Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi @Somerset Bunny and everyone else who occasionally still checks in here! Greetings all! @Somerset Bunnyyour post made me smile-good we can still exhibit a sense of humour through all this. Glad to hear your active treatment has ended and your continuing therapy with Letrozole is not going too badly. I have been on letrozole and Adcal D3 for about 7 weeks now and so far seem to be tolerating it reasonably well. Joint stiffness and achiness has increased but is bearable at present. I only resort to painkillers at bedtime to get comfortable and sleep as both shoulders and hips do get sore by the end of the day. Hot flushes are more frequent during the day but coping-I take 1 20mg Citalopram at night which seems to relieve the night-time issue to a degree where I don't get woken up too often. On a slightly worrying note, my Phesgo Inhection has been temporarily suspended as my last echo has shown rather an alarming change in my LVEF which has dropped from 53% back in December to a fluctuating rate of between 45% and 50%. They don't want to cause further damage so my treatment for the following day was cancelled and mu Oncologist had to involve cardiology again. I now have to also take Ramipril and Bisoprolol to try to get my heart pumping more effectively again. They must see a lot of this with Herceptin as they have made further appointments already. Another echo on 22nd, back to Onc on 5th May and hopefully back on my Phesgo jab on 6th. I do hope we get back on track soon as my 2nd line of defence is currently gone. I need these jabs longterm with my cancer being secondary. Good job they do these echos regularly-I wouldn't have known I had a problem-I just put the fatigue and occasional breathlessness down to the after effects of chemo and assumed it would pass eventually. Just shows how you can get it wrong. Feeling okay on the whole so started back to work 3 mornings a week last month. Managing okay so far with that, so once I have been back to see the Onc and I know I am okay again I will pick up a fourth morning and hope by June I can manage to do 5. That, I believe will be my limit. If I can manage another 2.5 years of that topped up with my ESA and wobble through to retirement I will feel I still had a purpose! No good planning too far ahead-the future is  a grey area for me. If I can reach retirement and have a few years with my partner, my family and grand-daughter without worrying about dragging my ass out to work when I feel half dead with fatigue, I will be happy! I would love to retire now-but financially it is impossible to make ends meet in these times of rising prices. It does add more stress on top of everything else we have to deal with, but there is no option really. Just trying to focus on keeping well and looking after myself so I can manage! Your hair is coming in really well! Mine is still very short-just like peach stubble-but coming in dark which has surpised me! Eyebrows growing in much faster and I just need to give them a bit more definition as they are a bit patchy. I got quite handy at it though so only takes a couple of minutes. Lashes coming in well and better than before chemo! I still have the annoying permanent sniffle and runny nose-it hasn't improved much so I think it will be ongoing. Always supplied with tissues. My nails survived the Paclitaxel with the help of my Polybalm serum. Sorry to hear you lost yours-that is really quite horrid for you and must have been painful! Equine related toenail loss is bad enough-and thats usually just one toe-I can't imagine losing nails one after the other like that. Keep well Sue and everyone else. Always good to hear how you are doing. Can't believe it is almost a year since I started this journey and look how far we have come! And plenty of time left to achieve a few more goals yet! Take care. xxx ... View more

Hot flushes! What a bloody pain they are! Told BCN a month back as they were preventing me sleeping and always seemed exacerbated by chemo. She said to contact GP as there are various options. So I am on 20mg Cilalopram. hard to say how well its working yet as it can take 6-8 weeks to make a difference. It is slightly better I believe. When Letrozole starts, it will no doubt get worse, so a higher dosage may be required. Will need to speak to GP yet again. There are other antidepressants such as venlafaxine, or they even give Gabapentin which is an anticonvulsant. I think Citalopram is the one that gives least side effects to the first to try. Hope you get it sorted. It ruined my sleep and made me feel even more fatigued. Hoping I have turned a corner as I seem to be getting a bit more sleep now. Janexx ... View more

Hi @Somerset Bunny @aliess @veestar @Rae45 and everyone else still hanging onto this thread. Well I finished chemo on 19thJan and saw my Oncologist yesterday. Think I was expecting better results after this ordeal, but CT scan results show my liver met has only shrunk by 3mm. So it is still there and I will just have to live with it. I have a prescription for Letrozole and Adcal to pick up, but he said to wit a couple more weeks to start it and allow more recovery time. Dreading taking this stuff but no choice if I want to keep this thing stable. I am very fatigued, out of breath pushing  wheelbarrow to the muckpile or going upstairs, and legs just keep turning to jelly. I feel there is no strength in them some days! Can't believe how unfit I have become! I hope to go back to my work 1st March, but wonder how much I will be capable of. I had planned to do 3 hrs a day as well as going to the pony, but this may be unrealistic. I reckon i will have to start on 2/3 mornings and build up from there. And the Letrozole may make me feel worse than I already do. But ESA alone will not pay my mortgage and bills so needs must and my lovely cliwnts have supported me for nearly 8 months. It is time to repay their faith in me coming back to do their cleaning etc. I will just have to suck it and see! As the saying goes....Hair has started growing-a fine stubble that is practically invisible, and little sprigs that have somehow remained. Reall y rocking an ostrich look too @Somerset Bunny . Thank God for wigs and cos it's Winter, LOTS of hats! Your ail problem sound awful! I have lost a fair few toenails over the years in equine related incidents, and it is hell! My nails are fine but I have treated them consistently with Polybalm, and I think it did its job. So glad I found it. It was worth the £38 it cost. It would seem they are going to book me a DEXA scan, and that Iwon't need Bisphosphonates yet. No radiotherapy either, so time to pick myself up and try to move on to some kind of normality. Take care everyone. It's great to hear how you are progressing. Keep on keeping on! We have got this! Jane.xx ... View more

A rather belated Happy Christmas to you all. Hope you all managed the best Christmas you could. I had a good one as had chemo on 7th Dec so well recovered in time and I have had a few drinks too-I thought "Sod it!" How much harm can it do in recovery weeks when the chemo side effects are largely over!?! My next one is Wednesday so my New Year will be a wash out! LOL! And my birthday on 2nd Jan. But not bothered. We had a nice Christmas and that's all that matters. I even got to see my 3 year old grand-daughter today so I am well pleased. Have not seen her for months as she has had continuous colds from nursery. I didn't want to go and catch one on top of everything else. Take care everyone. Jane.x ... View more

Hi @Somerset Bunny @Tizzy and everyone else here! Like others, I have not posted for a while, but keep up to date with the posts. @Somerset Bunny what you are saying about Docetaxel is so right. It is a particular;y harsh drug, the one I started on. I felt so ill after the first chemo, I wondered if I would make it through the rest! It was the second one when it went tits up, and they had to abandon it. Now on NAB Paclitaxel and it is a breeze by comparison, even though I feel like I have been run over by a truck for about a week afterwards. Docetaxel can play havoc with hands feet and nails-I guess I am lucky to be on my current treatment as what you are experiencing souns bad. I hear of ladies having such dreadful peripheral neuropathy they can't walk! It can happen on Abraxane, and they always ask me about tingling etc in hands and feet, but so far I am okay. It makes me wonder though, how well this Abraxane is treating my secondaries when I don't have such dire side effects? Is it still doing the job? I will find out on February 1st when I next see my oncologist,by which time I will have had a further CT scan and my last infusion. I do feel for you having to have this evil brew weekly-I do hope you manage okay with it. Is it smaller doses spread out over 6 weeks instead of 2 bigger shots every 3? Everyone seems to have different treatments plans, and even change from one drug to another after so many cycles, dependent on their particular cancers I assume. My treatment plan seems relatively simple compared to some of the others I have read about. I don't think I need radiotherapy either which is a bonus as I can get back to work a lot earlier in that case. My silver lining is also having a "good" week over Christmas-I WILL be having a drink too! I will be knocked out over New Year and my Birthday on 2nd Jan by chemo on the 29th. Not bothered as we never do anything at New Year anyway. Thanks for the tip re. Look Good, Feel Great.I will have a dabble with that I think and book myself a zoom session. Like you, I haven't felt too bothered about the hair loss-mine is all but gone now-I am currently achieving an "ostrich" type appearance! Lol! I don't use the wigs much for everyday use-hats nice and simple and far more practical when dealing with equines! My lashes and brows are very sparse, but still hanging on. I have been bothered more by this aspect & I have resorted to using my eyebrow kit now to make myself look "normal". Decided I am not needing the false lashes yet & I am hoping it stays this way. That will be a more tricky procedure. Someone mentioned if you still have some hair left after 4 cycles you might just manage to retain it. We will see! Weird how leg/underarm hair etc is still clinging on! You wouldn't mind losing that so much! Have the best possible Christmas everyone, despite our circumstances. It's a good excuse to delegate some of the jobs! I have simplified it as much as I can, and cut down this year on the anount of cards I sent-been meaning to do this for years so have taken advantage of my situation this year to achieve this. The precedent for next year is now set! Jane.xx ... View more

Thanks @aliess @Kitkat23 @Mrsmillie for your support. I did raise all my concerns months ago when they were being indecisive about my dx and not getting my chemo started. I had a bit of a meltdown, but really never got any answers. It's too late now to change anything so I just have to get on with it. Only good thing that came out of it was my getting a Psychology referral. The Dr I spoke to was lovely, we talked for an hour:by that time we had actually got started with chemo after a 13 week wait, so I was feeling more positive. The "what ifs" are always at the back of my mind. I could blame myself for not finding the lump earlier, but it doesn't do any good in the here and now. I have heard Anastrozole is not as bad as Letrozole, but no way of knowing until we're on the damn stuff! At almost 63 I should be way post menopause but mine was very late starting-I hadn't even been on HRT for 5 years when I was diagnosed and had to stop it. Within a very short time the hot flushes started again, with a vengeance! So I am in my opinion still there! How much worse it will get on Letrozole I can't contemplate! I never get a decent night's sleep now! I can be taking a layer on and off 6 times in an hour-it generally starts in the evening and carries on through the night, some worse than others. I am grateful for the colder weather as it makes it more bearable. Why the hell do women have to suffer like this? It's like your own body is trying to finish you off just because you are no longer productive! The fatigue alone would do it. Before I started HRT I felt so bad I was struggling to get through my day's work due to tiredness-I probably shouldn't have been driving really! The HRT gave me a decent quality of life again, but now I'm almost back to where I was before I started it! It's good to know about the different brands of Letrozole etc and the varying side effects with each. I will certainly bear this in mind and pass this info to my GPs who will probably be clueless in this department. Hoping everyone has had a good weekend, weather here in York not great today! No riding for us, just a lot of dirty jobs to do, enhanced by acres of mud..... Jane.x ... View more

Hi @dizzyc @Mrsmillie thank you for the words of reassurance regarding Letrozole. I will just have to wait and see how I am, and then plan my return to work. As you say, if one brand is bad, I will ask to try another. I just hope my GPs are aware of this issue with side effects varying from one brand to another. If not, I may need to educate them! It's a lifetime of taking these things, you do not need to be debilitated by them when you need to get out to work each day. 3 more Abraxane for me, No 4 next Tuesday. I should get No 5 in before New Year and last one around 3rd week of January. I will also get a CT scan in January but no appointment as yet. They are going to request it 2nd week so hopefully before last chemo. I don't want it the same week that's for sure as I usually feel like I've been run over! I just go into hibernation for a week! @Somerset Bunnyit sounds like you are having a frustrating time of it. I can totally sympathise with you regarding the Egyptian consultant. I got a Chinese consultant for my first Oncology appointment back in June and I could barely understand him. His English was not great and with a mask on I couldn't grasp what he was saying when he told me my neo-adjuvant chemo was not going ahead. Also he had not read my notes, and kept tittering nervously as really it turned out he was not really sure what he was talking about! I got the lowdown from my Macmillan nurse when she rang to find out if I had a treatment plan. She was appalled as I had just been sent away in a state of shock and confusion, wondering what on earth would happen now! I refused to see him again as I was so upset! In the end they did surgery first as time was running out-you have to be treated within a certain timeframe and as chemo wasn't happening, my surgeon jumped right on it. It was all to do with an inconclusive HER2 biopsy: oncology felt chemo upfront no longer appropriate as the results had come back borderline twice.However further biopsies done after surgery showed it was HER2+ after all! I could have had  that chemo to shrink my tumour and save my lymph nodes after all! I may not have needed the ANC which has left me with permanent nerve damage and cording which nothing can solve. I am stuck with it! No amount of stretching makes it go away, and the physio I saw only once said she had seen worse and my mbility was actually good! It doesn't feel "good" to me! It bloody hurts all the time and the stretching really tugs. If I stop doing the exercises I know it will get worse so this is also a lifetime thing, stretches twice a day or else. I knew about it when I felt too ill to do them a couple of times after chemo floored me, and it had got worse in literally 2 days! Not to mention the lymphoedema risk! And the traipsing back and forth to get a seroma drained twice a week after the drain came out. Of course there is no way way to tell how it would have panned out, but it does make me cross that I never got the chance to try it. My outlook may have been different if there had not been a delay which allowed it to spread from 1 node to 10, thus putting me at more risk. My prognosis now is stage 4 with liver mets, and maybe I could have been spared this outcome if I had got my chemo upfront. It's always at the back of my mind, that my outcome could have been different. But it is what it now is, and I just have to hope that this 6 cycles of chemo will work to put it in remission, and that the continuing Phesgo and Letrozole control it for a few years at least. You have no way of telling how long you have left on this earth, and if the Letrozole makes me really feel ill, I would seriously consider stopping it. Maybe quality of life will be more important than simply existing for a few more weeks, when we are getting towards the point where nothing is working any more. Sorry I am being maudlin now, but no-one wants to address this at the hospital-no-one mentions it when really the prognosis with Secondary BC is 2-3 years! It's not long! And if treatment No 1 fails, it could just be constant chemo with short breaks in between them when we are okay for a while, before it fails again. After line 3 we are basically written off! I am not ready to go at 65! I would like to think I could at least draw my pension! Lol! I have paid enough into it! Fingers crossed for all of us, not sure who else has had a Secondary diagnosis but it is literally a death sentence. It will get us in the end, but it could be sooner rather than later. Not a cheering prospect. It does make you re-evaluate your life and put things in perspective. I never did suffer fools, but I have no time for anybody's s**t these days! I am sure you can all relate to that! I will be glad when chemo is over and I can start to pick up my work etc again and get back to some kind of normal. I sure won't be ringing any bells though. For me this will never be over until it finishes me off. Just being realistic. It helps to get things in perspective! And get my house in order! Take care everyone. Jane.x   ... View more

Hi @Lu_B ,                     here's hoping mine grow back in fairly soon. The loss was barely noticeable at first, but after the 3rd treatment at least half gone, to the point they are barely noticeable now! Pencil or brush and powder every day-it makes me look strange otherwise! Sorry about the Letrozole issues-that will be me when chemo finishes. It's odd how I can't wait for it to be over, but I think I am dreading the Letrozole to a much greater extent because there is no end to it, and it will not be pleasant by the sound of other's experiences. How long did it take for side effects to kick in? I am worrying about how I will cope when I go back to work. It is a very physical job I do, and with constant pain and lack of energy due to bad sleep caused by hot flushes, all thanks to these tablets, I am not sure how I will cope! Hope your GP sorts you out-it really sounds horrendous what we can ed up having to endure just to stay alive! Take care , Jane.x ... View more

Thanks @veestar my arm is feeling a lot less sore today. It was itchy yesterday as well which was quite annoying. As is this constant runny nose-yet another irritating side effect of the chemo. Its like having permanent hayfever! Been to the oncologist today-just a check-up on my treatment really. He said it may not be that effective a vaccine given my immune system being low, so all this discomfort for something that may not work that well. I decided not to bother with the flu jab for exactly this reason. SO I guess i just keep shielding as usual and stay at home as much as possible. Business as usual in other words. Just avoiding the supermarket at busy times is all I need to worry about! Weather here is grim-pouring rain now after being frozen solid for 3 days. No rehab riding yet again. Just mucked out and did my feeds and haynets and came home again. I am a fair weather rider these days. No fun in getting soaked when you already feel meh! Hair-well what can I say? It's pretty rough on us this treatment, in so many ways. Funnily enough I am more dismayed by my thinning eyebrows and lashes as it's more of a faff to disguise. And some of the products are not that great unfortunately. Sticking with my Boots No7 eyebrow pencil after trying the microblading multitip pen and finding it unsuccessful. Eyebrow powder with a brush and stencil is not too bad, but more time consuming and fiddly! Simple is probably best! And a fringe on the wig does disguise things to a degree. Hopefully we will have hair again by this time next year! My dread is my cancer coming back elsewhere as it is stage 4, and having to go throughthe whole hair loss thing again. getting a CT scan to check the liver met in January. Fingers crossed it's gone! Take care, Jane.x   ... View more

Hi @Rae45 @veestar @Somerset Bunny and all the other ladies checking in on this thread, hope you are all okay this weekend and have not been affected by a power outage! I feel lucky to be on solid fuel CH during this type of weather! At least we can stay warm even if we have to light candles! Don't know about the rest of you but I seem to be feeling the cold more this winter: it could be the chemo? I am looking Uncle Fester like too-so little hair left now, just sprigs sticking up-like an ostrich!! I am in headwear all day as my head is just freezing! I still have 3cycles left-next on 7th Dec. Half way there but boy will I be glad when it's over. Fingers crossed bloods will be okay next Monday as I had my 3rd Covid vaccine on Friday morning. I got Moderna: my 1st and 2nd doses were Astra Zeneca.(had a really sore arm for 2 wks after the 1st, but fine after 2nd) Felt okay straight after the jab but by Friday evening I felt rough-could not stop shivering-and my arm felt like someone had jumped on it! Pain kept me awake most of the night and it wasn't much better when I got up. Had to enlist my friend to see to my pony on Saturday, and just stayed at home and tried to keep warm. Had a nice hot bath before bed and got a better night, but it still hurts today, and is also itchy. I wonder if I would have got this reaction if I had just been given the original vaccine, as the 2nd one was fine. A bit concerned about my bloods being off next week, but Onc told me to get it, so what can you do? Has anyone else had problems? Keep your heads up girls:we have come such a long way already! it does seem like a marathon at times!   Jane.x ... View more

Hi @aliess and everyone on here today, Yes it's weird but nothing tastes right does it? I can only occasionally manage a weak coffee, and even my mint tea tastes odd. sucking mint imperials gives a bit of relief from it-it's just so bitter and disgusting I am conscious that it is making my breath bad? Not sure as it's hard to tell! Yuck!!!  Keeping hydrated on Ribena with fizzy water, and Lucozade original still tastes fine, and as I love the stuff, I feel I can justify increased consumption, lol! The days i don't feel much like eating a lot, especially. Pain last night kept me awake for most of it-everywhere hurt, slight pressure anywhere was awful. Just taking paracetomol/ibuprofen or co-codamol which will be on the cards tonight as it's not easing to any great degree. Just sitting down hurts today. Hope this passes soon as I would like to be home Monday to tidy the garden before the last garden bin collection of the year! Wishful thinking at present! I got up for the loo at 8am, took more painkillers and went back for another 2 hours! Not like me at all! Have done nowt today except needlework project and being on the computer. What a life, eh? Give me strength! I want to be back on pony duty Tuesday as full livery fees are breaking the bank.....can't believe at times what has happened to me and what is yet to come.... you don't envisage yourself in this situation. And with secondary BC, life will never be the same again. I have to adapt to the "new" normal and accept my limitations, instead of as before, pushing myself to breaking point. Work is not the be all and end all, and I am going to have fresh priorities in future. When your time on earth is limited, why spend the rest of it working yourself into the ground? I will just do enough to get by, and have more free time for myself, the family and my wee mare while I still can. This whole experience has made me take stock of what is important to me, and work is in about 4th position now! Have a good weekend everyone, Jane.x ... View more

Hi @Mrsmillie @aliess @Somerset Bunny @veestar and all of you ladies on this thread. I have to agree with you about the vile taste-I am on NAB Paclitaxel and it's just vile. NOTHING tastes right does it. I have had different side effects this time-running to the loo afternoon and evening of chemo as it started quite quickly to affect me, but since then now constipated so on the OJ and prunes! You can't strike a balance here! Worst thing is the fatigue-I am done in by 6pm-and the joint pain is relentless. Also lots of stabbing shooting pains in my surgery boob which are really nasty! I was in bed at 6.30 last night with painkillers. They didn't do much good so I took more at 8pm-I had clearly not had enough! Feel a bit better today thank god. Hope you are all okay. It's relentless this treatment but what choice do we have? Another early night for me, it's getting dark here already and that doesn't help! Managed a walk yesterday morning before the pain knocked me for 6, but have just given in to it all today. Done some tapestry and a few chores and that's me done for the day! It's pathetic how little I do these days and still have no energy! Keep it up ladies!We are getting there!   Jane.x ... View more

Good afternoon @Somerset Bunny @veestar and all the other ladies on this thread. I haven't posted in a while but do check in with you now and then. I had round 3 yesterday morning 10am, and was all done by 11.30! Poor lady who started with me at 10am hadn't even begun when I left-they couldn't get her cannula in-3 different nurses had had multiple attempts with no luck. Glad I have prominent veins-they just couldn't find hers despite the hot water bowl etc. What a performance she has, every time she goes. Just awful. She looked sick with the repeated attempts to get the needle in.God knows if they ever succeeded! Strangely enough I feel okay today, as last night felt iffy as the diarrhoea was'nt long in kicking in. So far so good today-I have not needed the loperamide yet after a substantial quantity of them yesterday. I am not holding my breath as it may be a different matter later! @veestarhope you are picking up today-the fatigue is dreadful. I have felt like I was improving after a few days, only to feel wiped out a day later. Just take it easy and chill out if you can. @Somerset Bunnythat is not great having your treatment right before Christmas, but you have a valid excuse to have a quiet one with no visitors. No-one should be expecting you to accomodate them at all when you are A.feeling rough and B. trying to shield. If it offends them, tough! People are just so so selfish and so dim! Relatives or not, they must show some understanding for your situation, and as you say, if not they can bugger off! I could certainly have done without my ex's mother at the best of times, sanctimonious old bat! Never mind when you are going through all this! You totally have my support! 😏 I should be fairly good intime for Christmas as my next round is 6th Dec. It will be New year when I could potentially be feeling crap as chemo will be on 28th Dec. This does not bother me at all as we never go overboard at New Year anyway. I will have a quiet one over at the coast with Chris, and hopefully fireworks will not be going off all night there. In York it's difficult to get any sleep as morons are still setting them off until 4am! Arounf Nov 5th it is like Beirut for several weeks. Does my head in. I have largely esaped  it this year, being with Chris recovering from round 2 and it was fairly quiet here. My poor cat at home, was freaked out apparently, and it's so unfair as he was already ill. When I got back home last time-delayed as my two kids had rotten colds-I decided it was time for him to go over the Rainbow Bridge. He had a tumour in his head, so we knew his time was short. He was having upper respiratory tract problems and was snuffling and sneezing a lot, plus occasional bleeds from his nose. Poor little guy was PTS last Wednesday. So sad, he was a lovely affectionate cat and everyone's friend. I miss him so much. We will get another rescue cat when chemo is over. It's so weird without him. At least my pony is well, and had been giving her carers a bit of grief by escaping from her electric fenced enclosure. I was strip grazing her in her new paddock to prevent her gorging on new grass and getting fat! She was just pushing it over trying to get to more grass-she is a greedy little mare! So her punishment is being made to wear a grazing muzzle and no rug to stop further breakouts! I took the enclosure down so she has the full paddock, but can only nibble instead of pigging out! She seems quite happy with the arrangement, and is back to eating her feeds which she had been leaving due to being full of grass. Feeds essential as all her supplements are in there! We had a nice week of rides and she is getting quite a bit fitter now. So all good there. See picture attached of her ready for action! Have a good week everyone and hey we are getting there! I am half way through now and feel I am making progress after a bumpy start. Good luck to all of you having chemo this week. Hope it all goes smoothly for you. Jane.x ... View more

Hi @Somerset Bunny , yes about through bog trotting! Getting back to normal a week exactly from the Abraxane. Docetaxel I had 1st cycle and then reacted to 2nd time was not nice, I have to say. I had a very confused digestive tract-it couldn't make up it's mind whether to be costipated or go the "other" way. Hard to strike a balance with meds, and the cramping pains were sickening! The sore mouth was dreadful and combined with dental pain made chewing impossible by the end of the first week. It also made my skin prickle and itch. Joint pain as you expect, plus shooting pains in my surgery boob and arm, and also random stabbing pains in odd places. It was like someone sticking you with a hat-pin. And I told my lot to chuck out the voodoo doll. LOL! A barrel of laughs it was not! This Abraxane has not been as bad as I expected although the constant trips to the loo have been a pest, especially at night! Mouth has been fine apart from the nasty taste. Bit of nausea but meds worked. Hoefully it won't get worse with subsequet cycles. I hope the Docetaxel isn't as bad for you-at least it tends not to make you sick which is nice. Take care my lovely and good luck with it. Jane.x ... View more

Hi @veestar @amy46 @CT2021 and all you super ladies out there. Hope you are having a good day today-ut isn't easy! Feeling more human. @amy46 I managed a hot chocolate today! @veestar I get ESA as self employed but I think if you are unable to work and can't get sick pay you could apply for this-do it online at gov.uk. DWP will pay you £74.70 for 13 wks then with your medical proof (ESA50 form you get BCN to endorse and post back) they will upgrade you to the support group on £114.70 a week. This can continue to be paid if you just go back to work part-time, which I'm positive I will be doing as I won't cope with the previous workload, up to 16 hrs or £143 per week, no time limit. Might be worth looking into-Macmillans have a lot of info. I had previously spoken to them when I had anxiety issues and they wer great. Ask for the Welfare Rights team-they will check out anything you may be entitled to, AND deal with your grant application directly. One call and minewas sorted and money in my bank within a week. They just need info about your money coming in/out utilities, mortgage etc. They will even direct you to where you can get help with your bills. They are marvellous! Or there is Universal Credit? Don't know much about that though.Hope this helps you hun. Have a good day folks, weather here is atrocious, so trip out for compost has been postponed! Jane.x ... View more

Hi @louby_lou69 @Lu_B @Mrsmillie @CT2021 and everyone else here today, I am feeling a bit better today, and have actually managed to eat fairly normally since yesterday. Not sure if my tum is better yet, I thought things had improved yesterday, then after tea running to the loo again so I won't count my chickens! @louby_lou69 @Mrsmillie I hope you are both feeling better today. It's quite debilitating on the whole. I have been outside for the first time in 4days and turned over the earth in the raised beds ready for the winter mulching, so getting my strength back now. @Lu_Bthanks for the info on Letrozole-it does seem to affect us all somewhat differently, and also the Brand can make a difference. Someone said to tell Onc if it doesn't suit and we can change brands until we find one that works better for us. Problem then is getting the Pharmacy to give us the right stuff every time I guess. I have got lenom and ginger and peppermint teas, but I have had such a vile taste in my mouth they were both horrid! Threw a cup away in disgust and started drinking hot ribena instead. Now that IS quite acceptable as it tastes okay. It's a weird thing but there it is. Drinking lots of Lucozade and Dry Ginger Ale. Feeling no nausea today which is great, so I think a corner has been turned! Some things have been worse with the new drug and some better, as in this time, despite the horrid taste in my mouth, it hhas not been sore and no dental pain at all. This is a relief as last time it was dreadful. @CT2021you made the decision to ditch the cold cap and I can't say I blame you. It sounded an ordeal with no definite benefit, and as you say it lengthens your chemo session considerably. I just want to get it done and get home! Hope everyone is having a good weekend, and the weather is being kind. Nice day here, sunny but a little chilly. Jane.x ... View more

thanks @aliess. Still feel rubbish today. 3 days of upset tum and running to loo, and really bad joint pain. Today strange shooting pains-must be neural, in back, surgery site etc. Hope this passes soon. It's not much fun! Have not been out of the house for 2 days and the weather here is foul. I might have gone for a short walk - it might have helped somewhat, but it's not worth getting soaked to the skin. Take care. Jane.xx ... View more

Hi @CT2021 @aliess @Somerset Bunny @Lu_B and all you other lovelies, I have had a bit of a break from the thread while waiting for my new treatment as nothing much to report! Well I had the NAB Paclitaxel (Abraxane) along with my Phesgo jab on Wednesday and everything went well on the day. Since then, though I have gone rapidly downhill,despite anti nausea meds, Buscopan and Immodium. Getting no sleep due to repeated trips to the loo and bad abdominal cramping. Have decided to up my Buscopan-it is allowed-to see if that helps. Can't eat much and everything tastes weird again, but keeping my fluid intake well up as don't need to end up dehydrated. feel wrecked to be honest and so weary. Wondering when I will turn the corner-soon I hope. @CT2021I didn't do the cold cap as I am very susceptible to cold induced headaches, and with a taxane, you will pretty much lose hair anyway. Have loads of headcoverings, hats and 2 wigs and some fake fringes on headbands to put under scarves etc so I'm not too bothered. I would actually be happy to get rid of the remaining hair which is shedding everywhere as it is a pain! @aliess that was inspired making your fringe with your own hair-I had thought of it but wasn't sure how to achieve it, so just bought some cheap ones from eBay-they do the job. @Lu_Bwhat a great feeling to have finished your treatment and now you can hopefully recover from the main chemo etc and move on with your Letrozole therapy. Please let us know how that goes-I will be starting Letrozole myself Feb next year and actually hearing some horror stories about it. I hope it treats you kindly. All the best! @Somerset Bunnyhow I feel for you missing Rick Astley-my daughter is a fan and we were going to get tickets to see him at York Racecourse, but it was cancelled due to Covid. It seems like ages since we saw any live music. Think the last band we saw was Greenday at Leeds O2-years ago. They were great! Also saw Bastille there-we are big fans, and my partner and I also saw Eric Clapton thwere some years back. That was wonderful-and he had Paul Carrack with him on keyboards. A great show. Oh what it is to reminisce! We can't think about booking tickets for anything until I am through this rotten chemo. I think in some respects the Abraxane is worse than the Docetaxel. I didn't feel billious like this and my tummy wasn't as badly upset. I am looking forward to another night of bog-trotting! What a life! Have a good weekend everyone. Clocks go back so I can have an extra hour ligging about in bed and no guilt involved! LOL! Big hugs to all. Jane.xx ... View more

Hi @louby_lou69 , thanks for this link. Some very useful products and info here.x ... View more

Hi @veestar @louby_lou69 @aliess @Mrsmillie and everyone else on this thread. Hope you are having a good weekend! @veestar that wig looks great! very natural. Not sure why the photos loaded upside down-same thing with mine! @louby_lou69 the attachable fringes are great under a hat-we can look like we have hair to all intents and purposes, which is quite reassuring. I feel a bit self conscious still in my wigs-they do take a bit of getting used to don't they? So the clip on fringes attached to a headband work for me with a hat or bandana on top. Wore the wig to my hospital appointment this week-we are all in the same boat there so it feels okay. Just another baldie trying to hide the fact! LOL! I have very little hair left now, falling out like mad and i can just pluck tufts out-no pain involved! Will be relieved when it is all gone, in a way, as the resulting mess will be gone too! My head felt sore until I had the buzz cut, so much better after. Must have been the weight of the remaining hair tugging on those damages follicles that makes it sore-really strange. Oncology nurse recommended moisturising scalp with a tea tree formualation so I found the moisturiser in the photo on Amazon. I think itwas about £7 so won't break the bank and would be good for any sore itchy areas as well as our heads! I keep getting dry patches on my face-unusual for me so just slapping moisturiser on night and morning. AVoiding germs at the moment is an ordeal for all of us isn't it! My son who lives with his partner and 2 yr old daughter have all had a rotten cold, so I had to cancel my visit last weekend. Just can't risk catching anything with chemo looming next Wednesday. At least this time I won't be hyper for 3 days on steroids. I don't need em with my Abraxane. WooHoo! They play havoc with sleep and I was always hungry. Awake all night and needing snacks.It's potty! I WILL NEED anti nausea drugs though as it is more likely to make me sick-really hoping THAT doesn't happen, but no idea what to expect! Have been managing to get my equine R&R every day, and managing to ride weather permitting so at least getting out in the fresh air every day and trying to lose the pounds that have somehow accumulated since my last weigh in. Had put over 2kg on in under 3 weeks! I will blame the steroids! Can't get too heavy for my pony. Top weight she can cope with is 9.5 stones including all tack and myself! I don't want to cause her any more problems as it has taken 2.5 years of continuous rehab to get her to where we are now-fimally trotting and having a little sneaky canter! She is loving it after months and months of walking in hand like an oversized pooch. Sad this week as my poor little cat is reaching the end of the road. He had dental surgery 3rd Sept and vet found an inaccessible tumour in his face, above the top jaw, and under his eye. It is causing him issues now and I think I will have to have him PTS as I can't see him suffer. Not what I need to deal with with chemo as well. Everything happens at once! Have a good weekend all. Jane.x For our sore itchy bits! ... View more