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LinRowan
Member
since
24-03-2017
101
Posts
26
Hugs
20-07-2017
03:20
Only one more session to go. I should be celebrating, but i feel like an overwound spring - ready to cry at the slightest provocation, ready to bite the next person who tells me how well I'm looking... I'm sore, but it's bearable, tired but ok if i rest - but emotionally I'm a wreck. The plan is to go away for the weekend as soon as I finish my last session but I don't know what kind of company I'll be! And my brain has turned into mush; I can't make even the simplest decision without havering over it. The team at JCUH, with only one exception, has been wonderful. I've been really well looked-after. I'm recovering. So why do I have to be in such a mess now, with the end of treatment in sight? Sigh... Lin
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14-07-2017
04:50
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to all the people who kept telling me to moisturise! The skin is very pink and mildly itchy but no sign of breaking or peeling or any of the other horrid things I've heard about. The nurse who reviewed me today said i could have a steroid cream if I wanted one but I said no thanks to that at the moment. I am very sleepy, though. Nodding off around 4 in the afternoon seems compulsory... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.................. Lin
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05-07-2017
10:12
1 Hug
Good luck to all the new starters. I'm half way through week 2 and so far ok apart from a bit weary from the driving back and forth to the hospital. The zapping process has been very straightforward for me and there's not too much shoogling about to find the right place on the bed. I've been moisturising like mad hoping that protects me from the burn effect. Take things one chunk at a time and be as kind to yourselves as you can, All the best Lin
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04-07-2017
11:54
Yesterday it was something punky that I didn't recognise. I do love the idea of 'hit me with your laser beam.' Thankfully I got the dancing out of my system over the weekend, and raised over £200 in the process. Today i shall just lie there like a stranded jellyfish cos my leg muscles have had it! LIn
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29-06-2017
11:25
for today's treatment session - 'I want to break free' followed by 'Wake me up before you go-go'. Tuesday I had Abba's greatest hits and yesterday some soulful country and western song... It's getting harder and harder not to get the giggles... Lin
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29-06-2017
07:58
Has anyone else here had experience of managing type 1 diabetes while taking tamoxifen? I've been on the tablets for six weeks and I'm having ridiculous spikes in blood-sugar levels, having to take lots of extra insulin to bring readings down which then puts me at risk of hypoglycaemia - not clever when so much of my day is spent driving back and forth to hospital. I've had 40+ years of managing the diabetes so I always expect to have some callifoggling to do when I begin a new medication, but this one takes the biscuit. (Biscuit! I daren't have a biscuit, it'll cause a spike!) My radiotherapy crew have emailed the oncologist to ask her what she knows about it, but no reply yet. I'll put this on the Ask the Nurses board too. Lin
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26-06-2017
05:26
Peedles, I'm a 32GG at least on my unscarred side and had real difficulties finding something supportive. Finally struck lucky with Tesco as they do an inexpensive unwired bra range up to my cup size. Not a sleep-bra as such but I slept in them for two or three weeks until I felt safe to wear a stretchy crop-top to bed. best of luck, hope the surgery goes smoothly, Lin
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26-06-2017
05:21
1 Hug
Hi, I'm astonished you've only been told to take paracetamol. I was offered a presciption for Ibuprofen as well (which I'm not meant to take because of my blood-pressure) and di-hydrocodeine and told I could take both Ibuprofen and paracetamol four times a day, plus the heavy stuff at bed-time. Best advice I had was 'don't wait til the pain is bad to take the medication'. Take it as soon as you get a twinge. Best wishes for your healing Lin
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26-06-2017
05:12
Hello Corrina, I too am in the 'mismatched boobs' team, my right one having decreased from GG to F. I'm told it may shrink more after radiotherapy, which just started today. The oncologist I saw said that 'the surgical team are not averse to offering surgery to even things up' but I'm not too happy with the thought of another op unless it's actually necessary. In the meantime it's really hard to be comfortably supported, especially when I'm dancing. I'm trying to figure out how to create a sports bra with adjustable cup sizes. As a lot of women are a wee bit lop-sided anyway I'm sure it would be a hit. All the best, Lin
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26-06-2017
05:02
Well, that's one down and just 19 to go! Or as my friend said, I'm already 5% of the way through... It went fine, though when you're trying to lie very still and suddenly beaty music starts up and you get Spandau ballet singing "Gold! Always believe in your soul. You've got the power to know. You're indestructible. Always believe in, because you are. Gold ..." well, it's kind of hard to keep still! I appreciated the lyrics, though 🙂 I did wonder what's next, I Will Survive? Came home, moisturised, feeling a little warm around the right boob but not sore. So far so good. Lin
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22-06-2017
04:46
Had my 'zero session' today - it took a lot longer than expected, because the machine was broken and the techs were in fixing it. They originally asked me to go home and come back tomorrow, but I said I'd rather wait till it was fixed because it takes over an hour each way to the hospital and driving hurts! So we sorted things out, I wandered off for a slow cup of tea and went back an hour later. There was a certain amount of tweaking and shoogling to get me in exactly the right place, then the team went out, a machine went 'beep' and they came back and said OK you're done! So we start for real on Monday. I'm glad to have found this site, because the advice from the hospital on self care - moisturising and hydrating and such - was a bit wishy-washy and vague, but they are a helpful and cheery bunch and that goes a long way towards making me feel stronger. Cheers Lin
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14-06-2017
06:01
Well, now I have tattoos - and a strange emotional reaction reaction to one of them.... I was cool with having scars - they are neat and will fade over time. I was OK with having tattoos, or so i thought, and joked about having my son-in-law, who is a very artistic tattooist, turn one of them into something more decorative than a dot when all this is over. but i had not reckoned on how I'd feel about the very visible dot at the base of my throat. I feel really sad about it. I feel 'spoilt' in a way that nothing else has spoiled me. It's very odd. I suppose over time I'll get used to it. I'll tell you one thing... it does not look 'just like a tiny freckle' as the oncologist said. For a start, have you ever seen anyone with navy-blue freckles? I'm puzzled about why after all the other stuff such a small thing could be upsetting.... Lin
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07-06-2017
09:11
The plan at the moment is for 15 regular sessions and then a week of booster treatments. Though I caught a hint of doubt about the boosters when I saw the oncologist in charge of radiotherapy. I will get confirmation of the number of treatments when the letter arrives, but since I called the breast-clinic yesterday and worried at them about not hearing from anyone, the planning lady phoned me today to let me know the official letter is on its way. My stress levels are significantly reduced 🙂 Lin
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07-06-2017
03:02
Never thought I'd be so happy to get an appointment! Ist planning session is next tuesday, and treatment proper starts on June 26th. Phew... Lin
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06-06-2017
03:04
Tigony, it sounds like your ex is being several of those words that get blanked out if we use them here! Don't let the illegitimato te carborundum, if you know what I mean... All the best Lin
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05-06-2017
12:33
Tigony, would you believe I'm actually envious because you have your dates to begin your radiotherapy! I still have nothing and being in limbo is making me ratty. Like you I'm self-employed and I haven't booked any sessions with my groups for the last month because I wanted to allow for hospital visits and the dreaded tiredness that everyone keeps telling me about - I could have been seeing people and earning money! Anyway, I hope it goes well for you, and trust that soon I'll join you for real on this thread! Lin
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04-06-2017
01:26
Thanks... a laugh always helps. The image puts an extra dimension to the concept 'cat-nap'. And to those who told the inner critics to **** off, thanks again. Don't know if they'll listen, but I really appreciate the back-up. Truth is, there's no-one but me demanding too much of me, it's all down to my expectations and self image; 'She who copes' will just have to get on with not always coping. And if I get tired of painting shelves (that's today's job) I will just have to lie down and pretend to be a moggy. cheers Lin
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03-06-2017
07:56
Hi Meri, At some point someone on one of these boards mentioned that tamoxifen acts on the hypothalamus. If I'm remembering my few shreds of neuroscience correctly, the hypothalamus is responsible for fight/flight responses and other survival mechanisms from early in our evolution, so the feelings of dread and heart racing may well be connected to that. If that's the case you may be able to tone down the reaction through conscious relaxation, grounding exercises or meditation/mindfulness. Is the sensation just unpleasant or are you getting pain? If it hurts, or your breathing feels tight, it's worth getting this checked out in case there's a physical cause aside from the tamoxifen. Hope things settle down for you soon - you've had a rough time of it so far! Lin
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03-06-2017
09:50
Have a grand day out, Helena ! Lin
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03-06-2017
09:48
2 Hugs
My surgery, a WLE and lymph node biopsy, was eight weeks ago. After about a month I was back to driving, dancing, digging the garden etc. Three weeks ago i started taking tamoxifen and despite some outrageous hot flushes I seemed not to have any terrible side effects... but now my energy levels are lower than they were a month ago, my legs hurt all the time and I alternate between feeling horribly weepy and needy, and having bursts of dynamism which last an hour or so and leave me slumped in an exhausted heap afterwards. I seem to have lost the ability to sustain effort and to pace myself. My arm still hurts especially when I'm tired, though it's usually better after I've stretched. I was talking to my daughter on the phone last night and she pointed out that the body needs energy just to heal itself. Am I pushing myself too hard? I don't feel as though I am but maybe my expectations of myself have been unrealistic. I've never been short of an inner critic (or two, or three - a whole chorus of them sometimes!) and right now I'm hearing that I'm lazy and weak and unduly demanding. Sadly, I have run out of the energy I need to tell them to shut up! argh... 😞 Lin
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