Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi Ladies, Lovely to see so many of you nearly at the end. I have just had 5 of 23 so a long way still to go. I am struggling to sleep at the moment, not sure if it is the radiotherapy or the Letrozole which I started 10 days ago. No skin issues yet but have been using Aloe Vera and simple moisturiser. Take care Fiona ... View more

Does anyone know which aloe Vera products we can use to moisture before and during radiotherapy ? ... View more

May reds thread sounds like a good idea. I am having my treatment in Ipswich Hospital. ... View more

Hi Jo, I have my planning appointment this week and am due to start my radiotherapy one to two weeks after that. I too had node involvement aonwill be having mine to the. Are of my neck as well as the breast involved. It looks like there are some good tips already being provided by some of the ladies who have already gone through this. I have got to have 23 sessions in total. I too will be working through it but will need to leave work early each day as the hospital is around an hours drive from where I work, more in rush hour. Please let me know when you are due to start. Best wishes Fiona ... View more

Hi Ladies, The curry was delicious but probably not my wisest decision as the stomach is still not fully recovered from the chemo and regretted it the following day. I have my next operation tomorrow. Feeling a little anxious about it now that it is so close. Timing is bad as I am supposed to be cooking lots of cakes this weekend to raise funds for my cancer ward. Will hopefully be able to cook with just one arm ! Fingers are still numbing as are toes, mostly they just feel cold all the time. Hopefully this will improve in time. Nails are horrible now. Lumpy and ridges and brittle. Some now have white patches so likely to fall off if I am not careful. Nothing I rub in to them seems to be making any difference. Hope you are all doing ok 😊 Love Fiona x ... View more

Hi Ladies, I have my taste buds back ! So excited ...... still steeeing clear of chocolate but have had lots of yummy things to eat. 😊 My fingers and feet are still numbish and my feet, ankles, hand and forearms are swollen which is making sleep uncomfortable, and still completely bald everywhere but I really don't care as I can taste things !! Having curry for dinner 😊 😊 Love to you all Fiona x ... View more

Finally day 21 of my last chemo cycle ! Now just waiting for the side affects to stop. The worse of these being the numb fingers and feet. Has anyone been given any advice on this or any exercises to do the help with this ? Taste seem tonne coming back a little bit but most things still taste odd. Tiredness still an issue too but been back at work for a week now which is probably part of the reason I feel so lacking in energy. My next op is now scheduled for the 29th March. I am so glad we are all nearly through the chemo, it has been a hell of a journey ! Not one I would want to ever have to go brought again ! Love to you all. Fiona x ... View more

Auntie Julie, I can't believe that you can still taste chocolate cake after all of that chemo, I am so jealous ! Breast care team called back today to explain that they had got the timing wrong and have now delayed my next op to remove the rest of to lymph nodes. I did think it seemed very quick to be doing them literally a as soon as the chemo ceased. Physically I didn't think I would be up for an op that quickly. So now back to the waiting game. Although very tired all the time, I am sleeping ok and temperature is behaving its self. So living on lucozade and anything that has a really strong flavour ! I need to ask them about the mess afterwards as I am not sure if I have finished the menopause or not. I had a hysterectomy 7 years ago but retained the ovaries. I have had menopause symptoms ever since but the come and go every few months. I hope you all have a lovely weekend and and will catch up with you all next week. Take care Fiona x ... View more

Hi, My lumpectomy breast is lumpy midway through each chemo too so it sounds like this is a common theme. Fingers crossed it is nothing to worry about though. The numb/tingly fingers is getting on my nerves as it the General fatigue, but thankfully the back and leg pain and dizziness have all stopped. Day 9 today so only 12 more until the chemo is done! Can anyone taste anything at all? I find even the texture of food off putting. Even the old fish finger sandwich is like cardboard and drink wise I am living on Horlicks and lucozade, not in the same glass ! Back on the Imodium again as the chemo trots are back too. Hoping to make my self useful today as we have a skip on the drive waiting to be filled with garden rubbish as we are looking to move house, but fear I may just be watching everyone else and making th tea. Snail, I really hope all is ok with your breast and Jojo keep on smiling as we are so close to the chemo finish line. Take care my lovelies. Fiona x ... View more

Hi Ladies, Chloe, I do understand what you are saying. It is that sense of the unknown. As the others have said I don't think anyone can really understand that unless they have bee through it themselves. I had chat with one of the volunteers at our McMillan support centre who did understand and just let me talk about how I felt. Last night had bad back pain and joint pain in knees and feet. This morning was very tired due to poor sleep and felt dizzy on th way to the bathroom. Got to the bathroom but do not remember coming out of the bathroom only my husband standing over me in the hall trying to pick me up as I had passed out on the landing. The rest of the day I have been incredibly tired. Food has no taste, stomach playing up and generally feeling very sorry for myself and worse still it is my birthday so feeling older than ever. The only good news was that I have now got the date for my axilliary node clearance which is much sooner than I had expected on the15th March. At least this will mean I may get some peace of mind or not once they have seen how far it had spread or remains. So the good news is my daughter is home at the weekend and son is back from uni next week. Fingers crossed I will be feeling better by then. Hang in their Jojo, we are very nearly there. Love to you all Fiona x ... View more

Hi Aine Unfortunately we had critical illness cover until about 7 years ago but when I started my business, ironically as a mortgage and protection advisor, I had to cash in my endowment policy which had the critical illness cover included in it, in order to cover my setting up costs and not being abject to draw any salary for the first 6 to 9 months. The cost due to age st the time to them replace the critical illness cover as a stand alone policy for myself and my husband was over £120 per month which starting a new business and his pending redundancy at the time was not affordable to us. So although we have a new life cover policy we no longer had the critical illness cover. Big mistake with hindsight ! Unfortunately one cancer has been diagnosed the minimum waiting time to take out a critical illness policy is 7 years and possible never depending on the grade and type of cancer. This is also part of the reason we are downsizing so that the remaining mortgage could be more manageable for either of use in the future. If any of you do have any types of policies and want me to check if you are covered please feel free to private message me and j will be happy to have a quick look at them for you. Hi Jojo, Sorry to hear you too are now on the Tena pads too. My nails are very ridged and white so not looking too promising but thankfully none are starting to lift yet. I have been using lots of moisturise and nourishing creams on them so fingers crossed that may just help a little. I forgot to mention the night sweats as well, waking up with a cold wet chest and head, such a joy ! But thankfully only a few weeks left. Take care ladies ! Love Fiona x ... View more

Good Evening Ladies, Can't believe we are also close to finishing the Chemo ! Thank god for that !! Jojo, I too have the numb fingers and now red peeling sore feet as well. Was good on the first steroid day and could not sleep but slept through on the 2nd day and very tired today, so will hopefully sleep through tonight. Busy trying to get lots of little tidying jobs done around the house as hubby has finally caved and agreed to move down size the house. Main reason being to reduce the mortgage and take the pressure off of me as the main earner so I do not have to work so hard if I don't want too in the future ! 😁 I have been trying to get him to agreed to do this for years. Does anyone else suffer from incontinence with the T not just the odd oops moment. I had it on round 5 and 6 but not 4 ? Having said that on round 4 I was on the loo most of the day anyway. Only 19 more days to go, how amazing is that ! Waiting for my op dates to come through. The tiny stubbly bit of hair I had left is growing but no sigh of the other 99% of it coming back yet. Eyelashes and eyebrows hone completely now. Skin very dry and flaky and ankles and lower legs puffy. Looking like T is throughong everything at me for the last round. Hope you are all coping ok and wish you all well. Take care Fiona x ... View more

Hi Snail888. Thank you for your suggestion. I had not heard of Haven and have tried to Google them but not found them. Do you have a link or and more info to help Me find them? ... View more

Awe bless you. Put it down to the chemo if you feel it helps. It probably is contributing to it. Emotionally these last few weeks are certainly tough going. I am sure he will have such an amazing trip and have so many brilliant stories and pictures to share with you when he gets back. Think how much better you will be feeling and then and can pick him up from the airport then too. Only 4 weeks to go until the end of the end of the chemo Jojo and the last week of that we should be starting to recover ! Emotionally it has been a disastrous day and struggling with family who are overly worried and driving me crazy. Anyone got any suggestions ? My daughter has had depression since a very bad relationship last year and is now overly worry about my condition, nothing I seem to say or do get through to her. Has any one else had this kind of issue? She is 24. So looking forward to getting back to Some kind of normal life. Hope you are all coping better than me at the moment and very tearful day. Physically I am feeling better though which is something. ... View more

Wow that's a really big trip, he must be so excited ! Yeh, the numb fingers thing is so annoying. Are yours painful as well? The Claritin has help with the pain and the redness but not the numbness and the peeling and dryness. Not got it in my feet at all thankfully. I hope your son has s very safe but enjoyable trip and makes sure he keeps in touch with you so as you do not worry about him whilst he is away. Only 31 days of chemo left to go ! ... View more