Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi Butterfly. Well done for ditching the hat. I've been going out without my wig for a couple of weeks but still wear it to work. I'm finding the wig really uncomfortable now. I'm booked for a trim and colour on 28 so will be ditching it for good after that. I can't wait. Glad your tummy troubles are sorted. Hope you are enjoying the sunshine. Love to you all Ali xx ... View more

Hi Jo. I've just checked out the cancer research post. You looked great with your bald head, far better than I ever did. Well done for telling your story to help others xx ... View more

Hi Camilla and welcome My hair started to grow back once I started on the T. If yours hasn't started to grow yet it should do soon. 4 months on and mine is ready for a little trim. I can't really help with the taste thing. I was lucky to continue to have the respite week. I ate and drank anything strawberry flavoured during the bad weeks as its the only taste i could tolerate. I hope yours improves soon. Good luck with the remainder of your treatment x ... View more

Hi ladies. I'm completely fed up today. Rads number 9 of 20 and they were running an hour late. So got stuck in traffic getting home and then find I had missed a phone call from the genetics councillor by half an hour and she is now on leave until 3 April. I've been chasing my results for the last 2 weeks as I had the blood test nearly 4 months ago 😔 . Hope all you ladies are having a better day x ... View more

Hi ladies. Number 3 done for me today. It is going ok but I didn't think each session would take so long. Is anyone else having scans done every day? I'm told they will drop to weekly if the first 3 are within their tolerances so really hope they are. I was told to continue using whatever moisturiser I normally use. Same with deodorant unless it had aluminium in which mine did 😕 xx ... View more

Had my planning today and will start next Tuesday. I'm having 20 sessions. I have to do the breath hold thing so need to practice that. Ali xx ... View more

Hello ladies. I will be joining you too. I have finally got an appointment for my planning tomorrow. It seems like I've been waiting for ever so hope to get started soon xx ... View more

Jo, I have 20 sessions of rads to do 15 normal and 5 boosters. I have disturbed sleep too. The hot flushes wake me up as does the pain from the neuropathy and the nerve pain from the shingles. I've been given amitriptyline to help but that doesn't stop the hot flushes. Does anyone take anything for the hot flushes? xx ... View more

Mary-Kate, hope all went well with the op today. Hopefully you will have a speedy recovery and this is just a small setback on your road to recovery from the BC. Had meeting with oncologist today and she did the paperwork for my RT. Hope to have planning within next 2 weeks. No news on whether I will be offered more chemo. The lead oncologists are going to discuss the study and let me know if they are going to offer it xx ... View more

That's really good news Butterfly I'm so pleased for you. I hope you get some relief when your seroma is drained, sounds like it's really uncomfortable. I'm still playing the waiting game. Not heard anything about my radiotherapy at all. I have an oncology appointment tomorrow, no idea what it's for. Hope all you other ladies are all well x ... View more

Hi ladies. How are we all doing? Butterfly did you get your results today? Mary-Kate, how's the ankle? What bad luck for that to happen. I had a very positive meeting with my surgeon yesterday. There was nothing of concern in the extra tissue she took so she is signing me off for radiotherapy. We discussed the pathology of the lump and i was pleased to hear that there was no vascular invasion. She is very positive about my future and the chances of spread or recurrence. However we also discussed my aches and pains and my little trip to a&e and she said she thought she should send me for a CT. I'm hoping she is doing it for my peace of mind and not because she suspects anything. So I'm waiting for an appointment for that and for my radiotherapy planning. I'm seeing my oncologist next week so will find out if he is going to recommend more chemo. It seems never ending. Work is going ok but is aggravating my neuropathy, especially in my hands. It's very tiring though. Hugs to you all xx ... View more

Hi all. It's so lovely to hear that you are all doing well. I'm a little jealous as I've not felt well since Christmas with one thing and another. I've had chest pain which my GP thinks is caused by acid reflux, a painful swollen eye and then the shingles. Yesterday I had abdominal pain and went to my GP who phoned an ambulance to take me to a&e. The ambulance ladies told me that the GP thought I had an anurysm in my main artery in my abdomen and my blood pressure was sky high, hence the ambulance. So after 4 hours in a&e, blood tests, ECGs, a dreaded canula, an ultrasound and lots of prodding the doctor told me that everything looked fine. He thinks the pain, and my rib pain, is caused by the shingles. Once he had reassured me my blood pressure came down instantly. Of course I had already decided in each case that the pains are caused by the cancer having spread. I'm also not getting the results from my second operation until 14 Feb, which will be almost 4 weeks which I'm annoyed about as it's delaying my radiotherapy. Sorry to moan ladies but it's all getting a little on top of me at the moment. It really helps to be able to share with you all though. On the plus side my hair is growing well, my eyelashes are back and my eyebrows started to come back all of a sudden. I'm going back to work on Wednesday which I'm really nervous about. Hope all you August ladies have a great weekend xx ... View more

Thanks Butterfly. Feeling awful today but think it's the anti viral tablets I've been given not the shingles. Feeling very fed up 😔 . I hope you are doing ok x ... View more

So found out today that chemo has gifted me shingles, how lovely. It's currently at the itchy rash stage but will move on to the painful blister/scab stage soon. Can't wait. I'm beginning to feel like there is no end in sight and that I will be unwell forever 😔 ... View more

That's great news Butterfly I'm really pleased for you. Good luck with your surgery whatever you decide. CK, glad your surgery went well after all the stress. I hope you are recovering well. I hope all other August ladies are doing well xx ... View more

Hi ladies I spent 9 and a half hours at the hospital yesterday for my op which took an hour! The first op on the list overran by nearly 2 hours! Had to listen to a girl on the day ward having a complete meltdown and shouting at her mum and crying for over an hour. It didn't help with the nerves and the endless waiting. She was probably in pain (she was an orthopedic case) and frightened but she was behaving like a brat. Anyway, my op went well and my surgeon removed all the tissue she wanted to but it's a nervous 3 week wait for the results now. Sib, glad your final chemo is over. I hope you are feeling ok. I worry about going back to work too. I work full time and my job is very mentally demanding. Although I am having a phased return I worry that I won't be able to do the job any more. Butterfly, how is the eye? I hope it has settled down. My toenails used to hurt but so far they are still hanging in there 2 months later. Mishy, glad your rads have finished. I'm not looking forward to the fatigue although I also just want them over with. How are all you other August ladies doing? xx ... View more

Helen, mine is by Prof Richard beliveau and Dr Denis Gingras xx ... View more

Hi ladies Sib, good luck for your last chemo tomorrow. It's been a long road to the end for you but you've finally got there. Mary-kate, I hope your radiotherapy is going well. I'll be interested to hear how you get on with working as I'm planning on going back to work before mine start. Cathysid, good luck for your op tomorrow. Jo, I hope you are recovering well and fingers crossed your surgeon got clear margins. Helen, thanks for the info on how you've coped with radiotherapy. It's good to hear that you haven't been hit with the fatigue. Everyone keeps telling me how bad it is. I don't remember who was reading about diet but I'm reading Foods to fight cancer which is really good. I have my operation to clear the margins on Friday. I'm last on the list so it will be a very long day of hanging about waiting xx ... View more

Hello ladies. So not the best news from my surgeon today. I had a good response to chemo but not a complete response. She successfully removed my lump but there was pre invasive cells in the margins including what she called a satellite site. The lump was measured as 4 cm due to this site and 8 mm of cancer remained. She got clear margins all around except for around this satellite site. So she wants to go back in next week and shave some more off on that side. I'm disappointed that I have to have another operation and that my radiotherapy will be delayed. I'm also worried that if the chemo didn't kill all the cells in the lump did it get all those that could have been floating round my body. My surgeon did say that all the cancer was out so I guess I should focus on that. I'm doing day 1 of a 2 day Mcmillon moving forward course tomorrow so maybe that will help me to sort through these feelings. Love to you all xx ... View more

Hello ladies. Hope we are all well. Jo, good luck for your op on Friday and congratulations on the shrinkage. You will be in and out before you know it. The worst part for me was the canula as I have no veins left. Are you having nodes tested at the same time? Sib, I struggled when I got to the end of chemo too. Before my least session I was bursting into tears all the time. I felt much better once it was done. Not long now and you will be finished too. Your nails sound really sore. I hope they grow back soon. Fairy, how are you doing after your surgery? Butterfly, how did your last session go? I hope your SEs are minimal. Mishy have you been managing to work through your rads? I'm supposed to be going back to work next week but I'm worried about the fatigue when I start. Love to you all xx ... View more