Breast Cancer Now Forum

Blue I am so sorry to hear your bad news. Not much more I can add to what has already been said. Thinking of you and sending lots of love and hugs xzx ... View more

Hiya ladies Ebim - have a lovely time in Spain. Enjoy the sunshine and the sangria! Blue - following my mx back in November I developed a huge swelling under my arm. My surgeon said to just leave it but after a week or so it was really getting me down so I spoke to my Bcn and she said to come in and she drained it for me. It was such a relief to be able to have my arm by my side again and the although some fluid came back it was a tiny amount and that then disappeared on its own accord. So maybe talk to your Bcn and see what she says and over emphasis how uncomfortable it is. Having your results delayed really sucks....but will have everything crossed for you on Friday. Wtp - good luck for tomorrow. I remember standing in front of the mirror the morning of my operation and saying goodbye to my boob...sounds crazy I know. I also cried as I said goodbye to my husband and was taken through to have my anesthetic.... So what you are feeling is completely normal. Like getting results the worst thing is the waiting part...just remember it is part of the cure. I hope everyone manages to enjoy a bit of sunshine.... Have school sports day tomorrow but not sure I have the energy for the parents race and do I trust my wig to stay on whilst running?!! Nicky x ... View more

Hiya warriors Sorry I have been absent for a week or so. Since finishing radiotherapy I felt I needed a bit of head space away from the c word. But you have all still been in my thoughts. Been catching up on what's been happening.... There is so much to comment on! Firstly, wtp I am so sorry to read what you have been through. Sending you big hugs and don't give up, stay strong and you will still win this battle. I agree it's good to drown your sorrows and have a good cry because sometimes s##t happens. Egg - well done for finishing chemo, so glad the party is now complete ☺ Jackie - I hope you are doing okay and surviving the heat and the long trips to the hospital. Thank you for my rad grad cert... You are a star 🌟 I am afraid I can't remember exactly where everyone is up to... Could still be chemo brain! But everything you all write is interesting and relevant to where I am at on this journey, so thank you. I am now 2 1/2 weeks post radiotherapy and my skin has gone very dark and is peeling. I am also taking tamoxifen which I seem to be tolerating reasonably well. I do get hot flushes but nothing too severe. The doctors still can't decide what to give me in conjunction with the tamoxifen, whether to give me biophosphates, zolodex or Ai inhibitors...I am finding it all very confusing and everyone seems to suggest something different. I am also hoping to get on a new drugs trail which the Marsden hospital is running for pre menopausal women... Which is one of the reasons why I am just on tamoxifen at the moment. My oncologist did mention the ant aspirin trial but felt there were better trails I could go on, but did say there is nothing to stop you taking half an aspirin a day if i wanted to.... Though I am not doing so at the moment. I have shaved my legs twice and the hair on my head is fluffy and way too grey.....I used to be a dark brunette! Suze - I would love to be part of the face book group if you set it up. Big hugs.... Nicky ... View more

Hello warriors. So have finished all my active treatment 😀. Doesn't quite feel real and not sure what I will do with myself now I don't have daily hospital visits! I had 4 good friends come round this afternoon, who have been really supportive throughout and we had a glass of fizz and cake to celebrate and I have received lots of nice messages, cards and even flowers from friends and family. Feeling very loved! Thank you all you guys for your amazing support during this journey. I couldn't have done it without you all. I know this is not really the end, still have appointments and hormone drugs to come but it does feel like I have reached the top of the mountain and it is all down hill from here! Wtp - I have been on tamoxifen for 3 weeks now and so far it has been fine. I have had a few hot flushes but nothing major. I have drank a few glasses of wine on it and again it hasn't disagreed with me. I do feel my appetite is growing but not sure if that is the tamoxifen or just the getting over chemo but I am trying to be conscious of what I eat and choosing fruit over biscuits (believe me I don't always succeed!) Thinking of you all and will be here to support in any way I can. Nicky x ... View more

Hiya Suze my last rads is Monday so just a few days behind you. I have a couple more appointments with consultants at the end of June/beginning of July regarding my ongoing hormone treatment as I am er + and pr + but Monday is a big milestone for me.... Don't know how I will feel walking out of the hospital wards for hopefully the last time. Wtp- well done on your run. A great time and you look fantastic. It has definitely made me decide to sign up for my 3km rainbow run with my kids at the end of June. You have so much hair!! Am very jealous! I hope your husband is okay and makes a speedy recovery. Blue - I totally understand what you are saying about the age issue. I always feel youngish when I am in the hospital and am constantly looking out for people who look my age, almost as reassurance that it is not just me. Egg - good luck for tomorrow. You are nearly there Nicky x ... View more

Hiya Everyone!   Sorry its been a while but what with half term and daily hospital visits for rads time keeps disappearing.   Been good to catch up on the thread. I am now 5 weeks post my final chemo and have had 11 out of 15 rad sessions. i definately feel like me energy levels are starting to return and my body is picking itself up and starting to recover. My hair is starting to grow back, i have about 1 cm of fluffy hair all over though unfortuntley there seems to be a lot of grey mixed in with the brown?! i still have very few eyelashes and my eyebrows are extremey patchy so have been filling them in. (Not sure i would be any good at false eyelashes!) and no sign of any nose hair!   I have found the rads sessions okay and havent really suffrered with any fatigue. It is just time consuming and takes about 45 mins (plus extra time to find a parking space!). My skin on my chest is starting to look a bit red and is a little itchy so i am slapping on the E45. The main thing i have noticed is the cording in my arm so my BCN gave me BCC's  post surgery exercise sheet and i have been doing them, which is helping a little.   Robin how are you getting on with your rads?   Blue - i also had a masectomy and full lymph node clearance. i purchased button up PJ's which you definatley need as you can't raise your arm above your head. i also had a drain for a few days which was fine. i bought an M and S post surgery bra but the inside seam irritated my scar so i wouldnt recommend them. i then switched to sainsburys crop tops whch i put on by stepping into them! Start doing the exercises as soon as you are able and it will definately help with your mobility in your arm and shoulder.    Wtp - well done for doing race for life, that is a fantastic acheivement. i am keen to start running again but am worried about pushing myself too soon (I have been doing lots of walking) and am tempted to do a 3km charity run at the end of June, though it will be more of a very slow jog, but it would be a start.   Egg- i hope your cold is receding and the antibiotics are kicking in.   love and hugs to everyone   nicky x ... View more

Don't worry beedot and Robin - I really don't mind! Just heading off to session number 2. Hang on in their Egg, I know it must be hard seeing others finish chemo but think of all the blasting it is doing to your lump. You may be bringing up the rear in this race but we are running as a team and won't abandon you. Good luck today x ... View more

Well done beedot on crossing the finishing line! Had my first radiotherapy session today as well and it sounds identical to Robins! Also took a bit longer to line me up correctly and take x rays, and also got pins and needles from keeping my hands above my head for so long! But almost relaxing with lots of sci-fi looking equipment moving around me. Also took my first tamoxifen today.... No side effects so far!!! Nicky y ... View more

Hiya Chemo Buddies   Just catching up on the thread. I too am in need of a group hug, was feeling very low at the beginning of this week. Got myself in a bit of a state as i have to start taking Tamoxifen next Tuesday and have been reading up on side effects and how people have found it and it all just sounded pretty negative and made me feel like this journey will never end.   However, on Wednesday I met up with a friend who told me that hers sister in law, who is 37, has been taking it for a year and found it okay, so it made me realise I will hopefully be okay and it wont ruin my life...after all it is there to help me. Also the fear of reooccurance is ever present and I too am sick of the "it's nearly over" and "you look so well" comments...however well meaning they are.   Blue- congratulations on passing the finishing line. It may not be over but you have finished chemo.   Egg - hope your treatment went okay and sending you lots of hugs as you deal with the side effects.   Jackie - so sorry to hear you have another BOB, stay strong.   Suze - I start my Radiotherapy next Tuesday. Thanks for the heads up on what to expect, feeling a little apprehensive but am hoping it will all be fine. Love your sense of humour!   I am still getting aches and pains around my armpit and scar and my cording in my arm seems to be a bit worse. I hope this is down to the chemo chemicals still being in my blood. Good to know it can take 6 weeks for you to get over the final chemo. Has anyone else got cording issues? I had all my lymph nodes removed so am also paranoid about lymphodema!   Hope everyone has a lovely weekend.   nicky x   ... View more

Morning Ladies A belated happy birthday to Ebim and Suze.... Hope you both had a lovely day and just think you when you celebrate the next one this will all feel like a distant memory ☺ Ebim, well done also for crossing the chemo finishing line. I am now day 12 after final tax. The week following it was tough both physically and emotionally but the side effects are now lifting, the realisation of no more chemo is starting to feel real and I am feeling much more positive. I am completely paranoid about my nails, they still seem okay but I can't stop slapping on hand cream every time I walk past the kitchen cupboard where it is kept! My eyebrows are thin but not completely gone and my head is covered in a soft layer of fuzz! I know it will take time and patience but I am looking forward to my body slowly recovering from this ordeal. Blue and Egg am sending you lots of hugs as you continue through treatment, we will be with you till the end. Nicky x ... View more

Jackie Thank you so much for my badge and certificate , it may sound a little crazy but it means the world to me. You have done so much to keep this bunch of warriors spirits up, you really have kept us going. Lighthouse and Mooney well done for crossing the finishing line. Egg, beedot and everyone else still on the chemo cycles keep going and sending you big hugs. Fatigue is lifting a bit today but aches and pains are now starting. Now final chemo is done I am also struggling with the next steps. Feel quite down and all the drug options sound so confusing. My oncologist keeps changing his mind, may be a bit harsh but feel like he trying to decide what's for dinner not considering the best options for my future. I go back and see him after radiotherapy when he will let me know what drugs he wants to put me on. I feel like after radiotherapy all you are left with is a little tablet to take for years as your only defence against this horrible disease and how can that be enough to stop it coming back? I completely get everyones worries. I look at my piebald image in the mirror and think how did I get to this point? Sorry for the moan, positive thinking from now on! ... View more

Hiya chemo buddies. Final chemo done... Can't quite believe it! The fatigue has hit me hard already. Legs are like dead weights and can hardly keep my eyes open. Side effects need to pass for all of us and then we can really party! Lots of love and hugs to everyone, thinking of you all and all the challenges we still face. Nicky x ... View more

Hiya chemo buddies. Just been catching up on this fantastic thread. Firstly congratulations to all you tax warriors who have completed this part of the journey you have all done so well and been so strong... I can't wait to join the party! My last tax is next Tuesday and although I have the usual anxieties about what is to come the thought of knowing it will be my last will push me over that finish line. Wtp - I had an meeting with my oncologist last Thursday and he can't decide what hormone therapy to give me. I am 43 and pre menopausal. My bc is 8/8 for both oestrogen and progesterone. At first he was saying he wanted to give me injections to suppress my ovaries and give me exemestane, then he decided he will start with tamoxifen as this is the standard treatment and there may be new drug trails that he wants to see if he can get me on which you may only be eligible for if on tamoxifen. In the end he told me to start taking tamoxifen 3 weeks after last chemo and come back in 8 weeks time and he will review the situation. Will keep you updated. I then had my CT scan for radiotherapy on Friday. This was pretty easy, you have to lie on your back and they move you around a little till they are happy with your position and then draw on you and pop stickers on you. I then had to hold my breath for 20 seconds while they scanned me, which they did 3 times. Then they gave me the tattoos....they are a tiny blue dot, you actually struggle to see mine and it doesn't hurt, just a tiny pin prick. I am getting 3 weeks of radiotherapy as I have already had a mastectomy starting on 23 may and finishing 12 June. Suze I would love to hear about your "moving on" course. Like Egg and Wtp I worry constantly about the future, the effect on my children and if this horrible disease will come back. My OH has been really supportive but believes that soon everything will be back to normal but I feel like things will never go back to how they were before and I will always have " the fear". I guess you just have to learn to live with it. Sorry for such a long post. Will be thinking of that carribean holiday whilst getting my final blast on Tuesday! Nicky x ... View more

Good luck Robin and Ebim.... Hope you get your chemos today. Robin I am willing you on over the finish line. Can't wait to get there.....see you at the finish!! I am feeling reasonably okay now day 10 of tax 2. Currently away in Dorset on family holiday and enjoying the change of scenery and sea air. Slightly sore throat and lips and also get small nose bleeds but nothing too bad. Blue ..Enjoy your me time, Ii is nice to be able to let your guard down and am sure very good for you! Beedot....glad to hear you are doing okay. Hugs to everyone xx ... View more

Hiya tax ladies. Now day 4 of tax 2 and just been reading the thread. So much happens so quickly! I was washed out for the first 3 days, but am coming round and just feeling a bit achy and tired. Well done beedot for getting the chemo... We are all getting there. Mooney, take it easy, and fingers crossed you make your friends wedding. Chemo brain is making this a short post... But just wanted to say hi to everyone and hope every one has a bit of a break over easter without too many problems. Nicky x ... View more

Hiya ladies. Hope you are all managing to enjoy a bit of this lovely weather. Hello Alison... This group is great for reassurance and insider knowledge. I also have 2 kids a boy aged 8 and a girl aged 10 and I hate the fact that they have to be exposed to this horrible disease and life feels like it is on hold. But kids are amazing at coping and just accepting change and getting on with life. My daughter wrote in my mother's day card that she was so proud of me for getting through these hard times and to keep up the good work and stay positive. It brought tears to my eyes and I was amazed at her love and understanding but at same time angry that I she is exposed to this horrible situation. For me the mental turmoil is as bad as the physical effects. Well done to everyone who had chemo last week, despite delays we are all slowly getting there. Jackie stay strong only 1 to go you have had a tough time but you will do it. I am at the end of my good week and back in tomorrow for tax 2.. Beedot I think you are having chemo tomorrow too...so good luck, will be thinking of you. Robin and anyone else who has had their radiotherapy appointment. Can I ask how many weeks you are getting and why? I was originally told 4 weeks as has spread to nearly all my lymph nodes but now am only getting 3 weeks. I asked the Bcn and she said that was fine and they know what they are doing but am worried if I should be pushing for more? Quick thing about picc line. I have had mine from the start and I love it. No nasty vein problems so far and I hate cannulas and needles so really glad I have it. Take care everyone and big hugs. Nicky xxx ... View more

Happy birthday Jackie, am so sorry you have to spend it in hospital... I agree have a birthday celebration in the summer sunshine ☀ when all this is chemo rubbish is over. Good luck to everyone having chemo this week, am thinking of you all. I am now day 10 from my first tax and my aches and pains are definitely fading. Just been for LGFG today, was nice to spend time with lots of lovely ladies. Am now looking very glamorous for picking up my daughter from ballet! Hugs to everyone xx ... View more

Beedot I just want to say that last Saturday I was exactly where you are now and feeling very apprehensive about the impending chemo that I was to have on the Monday. You have prepared just like me...heel cream etc! And I can honestly say that 6 days on it has overall been okay and although I have had different symptoms this time, for me it has been no worse than Fec. I have read in several places that round 4 is the hardest to take mentally (and I do believe that is half the battle). The waiting for it to happen is tough but this time next week you will have done it and there will only be 2 to go. Jackie - it's okay to rant. Sometimes you just have to say you are sick of this s**t. Hugs to all x ... View more

Hello lovely ladies. I am now day 5 of tax. This chemo business throws up so many different SEs. I was completely wiped out on day 1 and 2, and litteraly couldn't stay awake or move from the sofa. Yesterday, the aches and pains started but so far they are bearable and I am coping with just paracetamol. If I am lucky I this will be as bad as they get for me...but who knows! I have found my scars seem to be aching and a bit painful, is this the chemo working? Jackie, it is lovely to put a face to a name. You photo is a beautiful and radiates positivity. Hope everyone gets to enjoy some spring sunshine this weekend. Nicky x ... View more

Wtp, your story really made me smile ☺. They joys of treatment. Had a lovely day yesterday with my daughter, went on a little shopping spree followed by watching beauty and the beast, she is 10 and we both loved it ( and both shed a tear at the end!).. Would definitely recommend it as a nice thing to do. Whilst trying on a jumper during the aforementioned shopping trip wig stayed on but was wearing a t shirt and totally forgot my picc line did not have a bandage over it and think it gave the shop assistant a bit of a shock! Egg I should have paid more attention to you! Saw the pharmacist on Friday and she didn't mention Naproxen, says to just take paracetamol and codene to deal with tax... Hope this is enough, guess I will find out tomorrow! With regards weight gain, promise I am not bragging but mine had gone the other way. I have lost 8kg, My appetite has really diminished, think it is due to stress ( those inner voices), food tasting bland or metallic and less wine (did have a couple of glasses last night!) Hope you have all had a nice weekend Nicky xx ... View more