Breast Cancer Now Forum

Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply, definitely given me some food for thought. I wish there were more follow up info courses on life after bc! I've been training and just run my first ever 5K! Hope to continue running and get that weight down now!!! Hope you are all doing well x ... View more

Hi Chick 1, to answer your question of how my onc convinced me my cancer would return, its his unpersonable manner.  In the post chemo review meeting where we discussed my treatment and type of cancer, the fact I had to change chemo meds as my heart couldn't tolerate one of the two meds, my mother was being positive about the future, saying we don't know if it will return and to be positive and don't dwell on things that may not happen, and he rounded off the meeting and followed those positive words with  "yes,but it is a very aggressive cancer" !!! Literally his last words as I was about to go out the door! ... View more

Great thank you, I will defo check it out. (Note time again! 😬 ) ... View more

Both really great view points. Thank you so much for your replies and also the links.  I think I feel I would like to make some changes but as you have both said, what works and fits with my life. I definitely feel I should be getting more sleep though! Always a night owl and its such a habit, shall tackle that first I think.  ... View more

Oh also, my menstrual cycle has returned...with a vengeance! My last chemo was 1 Dec and cycle finished 22 Dec, and I'd say I had signs of ovulation from new year. I hadn't had any hot flushes for a month or so either. Finally my period arrived early Feb and nearly lasted two weeks!!! Was like nothing else heavy too! Fortunately I had read they can be heavy when they return, so as soon as I started I rushed to supermarket and stocked up on the biggest of everything I could get, even bought some maternity pads!!! So just letting you know in case any of you feel things may be starting back up again, so you can be prepared! ... View more

Hi Jo and all the August ladies! How lovely to hear how everyone is doing.    I am starting to get back to "normal" now. I finished Radiotherapy last week, WOOOHOO, so now feel I have lots of time on my hands! Still a little tired but on the whole it was fine. Skin is returning to normal ish colour in places and nipple sensitivity has died down thankfully. I even had a haircut!!! Now sporting an Ellen type pixie crop.   SE wise my fingers are a bit sore, though this could be due to not working (hairdresser- so normally my fingers are really strong and I feel I've lost some dexterity) I have some muscle fatigue, I'm sure this will improve as my activity level does too. I also have some tinnitus though this could be down to a blocked ear that hasn't really shifted in 4weeks? It started after my first week of rads but don't think its connected. On the whole nothing too rubbish to be left with.   I also had a lovely complementary massage at the Big C, so maybe worth checking if you are entitled to it too?! I'm allowed 6 treatments (either massage or reflexology) and so is one nominated person, so i will take my mum to the next one!   Im so thankful for this website, it and all of you, really helped keep me sane when I had some heavy stuff going on. Unbelievably, two of my co workers have had BC diagnosis since I started my treatment,so I recommended them here.   Your all on the home straight now! Haven't we done well!!! ... View more

Well happy new year to all you lovely August ladies! I’ve been trying to keep up with you all though I haven’t really commented for ages. I think I just wanted to get my head down through Xmas / NY while I was treatment free and just live a “normal” life before starting rads. I’ve just finished my first week of rads. My skin has already gone a little pink and boob a bit sensitive, so hoping I can get to the end without the skin breaking down. I’ve also now officially been discharged from my Oncologist! So, once rads is complete that’s me out in the open on my own for a year-bit nervous. I think I will have a look at booking the moving on course if there is one in my area. I will also be looking up the recommended book below, I’m interested in seeing what the recommended dietary changes are. I’ve had no advice on this from my onc though. Mishy-can’t believe rads are all done for you already! Sorry tiredness has hit badly. Did you get other side effects? How was your skin? Ali-really sorry to hear you now have shingles, that is so rubbish for you. Butterfly-really glad you got good results and the chemo has done it’s job. CK-glad your surgery went well after the initial hiccups. Woohoo for the return of tastebuds too, enjoy that port!!! Sib-well done on your last chemo, hope SE aren’t too bad for this last one. All the other August lady’s, I hope your all doing well. This is such a long procedure from start to end, I think we all deserve a medal! ... View more

 Merry Christmas to you all, I hope you all get a lovely day tomorrow and are SE free and well looked after by whomever you are spending the day with,?!! ... View more

So nice to hear some positive stuff happening, chemo finishing for some, rads beginning!   I am officially celebrating the last day of my last three week cycle today, woohoo!!!   I have had a planning CT scan already, but they want me to go in for another as they think breath hold technique may improve results for me (my tumour was left breast and quite deep - all about the angles apparently) So, rads are now delayed until the new year, but I can live with that if it improves things.    Im having a few niggling thoughts though and wondered if you think I should mention them to anyone and to who?   For a few weeks I've had a tight right calf, no heat to the skin so have ruled out a blood clot, naturally though I keep returning to the thought it could be, would you mention this to anyone?  Also, this week my right shoulder joint has started aching, kind of feels a bit like a dead arm. Again logically I'm thinking this is because I'm carrying stress, however compleatly illogically my brain keeps running the scenario it's mets.   i feel like I've gone a bit crazy and am going to turn every niggling twinge into something awful. Trouble is, with my breast cancer, I never found a lump or had a symptom...it was a niggling thought about something not feeling right when I got up in the mornings (boobs felt a bit heavy-like when you take your bra off at night, and that wasn't normal for me when I got up) that lead me to go to GP. She sent me to breast clinic for "peace of mind" as I'd been worrying for a good few weeks (even though she found no lump either) and here I am!   so I guess I'm wondering when is the right time to listen to your niggles and how do you not come across as a hypercondriac?!! ... View more

Ugh gaaaad will these SE just do one!!! Not sure if its the accumulation of side effect or mentally they feel worse as it's my final cycle, but ugh I've felt rough today and yesterday. Extra tired, which probably doesn't help the mental battle, but I do feel a bit more sorry for myself than normal. Perhaps I'm just ready to be done with it all and I'm running before I can walk and being impatient?!!    Hope everyone else is OK and SE being kind? ... View more

Hello everyone! I've just had my last chemo so  Waiting for my schedule to come through. Due to start 22dec,but as this is a Friday they said will likely be 27/28 then continuing on in Jan.  So hope you don't mind me joining your DEC group, I'm traditionally late to everything, so skipping in on the tail end of DEC is very me! Your posts so far have been helpful to read.  My concerns are tiredness and what bra to wear, I have a non wired from m&s but its totally the wrong size as they don't do a small enough back with big enough cup combi, but was the best I could find before surgery!!! Thinking a bralett but wondering if it may be hard to get over your head and bust if skin us tender??? ... View more

No worries Sib, I was very scared and disappointed when they stopped mine, so I know exactly where your at. I'm triple negative, grade 3. So no follow on drugs for me,so if the chemo and rads don't do it, that's it!!!    I was also told that for me, doce was the best for the job, so  I'm feeling I'm on a much lesser drug now as my oncologist didn't really reassure me much!  However, at least they can still treat me with the carbo.   I've just had my genetic bloods done,because I was 41 at diagnosis and its triple neg,no familial history. I'm worried about my girls too, they are 4&6, so would be preferable if they don't discover a gene link at least they won't have a hugely increased risk then, even if I get no answers for me. I'm not bothered as I have had BC and nothing can change that.  Now I just hope it buggers off for good and let's me see my girls get big enough to find someone to marry! Huge ask!!!   ... View more