Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi everyone! Yes the F word is still on my tongue!!!! I have done a full week back teaching and I have never felt so tired.  I look across the yard and dread having to walk all that way.  I had to sleep in the car outside my house for an hour after school one day. I hardly moved all this weekend and now on Sunday evening I am feeling a good bit better.  However any physical exertion drains me. As you all seem to be feeling the fatigue side effects I am a bit heartened by this.  I keep saying that it will get easier as the next few weeks go on.   I always feel the worst one week after Herceptin.....sore hands and feet and itchy. Maybe this is common I don't know?   Interesting Blueash that your medical team say that some don't finish the 18 treatments.  I had actually thought of asking if I could stop.  I have done 14.  I would love to know if there are any disadvantages of stopping early.   I have to keep saying to myself that I am over the worst.  I am sooo happy that my mortgage is paid off.  I do of course have the odd wave of incredible self pity when I am in a group of teachers who are full of energy and look great.  As none of them know why I was off they never even ask me how I am.   The hair now looks like a mixture of Prince Harry and Lisa Simpson!   Sticks out straight and will not lie down.  Im still wearing the wig in public and omg I am going to age 10 years when I take it off. Yes Alex like you the hair is very patchy and I will have to stick the wig till Xmas so the change wont be a huge shock.   People had told me it would be a tough year but it is well over a year now and I am not over it by any means.   Aw ladies we have to keep on going forwards.  Dont look back cos its not where we are going.   Be good to yourselves!  I love hearing how you are getting through this. Aine ... View more

Hi everyone!!! Congratulations to Blueash!! What a long long journey you have been on and now you are at the end of it and about to start the next journey on the rest of your life - poison free!!!   Hello to the rest of you as well... How are you all getting on and are you having any after effects of it all???   Im back to teaching and cant believe how completely drained I am and the kids arent all back yet.  I have never felt fatigue like it...my legs are wobbly and I have no strength.  I am trying to pretend that Im ok but it is hard.  I have a very supportive principal and have been told if I am too tired to say and they will let me go home.   I still have diarrhoea in the morning and a bit of numbness in hands and feet.  Anyone else? My appetite is poor. I still wear the wig...my hair is 2 inches long but very fine.... .hubby says I look like Sid Vicious!!! I plan to wear it for another couple of months...my own hair will never look this good anyway. No-one has noticed it is a wig....   Today I had a breakthrough ..... I went to Tesco in gym gear and felt really great for the first time. I have lost so much weight that I felt slim and attractive for the first time.......BUT some creepy man kept staring at me.   I was buying gin (to make sloe gin) and I heard this creepy voice saying 'where's the party at?)....Yuk but at least I felt like a female again for a while!  I told the young lad on the till and we had a good laugh!!!   Enjoy every day from now on ladies!!!! Carpe diem   Aine x   ... View more

Well hello to everyone!!!!! It is really great to hear you all posting this week....good luck Blueash on Friday!    And Haz and Vintage I hope you get some resolution to your swollen joints and feet soon that must be really uncomfortable especially in the summer weather.... Blueash you are now a Community Champion that is just fantastic.  You always have such great clear advice...I have appreciated it on many occasions.   I got my nipple tattoo 2 weeks ago.  No problem with it and although it was a bit tender for a week it seems ok now.  Im getting a 6 weeks top up and again after a year.  It looks so much better now - like a proper boob!!  I know some people say that the hospital ones fade but I will wait and see how it goes.   I have Herceptin 13 of 18 this week.  Some have been sore and I have been limping badly for a couple of days.  The last one they moved the site to further back in my leg and that definitely helped.   I have diarrhoea every morning and then ok for the rest of the day.  Anyone else? I still have episodes of fatigue ... I return to teaching in 2 weeks and am being told by everyone to 'pace' myself.....Im worried but I have to go back and I hope I will cope.  Are you all back at work?   Yes we have made it through the past year and should be very proud of ourselves. We have had to go through hell that no-one can understand as most of it isn't obvious to the rest of the world!   Im still wearing my wig....cant bring myself to ditch it yet as my hair is so thin.  I intend to wear it till Halloween and hope it will be ok by then....that is the hardest part for me...I hate people telling my how well my hair looks.....my own will never look that good!    Look after yourselves and be good to yourselves!!!   Aine Big Hugs       ... View more

Hi there....it is great to have finished treatment and look forward to each day feeling a little bit better!!! I finished nearly 6 months ago and am feeling much better ....I was crippled with nausea and the usual other side effects....it was really tough.   I had tingling and numbness in hands and feet from the end of chemo treatment and was quite worried about it.  I couldnt touch anything warm and my feet were quite numb.  However I was told my many that it would wear off.  It didnt improve for several months but eventually I realised that it was starting to lessen.  Now I only notice it occasionally.  So be reassured that it will definitely improve but it will take a few months before you will notice any marked improvement.   I started yoga classes and it is amazing how much this has helped me.  We do a lot of breathing techniques and this certainly helps me relax.  The teacher gets us to breathe in deeply, hold it for 8 counts and says when you breathe out to send your breath to your sore parts.  Sounds silly but try it!  I love doing this!  And I am a sceptic about most things!   I cant emphasize enough that you must give yourself time to recuperate slowly and try to enjoy each day of feeling a wee bit better.  The anxiety is very difficult to deal with but you will have good days more frequently over the next few months. Be good to yourself!!  Be thankful for the good things in your life!  Thats what the yoga teacher says! Hugs from Aine x ... View more

Good idea Lin!   Hi ladies!  I had my mx op last August and had an implant.  Chemo done.  Starting to feel normal again....   I am getting a nipple tattoo end July.  The Consultant will then cheerfully match up the other boob.  She said she cuts round the nipple and moves it up a little and this will lift the flopping boob.  She said that over time it will sag again like it would in normal circumstances.  It is a day procedure.  My mx was straightforward and im sure this will be too.  Im in Northern Ireland and there was no question of refusing my request to even up.  Im fairly sure I will go ahead with this.   Just wanted to share and I hope this helps! Aine x ... View more

Andromeda and others! I started going to my local Macmillan Centre classes.....yoga, pilates, meditation etc. I swore I would never set foot across the door of a cancer centre when I started my treatment!   But someone mentioned it to me and I thought I would try it. It has been a godsend for me...and the others there say the same thing.   You are with people who have all had cancer - some quite a few years ago - and everyone has a different story.  However bc seems to be the most common one.  The teacher is very understanding of our needs and restrictions.  The classes are so relaxing and are fantastic for your mental health as well as making your body stronger.   We all stay for a coffee after it and the crack is great!  I have met lots of lovely ladies and we spread the word as to other things put on for post cancer patients.......rowing is one and I believe they love it...some of the doctors go to it as well....its good for preventing lymphodoema apparently.   Also they told me about a leisure centre that has a morning just for cancer patients.  Also I believe Action Cancer runs classes as well.   Please check out what is in your area.  You will find the support is fantastic and will see Macmillan offer complementary therapies free as well.. I did the Fatigue Workshop and the Meditation Workshop and met really lovely ladies and we keep in touch.   So it is very important to get out there and mix with people...these classes are perfect for that.....I was going mad at home on my own all day (hubby works late hours)....and getting quite depressed...I only realise that now that I am keeping myself much busier.   The yoga teacher is on hols so the class members still arrange to meet up and have lunch.  Some have gone hill walking.  We are all arranging to go out for dinner soon.   Im saying all this because last December I was on my own all day and most weekends.....now I have a new network of buddies who are mostly still off work so are available and keen to do things.   Please try to find out whats on near you......I still have a 45 minute drive to get to these classes but it is worth it.   I find that the hospital has lost interest in me now I am post chemo and post op and that was a shock.  I hope you find some of this useful. You are not alone!  We all feel isolated and scared if we do not get out and mix with the rest of the world. Let us know if you join any classes!!   Aine x hugs x ... View more

Hi everyone!   I have just read this thread for the first time and am sooo relieved to read it. I have had diarrhoea since starting Herceptin and it has been worrying me a lot lately. My Consultant said it can be a side effect but nobody seemed that interested when I mentioned it. She suggested eating more fibre if I don't eat much and vice versa.  She also suggested eating probiotics...I hate yoghurt so haven't tried that yet but Im going to.  I have had 10 Herceptin.   I really was worrying that I had signs of bowel cancer as the D is every morning and lasts for a few hours.  I am eating a very plain diet and the D doesn't get any  worse or better over the 3 weeks.   But now I am really reassured and greatly relieved that I am not alone and that it really is a common side effect.  I don't know how I am going to cope when I go back to teaching in September...I won't be able to dash to the loo when I want...so I am going to train myself over the summer to hold on!!!!   I hope that you are all feeling a lot better now active treatment is over.....I am getting stronger and stronger every week .... I still feel a lot of anxiety and am trying to deal with that  but this is a weight off my shoulders.   Thanks very much for this info.   Carpe diem Aine x ... View more

Hi Kim sounds just like me! You will be ok...you will be ok...agree to all they offer you because they know that it will be what you need... it was very tough for me and I was very sick throughout the whole chemo process...but it will be over in a few months and you will get better...I am out the other end now and am feeling sooooo much better...some day soon you will say the same thing....and you might not have a rough time on chemo...get all the help you can and do not suffer in silence like I did.... this makes us stronger as human beings versus the bigger picture...this forum will be a great help to you over the next few months so go on the monthly forum for maximum support.. carpe diem...you will get through these next few tough months and life will get better again... Aine xxx ... View more

Hi everyone!!! I was diagnosed last July.   I have a review appt with my Consultant in June.  I requested a mammogram prior to this appt.  The nurse on the phone said you dont have one until a year after your previous one.  I will discuss it at my appt.   I agree that after active treatment you are left completely on your own....you go from lots of appts and medical staff looking after you so well...to nothing.   I am on Herceptin every 21 days but I get a quick phone call prior to it and am in and out so quickly with just a quick chat with the administering nurse.  We need a system to give us support over the first few months.   It is such a shock to have to to deal with strangers mentioning our illness.  I believe they are not trying to upset us but it is hard not to be upset.  I think that saying you dont want to discuss it is a good tactic and would work.  When I go back to work I am going to say that if anyone asks me.  I will say it in a cheerful way and immediate ask them how they are or ask about something else....hope it goes ok.   I still go to the Macmillan yoga class on a Wednesday and meet up with lots of women who have gone through BC.....that is my way of getting support.   I recommend Macmillan or Action Cancer classes....really great fun and a laugh.   Stay positive and strong......Aine XX     ... View more

Hi Lina You should phone your medical team...surely you have a number to phone if you have problems....no need to suffer in silence....I have found them to be very thorough and they will follow up any complaint....good luck!!! Aine xx ... View more