Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi Chrissy and everyone else, happy new year to you all 😊 It's so nice to hear that everyone is coping. It has been such a strange year for us all. I have been able to keep working, some of it from home and some in the office with reduced numbers of staff. It's been stressful and busy but I'm grateful to have the security of a job.  My dad died suddenly in August so much of the time since then has been spent trying to support my mum (86) who's becoming increasingly confused and finding it difficult to cope on her own. She lives in quite a remote rural area and doesn't drive (and wouldn't be allowed to now anyway) but can't be persuaded to move to somewhere else. We're in the process of getting her assessed and trying to get some support in place for her. It's all been made more difficult with the covid restrictions and delays in services of course.  I've been volunteering for Breast Cancer Now as one of the Someone Like Me volunteers so have been speaking to a few ladies going through treatment and trying to support them in the way that I felt this group supported me. Just waiting for an appointment for my annual review and mammogram. It should have been in December but I assume has been delayed by covid. Everything feels okay so I'm focusing on that and trying not to get anxious about having to wait longer for it. My family and I have so far managed to avoid any covid infections and we're all keeping our fingers crossed that the vaccine rollout goes well and quickly!  I hope you all continue to stay well and keep safe xx  ... View more

Flora, I also have a lump where my WLE was done and got in a panic about it. The BCN got me straight into the clinic, I was checked out and had a mammogram. All was well apart from lymphoedema in the breast and I was referred on to the lymphoedema nurse for manual lymphatic drainage. It was such a relief! Go and get checked!  Good to hear from everyone. Keep well xx ... View more

Hi Everyone   Just wanted to check in and see how you're all doing.  It's now a year since I completed chemotherapy and was just about to start radiotherapy.  I finished my herceptin in May and am still on Tamoxifen.  Things seem to be going okay, although my eyebrows have never really grown back properly and I still pencil them in.  At least I have eyelashes again, and the hay fever isn't as bad this year, as the little nose hairs have grown back!  I still find my nails are very brittle and I have weird bruises on my legs that came when I started herceptin and don't seem to be going away.  However, I do feel quite positive about life in general and am doing my best to make the most of everything.  My husband is taking us away for the weekend next week for my birthday, and we have a holiday booked to Ireland at the end of August that I'm really looking forward to.   How is everyone else doing?  Hope you're all going from strength to strength. ... View more

Hi Miss Green what wonderful news! And how appropriate the timing was. What a year it has been. My anniversary of starting chemo was on 14th February  - Valentine's Day this year was much more pleasant than last year anyway. I'm still getting the herceptin injections so still visit the oncology ward every 3 weeks but it feels very different going there now. I'm back at work full time again and it's tiring but I am trying hard to remember to be kind to myself and not work too late and take proper breaks. I have a much more understanding boss than Chrissy. That sounds awful to be treated that way. Is there some kind of grievance procedure? You should be able to get proper reasons for your boss's decisions.  Anyway I hope it works out. Glad to hear you ladies are staying healthy. What a journey we've been on and we're still going strong 💪 🙌 👍 ... View more

Fantastic news Miss Green! What a good start to the New Year. Onwards and upwards! ... View more

Happy New Year to you all. Wishing everyone good health and happiness in 2019. ... View more

Hi All it's good to hear from you. We have had a rough year. I had my surgery a year ago today and it seems like a lifetime ago. Had a much better day this year with a Christmas quiz and raffle at work, went to my circuits class and then went to the pub quiz tonight! Miss Green I hope that the surgery has been successful this time. It all sounds quite hopeful. Macneech maybe there are other forums on here that can help you decide what's best to do. I've been for manual lymphatic drainage for the lymphoedema in my breast and been shown what to do for self care. It seems to be helping although it's not gone away yet. I hope you all have a peaceful and stress free time over the festive season and wishing all of us the best of health for 2019. It's been a hell of a year and I'll be glad to see the back of it! Thinking of you all and thanking you for all the support ❤❤ ... View more

That's my hair from before the chemo took effect! I had just had it cut from shoulder length. It got really thin and patchy during the treatment. It's coming in quite thick again now - and also surprisingly curly! - but mostly grey. I'm going to get it coloured again on Tuesday as I don't like the way it has aged me. It's reasonably easy to add a photo on here. The instructions were quite easy to understand even for a technophobe like me! ... View more

Hi Macneech I didn't have an implant and don't need reconstruction - my boobs are slightly uneven but not so much that it's noticeable when I have my clothes on. Maybe that will change after the manual lymphatic drainage if the swelling goes down! I hadn't realised that radiotherapy could give me swelling either. I also hadn't realised that it was classed as lymphoedema- I had thought that just affected the arm. Probably someone explained it at some point but it didn't stick in my head! If you've got the option of massage treatment it's probably worth taking up even if it's just for the relaxation. ... View more

Hi Miss Green, hope the next surgery goes well and with a quick recovery time. It sounds like it's all hopeful anyway. I did get my mammogram results back - all clear thank goodness although there are changes due to surgery and oedema from the radiotherapy. The BCN is going to refer me to see if I would benefit from manual lymphatic drainage to reduce the swelling. It's a relief to know there's something that might be able to relieve it as it's been getting increasingly tender. ... View more

Hi everyone. Glad the surgery seems to have gone well Miss Green. Here's hoping you have a good recovery. I've had a bit of a trying week as I thought I had felt a change in my breast and the skin was looking a bit odd. Phoned the BCN and was told to come into the breast clinic. Saw the consultant and he reckons the changes are still the effects of the radiotherapy that finished at end of July. I was so relieved. Was sent for a mammogram and waiting for the results. I thought I was recovering pretty well but it just sent me back to the start! It's just over a year since my diagnosis and it's been quite an emotional time. How are you all coping these days? ... View more

Miss Green you were right to rant about the uncertainty. It's the last thing you need from your doctors. Hope the treatment is now back on track. Chrissy I hope that the OH assessment goes well. I found my phased return worked well. I was surprised how tired I got at the start but was able to build up the hours over 6 weeks. So much depends on having a supportive and understanding employer. I was lucky with that and hope you are too. Flora my hair is coming in curly too! I have never had curls before and don't quite know how to deal with them! Sadly it's also mostly grey. It's growing much more slowly than it used to. I'm hoping when I finish the herceptin treatment it will grow a bit more quickly. My husband and I have just had a lovely holiday - a week in the Trossachs with clear cold weather and lots of fresh air. It has given me a boost as I was beginning to feel as if my energy levels were dropping again and now I feel quite refreshed and ready to be a bit more active. ... View more

Hi Bibi you're right to rant and where better than to people facing the same sort of worries! Sending hugs and hoping you get to the bottom of what's causing the nausea. I was okay on radiotherapy other than feeling tired and then had the burning about 10 days after the end which was really uncomfortable for about a week. Have you checked what the filler/binders are in the letrozole tablets? If there's something like lactose in them that could affect your tummy. Maybe a different brand would be better for your insides? Fingers crossed that things improve soon. ... View more

Hi Bibi I'm on herceptin injections. Had my first 3 along with the docetaxel and also had tummy issues however they cleared up when the chemo stopped. I've had another 5 since then and haven't had any noticeable side effects after the injections. I'm on tamoxifen just now and will be changed over to letrozole after 2 years. Mainly I get hot flushes and can't seem to shift any weight off but nothing else that seems to be from the treatment. Hope you get to the bottom of it. ... View more

Hi All! Macneech I had radiotherapy in July. The first few treatments took longer while they took extra images but after that it was just once a week that they took an extra picture. Once things got going the treatment didn't take so long. I had good mobility in my arm after surgery which helped but I also found that stretching exercises helped. I found it much less tiring than chemo but was still quite tired and had a nap every afternoon. During the treatment I didn't really have anything more than reddening around the breast but it looked much more burnt over the 2 weeks following treatment especially in the crease under my breast. The skin actually went almost black (I am ordinarily very fair skinned and don't tan easily). I couldn't wear a bra or even the soft crop tops that I had and the skin was very broken. Moisturising didn't help very much but the women on my Moving Forward Course had been given something called hydrogel (I think that's what it's called) and one of them gave me what she had left over and it gave instant relief. It's designed for burns victims. It's worth asking for. Miss Green as far as I know I will be called in annually now for a mammogram but not a CT scan. Chrissy my nails are still breaking although they aren't as sore as they were last month. My toenails are now starting to look as if they are going to start breaking. How is everyone's hair? Mine is thickening up although it's growing much more slowly than it used to and it's now going weirdly curly which it has never been before! ... View more

Miss Green the information about the Moving Forward Course wasn't from my care team it came from a random conversation with a lady in the Beatson cancer charity shop when I was buying a pen! I then searched on the Breast Cancer Care website for a course near me. I feel that the hospital/oncology team could do more by way of pointing patients in the right direction for follow on services although to be fair I am getting a home visit on Friday from someone on the Macmillan 1 to 1 support team to discuss any concerns that I have now that my treatment is mostly finished. ... View more

When I was diagnosed with ER+ breast cancer my surgeon told me that I had to get my coil removed immediately.  My GP was furious - there's no oestrogen in the Mirena and as far as she was concerned too many surgeons don't know this and give poor and frightening advice to women.  I did have my coil removed, but it was due to be removed anyway due to my age.  I'd had it for 7 years with no issues, and there was no indication that my breast cancer was in any way related to the use of the coil. ... View more

Hi everyone   hope you are all well.  I'm on week 2 of my phased return to work.  Doing alternate mornings again this week, and next week will be going Mon, Tue and Wed, but then am off from Thursday for a week's holiday!  Really looking forward to having a break away with my husband and the dog.  We're not going far - just an hour or so away. but it's to a lovely HPB property in the countryside, with a swimming pool and plenty of walking to be done.   Work is going fine so far - it's difficult to get up and leave at lunchtime, but I'm determined to be kind to myself and not get swept back into the full on pressure like before.  While I'm on my phased return I can either record the time out of the office as sick leave (in which case I only get half pay) or take it as annual leave or flexi leave (on full pay).  It doesn't seem right, especially as the policies published in the staff handbook don't say anything about that, this is just what I've been told by the business managers.  I've decided to let it be recorded as sick leave until the end of this month, as my doctor's line runs until then, and next week I'll start using the flexi credits and annual leave.   My boss has been really supportive and basically left me to decide what I thought would work for me and is willing to come and go with the plan.    I recently discovered that the hospital has free complementary therapies available for cancer patients, so I went last week and today and have had lovely relaxing massages.  My boss has agreed that I can continue going on a Tuesday morning while I'm on the phased return (they only have appointments on Tuesday mornings) and just go into work later.  I'm feeling the benefit of giving myself a bit of extra TLC and would highly recommend it if you get the opportunity!   This week is the final session of the Moving Forward course - I would definitely recommend it if you have one near to you.  It's been really helpful meeting other women who've come through breast cancer treatment and sharing experiences.  The sessions have included talks giving advice on looking after yourself and getting to know your new shape, avoiding/reducing lymphoedema, exercise, nutrition, hormone therapies and side effects, and bras/prostheses. Not everything has been strictly relevant to my own situation, but it's all been of interest and the various speakers have been really helpful and answered loads of questions.  I'm really glad I got the chance to go on the course.   Good to hear that everyone is coming through the tunnel!   ... View more

I'd be interested in that too.  I'm still recovering from radiotherapy and don't want to do anyhting that involves jiggling until I feel comfortable again in a proper bra.  So far I have been sticking to walking - both short walks around the local area and longer hillwalks, but I don't feel that it burns all that much energy, and I've been putting on weight pretty steadily since I started chemo in February.  Being outside in the fresh air has been good. Thinking about starting a Pilates class to tighten up all the flab.  ... View more

Hi there   I had radiotherapy on my left breast.  As Appletree has said you will get a couple of practice runs before the actual treatment and the nurses will give you really clear and easy instructions.  I didn't get goggles to wear though, just had to try and take the same size breath as during the practice.  Occasionally I had too much and they asked me to let a little out.  The machine will aurtomatically cut out if you cough or sneeze and the target area drops out of the right range.   You will be absolutely fine.  I found radiotherapy was a breeze compared to chemo - not everyone finds it the same, but I really felt it was so easy in comparison and the after effects haven't been too bad. ... View more