Breast Cancer Now Forum

Simples - as the Meerkats say!!! ... View more

Ignoramus here - how do you BUMP a topic to keep it at the top of the forum list please? ... View more

Hi Jules The very best tip I can offer you is to stay positive and remember that your treatment is 'doable' A chemo nurse told me that women who have a positive outlook respond better to their treatment. I also suggest that you try and get yourself your thermometer and start taking your temperature now before you start your chemo so that you know what your normal temperature is for you as I didn't have the faintest idea what was normal for me. I was told to get the type that you put into your ear as they are more accurate and I purchased a Braun Thermo Scan which was very easy to use. Other than that enjoy the festivities and chill out! Mazzalou xx ... View more

Do you know Leeds39 I really don't think that it ever does sink in and I still seem to say to myself 'has this really happened to me?' You are correct in saying that it is so surreal, especially if you don't feel ill. My consultant said that so many women say this, and I think that this is what makes the reality of it all difficult to comprehend. Take comfort from Mal, Peanut and Leeds39, when she says that in time you will have no need for this website as you will be too busy out enjoying yourself and getting on with life, but be glad that you are here at a time when you need all the support that you can get. Remember that you are not alone as we are all in this together. It is fear of the unknown that is the hardest, but trust those of us who have come out the other side for you will too in time. Keep smiling and thinking positive thoughts Mazzalou x ... View more

Hi Peanut1955 Sorry to hear that you are feeling very frightened, but try and look on the positives in your situation as they are there if you think about it. OK, so we have been diagonosed with breast cancer but it is one of the most common, most researched and most funded cancers there is. We are not alone as 50,000 other women in the UK have also been diagnosed this year too. Every one of them has shed plenty of tears, but they will ease off once you have your treatment plan. Your partner is probably just as frightened as you are so be thankful that you do have someone to help support you through this and who is there for you, so try hugging instead of screaming. You will have your cancer removed and the rest of your treatment will be your insurance policy against a re-occurence. You will be receiving the best possible treatment there is so take it and be pleased that it is available. Try to be positive as it really, really will help you overcome your treatment. I found my lump on March 11th and had mx with reconstruction on April 18th, followed by chemo of 3 FEC and 3 docetaxel, and then 15 radiotherapy sessions which finished about 10 days ago. I am also on herceptin every 3 weeks until late next summer. A long old haul, but doable, and I am now on the homeward straight and coming out of the long, dark tunnel at long last. I know that things are tough at the mo, but they won't always be so try and smile your way through life and you will feel a lot better. I hope that this helps you and let us know how you are getting on. Take care and keep smiling Mazzalou ... View more

Hi El Katrano I'm afraid that you seem to be displaying classic symptoms of the 'dreaded docetaxel' as it made me feel as if I had doubled in age overnight! I swear that everytime I climbed the stairs there were more stairs than the time before, and it really felt as if my feet were killing me!!! My legs even seemed to ache in bed, but it will get better once you finish your tax treatment and it starts leaving your system. I am not on tamoxifen so can't comment on the se that this may cause, but aching joints is one of the se of tax. I think that I took ibobrufen, but do speak to your oncologist first who may be a better bet than your GP as more of a specialist re chemo side effects than your GP. A nice hot bath may help, and make sure that you drink plenty of fluids to flush the tax out of your system, and also wear nail strengthener or polish to protect your finger and toenails too. Try and get your feet up in the meantime. Take care Mazzalou ... View more

Hi Troodles I love your hats, and they are far, far, nicer than any that I have seen sold, specifically for chemo 'victims'. I have to say that I have bought a couple and have been very disappointed considering the price I have paid as they seem to 'rise up' when you are wearing them. I know I have a 'big head' but they all seem to have shrunk in the wash! I prefer to wear my wig when out as it doesn't shout 'cancer victim', but indoors it is sometimes too cold at the mo to go 'au naturel'! If you decide to sell them then please hurry up as my hair is beginning to grow back now!!! You are definitely on to a 'Dragon's Den' winning idea with your hats. Good luck and if you need an accountant once your business starts taking off then give me a call!!! Mazzalou xx ... View more

Hi Troodles Looking forward to seeing your website and the hats so please post the link. As for profiteering from the vulnerable it seems like a case of 'where there's pain, there's money to gain'!!! Mazzalou ... View more

I also bought some of the M & S bras and didn't pay delivery and they are VAT free. I did find the straps a bit too short, and prefer the ones that I bought from Matalan. They do quite a good range of post-surgery bras, nice and soft and very reasonably priced. My surgeon also said to wear support 24/7 for at least 6 weeks post op to give the implant time to bond internally so best check with your BCN on this one. Happy shopping! ... View more

At the end of September hubby and I went to watch the ‘Girls’ Night Out’ which was a night-time walk through Bury St Edmunds to raise funds for St Nicholas Hospice in Bury. Becky Jago of Anglia News fame supports this and took part in it, and my hubby is her number 1 fan so we went for him to see her, and for me to support the walk as I had some friends taking part. I would have loved to have taken part but the side-effects of my chemo made it too difficult. Anyway, the event was reported in the local paper and the following came from the report:- “I also spoke to a lady who’s having chemo so she can’t do it herself, but she came to support others.” The lady she spoke to who was having chemo was me! And I have the photo of her with hubby to prove it! We both received a hug from her and hubby hasn’t come down from ‘Cloud 9’ yet! Mind you, I don't really think that I played the cancer card in getting a photo of Becky Jago with hubby as one of the charities that she supports is 'Keeping Abreast' which is a breast cancer reconstruction support group. ... View more

My BCN suggested Sloggi crop-tops post-op and to wear in bed too as I had my mx with implants last April. They are very soft and cotton, come in black and white, and cost about £10, but they do tend to come up small so you will need to buy a good couple of sizes larger than you normally would. They have no fastenings either and you just pull them on over your head. You don't need to worry about cup sizes either and they wash well and dry quickly which is a boon at this time of the year. They are also good to wear if you have to have radiotherapy too, as they don't rub your skin. Mazzalou x ... View more

Shame on you Pleasant1 on wanting to hug a dirty old man!!! ... View more

Just to continue with Lulu's nail issues theme, carry on with the nail strengthener even when you have finished chemo as the part of your nails that will be affected may not be the part that you can currently see as your nails start growing far below the nail bed. Even though I had my last docetaxel at the end of September, and my nails are now pink again halfway up, some of them on my left hand have turned opaque in the last couple of weeks. Does anybody know why this is? I wonder if it is linked to the radiotherapy that I was having on this side over this time period, or just coincidence. I also started taking my temperature before I started my chemo as I had no ideas what was normal for me. ... View more

Thanks for the tip sarahlousie - I'm off to get some Baby Bio for my head right now! ... View more

Hello Scared1 I found my lump on March 11th this year when I was about 1/2 way between mammograms. Because of my bathtime routine I know that my lump seemed to appear overnight and my consultant said that many women find this seems to be the case. I had my mx with reconstruction on April 18th and my cancer was also a grade 3 and HER2 positive which means it was fast growing. My lymph nodes were clear, and after my op I had 6 chemo sessions - 3 FEC and 3 Docetaxel, followed by 15 rads which I finished last week. I am on herceptin and next week with have my 6th dose of the 18 in total. Mammograms are not fool-proof, and apparently more women find their lumps than the mammograms detect, so my message is to know your own body and don't rely on your mammograms, as you have sadly discovered. Try not to worry about your future treatment as it will only be after your cancer has been removed and analysed that your future treatment can be planned by your oncologist as we are individuals, and our cancers are too. Take one day at a time, and even if chemo is part of your future treatment you will cope as I, and lots of others on this website, have coped. You will be offered the best treatment for you. Chemo is 'doable' so don't be afraid, and speak to your BCN about your fears as they are there to get you through it, just like the rest of us here are. As mgsm said, let's hope that you change your name real soon as we all had your name of 'scared1' not so very long ago! Try to stay positive and I am sure that everything will work out fine for you once you have had your op, and you know what your future treatment will, be instead of worrying about it. Mazzalou x ... View more

Thought I would add to the discussion as I had my 3rd MUGA scan yesterday and have my 6th herceptin next Tuesday - don't the 3-week cycles come round quickly? My hospital is very hot on giving MUGA scans thankfully. I finished my 15 radiotherapy treatments last Thursday. My veins packed up after being on FEC so now I have a portacath because I am on herceptin every 3 weeks and it certainly makes life a lot easier, although they can't use it for the MUGA scan injections which is a pain - in more ways than one!! My 1st MUGA reading before I started herceptin was 87, the 2nd was 80 after starting it and 77 yesterday so falling, but I have been told that they are very high readings - something to be thankful for! I am seeing my oncology nurse on Friday so will see what she has to say about my readings. I don't seem to be experiencing any side-effects to the herceptin. I also had 3 FEC then 3 'dreaded docetaxels' and only now am I beginning to shake off the side effects of aching limbs caused by the tax. My finger nails are beginning to come through pink again, but I still have tingly fingertips and feet as well as swollen ankles by the end of the day. I had my last tax at the end of September and still no sign of eyelashes or eyebrows, although the hairs on my legs are alarmingly lush! Is there no justice in this world? However, much as it goes against my habit of my lifetime I am refusing to shave my legs as it is my indicator that my body is beginning to recover from being subjected to 'chemical warfare'! I am not on tamoxifen so the only treatment I am now on is herceptin. So for me, so far so good as far as the herceptin is concerned, and hoping that it stays that way too! ... View more

Wish I could step into a bra, Audreytoo only I don't think that I would get it past my bum!!! Happy birthday for tomorrow Paula, but watch that wind as it is already blowing a gale here in Norfolk so hang onto your wig. And shame on you, we do have District Nurses here in Norfolk - they came out on a Saturday morning to give me my stomach injection, so if your neutrophils don't make it, you too could come face-to-face with a District Nurse armed with a hypodermic needle for your tummy !!! ... View more

Good luck for tomorrow cs25sept - remember to smile for the camera! ... View more

Please don't apologise Tommyticklemouse - just reveal the secret of your hair growing success!!! ... View more