Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi all, I finishe chemo July 2012 and it took an age to even get a covering of fluff. By Christmas I had a buzz cut look but still had a really thin psych right at the front on the top. Now it's about 3 inches long but still really thin, fine and frail and very curly!!! Not grey though! I am thinking of trying the FAST shampoo. Will that thicken and strengthen it? I am also on tamoxifen and I did have taxotere too. Thanks for all the good tips! X ... View more

Good luck with the rads. It does get a bit tiring every day but it soon passes. Just be warned if you are working you may get really tired, and the skin gets a bit sore but they'll tell you what to do with it and they should keep an eye on it, especially towards the end. Mine peeled a few times in the few weeks after I finished. But no worse than mild sunburn. If you ever want to meet up for a coffee perhaps we could meet half way between Horsham and tonbridge sometime. East grinstead is about half way. I don't know it that we'll but I am willing to explore. I am only working part time still as I still get so tired, even now. I was actually thinking of setting up a breast cancer support group round my way but don't know how to go about it. I thought maybe advertise on Facebook but don't want to attract a load of weirdos!!!! Anyway if you want to meet up before your reads start let nee know. X ... View more

Hi Emma, I am ok. Had many post treatment side effects that I am unfortunatwly still dealing with but no recurrence or anything so at least that is good. I was diagnosed age 41.had my chemo first, then surgery, ( partial mastectomy), then rads now tamox. My husband ia working in horsham at the moment!! Do you have much in the way of support groups or know othwr ladies in same boat near you? X jo ... View more

Hi Emma!! I am from tonbridge in Kent, what about you? I am terrible at these kinds of things, walking into a room of strangers always terrifies me! So hopefully we can all get to know each other a bit on here first so no one feels like a Billy no mates!!! I am 2 years post diagnosis and currrenty on tamoxifen, what about you? Xxxx jo ... View more

Thanks so much! Sorry I am New to all this forum malarkey so please forgive me if I asked to many questions or if I should have done it throughpm! I am not familiar with the etiquette!!! It has definitely given me food for thought. I am not a very stoic person and I really need to give putting myself through major surgery serious thought as I am a total wimp but you have really made me want to pursue it further and find out more. I finished rads 16 months ago and still have lots of pain and this weird chronic dermatitis so not even sure if further corrective surgery is even possible on the bc side but I might enquire about the other one. So thanks once again for all your info and for taking the time to write. Really appreciate it. Xxxxxjo ... View more

Sorry, pressed post before I got to the point! So my question is, how much did it hurt? And how long did it take to get over? And how do they feel now? Please be honest, I really need to know what to expect from someone who had actually had it done. I know it shouldn't be as bad add there is no axillary clearence and no rads to mess with nerves and make it sore, so hopefully shouldn't be as bad on the non bc side. And 1 more thing, did you have rads on your bc side? And if so what was it like having a second op on top of that? So sorry to bombard you, really appreciate your help!!!! Jo x ... View more

He Libby, me again. I have just one more question. Addi mentioned before due to post treatment complications I still get lots of pain and soreness in the bc side. This is due to nerve damage which gives me sharp stabbing pains and burning and also a chronic form of radiation dermatitis which they have told me May never go. Because i have had so much pain and discomfort from this boob I have been put off having the other one messed with. ... View more

I am booked onto the London one in May and would love to get in touch with any one else who is also going to that one to help break the ice a bit! Jo x ... View more

Thanks filly, yes I have read that. I will see my gp next week and I will discuss with her. Will need to find a different chemist or have a chat with mine to see if they would consider changing brands. X ... View more

Wow Libby! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. You have really put my mind at rest that I am not the only one who had this done! And yes! That is what he called the op when he was explaining it to me-a quadrantectomy! The only thing that's different is that I had the mastoplexy on the bc side done at the same time as the cancer removal, hence him moving the nipple up. Maybe I should have a chat with my bcn about my options and maybe go to a place where they just do plastic surgery. Food for thought! Thanks again! ... View more

Thanks Mary, I have already had several discussions with him about it, he can't seen to wait to get his hands on the other one! I just wanted to see if anyoneelse had the same situation and whether they had this surgery and what it was like. I JJoe I haven't pee'd off all the mastectomy ladies by moaning about my boob, when at least I have somethings on that Side. I. Know I should be grateful for this. It's just that even though there is a boob there it is a total train wreck in the chest area and I need to know that if I put myself through the ordeal of further surgery it will be worth it and not make matters worse. The thing is if I have a good day, and can get a bra on, it's not too bad as I can whee the insert and no one is any the wise, buta lot of the time it's just to sore, even now, 18 months after surgery. I also worry that no one else seems to have had this procedure and whether it's been done properly cos it's obviously not done a lot! Just wish I could compare notes with some one!! Xxxx ... View more

Thanks for the reply spooky moo! ( love the screen name by the way!!!) I have tried many things re the hot flushes, evening Primose oil and cutting out Caffeine, to name a few. I haven't tried actively cutting carbs but to be honesti don't really eat many carbs anyway, in fact lately I don't eat much at all. I nibble all day. I just have very little appetite and don't fancy much, but I rarely eat things like crisp, biscuits or bread and I don't like pasta, so the only things I could cut down on might be fruit but one of the other problems I have had since all this gynae stuff kicked off is constipation, and if I don't eat fruit I probably won't poo at all!!!! ( sorry to be indelicate, I am a nurse and everyone knows we are obsessed with bowels!!) I am seeing my gp Next week, poor thing, I have written a whole page worth of symptoms/problems to discuss with her. HoPE she wasnt planning to see any other patients!! X ... View more

Thanksi will do kazey. I got another one written more recently called the"cancer survivors companion" by Frances goodhrt and Lucy atkins. Having a real tough time mentally ( and physically) at the mo and despite a wonderful support network of family and friend and an amazingly supportive husband, just can't get my head out of this funk. Thanks for the reply. Xx ... View more

Hi, I was 41 when I stopped having periods after my second chemo. I am now 43 and still nothing although I permanently gave that"period" feeling (bloaty, dragging, achey, cramping, back ache etc). My hot flushes also fluctuate from dripping with sweat at night and feeling like I will explode during the day, to feeling slightly over heated (they have never gone completely) and I have been having them since July2012. Xx ... View more

Hi all, I am New to this forum malarkey!! I was 41 when I was diagnosed 2 years ago. Been through all the treatment and had one thing after another since in terms of side effects from treatment. It has been relentless. I went back to work one month after treatment finished but could only manage part time so had to take a huge pay cut and am still working only part time. I get really frustrated and angry as I wanted to be back to normal by now but it's beginning to dawn ok New that that's not going to happen. I have been having counseling for 8 months which has helped me stay of the anti depressants as I get such bad side effects. (they gave me some earlier last year in low dosage to help with terrible nerve pain but they made me feel ill). I am lucky to have a charity drop in Centre nearby where you can get comp therapies and counseling for free. I am also lucky to have a very understanding and supportive husband, poor thing. I can totally relate to everything everyone is saying about tiredness, anxiety and depression and how it's over for everyone else but us. However I do have some light to shed on things in the hope that it may help!! Firstly, 16 months after end of treatment, the post treatment side effectsI had have improved, I had terrible nerve pain, asi said, and although I still get it, it is much less frequent and less painful when it does come. I also had some rare chronic radiation dermatitis which baffled everyone and was so so sore for so long I could wear a bra. Had to spend virtually the whole year in baggy sack like clothing and Big scarves to cover up the freak show on my chest, as I was unable to wear the breast insert to even the chest area out! This is now less sore and I am now beginning to once again be able to wear a bra and insert and hence normal clothes. So things do slowly improve, but battling with access, pains, nausea and tiredness every day is a challenge. I founda book which really helped knew understand why I was feeling the way I was and that I want going mad! It's a bit wordy but I really found it helpful. It's out of print now but you can get it on Amazon etc. It's called" dancing in limbo"z anyway that's my experiences, hope that helps. It's hard to see improvements when they are so slow and over such long periods of time, but they are there. 3 years to recovery seems more like a reasonable estimate to me! Jo xx ... View more

I was 41 when diagnosed, had my chemo before surgery starting March 2012 . Had one normal period after first chemo, followed almost immediately by another which was like serious flood gates!!! Then nothing since. Onc always said they should return, but so far haven't, gynae said he thought they would return after I stop tamoxifen but because there was a long gap between finishing chemo and starting tamoxifen, due to me having chemo first, and they never came back, I don't think they will. In any case onc told me last week that the latest research is pointing to taking tamoxifen for more than 5 years so I probably won't see mine again. Re the period pain, I feel like I am about to have a period pretty much permanently. I get that heavy bloaty, dragging pelvic feeling all the time with intermittent cramps and pains. X ... View more