Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi Linda I had all 8 cycles of chemo on the trial. 4 x TC then surgery then 4 x FEC then radiotherapy and stared on Tamoxifen during rads. I've since been switched to Anastrazole. I know that some ladies only have 4 cycles. It all depends on how well you respond. How many have you had so far? Jo xx ... View more

Hello Linda, I recommend you join the "May 2018 Starters" under "Going through treatment". These ladies will be your lifeline believe me. You will all laugh & cry together & support each other throughout treatment and beyond. I'm still in touch with my crew of February 2017 starters and honestly don't know what I'd do without them. I had lumpectomy and full ax clearance but no mastectomy so am unable to advise on that but if you want to know anything else, just holler. Bear in mind everyone is different and will react differently to all treatment but to be honest radiotherapy was a breeze compared to chemo so don't worry about it. I actually had a great time & made more new friends! Pop back & let us know how you get on...take care Love Jojo xx ... View more

Great news Pauline!   Get that bloody thing cut out!   Lots of love Jo xx ... View more

Oh Pauline I do feel for you. You have what I had apart from HER2 as I'm negative for that. I has the lumpectomy too. The guide wire is put in during a pre op ultrasound & mammogram, with a local anaesthetic bur the main op with be under a general. To be honest the lumpectomy is not much to worry about but the axillary clearance was & still is a bit of a pain in the arse/armpit! Not particularly painful, but you lose sensation in upper arm/back which is stating to come back for me one year later. You will probably have drains in for a week, not painful but an inconvenience. Basically I was glad to have the op. I wanted to get the blimmin stuff out of me. Remember...we do what we need to do to stay alive. You can do this. Look after yourself & get strong for the op. A positive attitude will see you through the dark days, and this time next year you'll be thinking "wow I did it. Go me" Take care lovely Jo xx ... View more

Pauline,   I was told that unless there was COMPLETE pathalogical response i.e. the tumour completely disappears, then I would be having another 4. I was very disappointed when I was told but in the end they are doing whats right to keep you alive for as long as possible.   My lump shrunk from 33mm to 14mm on the pre-surgery ultrasound, but was found to actually be bigger than that when the lump was examined after surgery. Luckily the surgeon took a fair bit & got healthy margins. I didnt respond well to the FEC, it made me quite ill but a lot of other ladies got on fine with it. I actually did better on the TC, which I know you havent so it just proves that everyone is so different.   I actually nearly came off the trial after the first 2 FEC (which wouldve totalled 6 cycles in all) because i felt so ill. I dont ever want to feel like that again. But of course after 10 days I started to feel better & decided to just get on with it. I didnt want to regret NOT having chemo at some point in the future.    So even though youve had good chemo results, it could mean that you will still need another 4. I did ask them to reduce the dose to try to prevent me being so ill but that didnt work haha! Try not to overthink it. Your onc will be the one to make the decision & will give you all the facts, but remember that they want to keep you alive and you will recover remarkably quickly after your radiotherapy.    Take care. Im here if you have any other questions.   Jojo   ... View more

Good luck Pauline, another one to tick off! I've got my first mammogram today. Not particularly stressed about it, just don't want my boob squished as it's still swollen 1 year after op! I'm sure they're used to that though. Yes let us know how it goes today Pauly xx ... View more

Paul in I know what you mean about taste buds. They actually came back fairly quickly for me but in the meantime I did used to eat strong tasting things like pineapple & harbour Tangfastics! I practically lived off satsumas because they were sharp. Ice cream is good too. Try to avoid spicy food though. The mouthwash given out at chemo also helped alot (Difflam). You'll get there. Nearly done! Jojo xx ... View more

Hi Paul in Sorry I seem to miss so many messages, all in my spam folder! Anyway I hope you're feeling not too bad right now. Yes those blimmin Filgrastim injections are hideous aren't they? I hated them with a passion. That last one ever though...I did a little jig 😁 Don't put off contacting you're team about your temperature though. I know you don't want to end up in hospital but the reality is you could have sepsis/neutropenia so be smart & contact them sooner rather than later. Great news that you're only having 4 chemo. I had to have all 8 unfortunately, but I'm glad I had the surgery after 4 rather than the 6 normal treatments! I also had the full axillary clearance which I've found to affect me more physically than the lumpectomy. Please let me know if you need any support with that. I'll happily give you my number for you to message me directly or you can follow me on Facebook if you prefer. Jojo xx ... View more

Hi Pauly! Great news about your response to chemo. I must say the TC is the mother of all chemo's and does tend trick! Mine shrank by half at the end of first 4 chemo's but during surgery it was found to be larger than the scan suggested. I had 1 node affected and they did a clearance on me too. 13 in total removed, but only 1 had signs of cancer cells still in it. I went on to have 4 more chemo (feckin fec!) As far as surgery goes, the ax clearance has been a pain in the neck, the lumpectomy is a doddle! I'm also right handed but keep doing the exercises after surgery & you'll be ok. The worst think is having the drains in for so long plus it's all left me with lymphodema in my boob (not my arm thank goodness). Let me know if you need any advice pre surgery. I thought I'd be up & back at work after 2 weeks but that was slightly unrealistic! Ever the optimist. Jo xx ... View more

Maggy how are you doing now? Do you have a date for your surgery? Jo xx ... View more

Hi Catlady!   Blimey 4 teeth out is a bit much! Presume they were a bit dodgy anyway. The last thing you need whilst having chemo is toothache.  Good luck for Thursday, I also started on the TC so feel free to ask me anything. I didn't get on too bad with it but I know some ladies who did so fingers crossed for you! It seemed to do the job though, halved the size of my lump pre surgery. 6 hours is a long time...I was only in for 3-4 hours max! Why so long?!! Or are you cold capping? We used to read newspapers & chat with people/nurses/volunteers. You can have a nap if you want 😋. Some people take iPads in with movies downloaded on them, or play games. It's a bit of a chore but I used to go shopping afterwards (couldn't do that on fec!) then go home & crash for a few days.  Do you have some steroids to take the day before chemo? Word of advice...take them early like in the afternoon, no later than 4pm or you'll never sleep! Take all your tablets as directed & you should be fine. Let me know how you get on! Don't forget, just ask me anything.    Cathy...dental treatment is advised before starting chemo but particularly before having the zolendronic acid infusions as it can affect your jawbone. Although my dentist said he'd never seen anyone in his whole career be affected!   Jo xx ... View more

Hello Mel! Yes Mary had complete response. I naively thought I would too but alas no, I had to go for another 4 cycles. It really disappointed me! How are you getting on with the Tax? When is your surgery? Feel free to ask anything. I'm all done now & have just completed the Moving Forward course which was FANTASTIC. Jo xx ... View more

Sorry losteonecrosis? Erm that should be lost obviously. Sausage fingers & no glasses on! ... View more

Hello Maggy! How is it going for you? I hated fec as I had the TC first & got on ok with it. Fec made me feel ill! I can assure you that it will be working though. You should be due for an ultrasound soon I think? I couldn't feel my lump after 2 TC & at surgery it had halved in size plus only one node involved thank god. Are you planned in for surgery yet? You'll feel alot better about things when they cut the bloody thing out! Sorry to hear you've losteonecrosis your mirena. Do you have any idea where you lost it? I hope you find it soon... 😂 I'm halfway through my radiotherapy now but feel free to shout out if you need any help (or sarcastic comments) Jo xx ... View more