Breast Cancer Now Forum

Happy birthday for tomorrow Tara. I hope you can have a good day. My husband really made my isolation birthday special. Fingers crossed that the weather stays nice for you.  It must be nice to be able to see people. I’ve not seen anyone really since March apart from on FaceTime. We are staying totally shielded as that is what I’ve been told to do. Apart from medical appointments I’ve not been anywhere.  I am lucky though living on a farm which means I have plenty of space to be able to get out and walk for miles without seeing anyone. I just keep thinking that once this year is over I’ll be able to get back to a more normal existence! At least with the Cancer coinciding with Covid I only miss one summer!  Sleep well everyone. xx ... View more

Hey ladies, How is everyone? It’s been quiet on here this week. I hope you are all doing well? I’m getting ready for bloods on Monday and all being well round 2 on Tuesday. My hair is getting noticeably thinner. My scalp feels really itchy but I’m trying desperately not to scratch it.  I’ve been feeling good this week and have managed 3-4 miles walking everyday.    ... View more

Oh Ann that must be so frustrating for you. I have been warned the same but you just hope it won’t happen, don’t you? Hugs. i was thinking about the smell thing and sniffing some of my clothes. I can’t smell anything on my clothes but since my surgery I have thought that I have a kind of clinical smell! When I got home after my first chemo my dogs were very interested in smelling me so they could obviously smell something different.  I’ve a week to go til my next chemo and I’m feeling pretty well. I’ve walked over 3 miles today with the dogs. Hope everyone else is ok?  Hugs all round. xx   ... View more

Yes Anna, Day 13. It was a bit of a shock but it gave my husband his first and probably only opportunity to cut my hair. 🤣 He made a good job of it I think.    ... View more

So I put my hand on my head this morning and came away with a handful of hair!  The clippers have come out and I’ve gone loads shorter. I wonder how long until it all comes out.  I also seem to have really sore toenails today.  Gosh Cecilia your chemo sessions are really close together. Mine are 3 weeks apart. I can understand your concerns about having a line. I’m not sure I could cope with one. ... View more

I have to say ladies that I think you are both rocking the bald look. I think you both look beautiful. 👍🏻 👍🏻 👍🏻 I’m still convinced I’m going to look like an alien. 🤣 🤣 Sleep well everyone. xx ... View more

No I didn’t go for the cold cap.i really didn’t want each session lasting longer than necessary and I just didn’t really fancy it. I think it’s just hanging on in there for now.  For those with cold heads in bed, I have got some of the sleep caps as I was warned my head would get cold. Hats4heads had them.  It is really nice to have this space to talk to people who understand what we each are going through, I agree. I like the point about us all being on different treatments as they know so much about our respective cancers. That does make you feel like we are getting the best that is available to us.  Keep smiling ladies, we’re beating this awful thing one horrid chemo at a time!   xxxx ... View more

Hi ladies, Sorry, I’ve been quiet too.  Tara, so sorry that you’ve had nausea again. I haven’t yet got to the hair loss stage but I’m only on day 12 of my first cycle. I am thinking about getting my husband to shave it off before it starts falling out just to make it easier. As someone said earlier on this thread, I think, at least you know your chemo is working.  I don’t really know how I feel about it, I’ll let you know! Gosh Ann, 2 days in a row. I suppose at least it gets you through it quicker. I am finding that the time is dragging until my next cycle. Much cooler weather here too which does make life easier on the whole but a little warmer would be nice. It is July after all! Enjoy your weekend ladies. xxx ... View more

Tara the wig looks great.  Claire, mine are just on my face for now and seem to be normal spots. If I were you I’d ring your team just for advice. I was told that there was nothing too small to ring them about and that it would never be wrong to call.  Just had another lovely walk with my dogs.  Have a good day ladies. xx ... View more

I’ve not had any injections either and I’m on EC. Perhaps it depends on your pre chemo blood results? I’m not sure what the injections are soo don’t really know.  ... View more

Hi Claire, Welcome to our little gang. Sorry that you find yourself here too.  I had my first cycle of EC on 23rd June and am having 6 cycles of EC. I had surgery, lumpectomy, breast reduction and axillary node clearance at the beginning of May. I’m having radiotherapy after the chemo and a reduction on the other side after that.  I too have been ok so far. I had a little nausea but the tablets have helped I’ve also had some heartburn but not badly so. I’ve been tired and tried to have a half hour nap on an afternoon and trying to walk and get as much fresh air as possible too.  I have noticed that I seem to have come out in spots over the last couple of days too, so I look a bit like a teenager! I’ve not lost my hair yet but it won’t be long I don’t think. The hydration is really important, I’m trying to drink 2+litres of fluid a day and keep checking by doing the skin pinch test on my hand. I’ve also started taking a teaspoon of manuka honey everyday.  I was also told not to take paracetamol if I think my temperature is going up.   I can’t think of anything else except we’re all on similar journeys and are all here to help and support each other and it is nice to have others who get what we are going through.  ... View more

Hi lam,  So sorry you’ve been feeling so rubbish. You really should contact your team as they will be able to help you with things. They can give you different drugs to make things easier for you. You shouldn’t need to suffer so badly. So sorry the wigs were no good.  I felt really grotty this morning but my sister in law who has been on chemo for a long time, not breast cancer, tells me it is my body reacting to coming off the steroids last week. I do feel much better this evening and I managed a bit of a walk with the dogs and I think that helped.  I think I’m going to go for cutting my hair off tomorrow as it’s going to start coming out soon. Im sure I’m going to look like one of those aliens with a big bulbous head!  Take care everyone. xx ... View more

How fab do you look Tara? Beautiful. 👍🏻 👍🏻 👍🏻 🥰 ... View more

Oh Cecilia I hope you heal ok, it’s so hard to not hurt yourself. Tara, you really suit that cut. My hair is so long due to lockdown I’m hoping to cut it short before it all goes.  I had a lovely birthday, thank you all for your kind wishes.  Take care everyone. xx ... View more

Thank you all for your kind wishes. Ann my animals are 2 dogs, 2 house cats, 9 feral cats, 3 horses, 100 sheep and lambs, ducks and chickens. We have a farm so lots of animals. It’s madness but lovely.    ... View more

Hi Anna, welcome to our little group. I too started my chemo on 23rd. I’ve been very lucky as I’ve only had very mild nausea and no vomiting but I have been taking the metoclopramide 3 times a day. The advice from all the girls here to eat little and often has really helped too. I hope you feel better soon, I’m not sure that this heat helps either although it is better than rain.  The wig route isn’t for me but I have got a good selection of hats from hats4heads and I think I will us my husbands clippers before too long.  It’s my birthday today so I plan to have a wild, self isolating day at home with my animals.  I hope you all have as good a day as you can too. xx ... View more

Bless you Tara. It didn’t go too badly thank you. I haven’t felt too bad since this morning. I’m just about to have my tea so I’ll see how I go. Hope everyone else is ok. love to All. x ... View more

Thanks for that Tara, that’s really helpful. Are you ok now after your gnat bite yesterday? I have to say I’m paranoid about insect bites at the moment as I was warned to be careful after my surgery and now with the chemo too. We have loads of cleggs (horseflies) at the moment and the damn things were trying to bite this morning whist I was walking the dogs. My husband says I should stay in the house but it’s my daily exercise and one bit of normality! We shall see. I’ll perhaps avoid it on my vulnerable week.  ... View more

Thanks for the information about the injections Ann. There’s no way my husband will do them for me. We have a farm and I have to do all the injections for the animals. So I guess I’ll be doing my own!  CactusQueen, I know what you mean about phone appointments. My physio one was a real waste of time. I guess we just have to be thankful that it reduces the number of potential exposures to Covid.  ... View more

Hi CactusQueen, We’re all friendly here and are here to support each other. I hope that eases your apprehension.  I’m starting my chemo on Tuesday too. Have you had your pre-chemo assessment? I have mine tomorrow and I’m hoping to find out more about what will happen. I’m having six sessions of EC. What are you having? I’m not bothering with the cold cap as I want to spent as little time as possible there and I figure that I’m not really going to be seeing many people so I’ll just cope with hats! No one has mentioned injections to me either. I hope I know more after tomorrow.  I hope everyone else is good today.  xxx ... View more