Breast Cancer Now Forum

I was told I am high risk for secondaries too and I feel like that phrase is just repeating itself in my head over and over all day every day. I hope that I will be lucky this time but then I think but you weren’t lucky last time.. it was cancer and it was two of the most aggressive types it could be so the odds aren’t good. I’ve found it has not helped my relationship either. I had to force my OH to read the talk given by Dr Peter Harvey the other day when he said yet another insensitive and hurtful thing. When I read it I was in floods of tears because it is so accurate. I can’t post a link for some reason but if you haven’t already read it I recommend searching for the talk by Dr Peter Harvey who is/was a consultant clinical psychologist in Leeds. It really  helped him to understand what we are all going through.  ... View more

Good to see a post here Vasanthy. I miss the forum chat to keep me going. How are you doing? I won’t have a follow up mammo etc until around September I think. Rads finished in October and am on herceptin as they found I had TNBC plus small pockets of Her2 + as well. Trust me to be so greedy and have both! 🤨  Would love to hear how everyone is getting on. I’m finding this part the hardest by far.  love Tracy ... View more

I’m feeling exactly the same. I finished chemo in June, had surgery and radiotherapy and now on herceptin injections. But I’m just watching and waiting for anything and everything that might mean it’s come back or spread somewhere else. It’s the hardest part by far than having all the treatment, and with everyone else mostly just wanting to forget that it happened I’m finding family don’t want to discuss it. Understandable, I guess. I’m going to see if I can talk to someone who can give a bit of counselling I think.  ... View more

Hi All, It’s good to hear from you, Vasanthy. Hope your aches and pains will get better. I’m having some pain too especially in my arm and hand. I had another hospital stay and gall bladder removed recently and since then I think I have developed lymphoedema in the wrist and hand. Otherwise the anxiety of recurrence or secondaries is the worst part. But you’re right - I try to stay positive but it doesn’t always work.  love T ... View more

Hi, Thanks for all the rads advice everyone. I had my planning appt yesterday and all ready to start in 5th Oct. Also spoke to my Oncologist today. It turns out that part of my tumour was HER2 positive so I will be starting herceptin around the same time as rads for a year. Not sure how to feel about this. If they had known about this earlier I would have had herceptin along with my chemo and maybe it would have been safer for the future? This whole thing is good training to get me out of my fear of change I guess!  Is everyone doing ok? Tracy x ... View more

Thank you all for your helpful advice. I found all the tips and info from here so helpful through chemo and surgery. I can’t say I’m looking forward to it but they’ve said they think it’s better to have it to try and prevent any recurrence. I’m going to have more chemo as well. Probably capecitabine. Hope it doesn’t have such bad side effects as the other types. My hair and eyelashes are just growing back now! Also had anyone else lost their finger nails? I have a few which are detached from the nail bed and quite painful if I catch them on something! Love Tracy ... View more

Hello everyone, How are you all doing? I was wondering if those of you who have been having radiotherapy have any tips or experiences to share? Have you found it tiring or uncomfortable?  Tracy x ... View more

Hi Daisy, Sending virtual love, strength and hugs to you. So sorry to hear that you are going through all of this xxx I hope that a second opinion will help.  I’m doing ok... But still haven’t had my pathology results so nervous about that xx ... View more

Thanks Daisy. It seems to have gone well. I’ve now got two much smaller boobs after a five hour op. Surprisingly pain free already and surgeon hopes that he has got all of the tumour out but we’ll just have to wait and see.  How are you feeling now? Any improvement or results from your CT scan? Sending you hugs and strength xx ... View more

Hi Daisy, Sorry to hear you are having problems since your surgery. I hope the docs can get this sorted for you quickly. Sorry I can’t help with any similar experiences. Sending you strength and virtual hugs for everything you’re going through xx 🤗     I will have my op on Tuesday. My original surgeon has been quarantined so I have a new one who is really nice. They are going to try to do a breast conserving op on the left and a reduction on the right although I may have to go back for a mastectomy if pathology shows anything left behind.  Best wishes and hugs to everyone in the group xx T ... View more

Thanks Shi, I am blessed with a very vivid imagination but it can also be a curse 🤪  I will be in overnight And will have drains too. My other half will be at home to look after me and I’m sure will make sure I do my exercises 😃 We have just been told we can go out and about to shops etc here but I am back on lockdown until I have my op xx ... View more

Hello everyone, How are you all doing? Daisy - I know how you feel. My mind is always racing away and sometimes I imagination takes me to good places and often it takes to bad places but I’m keeping my brain occupied with lots of distractions s much as I can. I hope you can start to feel better soon xx Vasanthy - How are you feeling on the Xeloda? Thomaschix - Are you getting on ok with the new chemo drug? I’ve got my mastectomy date on 4th August. The surgeon said the tumour has fragmented into lots of pieces so the overall size is still the same but there are lots of little pieces left so until they do the pathology they won’t know what the situation is. They are not seeing anything visible in my lymph nodes but again will need to see hat the pathology shows. I’m pretty terrified about that but nothing to be done about it and will no doubt need radiotherapy afterwards.  Hugs to all Tracy  ... View more

Hi Vasanthy, I hope the oral chemo doesn’t have too many side effects and that it all goes well.  I will have an anaesthetic assessment tomorrow and surgery is planned for the beginning of August once I’ve spoken to the surgeon. How is everyone else getting on now? Hope you’re all doing ok xx ... View more

Hi Daisy, Thank you for the advice about surgery. Strangely I’m keen to get on with it but knowing me I will find it more difficult after it’s done. You’re right... it’s a nightmare trying to buy things that really need to fit properly online. I think I’ll need to order about four sizes to hopefully find something that fits.  I have always suffered from anxiety so I have probably developed lots of coping mechanisms including a lot of distracting myself with constantly reading or arts and crafts when I’m not working. I’m also finding that I am very weepy and down some days and not so bad others and I wouldn’t be surprised if the menopause has an effect on that too.  I have thought a few times during this that I need to speak to a counsellor - I’ve had counselling before for anxiety and stress and it was so helpful just to have someone to talk to who wasn’t connected to you. I totally get how you feel. I’m not used to being an ill person. I’ve always been quite healthy and independent and it doesn’t come naturally to need help. I have everything crossed for you that the  oral chemo will be a lot easier on you than the others were. Sending hugs xxx ... View more

Hi Daisy, Hi everyone, How are you feeling now? It’s been such a tough time but you’re doing so well as are we all. We should all be wearing capes 💪 !! I’m doing ok this week. I have my pre anaesthetic Assessment on Tuesday and expect my surgery at the beginning of August. I contacted my BCN who gave me some info and put my mind at rest that I would be top priority to get surgery as soon as possible. I was asking her about post surgery bras as I’m finding it very difficult to find anything suitable. If anyone has any recommendations that would be great. The problem I’m having is  that mastectomy bras and soft bras don’t come in larger cup sizes 😠   The BCN also said to wear cotton pants or they would make me take them off to go to theatre! Which did make laugh. No lacy underwear allowed. Hope you are all doing ok xx T   ... View more

Hi Vasanthy, I don’t have a date yet for surgery but the doctor who did the ultrasound said things looked good and all she could really see was calcifications which would not have been affected by chemo. I hope to have my surgery very soon though as my surgeon said it would probably be fine in July xx ... View more

Hi everyone, Daisy and Vasanthy - I’m so sorry that you have both had disappointing news from your pathology results. With TNBC I guess we all have a higher chance of having to have more chemo as there are no other drug treatments available. I’m preparing myself for something similar too. I’ve already been told I will need radiotherapy after surgery.  I am thinking about you all and sending hugs and best wishes xx T ... View more

Hi Daisy, So sorry to hear about your lovely dog passing away. That must have been so hard to deal with along with everything else. Sending hugs xx Glad to hear that surgery went well and no tumour was seen. Fingers crossed for good news when you get your pathology results next week.  Hope everyone else is doing well xx ... View more

Hi Thomaschix, My unit had just moved back into their proper wards a day before my treatment so things were pretty hectic but I don’t think they have a bell! A bit of a shame so it was all quite low key.  Next for me is lots of scans on 9th July which I’m quite nervous about then surgery asap. Then I’ll be having radiotherapy too. There won’t be any other treatment for me after that as I have Triple Negative. I hope the Kadcyla doesn’t have side effects like other chemo regimes though and that you can escape from shielding. Do you have to stay on that for a long time? It’s been a long haul already combined with Covid and shielding so I hope your little one can get back to nursery and you to work. I’m hoping that I can escape shielding once my immune system is back to normal as Scotland is shielding until end of July. We are already allowed to meet up with family outside which has been a lovely relief and go out for walks though I’m not able for that just now.  T x   ... View more