Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi All, Just started the 'Moving Forward'course run by Breast Cancer Care and have to say finding it really useful. In addition, meeting up with some of the people I met on the chemo suite and a number I didn't has also been enlightening and en-riching. If you haven't been invited to one of these, ask your breast care nurses if they are available in your area!  PS It's sclerosis or hardening of the weins I have from chemo, not cording and it has improved a little! ... View more

Hi All, Just started the 'Moving Forward'course run by Breast Cancer Care and have to say finding it really useful. In addition, meeting up with some of the people I met on the chemo suite and a number I didn't has also been enlightening and en-riching. If you haven't been invited to one of these, ask your breast care nurses if they are available in your area! 🙂 ... View more

All these things they don't tell you about! I do think the chemo nurses in the unit I went to need some education about this. No one has advised me what to do about it just said it's a side effect of chemo and my GP hasn't a clue!. I'm going to go to one of the Maggie's Centers to see if I can get some help there!    ... View more

Hi, Another alternative is Long acting Replens, might be worth also asking about this for vaginal dryness? Shelly ... View more

Has any body got an issue with 'cording' in their chemo arm. I went to the chemo suite 4 weeks ago as I was expereinceing some pain in my chemo arm. (Had soem during chemo but it had then resolved). Nurse just said to come back of it goes red. Four weeks on I have pain, tightness and lumps and no-one at the hospital seems to be bothered. I had EC-T.  ... View more

Wow, looks great! I've been using Nioxin shampoo and conditiner and do think it's helped thicken up my hair. You can get it from Amazon but I think it;s cheaper from Live Better with Cancer website. x   ... View more

Jan, You have come through all of that - you are amazing! It's so true thought that once you've been touched by cancer, every niggle is a worry. I too am struggling with my weight and fitness but I will succeed! Everyone in this group has come so far and we will all go on to live our lives to the MAX! We will all have times when our 'happiness meter' is low or empty but that's when we will appreciate the support of this group and other friends around us. Thanks to everyone for their contributions - be them positive, rants or when we are low 'cos it shows us all we are normal and we can get through it! 🙂   Shelly x ... View more

I had it done by a really good practioner called Bev White,  http://www.beverleywhite.co.uk and Bev uses microblading technique - people can't believe they aren't real! She's based in Rossendale Lancashire but is also working once a month at  Expert Aesthetics in Alderley Edge Cheshire 🙂 x ... View more

I'm the same as you, loss of sensation in toes and balls of feet but am able to drive. For some reason I seem to notice it more when I'm in bed. I understand it can take months but not sire how many. I do think it's improving in teeny tiny increments. I guess the people who would have more answers finshed chemo way ahead of us!    Eyebrows on their way back but treated myself to semi-permanent eyebrows and once I got used to them have decided it's the best thing I have ever done!   Eyelashes coming back but someone I met who finished chemo 14 months ago said her lashes came back, then went again before coming back permanently so if this happens - don't panic! 🙂 ... View more

Carol, FAB news! You're almost at the end of that stage of treatment and sounds like you are moving forward with the rest of your life - awesome. Funny how small cellur changes in our bodies lead us to make big changes in our lives! Good luck with the move and Congratulations! Shelly x ... View more

Expander replaced 4 weeks ago and still tender but feels much better. Unfortuately surgeon didn't put any fluid in as didn't want to stress the sutures so going on 26th AUgust to get 1st fill of new expander, (have to accept I've gone backwards and not stress about it), and hopefully put a time schedule in place re ext surgery.  Hope you're all enjoying the sunshine as according to the BBC we only have it this week ubtil Friday! 🙂     ... View more

Wow Mary - way to go! 🙂 x ... View more

Hi All,  My eyes were watering and yet my eyes were dry so did use some eye drops but they aren't as bad now. Going to get micro blading done on my eyebrows, semi permanent make up as I am rubbish at drawing them on! My biggest issue is getting an appointment for follow up witht eh surgeon since I had the tissue expander replaced after the first one moved verticlly and laterally and was half under my arm pit - looked like quasimodo! I just feel like they don't undertand that I need to complete this jpirney and get used to my new normal. I feel like they don;t care any more and if I wasn't a pain in their a..., I cold fall through the cracks. Being Triple negative with no lymph node spread I don;t need radio and can't benefit from hormone therapy so all I can do is get reconstruction and hope for the best! 🙂 ... View more

Thanks Maureen, great blog! 🙂 ... View more

I'm  relative new comer and it will be 6 weeks tomorrow since my last chemo! My nails look hideous, so wearing nail varnish to cover them which I don't normaly do, not lost any and keeping them realy short to reduce the risk of catching them. My hair os starting to come back but is grey and white so fingers crossed the pigment comes back. The worst thing for me is post chemo loosing my eyebrows and lashes - a friend says they come back quite quickly bit no sign of that yet. At least the numbness in my feet is wearing off!  ... View more

With you there re hair Suzie Q! Nails lifting and badly stained but wearing polish and keeping them really short and trying to save them! 🙂     ... View more

Hi Dafodil, thanks for that, had expander replaced last Wednesay, still quite sore and got post-op check tomorrow. Some days it feels like this is a never ending ride! X ... View more

Sue, There are no words to make you feel your loss any less. She will live on forever in your heart and the best tribute to her is to be like her - thinking of you xxx ... View more

Hi All, Recently found website nad joined Feb 2016 chemo thread but started on 29th Feb so jumped to this one too (now that I am getting used to how to use the site!). Fantastic support from everyone and great to share experiences and learning. I had a mastectomy for TNBC in January and jsut had sentinal nodes remove, all clear, and am 3 weeks post chemo having had 3 x EC and 9 x Taxol, only at the end did I loose most of my eyenrows and lashes but have  ressured on this site that they grow back quite quickly. Totally agree with ROsie re exercises post-op and I do have a ful range of movemnt. My issue is I have a tissue expander in to prepare for reconstruction and it's moved so until chemo finished 'fills' had to stop and can now have surgery tomorrow as blood count now up! It's also causing my left arm to swell slightly so hoping this resolves post-op! I bought a soft post surgical bra from M&S in black and another in nude. Initially had to add on expander hooks (£5 from M&S for a pack of 3 in white, nude and black). I use soft prosthesis so I can remove some of the filling after the expander has been topped up and no one has noticed one is 'fake'. My nails are really discoloured but none of come off yet - hoping they dn't but my other issue is 'numb' feet which again I hope will resolve. Wishing everyone all the good luck and kindness in the world! x ... View more

Thanks everyone! I've only just 're-found' this group again as I'm not great with technology! 🙂   ... View more