Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hello everyone Nice to hear that you all got through all your treatments today (and yesterday) ok - I am even starting to feel a tiny bit left out (haha); I just want to get on with this now!  @LouLou81 I can imagine it must be very strange waiting for the side effects to kick in - I am watching with interest as just a few days behind you. Maybe you will get off lightly, you can only hope  🤞 How was your haircut btw? I expected to feel sadder about cutting mine but actually it was quite empowering feeling like I was taking some control over the situation. It looks ok too. And let's face it, it's only hair. (Remind me that I said that once I am on the floor crying about bald patches  😂 ) @eeyore58 another one down for you - that means one less to go  😊 @Eowyn four attempts to find a vein doesn't sound much fun, hope you are feeling ok today  💮 How are you doing @Ravencat @Whiskey and @Mandi1? Do you know when you are starting yet @Pollyannasglad ? I had my chemo induction over the phone today instead of in person as the hospital was trying to take the pressure off staff caused by the rail strike. It was a lot of overwhelming information and so much about the side effects I have to say it ramped up my anxiety quite a bit. Plus a bit weird being given the chemo unit tour verbally... 'when you come in you will see on the right.. etc'. But now I'm mostly thinking roll on Monday, let's just get this moving. I have been feeling quite rubbish physically today and hoping it's side effects from the Covid booster jab that I decided to get yesterday - and that I'm not actually coming down with Covid (or anything else that might delay treatment) from spending hours in a crowded hot and sweaty gym hall over the weekend watching my daughters' gymnastics competition! Hang in there everyone, every day that passes is another day of 'getting through it' however that looks.  💙 ... View more

Hi all  Just wanted to check in before passing out for the night, hope all your chemo-related adventures today have been manageable.  @LouLou81 you have clearly been through a lot in a very short space of time, so not surprising that you had a 'breakdown moment'. I have had much longer to get used to things - to the point where I really wish we would hurry up and get started on this thing now. But I have had several breakdown moments, and am sure there will be plenty more. I hope you have recovered a bit and that getting the PICC line put in today was ok.  @Eowyn I hope your second round of chemo went smoothly and you are feeling ok so far. The bald Barbie sounds great as does getting your daughter involved as your wig and scarf stylist! Mine is looking forward to me becoming a mum who wears makeup (having been pretty minimalist on that front most of my life) and says she will do my eyebrows and eyelashes (and bright red lipstick) once we get to that stage. You sound very organised with the beanies and wigs etc.  I was meant to be going in to visit the chemo unit tomorrow and have my induction session but they have changed it to a phone appointment because of the train strike.  @eeyore58 I think you are up for another round tomorrow, best wishes to you Night all! ... View more

  @LouLou81 the waiting to start is hard isn't it? Hope the PICC line goes ok. I am going to try cold capping, mostly in an attempt to save my daughter too much worry/teen embarrassment by going bald too quickly. Sounds like it's very likely to happen either way. Am also having my hair cut very short tomorrow, which I'm expecting might be a bit emotional.  @eeyore58 well done for riding all the aches and pains out - sounds quite challenging! I have no experience of your drugs; have you checked the other monthly threads for any insights?  x ... View more

Hi @Eowyn and @LouLou81 thinking of you tomorrow and Thursday.  Hard for you both with young children. I am the lone parent of a 13 year old daughter so feel lucky that she is at least at an age where she can get herself to and from school/friends and make herself a basic meal etc.  But emotionally she still needs a lot of support so I am nervous about how this is going to affect her if she has a mum who can't get out of bed for days on end and there is no one else in the house to talk to! We just have to 'roll with the punches' I guess and make the most of the times that we feel better to be more engaged parents. And they will see us facing difficult times and learn from that too.  Sending you both hugs x ... View more

Hi all Can I join you here? If all goes to plan I will be starting chemo a week today (on Monday 27th) so just squeaking in to June.  I am having AC (which doesn't seem that usual from reading on here) for the first three months which is apparently quite hardcore, but I guess also most appropriate for 'my' cancer. Had a lumpectomy and LNB in April - all margins and nodes clear and so I was expecting to 'get away with' just some radiotherapy. But oncotype came back high and here I am looking down the barrel of six months on the chemo train. Sorry that you are all on the same train but I am grateful for the chance of company on this journey that no one wants to go on! I am meant to be working today (from home) but feeling very distracted. I hope all your Mondays are going as well as they can so far. Sending hugs  x ... View more

Hi @Katieh14 sorry that you have found yourself here. We have all been where you are now and there's no denying it is terrifying. I am the lone parent of a school-aged daughter and like you, my first fears on being diagnosed three months ago were about her and how very much she still needs me.  But the good news is that even if it doesn't feel like it right now, today you are in a better place than you were yesterday, as you will now have a whole team of experts focused on getting you the best possible treatment and the best possible outcome.  I have been amazed so far at just how many very effective treatments there are and how personalised the plan is to each patient. I have had surgery and now about to start chemo; it feels daunting but doable. Lots of amazing support and advice from the people on this forum too.  Hang in there x     ... View more

@Watcherbee I have not had short hair for years but as @Jaybro suggested I think it will be better not to be feeling long clumps coming out so I'm hoping this makes it less disturbing. And there is no one else around to cook here so if I didn't batch cook we could be living on beans on toast for a long time!  Covid jab - I was thinking I probably should do this but haven't done anything about it yet.  x ... View more

Thanks @Jaybro that is all mega-helpful! I am planning to try the cold cap - mostly because I feel like my daughter might be distressed seeing me go bald too quickly! But apparently my type of chemo drugs (AC) are pretty hard on the hair so even with the cold cap I've been warned that half the time it doesn't work at all and if it does, it will only 'reduce' hair loss.  My daughter is however looking forward to being allowed to help me with eyebrows and false eyelashes; she is deprived of those opportunities in normal life as I am not very much into makeup! Hugs x   ... View more

That's fantastic news @Moggy and Fish Mum I am really pleased to hear you don't need chemo - definitely a light through the trees! I hope you can have a mini-celebration this evening in whatever form that might take for you  😊 I hope you are right about having good days with the chemo - I am cautiously hoping that for at least one week of the three week cycle I will be feeling mostly ok. I am making progress on the things I do have control over and finally ordered some head scarves today. I have also made an appointment to get my hair cut very short. One hurdle at a time.  @Fairydust2019 hope your day has gone ok. One hurdle at a time for you too!  Hugs to you both x         ... View more

Hey @Watcher72 good on you for prioritising your weekend away; that will put you in a good place to start this next phase  🙂 I did not have any lymph node involvement but my oncotype score was quite high - as we all keep hearing, everyone is different so I guess it's comforting to know that they really are tailoring treatment to each individual so that we all have the best possible outcome.  I have now had my dental check and have made an appointment to have my hair cut very short next week in preparation. Also done lots of batch cooking. So trying to take control of the things I can take control of. It does help a bit. Sending you and @Watcherbee and @Shi and @Jaybro hugs and hoping your Thursday is as good as it can be  💚 ... View more

Hey @Fairydust2019  I'm glad to hear that the MRI scan is behind you and that you got through it ok. Think of it as one step closer to getting the most effective treatment for you as a unique case to have the best outcome - as @Moggy and Fish Mum says it's all good information gathering. Having said that, I am the same and it is very understandable to be scared about what the results are going to show and our minds swinging wildly between best and worst scenarios, it's exhausting  😟 My daughter has just turned 13 - so I am lucky that she is now independent enough to make simple meals and get herself on and off buses and to and from school or friends' houses without my involvement. I'm also grateful that she's not yet at the stage of causing me worries about 'experimenting' too much! She has been pretty upset at times about my diagnosis but her school has been great and swung into action with counselling and mentoring groups so I am glad that she is getting that support. We talk a lot and I am trying to make the most of these last weeks before chemo starts to plan some nice plans together to get us through the rough times ahead.  I hope you managed to get back to sleep and not too exhausted today!  x PS I would really love to have a puppy but it is just way too much of a commitment. Have you thought about Borrow my Doggy, that could be an option?  ... View more

I am on AC for four cycles (it seems quite uncommon on here, I need to ask about that) and then Docetaxel for another four.... feels like quite a mountain to climb  🙁 Yep lots to do in the next couple of weeks x ... View more

Hi I only joined this forum a few days ago but I am a couple of months ahead of where you are now on this 'adventure' (that no one wants to be on) and you've done a very good thing by coming here. I put it off as was sort of pretending it wasn't happening to me! But even with a lot of supportive friends around no one really understands how it feels to be going through breast cancer, so it is an isolating experience. But here, none of us are alone.  I had an MRI scan too and found it helped to imagine I was back in a dodgy techno party 25 years ago. Whatever works, right?! The waiting for results is really hard; the panic is real. I hope you can try to give yourself a little kindness every day - sit with the sun on your face, eat something delicious or watch a trashy show.  Remember you are not alone - I will be thinking of you tomorrow as will many others here x PS I am a lone parent of an only child and we got a rescue cat shortly after I was diagnosed. It's been the best thing and is really helping us both get through this.    ... View more

Hi @Watcherbee I was imagining a nearly normal summer not long ago but the universe clearly had different plans. We can be chemo buddies 😊 (although also seems like everyone is on different regimes) Thanks so much for that very helpful list too @Shi I can be a bit of a procrastinator but seems I might need two weeks to get all that sorted. Night all X  ... View more

Will definitely do that, thanks @Shi x ... View more

Thank you for your reply and your kindness @Jaybro. You are so right about the 'denial' being a coping mechanism - I have been very aware since I first knew there could be a problem that if I think too far ahead or start Googling things I will just get totally overwhelmed. And I resisted joining this forum for the same reason. But with a lovely  first message like yours I am feeling that it was a good move. I am trying to limit the worrying to what I have control over.  And I will try to emulate your box! You sound very grounded yourself 🙂   It really is great to have this forum of people who 'get it'.  Thanks so much xx ... View more