Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi Elisa   Good to hear you have finished radiotherapy too. I think you are right to make sure you have given yourself time to get over the ordeal before returning to work. I don't feel too bad because I only ended up having two lots of chemo and that was back in April so my body has had more time to recover in between the various stages of treatment which has helped. My hair has started to come back and is a silver/grey pixie crop at the moment- not what I am used to but actually doesn't look too bad! It has come back very soft. My eyebrows are still patchy so I am getting used to using wunderbrow on those. I didn't lose my eyelashes thankfully. I like the sound of a break in the New Year. I hope you enjoy Venice.  Take care and all the best to you and all the other March starters out there. Ruth x ... View more

Hi. Sounds like you have had something good to look forward to and enjoy after all the treatments. You must have been so ready for a good holiday so hope Barbados did the trick! Congratulations on your 50th. I am sure you hadn't imagined being in the midst of a cancer diagnosis for that but glad you could celebrate. My daughter's wedding was a lovely day and I felt well enough to enjoy it to the full. It was really nice to have a happy occasion to celebrate between my op and the radiotherapy starting. I finished my treatment on Tuesday so am going to rest up and take it easy for a bit before I return to work in a few weeks. My cancer was triple negative so I can't take any hormone tablets - I just have to trust that the treatment has done the trick! All the best for a healthy and happy future. Ruth x ... View more

Hi Helllesbelles. I moved to the September radiotherapy thread but this popped up as a notification- how are you doing? Ruth ... View more

Thank you and thanks for the great support I have had from this forum throughout my cancer journey this year. It has really helped to go through it with others, to share our experiences and be encouraged that we are not alone. Best wishes to everyone continuing treatment in September x ... View more

Well done Lizzie. My last lot today too. I nearly didn't ring the bell either but so glad I did! Onwards and upwards now. X ... View more

Well done Lizzie. My last lot today too. I nearly didn't ring the bell either but so glad I did! Onwards and upwards now x ... View more

Oh my goodness Helen - that puts a whole new dimension on things! Best wishes to you and your family and hope all goes smoothly. Hopefully the time will pass quickly for you once treatment is underway and you will soon be back with those you love. Take care x ... View more

Hello everyone. I went back to work briefly between my op and rads but have stopped again while I am having treatment. I am coming to the end but not been hit too badly with tiredness so far but I have been trying to not do too much other than travel to appointments and back - it is about a 3 hour round trip for me so trying to fit in work as well would be just too much. I am just wondering how long I should take off after treatment has ended. In my exit review yesterday she said the tiredness and soreness can peak around 10 days after treatment as it keeps working in your body. I will just have to see how I go but want to make sure I am fully recovered and not go back too early. I agree with others of you who are feeling that it is not just the radiotherapy but everything we have been through this year - both emotional and physical - that takes it toll and weirdly as I come to the end of my treatment I have more times when I feel down than I did when I was first diagnosed - may be it is just all catching up with me! Still, just two more days of treatment to go. Nearly done it! Best wishes and hugs to you all x ... View more

Hi everyone. I have been on the chemotherapy March 17 thread but had my 2nd rads today so swapping groups! Good to have some company on this final stage of treatment. Best wishes to everyone else who is going through this part of their treatment. I will be finished on 19th September x ... View more

Hello all. It is good to catch up with you all on here. It feels like we are old friends even though we haven't met!  It's good to hear that most of you are well on the way to the end of treatment - what an adventure this year has been! We all need to pamper ourselves when all this is over - a relaxing holiday and meals that we can actually taste when our taste buds return. Give ourselves time to rest and recuperate because we have been through a lot! I was pleased that I felt well enough to enjoy my daughter's wedding  at the weekend - together with painted on wunderbrow eyebrows and wig! My surgeon and oncologist were both very pleased with the results of my treatment and I am in the process of being referred on for radiotherapy- possibly starting at the end of August for 3 weeks.    Leyla - hope your op goes well on the 10th. I had a lumpectomy and it wasn't too sore afterwards. The bit that was worse was the sentinel node biopsy as the wound under my arm meant I couldn't move my arm much. I would suggest taking in pjs and tops with buttons down the front - nothing that needs to go over your head! Don't try stretching it too much or lifting anything heavy for a while. Also my surgeon gave me a frontfastening sports bra to wear post surgery which really helped and I even slept in it. It kept the wound still so that it didn't pull on the scar.    Well, all the best to everyone- wishing everyone good results and good outcomes and a healthy future xx ... View more

Hi Hellesbelles - congratulations on reaching the end of your treatment- it must feel so good! Glad your hair has come back and you can start dying it. My hair has started to come back now - very soft at the moment. I had my second op this week and will hopefully be starting radiotherapy in a few weeks time if my biopsy comes back clear. I have heard from others too that it is tiring - I will have an hour journey to get there but I am hoping my husband will be able to take me so I don't have to do all the driving. I finally got to a Look Good Feel Better session this week which was a great pick-me-up just before my op. Got lots of tips ready for the wedding in a few weeks. I couldn't believe the products in the goody bag too - so much better than the usual brands I use! Best wishes and hugs to all of you lovely ladies who have been sharing this journey xx ... View more

Hi Moonstruck - Good to hear from you and great news that you have got to the end of your chemo! Hope the side effects wear off quickly for you. It is quite a while since I had my last chemo and my hair has started to grow back - it is just a short fuzz at the moment. I am just recovering from my surgery and went for my check up on Tuesday and he was happy with now it was all healing up. Problem is that they somehow missed the little coil marker that was put in the lump and an ultrasound shows it is still there. This means I will have to go back for more surgery to remove it! They will put in a wire to mark where it is under local anaesthetic and then go back in to retrieve it! The biopsy they have done doesn't show any signs of cancerous cells remaining but until they check the coil marker  I don't feel that I am quite cancer free. I am hoping they will do the radiotherapy after my daughter's wedding so that will be end of August. Each step is a step nearer the end. Best wishes everyone - keep going 😀 ... View more

Hi all thanks for your best wishes for my op on Monday. All went well and I am just resting up now and taking it easy. Feeling a bit bruised and lopsided but otherwise ok. They gave me a sports support bra at the hospital and that is helping although it is a bit tight! I think I have put on weight too with all this sitting around and eating choc to feel better! I go back in a couple of weeks to get the results of the biopsy they did and hopefully find out when my radiotherapy starts. Good to hear that the chemo stage is finishing for some of you now and we are all moving closer to the end of this. Let me know how you find the radiotherapy and what the side effects are. I might get it before my daughter's wedding so hope it doesn't make me too tired to enjoy that. Very best wishes to you all xx ... View more

Hugs Moonstruck. Will be thinking of you tomorrow and hope you feel strong enough to deal with it all x ... View more

Hi everyone.  It's good to hear how you are all doing. Someone gave me a postcard at the start of my treatment. It just said "I can. I will. Watch me!". I have it on the fridge and look at it to remind me that I will get through this. The support of all of you on this forum is brilliant. Whether it's sharing experiences so we know what's 'normal' or sharing tips to make things easier - you are all amazing people. This is such an unknown journey and we need all the help we can get. I know there are times when we feel rubbish and want it all to be over but each day is another step nearer to finishing. We are all extremely brave and can do this!  i am in for my surgery tomorrow morning - they are doing a lumpectomy and checking out my lymph nodes. I will be very relieved to get this next stage done and finally get rid of the lump. It will be one step nearer the end of treatment. I've had to cancel my LGFB workshop again - I might get to one before my daughter's wedding at the end of July! The planning for the wedding has been a welcome distraction from medical appointments and I managed to get to the shops this week to finally get my outfit sorted and order my husband's hire suit. I have got a hat big enough to go over my wig!  All the best to everyone - there is so much rubbish stuff going on in the world at the moment but all we can do is try and keep positive and share the love. Moonstruck - thoughts and best wishes are with you particularly at this time as you try and deal with everything going on in your family x ... View more

Hi friends. I haven't been on a for a while as I have been waiting for an anaesthetist report to see whether I can go straight to surgery following my health complications on the chemo. I finally got to see my surgeon on Friday (things were held up following the cyber attacks) and he has agreed to go ahead with a lumpectomy. This should be relatively quick and so will be done on the day case ward. He would have liked to transfer some tissue from under my arm at the same time to make it cosmetically better but this would prolong the op and he wasn't prepared to do that because of the mini strokes I have had, so I guess I will be pretty lopsided! I will have to wait and see! The op is booked for 8th June and so not long to wait. I am glad another plan is in place as my last lot of chemo was on 11th April so I was worried this is starting to wear off. I will be glad to be rid of the lump and then move to radiotherapy- hopefully this will mean I am relatively ok to enjoy my daughter's wedding on 29th July. It is giving me something other than the cancer to focus on which is good. Well done to all those raising money - I know we all benefit from the support these groups give so good on you! Best wishes to all of you as you continue this chemo journey. - it's a tough one but each one is a step nearer the end. Keep going! X ... View more

Hi all   Thanks for the good wishes - this forum is so good for 'offloading' and I really appreciate the support. I will let you know what they decide. I am going to chase tomorrow as I will feel happier once I have a clear plan of action again. It's the not knowing and waiting that I find difficult. Best wishes to everyone - we will get through this! Someone gave me a postcard at the weekend with the words "I can. I will. Watch me" I have put it on the fridge to remind me each day that I will get through this - we all will xx ... View more

Hi again.  Just had a call from my oncologist and she has called the chemo off altogether as she said for me the risk would outway the benefits. I don't know whether to be pleased or not! I'm pleased that I will not have to endure more side effects from the chemo but also want the best possible outcome for the breast cancer so was quite prepared to put up with it if it meant that the cancer was well and truly clobbered. I have to have an assessment to see whether they can bring the surgery forward now and might just have that and radiotherapy without the chemo. I just hope and pray that whatever treatment they decide on the cancer will be gone and won't come back!    For all of you putting up with feeling rubbish because of the chemo hang on in there and hopefully you will all have the best possible outcomes.    I felt that the combination of chemo, op and radiotherapy would have well and truly got rid of the cancer so I am just hoping that without the chemo that will still be true x ... View more

Hi Amanda I don't have great veins either and have had a bit of phlebitis in my arms following both lots of chemo. My top tip would be to drink lots of water the day before and just before your chemo. This really helped me last time. Also the nurses used wheat bags to warm the veins on the back of my hand and to stop the veins hurting up my arm when the drugs are injected. The nurse also said to make sure the do a slightly longer flush after the chemo to clear the veins. Hope this helps and all the best for your treatment x ... View more

Hi all. I haven't been on for a while so hope everyone is ok. I have had to have a stay in hospital over Easter and have only just got back home. Without wanting to frighten anyone it turned out that I had a series of mini strokes on 15th April so my husband rushed me down to A&E where they carried out scans and tests to see what had happened. Whilst I don't want to alarm people because I think this is not common and I have a family history of stroke etc it also reinforced how important it is to report any signs and symptoms that worry you rather than wait to see if they go away. I have had no lasting damage thankfully but my oncologist is deciding now how best to proceed. Should they bring the op forward or carry on with the chemo. The chemo is working well and shrinking the tumour (down from 40mm across to 17mm) so I will have to leave it in the hands of the experts. I should be having my third lot of FEC next Tuesday but am still waiting to hear whether they will let me go ahead. Take care everyone and stay safe xx ... View more