Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hello - are you aware of Look Good Feel Better?  It's a charity that runs free make-up classes with lots of freebies (many expensive brands) for BC patients. They usually run them in hospitals, cancer centres etc. You can check their website.  It's a nice afternoon of pampering if you are feeling a bit down.  Unfortunately the treatments (chemo, surgery etc) do make you feel unattractive. Although a lot of that is temporary it is v hard to get your head around at first. I feel much better now but it's taken me a while to get there. Also be aware that chemo messes with your mind chemically and can make you fragile, tearful, depressed, forgetful, confused etc. This is a purely chemical effect and gets better when you stop chemo, but it might be worth making your family aware of that in case your behaviour seems different. Also telling someone with "chemo brain" to pull themselves together isn't going to help them! Give yourself some nice treats, fresh air and relaxation (yoga is wonderful). Take care xx ... View more

Hi Becci - i would encourage you to go for DIEP if you can live with tummy scar. It is an amazing operation.  Soft, squidgy, warm breast made of you. I have had radio post DIEP and so far no problems.  Normally they won't give you implants if radio needed. If you pm me, i can send you pictures if helpful. Xx ... View more

Hello - i live in south west London (as you might guess from the name!) and have had chemo, mx, anc and radio but only to one breast, not bilateral. I would be interested in getting together with other forum members in person, but how strict are your eligibility criteria?! Xx ... View more

DIEP is an amazing operation.  Obvious big downside is the long tummy scar and the op will leave you in pain for a week or so with a few weeks recovery and 3 months for total recovery. But the result is a natural feeling breast, soft and squidgy and all you. You can lie on your tummy no problem. There is no "weight" to carry etc. It is also a permanent solution once finished.  I am told that the recon should change size like a normal breast if you gain or lose weight. Hope that helps. Good luck whatever you choose. Xx   ... View more

Always good to take someone in with you!  I guess you have had a node clearance and will have chemo and radio. It is a long road and there will be bad days but most of the time it's business as usual. I have just finished 11 months of treatment and i feel really good.  Best of luck with your journey. Xx ... View more

Ok lovely - sorry to hear that. This is a forum where you can talk about any and all your problems if you want to. But make sure you are not always putting yourself and your needs last. There are various companies that do attractive mastectomy underwear and swimwear such as Nicola Jane and Royce.  I've found M&S really good for post surgery stuff too.  You can also buy ready made pockets (i.e. an envelope of material to hold prosthesis in place) which you can sew into ordinary bras and swimwear so you can wear more or less what you want (except triangle bikinis). Hope everything moves forward for you smoothly.  I thought I would be devastated after the surgery but actually I felt much better once it was over. It is having it hanging over you that is the really stressful part. Take care. Xxx ... View more

Regrettably I've met quite a few surgeons who have the people skills and empathy level of a water biscuit. I've come to accept the reason they're surgeons is that they're better at dealing with people when they are unconscious.  Oncologists by contrast tend to be wonderful warm, kind people.  Do keep an eye on your collarbone pain and if it persists insist it is investigated because you do have lymph nodes up there. Unlikely to be a problem if you had clear SNB but never be afraid to make a fuss. I've learnt in this game that sometimes you have to be willing to make yourself a bit unpopular to get the level of care you need, which is a shame and v difficult when you are feeling emotional. Don't worry, we've all been where you are now emotionally but know that it passes eventually and you become more resilient again.  Hope you don't have to have chemo but if you do it's not that bad and passes quicker than you'd think. Take care. Xxx ... View more

Hello - not sure why you have been told that DIEP could cause you fitness problems?  I had mine just under 4 months ago and can already do everything as normal including Zumba and yoga. You will have 6-12 weeks of having to be a bit careful with activities such as lifting but it should be only temporary.  ... View more

Great post Sue.  Walking is great mental therapy. Your attitude is inspirational.  Take care. Xxx ... View more

Hi Rosie - sorry to hear this. How distressing.  Have you been able to massage your scar at all?  This helps prevent it from "sticking" to skin layers below.  I still have numbness after 4 months but it is improving so you are right to question why you still have this, although my surgeon says it can take a year to resolve.  I hope your surgeon has some good answers for you! Xx ... View more

Jayney - trust me I understand! I also had chemo first for positive nodes (and am Stage 3) and the expletive chemo didn't kill any of my lymph tumours. Lots of side effects for me, no effect at all on the cancer. Grrr. I am resigned to worrying about it to some extent for the rest of my life, however long or short that may be.  But I am heartened to hear you are going strong 4 years later - that's a good news story for me! Take care (and avoid the DM). Xxx ... View more

Sam - good luck with your results. Do by all means put your faith in your medical team, but also make sure you know what diagnosis and treatment options you are being offered - or not offered - and why.  Ask questions and sense-check what you are being told. Remember the NHS restricts diagnostic tools for financial reasons, such as MRI scans, which are routine in other countries or in the private sector. Personally I would also advise asking for a copy if your post-surgery path report and being comfortable you understand it - the BCN, oncologist, or this helpline can assist. Best wishes. Xx ... View more

From the article I read it seems this research is looking specifically at women who have had chemo before surgery (e.g. to try to shrink their tumour so they can have WLE rather than mastectomy) NOT women who have had surgery to remove the tumour followed by chemo, which is most people.  Certainly the current view held by the oncologists at the leading London teaching hospital I attend is that where patients have nodal spread (like me) giving chemo asap, sometimes even before surgery, gives statistically better outcomes.  I am sure that in 50 years time (maybe 20 years time ...) they will look at the treatments we receive today and think how primitive or even misguided some of them were.  But at the end of the day we can only be treated according to the best understanding the medical profession currently has. As Roadrunner says, given the improved statistics for survival rates amongst those who have chemo (see Predict), that's still the choice I would be making now.  Also my general advice for life and sanity is not to read the Daily Mail which loves half-baked inaccurate scaremongering on all topics!! ... View more

Hi Scaryskittle. I agree completely with Annie.  If you have any lymph node involvement, you get a full body scan just in case. In the private sector they give you a bone scan, CT scan etc whether you have lymph node involvement or not.  It is considered routine for all bc cases.  The NHS would also do this if it had enough money!  Also be aware that things show up on these scans which need further review but are not necessarily cancer. For example, I had "hot spots" on my neck which on further investigation turned out to be just wear and tear. But in the unlikely and unfortunate event that the bc had spread further, you'd want to know asap so they can give you the best treatment. I am also a stage 3, as is Annie (I believe) and many other ladies on here. We have to accept the reality that we are statistically more at risk but I am also hearing from lots of ladies on this forum who had stage 3 many years ago and are living happy, fulfilling and healthy lives.  After 11 months of treatment, including mx, node clearance, chemo and radio, I actually feel really good at the moment both mentally and physically.  Personally I think having counselling and doing yoga helped me a lot. Lots of fresh air and walking also works well on anxiety.  I will admit though that on a bad day I've also been known to indulge in a bit of retail therapy too!  Give yourself some treats. Sending you all best wishes. Xxx ... View more

The oncology dieticians at my hospital say there is no evidence that you should avoid dairy entirely but they recommend taking low fat options (e.g. choose skimmed milk) and also organic if possible to avoid products from cows fed antibiotics, hormones etc in conventional farming.  Hope that is helpful.   ... View more

I think it's the side effects meds rather than the chemo itself that cause the bad constipation.  I found the answer was to take docusate sodium (or whatever laxative you prefer) on the morning of FEC chemo treatment and then keep taking for 48 hours. You may find you get the opposite problem with taxane treatment!  ... View more