener and have been lugging things around as soon as my arm felt strong enough.If it started to ache I'd stop. Luckily I've never had any problems. Josie x ... View more

I was dx with a particulary nasty tn breast cancer 7+ yrs ago.When asked what I could do to increase my survival chanches I was told to just eat everything in moderation and get out there and enjoy life, instead I went dairy free and took up power walking.I was already a vegetarian but I used to eat lots of cheese (which was about the only thing I missed)Thankfully I'm fit as a fiddle and still ned. When signed me off at the breast clinic my onch told me she'd no idea what to tell me when I was first diagnosed but nowadays she recommends the very low fat or dairy free diet and to keep fit through exercise- power walking being ideal! It's an old wive's tale that we need milk to keep our bones strong etc. theres more than enough calcium in spinach and other green veg. Josie x ... View more

The Macmillian charity actually paid my car tax - and offered money for other things which thankfully I didnt need. I got it through the hospital social worker who was very helpful. ... View more

I was diagnosed with a very aggressive 2.4cm tn tumour which had more than doubled in size between my biopsy and op. It had spread to my nodes and was so full of vascular invasion I wasn't expected to get through chemo without it returning. I had 4xfec,4xtax and am still ned nearly 8yrs later! I suppose I'm living proof that tn tumours respond very well to chemo. Josie x ... View more

Just had a look at the pics of you both. Life aint fair....big hugs x ... View more

I had 4xFEC,4xTax and wore the cold cap throughout. I'd cut my very thick waistlength hair to mid back length beforehand as couldn't bear to cut it short.It thinned a bit on top but I still had a good head of hair on the FEC however after my first Tax I was attacked by a lunatic and within days the lot came out - didn't even have a hair up my nose!!..but I'll never know if it was the nutter or the Tax!! Good luck with your treatment. Josie xx ... View more

My bloods where abnormal after chemo. It was a reaction to the Tax chemo I had been on. I'm TN as well so perhaps your mam was on the same chemo? Josie xx ... View more

Hi Jo, another triple neg here.I was diagnosed with a 2.5cm tumour with spread to nodes. After lumpectomy,chemo and rads I'm 7+ years down the line and still going strong.As Horace said there are some very good chemos out there for TN's. Josie xx ... View more

Hi Poannie, I had FEC which I think includes those two and didn't find it a hard chemo at all. I had a bit of a rough night after my first one when I felt as if I had the mother of all hangovers but there was no one more surprised than me when I awoke next morning feeling 'normal'! After that apart from the usual mouth ulcers I sailed through. Josie xx ... View more

I was put on HRT in my mid thirties because my GP assumed I was starting the menopause as my mother and sister went through the change at the same age! Although they were light I was still having periods for the next ten years. Then I was diagnosed with BC. My consultant reckoned I was one of the few whose BC had been caused by HRT as I didn't fit into any other catagories (but then how many of us do?) After the biopsy I was told the tumour was 1cm, very slow growing and hormonal. However 3 wks later when my results came back after the op was then told it had been a very aggressive 2.4cm triple neg. When I queried this they said it wasn't unheard of for hormonal tumours to suddenly turn TN! I wouldn't touch HRT with a barge pole regardless of tumour status!! Josie x ... View more

My thoughts and prayers are with Anne, her family and friends. love Josie ... View more

I was 45 on dx and had both for the 6yrs I was having checkups.Its only this year I'm just having a mammo. Theres not a lot of extra work involved and considering the peace of mind it will give to you surely they'll do one if you let them know how conscerned you are...ask them nicely and if that doesnt work demand one! Josie x ... View more

I had a grade 3 tn with one positive node and vascular invasion which was off the richter scale and I'm still here and still ned over 7yrs later. Josie x ... View more

Dear Phloxlady. You may be like me and have only a few side effects - it was after chemo (4xfec,4xtax} that my aches and pains set in - my body felt like an eighty year olds and it took about 12mths to wear off! The chemo itself I found very doable. I had to go on a drugs trial to get taxol as it wasn't available for primary BC in this country in 2004. I was told at the time it would probably only make 1-2% difference to my survival stats (which was 35%) but even 1 -2% adds up to quite a lot of us, and I do believe taxol is the reason I'm still here and ned. Good luck xx ... View more

After my hair fell out on the taxol I wore a great wig I'd bought on e-bay. It was so like my own hair no one noticed the difference, and when the wig started to go thin on top I popped a 'beanie' on. It was high summer and very hot but you'd be surprised at the rastas who came on to me that year! I still went to the pub on a sat night for a couple of pints of guinness, I thought I'd overdone it at the end of chemo when my liver count came back abnormaly high - had to wait for the results of some tests to find out it was a reaction to the tax!! Josie x ... View more

I had fec and tax and managed to work as an electrician's mate throughout apart from a couple of days off every chemo week. I didnt have many side effects on fec apart from a metallic taste in my mouth and mouth ulcers, on tax I did get increasingly more and more tired and by my last one just felt like cuddling up under the duvet for a week! I told no one except my immediate family and best friend. That way people treated me as normal - and that helped me no end! We all react and get by differently and there was no one more surprised than me at how well I sailed though...good luck xx ps.It did help to be working in the family business! ... View more

My hair was very long,dark,thick and wavy,and it quickly came back very thick and curly...and white! I was so grateful to have hair I thought it was great! I was thinking of keeping it short and white but it grew so quickly and soon returned to its pre chemo colour.The more I tried to straighten it the frizzier it looked but I did find mousse invaluable at keeping it under control. I was always in the hairdressers fighting it until I gave up and let it grow. It was back long again in no time. Nasreen is right the longer it gets the less curl and frizz there is. About losing weight - I found walking a great way of shedding it. I also went dairy free and find that I feel well and have no problem keeping slim. Good luck Josie xx ... View more

I'd been on sickness benefit for a few months prior to my diagnosis and just had to survive as best I could on it. I did go to see the hospital social worker who was very helpful and got my car tax paid for in no time by the McMillan cancer fund - also asked if I needed new clothes due to weight loss etc (I didn't thankfully) Give your hospital a ring and they'll make an appointment for you.....good luck. Josie x ... View more

We're all so different. I kept nearly all of my thick mid back length hair on FEC with the help of the cold cap but lost the blinking lot on the second half of my chemo which was Tax - didnt even have a hair up my nose by the time it finished. However my hair came back with a vengence. My last chemo was the end of july and I ditched my wig 6wks later. By my birthday in october I had a thick head of white curls. Josie x ... View more

Danny you and your family are very much in my thoughts,I can but imagine how you are feeling right now. My heart goes out to you. Josie ... View more