Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi all, I had my final chemotherapy treatment yesterday 🙂The relief was quite overwhelming. I am on a bit of a high but just waiting for the side effects to kick in now. Radiotherapy starting in 3 weeks along with tamoxifen. What a rollercoaster the last 6 months have been. From feeling that I would never get to this day to not really believing I have. We go through so much on this journey and I suppose it will always be with us in thought, apprehension, fear and hope.  Stay strong everyone and remember it's a day, hour and minute at a time. Love and hugs to you all  Jxx     ... View more

Hi Everyone, I have been hunkering down. I had 5/6 second Doxectaxel on the 17th Feb and have basically decided to go back into isolation until number 6 is done. I feel like I am so close to the end of chemotherapy I just don't want anything/COVID/flu/cold to knock me off. If my bloods do nothing I can do about it but if isolation for 4 weeks keeps me on track it's a little sacrifice, not like I haven't done it before!! 1st Doxectaxel was awful. Mouth swollen, constipation, exhausted but then I think that's one more down and done, I can cope. 2nd has been similar but not as severe so far, although I can feel my fingers beginning to feel sore at the tips.  I have my first radiotherapy appointment on 7th March, Monday before my last chemotherapy. I am starting to see the light getting a little brighter towards getting my life back. However, as nearly everyone has said, I still have a nagging feeling this is not the end. That's the nasty reality of Cancer, we just don't know! We didn't know it was growing in the first place, how on earth are we supposed to know if it comes back. I know people will say, you can't control it, forget about it, you could get knocked down going to the shop. But that doesn't help.  I am signed up for counseling, just waiting for a space! Love, hugs and positive strength to you all. Jxx Do you follow Dr Liz O'Riordan on twitter see posts some really good info xx       ... View more

Thank you Charlotte, I was thinking the same about a party for family and friends. Not sure if I will. My friends who are in Yorkshire have booked a cottage in Northern Ireland about 40 minutes away from my house so that I can come home if I need to. We are planning to sit around, cry, laugh and just be together as they haven't been able to see me at all.  It will be my first step forward. I too am reassessing whether I go back to teaching or move on to something else. But that is way down the line at the moment when I am out of the tunnel, fingers crossed. For now, lots of hand/foot cream rest and head down for 3 more treatments. Good luck with your planning and hopefully you'll get to lie in the sunshine soon xxx ... View more

Thank you ladies, as always understanding, helpful and comforting to get advice from those who really know xx ... View more

Hi All, I haven't posted for a while. I have just had my head down trying to get through round 3 of EC and avoiding COVID. We are slightly behind England in NI. I have found the Neulasta, injection a bit of a nightmare. The bone pain was awful so I ended up taking strong co-codemol to get through. This brings on the constipation and adds to generally feeling shocking. But from about day 10 I felt much better. Apart from hot flushes and acid!!! Next week I have round 4 and move to Doxectaxel, which I have been told can make you really tired and give sore hands and feet. Fingers crossed it's not too bad and the Neulasta side effects are not as severe. Would be nice to hear how others on Doxectaxel have found it.  Do any of you find sleeping is difficult in the week leading up to your next treatment? I have tried lots of relaxation and meditation, nothing seems to stop my mind. On another note, I found after round 3, and realising that I am hopefully halfway through, that I can see a tiny bit of light at the end of the tunnel. I even started making plans for friends to visit after the last treatment. I would never have even considered that before. I was like I was in a tunnel and couldn't look out or forward. I haven't been able to work so it feels like Cancer took my life away and I can't wait to get it back.  Stay strong and well everyone, big hugs. Jxx ... View more

Great to hear an account from someone at the other end. I am so looking forward to summer. I live in Northern Ireland and have some great friends and family. But really miss my girlfriends and family in Yorkshire and the South of England. That's my goal to see all of them at the other end.  The hat thing is definitely another thing to get your head around after hair loss. And that line, '...we expected this...' made me cross at first but I am getting my head around it 2 days later.  A big part of me doesn't want to hide that I am going through chemotherapy. Probably because I was so scared of it and I don't want anyone else to have that fear. It has reminded me of other types of trauma we women go through, like miscarriage, we don't talk about it or find a way to accept that this is real life event publicly.  I hope this doesn't offend anyone.  This chat room shows how good we are at supporting each other. So many people have said, ' I have a friend, relative, colleague who has been through chemo' it's important -just my opinion- to start shattering the screen and making sure we are seen and heard. If you want to that is. Sorry for the rant, just needed to get it off my chest after this week. Big hugs everyone - we've got this. Jxx   ... View more

Hi LMitchell I lost lots of hair yesterday so it's been an emotional week. Lots of people tell you it's going to happen but until it actually does you don't know how to react. It was almost worse than when they told me I had breast cancer.  I am opting for chemo hats there are some nice ones out there. I have a wig on order so hopefully that will be here soon. I also think I am not planning on being out and about that much and we can get away with winter knitted beanies and hats at this time of year.  Always trying to look for the positive.  Stay safe and well, big hugs Jxx             ... View more

1st treatment Nov25  Hi Everyone I hope you are all as well as possible? I had breast conservation surgery on the 10th of October to remove an oestrogen receptor primary tumour, DCIS and 15 lymph nodes which came back with 11 including cancer cells. Grade 3, stage 3. I am on a 3 x EC and 3 x Doc, 21 days apart cycle. Then Radiotherapy (not sure yet how long between 1-3 weeks) then Tamoxifen for 10 years.  The first week has been a bit of a rollercoaster - first night nausea, then my neulasta injection which sent my body into an acute high - with a crash on the Sunday like the worst hangover ever, only I hadn't enjoyed the party the night before! My sickness has been well managed by the meds (although my husband has become a pharmacist in training as chemo brain meant I really couldn't get my head around the instructions). No temperature spikes so far, but headaches, lots of headaches.  Very interested if anyone else with headaches suffered from migraines previously? Going into week 2 feeling not too bad, a bit spaced out - but I have felt like I am living in a bubble since diagnosis so that's nothing new! Take care everyone - we got this!! Jx ... View more