Breast Cancer Now Forum

hi Jackie, it would have been exciting to be someone completely different with a new name! Just one small problem, how do I access the new site?? Xx ... View more

OMG I have been off line for a week and missed so many pages and its seems like chaos has set in!! names being changed, can we have a list of who was who on the forum and who is who on FB cos I am confused.com!! missed you all soo much and only got wifi in a cafe for a coffee so would be here for dinner catching up since last Wednesday!   I have tried to join FB, but the picture has jammed (more chaos) half of a fantastic teddy bear and half of Robin (real name, FB name or otherwise) can't see below that. laughing here at it all, seriously hope all is ok, much love and hugs to all. ebimx.....what's my new FB name ???   ... View more

Thanks for all your good wishes, I am hoping to be able to keep up with you all whilst away.  Scotty - hope I got it right.....good luck on Thursday. And Wtp too. Beedot , it was like coming out of a dream - couldnt believe the mess the house was in, and it was all mine! normally the tidy one out of the two of us, I was shocked at all my clothes strewn around.  Its looking a lot better now - it has to we have a friend coming in to take care of Max (the dog ! ).  We all put our energy and efforts into dealing with the chemo that something had to go, in my case a tidy house ! Egg - you have had such a bad time of it, the side effects will lessen each week but it does seem to take an awful long time. Love to everyone Ebimx ... View more

And Suze could you put me on FB list please. Am happy to help with admin stuff Ebim ... View more

With all the latest news, It seems so insensitive of me to say this but I AM DONE! !   Done with chemo, done with rads, done with hospitals until September.   If wishes could come true I would want you all to be able to say this and I really feel for you having such a rotten time.  You are never far from my thoughts. I maybe done but I still have nails to come off, toes that don't have needles and pins , sore boob and chest and of course a bald head which I now flaunt in Jackie mode!   Off to Spain next week and I wish I could take you all with me, now that would be a party. You are all such a large part of my life now that I shall be taking you with me virtually so that I can keep up with the news. Much love and hugs to all, Ebimx  ... View more

still in my thoughts.  Devastating news and a whole new load of rubbish to absorb, you don't have an alternative...you have to keep on fighting.   And with your depth of spirit you will.  Love Ebim xxx ... View more

Hi Teddies, just been catching up on nearly 6 days of posts. Looked at the time and realised that wtp you will have had your news by now.  Thinking about you. well done Egg you deserved the medal for finishing and for perseverance. Love Ebimx   ... View more

Scotty as always I am late to the party - fantastic news, so very pleased for you love Ebimx ... View more

Hi lovely teddies, After chemo finished I thought that the worrying would reduce, but if anything there seems to be more around and I feel so sorry for all that you are going through.  I was one of the lucky ones I had my op prior to chemo.  And Egg I am that Smurf - op was November and I still have the blue dye.  My OH, who is an avid birdwatcher, refers to them as my Blue Tit and my Great Tit !!   Egg have you had your treatment for this week?   Robin - I too had hair regrowth on my legs which was shaved off as soon as I realised it was there - any growing hair has to be on my head ! Scotty good luck tomorrow. Jaqui thinking about you with your 140 kms round trip  Big hugs to all who are worried, wish I could wisk you all off to a real cocktail bar so you could forget them  for a little while.  Love to everyone, Ebimx ... View more

Blue ....Just a quickie to say have been thinking about you all day on and off and hope it all went well and that you get a good nights rest tonight. love Ebimx ... View more

Hi Jackie, As always humour in your posts even though you are feeling awful.  You have had more than most in the way of side effects and problems.  How many more rads you got to do?  I think you should award yourself a certificate for humour over and above side effects !!   Our motto could be "Tax Warriors sport fluffiness with pride - we survived chemo "   Egg only 2 to go - well done you...are you doing rads?   Esther - well done yoga buddy on completing the course. Beedot - you always seem to remember everyone - whilst I struggle to include everyone even with copious notes !  Good luck for rads on Monday Blue - have you got any other hair to join the nose hairs? Good luck to you on Monday - hope it goes well for you. Good to see Slowski's on the post. love to all Ebimx     ... View more

thanks Slowski for your comments, I might ask if they will change pills to jab, had the same for osteoporosis a few years back and they worked. ... View more

Hi Robin, We too live in a hard water area and I am not happy about buying bottled water, do you think filtered water would be ok?   Day 4 of Rads today, and I am already tired but think it is the chemo still rolling around my body, which is why I asked if you had any side effects.  I think I will get away with 2 fingers and 1 toe nail.  Hair is now an embarrassing fluff and in this hot weather I dont bother with wig or scarves so the world just has to put up with my bald fluffyness.  And my legs are swollen and achy.  However the awful taste has gone, the streaming eyes are down to a trickle.  For me the taste was the worst so with that gone I can handle whats left.  well it would be nice to have some real hair  Thanks to all for the heads up on letrozole, I will definitely start it tomorrow.  If my still addled brain remembers ! love to all, Ebimx ... View more

Hi Robin, so pleased to hear from you as I have just read the long list of side effects letrozole could have, know I must take it but knowing you have been OK has given me the confidence to start it tomorrow.  Do you have to sit or stand up after taking the iasobon?  My biosphonate I have to for 30 minutes after taking on an empty stomach. do you still have any chemo side effects ? love ebimx ... View more

The onc was running late so it didnt matter that I was !  He has put me on letrozole and biphosophonates as well for my bones and apparently they also protect against bone cancer he said.  Anyone also on letrozole? Got to see my dentist first in case I need any treatment as they prevent the jaw bone from healing should I need teeth taking out.  Nothing is simple is it.   Nicky - well done for finishing treatment.  Fizz & cake sounded such a good idea that I got a bottle in Lidl on the way back from the hospital !    Robin - well done to you too for finishing, there were times when it all seemed so dark and here you are, no more chemo or rads.  Your sentiments about staying on the thread are so good, we all seem to have bonded and its good to know you are there.   Jackie - what a brilliant job you are doing as certificate mistress as you have done all the way through with your upifiting sayings.  You must be tired as I think you have a long round trip for your rads.  Do you know when you are going to have your op yet?    Last thing, I spoke to the radiographer about low bath water and not getting the lasered area wet. Her comment was "Rubbish, of course you can wash and get it wet, just dont rub too hard or have the water very hot" .  Only passing on the info, please dont shoot the messenger !  However I am going to have a few more inches in my bath tomorrow morning. Love to all, Ebimx ... View more

Hi Teddies, Seems to be so much to catch up on and due to my own catching up (holiday laundry, missed emails, dog walking etc etc) I have only just caught up with you, however you are always in my thoughts whatever the time of day. Blue - sorry to have worried you with my absence and thanks for the welcome back from you and Egg. Good luck with the surgery, after the chemo you can cope with almost anything. Egg cruise was mainly to Spanish ports - Barcelona, Malaga, Cartagena & Ibiza with Gibraltar in the middle. It put a barrier up between the chemo and life after.  Even if like others the side effects are still with me ! Lighthouse did you get any more info on the exercise course ?  Well done for getting to the finish line. Wtp, guess we are all in the secret sisters club now.  My bald head (with fuzz) is on show most of the time now - scared the living daylights out of two carpet fitters half an hour ago - I was not at all what they expected to open the front door !  There is some fun in baldness. I have got more on my list to comment on but am off to the onc to get the news about tamoxifen, will post the remainder later.  like the white rabbit I always run late ! love Ebimx ... View more

Hi to all you lovely Teddies, I have just spent an hour catching up...my OH booked a surprise cruise for my birthday and he thought a complete rest would be good before starting the rads.  But I have so missed you all, and was sorry that I couldnt access the thread whilst away.  3150 people on the ship and surprise surprise I was the only bald women on it!  Like Jackie, I got so hot and fed up with hats, scarves and wigs that I went without most days. Got some funny looks - but they were made up for by the lady who was in a crowded lift, saw me and said "You made it - well done" .  She had had chemo twice.  Congrats to all the achievers, Wtp for race for life and that gorgeous hair, Blue for your nose hairs, Suze for completing chemo and rads, Egg for just keeping going, Jackie for the same reason and to all others who have made it through. I had a lumpectomy and sentinel nodes removed in November and came out the same day.  Its good to hear that SE's from chemo are receding, my ankles and legs are really swollen and the thigh muscles complain loudly when I walk up stairs. And I am 4 weeks after last chemo. Fatique is still with me.   Its lovely to be back, keep that party going I start Rads on monday for 15 days, finish 30 June. Big Big hugs and love to all, Ebimx ... View more

Just a quickie, Esther - I went to Yoga last thursday with the Cancer United group and the teacher is extremely good and it was great to be back doing it !  love Ebimx ... View more

Robin, can I just add my furiousness to all below, I am with Suze on this one, blinking silly cow. She has absolutely no empathy or kindness in her body.  What is really so sad is that some silly cows dont realise just what a blinking struggle it is to get out of bed some days whilst on chemo.  She has no idea how brave you were to even just be on the Tube.  And even worse how fragile we are all mentally that even the slightest thing can knock us off course.  WE know and hopefully we can make up a little bit for her. Stay strong and try to forget her...she isnt worth your thoughts.     love to all, Ebimx     ... View more

Hello All, Well this gorgeous weather helps with feeling a bit better. Blue re parabens - I have a close girlfriend who has been banging on about chemicals including parabens in all cosmetics, soaps and body lotions.  When I got the diagnosis I started to take her seriously and dumped a lot of my stuff and renewed it with "Green People" & Liz Earle products.  Its a bit odd to worry about what I am putting on my face and body when I have been pumping chemo chemicals round my body for 18 weeks! However on the basis that every little helps, and actually some of the stuff that they put into creams and potions is quite scary I think its worth doing.  Same goes with food.  However I draw the line at Wine or G & T's !! But even those, in my heart of hearts, I know I should cut back from where I was before all this started. It has helped having the ghastly taste in my mouth, nothing even a G & T tasted pleasant.  Thats one of the side effects that is getting better, still got the split fingers, the finger and toe nails feeling like a mallet has hit them, streaming eyes and tiredness.  Apart from that its all good !! Had CT scan for the radio today - my spine which is slightly curved did not like the "table" to lie on and my arms did not want to cramp up in the stirrups - I ended up in such a peculiar position that they took photos of it so they could replicate it when the radiotherapy starts !!!  Felt like a complete freak.   Egg - Nicky got it exactly right - we are Team Warriors Jan 2017 - and we will be until we are all done.   Love & Hugs, Ebimx ... View more