Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi Alwayshope, I can't believe that you are on treatment number 27 of Paclitaxel. You are amazing.  So pleased that it is still working for you. All the best, Love Bee xx ... View more

Hi Jen, Really delighted to read how well you are doing on capecitabine. It is so good to hear positive news. I hope that your neuropathy is not bringing you down and wish there was something I could suggest to help. Controlling the cancer is the most important thing but it makes life hard when the side effects are hellish.  Thinking of you and wishing you nothing but the best. Love Bee xx ... View more

Hi Alwayshope,  I am very pleased that Paclitaxel has worked so well for you and that you will be able to continue on it. That is great news. I am sorry that you have had a 4 week gap and had to chase to make things happen. I have had similar issues to you with my treatment. My Consultant says things like 'I want to see you again in two weeks', or 'you will go onto this new treatment next week' and then I am unable to get an appointment. The consultants have the power, not us and they should be responsible. Like you I have learnt that I need to be proactive and on top of appointments or I might end up with nothing.  I do understand that if the consultant says I will start a new treatment 'next week' there truly might not be a space but then he shouldn't say it, as I take what he says at face value. I have had to 'fight' my corner several times and when you feel vulnerable it is hard. Your consultant was probably thinking aloud when he said that you should not have stopped treatment, but he shouldn't have said it as its only impact would be to worry you. I agree that it was up to him to make the appointments and that you should not have to chase but unfortunately we need to continue to be proactive. I often wonder what will happen when I become too ill to keep an eye on things.  Wishing you all the very best. xx Bee ... View more

Hi Alwayshope, I was delighted to read that you have had positive scan results. What brilliant news. I am really pleased the Paclitaxel worked so well. You must feel elated and I hope you have lots of lovely things planned to celebrate over the weekend.  Hope your toe is fully recovered. Take care. Love Bee xx ... View more

Hi Jen, I am pleased that you are coping well on Capecitabine. It's great news that you had good blood results after the first cycle and I hope it continues to work its magic. Hope your side effects improve as you get going. My hospital used to give me cream for my hands and feet which I found really helped.  Wishing you a lovely weekend. All the best, Bee xx ... View more

Hi Alwayshope and Amy, Thank you for your lovely messages. , I am so pleased that you have been given good news too Amy. 'Much better' than the last scan seems very positive.  😀 Such a huge relief. Love to you and all, Bee xx ... View more

Hi Jen, Thanks so much for your reply. I was over the moon and my daughter and I went to M and S and bought lots of treats. My son and daughter treated me to a take away on Saturday too. My daughter burst into tears when I told her my results which made me feel sad as it made me realise how much stress our loved ones feel as they hope we will be ok. and any good news is such a relief. Poor things. I really try to hide any anxiety too. It's a rotten disease! Thank goodness treatments can work well. Wishing you all the very best and hope that your meds work their magic too. Much love, Bee xx ... View more

Hi All, Hope you are having a good day. I am pleased it is getting a bit warmer. Actually enjoyed my walk today! I had some very good news on Friday. My CT scan showed a reduction in the size of my tumours so my new treatment is working. I am so happy.  Wishing you all a great week. All the best, xx Bee ... View more

Hi Jen, Lovely to hear from you. I am so pleased to hear that your new treatment on Capecitabine is going well. Hope you continue to get no side effects. I know from the Capecitabine thread that some people do well on Cape  for years so I hope that this is true for you. I agree that having the vaccine makes me feel a little safer. Though I still wear a mask and steer clear of people when I walk my dogs! They give me a wide berth usually when they see my little hat, the sign of a 'cancer patient'!  Take care. All the best. xx Bee ... View more

Hi Amy, I am pleased to hear that you are doing OK. It is so good when a treatment is manageable and I really hope that your scan is a very positive one.  I too am looking forward to better weather and the end of the lockdown. The brighter evenings have been a boost but I hate this freezing weather. I am leaving my heating on all night tonight. I am terrified my pipes will freeze. A plumber put an outside tap in for me in the summer and said I had to turn this handle under the sink to prevent my pipes freezing. I don't know whether I am supposed to turn it to the left or right so have done nothing! If he hadn't have said anything I wouldn't worry so I wish he hadn't! Wishing you all the best and a happy week. xx Bee ... View more

Hi Alwayshope, Lovely to hear from you. I can't believe that it's your last Paclitaxel today. You have done really well and I hope that your CT scan will be very positive and show it has blasted the dreaded cancer. I had my CT scan on Monday and will get the results at the end of this week. I am happy on my new treatment so I really hope it's working.  Hopefully you will be able to put all thoughts of the scan result out of your head and enjoy a fabulous half term with your daughter. My daughter will be studying at half term as she has mock A levels the week after. I think the teachers will use these results to give them their grades so the pressure is on.  I have been reading a good book that a friend lent me that I would never have chosen. It's called Where the Crawdad's Sing and is worth a read.  Take care and wishing you the best news on your results day and a lovely half term. xx Bee   ... View more

Just thinking of you all and hope that your treatments are going well and side effects are manageable. I was just reading another thread and it makes me really appreciate how positive we are despite our trying circumstances. I had my Covid vaccination on Saturday and it wasn't as bad as I thought. Hopefully we will be able to live a more normal life soon so we can make the most of it. I am so done with lockdowns now!  Wishing you all the best. Love Bee x ... View more

Hi Jen,  I am glad you have had a much more positive week. It's great news about your daughter, even more so in these very difficult times. I really hope you will get to see her soon. I think it's a good idea to think about all the positives in our lives. My daughter is always so positive about everything which is catching. Today after my treatment I stayed up and had a lovely relaxing evening with her watching TV and am just in bed now. Usually I scurry straight up to bed and send down demands like a duchess! It showed me that if I make an effort to do things then I can!  Really hope your oncologist has done her job and you have started on your new treatment. A 6 week delay is a long time but hopefully the Cape will get to work straight away. It worked really well on my liver tumours when I was on it. Did I mention there is a very long thread somewhere which is worth a read. Thinking of you with everything crossed! Love Bee x ... View more

Hi Alwayshope, I hope that you will hear about your CT Scan really soon. It's horrible waiting and feeling forgotten. We are so vulnerable and reliant on others. I hope your chasing them has moved things forward. I have always been optimistic, thinking the best of people, but recently I have not been so trusting and have felt the need to check up on things. When I was told my bloods were too low to have my treatment around Christmas I felt suspicious and fobbed off. When this had happened before they said to come in and they would redo the bloods for me to see if they had improved. They had and so I could have my treatment. This time I wasn't given that option but I went to the chemo unit to see if I could just have the herceptin as that doesn't affect the bloods. I could hear the nurse in charge laughing and joking with the office staff and I felt uncared for and that 'they' didn't want me to have my treatment. I had to have a good talk to myself not to be so self centred and irrational.  Hopefully the pain on your right side is easing but it would be good to be reassured by a scan. I can't believe you have completed 20/24 Paclitaxel  amazing. I really hope that it is still working too.  Wishing you all the very best. Love Bee xx ... View more

Hi Jen, I was concerned to read that you were struggling and then saw your very positive post on Saturday. I am so pleased you have times as without them we do struggle. It's easy to feel that we are the only ones with any sense of urgency. Really hope that you will be able to start the Capecitabine tomorrow. Will be thinking of you.  I have never heard about the liver sack stretching. I have a large tumour in my liver of over 5cm as well as smaller tumours and can only think that the liver would stretch if the tumour was growing. Will have to ask at my next onc meeting.  Hope you can start tomorrow and that you have minimal, preferably no, side effects.  Sending love and every good wish your way. xx Bee ... View more

Hi Jen, The second round of treatment is going well - it's my free week this week then I begin the third cycle on Tuesday. I felt awful after the first lot, sick and so tired I felt I was unlikely to be able to continue, but feeling much better now so will carry on as long as I can. Hopefully it's working! I am really sorry that you have had a rotten week. It feels disheartening to be told that your CT scan shows growth and you have to start a new treatment. Weird that one scan showed a possible blood clot in your lung and the second didn't. So glad they discovered it didn't exist. Still it must have been such a worry while you weren't sure. There's a very, very long thread on Capecitabine which I did read over several days when I was on Capecitabine. It is a helpful read. I think Capecitaine is good for many people and it worked really well on shrinking my liver tumours. The pain of it is you have to take the tablets with food which I found difficult when I just didn't feel like eating. Luckily the thread says that a couple of digestive biscuits could constitute a meal! Wishing you all the best as you start this new treatment and hope it works for you for a long time with minimal side effects.   It is so hard for us all especially as we try to keep positive for our families. Thinking of you. Love Bee xx ... View more

Hi Alwayshope, Really hope you have been given a date for your scan and that it  brings you very good news.  Love from Bee xx ... View more

Hi Jen, I am sorry to hear that the little devils in your liver have grown back. When I was on capecitabine it really helped blast the tumours in my liver so I really hope it does the same for you. I only came off it because the tumours in my lymph nodes and spine grew. Lots of people find Capecitabine very manageable. I think its important that we know what our next treatments will be otherwise it is really scary.  Hope you do really well on cape and don't have any side effects. Love Bee xx ... View more

Hi Jen, I am so sorry to read that you are still struggling with neuropathy and I hope that something can be done to help. It's so unfair. I am also sorry I have been quiet on here but I do think of all you lovely ladies often and really hope that your treatments work and you can live well. I haven't been too well. It really is hard when we try to be positive all the time when we are often struggling with side effects. I would give anything to be back to normal again. I have had a lovely Christmas Day with my family and I hope you did too. Wishing you all good things in 2021. Love from Bee xx ... View more

Hi Helen44, I am shocked and very sad to read the news about Nicky08. She was an amazing and inspirational woman whose posts always gave me hope. I messaged her in November and she answered and supported me with her incredible advice. She was an amazing giving person and I am really going to miss her wise posts.  I hope it is of some comfort to her family to hear what a generous, caring and thoughtful woman she was to us on this forum.  Thinking of her family and friends at this terrible time. Bee x   ... View more