Breast Cancer Now Forum

Thank you Ladies, forgot to mention the insomnia and achey legs at night. !! I have received a reply from my Oncologist who has suggested that I stop it for a month to see how I feel, until I see him in March . Phew, fingers crossed !! Good luck to you all x ... View more

Hi, I have had a chest expander in since Feb and was only filled up once as I was only a B cup to begin with. I am having reconstruction a week today and have to say that although uncomfortable it hasn't been too bad. Your boob is rock hard and it has been hard to lie on my front probably because the expanded boob is bigger and i am lop sided !! and because it is so damn hard. For me the experience was better then having nothing there at all. Good luck x ... View more

Hi Krissie, If you can , ask ......Portacath all the way, the tampax of catheters !! You can sing, dance and get it wet !!! Good luck x ... View more

Beam me up I've had enough Where's the Tardis ! ... View more

Hi Judes, I do think that it is a postcode lottery as to giving Emmend etc. I live in the South Coast and have been lucky enough to have had all of my treatment privately. I was told by my chemo team, that our local NHS hospital did not give some of the specific drugs that helped make the treatment easier, out. Going privately assured me of continuity of care, I see the same team for every treatment, More time was given and I only ever saw the Consultants. The hospital that I attend had set up an oncology suite and treated people together,I could have had treatment at home but choose to go in to the hospital. I count myself very lucky to have received the care that I have, although my partner felt that it could have been better at times. It is your decision alone, however I would add that you are lucky enough to be able to choose and if you did try using the NHS and you felt that you were not receiving the care that you needed you could opt to go privately. It is a shame that you too are treading this path, however you will get through it and am sure that you will make the choice suitable for you. Good luck. Michelle x ... View more

Pink Friday Fab, Love my tutu ! xx ... View more

Hi Penny and all you ladies, I am so glad that you have complained.It is bad enough having cancer without being treated by unsympathetic staff. ( Although there are some good nurses out there, my friend is one..the type that allways gets chocolates and goes out of her way to support others !!) I just wanted to vouch for the portacath, I call it the 'tampax' of all catheters, as you can sing and dance with them in !!( they are waterproof) I have been very lucky to have had all of my treatment privately and the portacath has been with me from the start, it has saved unecessary pain and as I am having to continue with Herceptin has been with my for almost a year !! I shall miss it when we have to go our seperate ways 😞 Don't put up with any more crap and push for one. My chemo nurses have said that the NHS are going to start using them as a matter of course. You will get there with regards to your chemo, I did as did others, 3 more is do able ..promise ! Keep on with the wine ..throw in chocolate and cake for good measure !! Michelle x ... View more

I am sorry that your having a bad day ...bad, bad NHS. I know that NHS experiances differ region to region but that doesnt help you or others in your area. Tom will be a better day 🙂 Michelle x ... View more

Hi Sarah. I am afraid that you will have to pay more!! Having said that my chemo nurses told me that as i had almost finished my treatment and was in effect ' Cancer free' I wouldn't require specialist insurance. On ringing a cancer specialist insurance company they told me the same thing. However, when contacting insurance companies they informed me that they would insure me but anything cancer related i would not be covered for. We went away in July this year to India and I went with 'Insure Pink'declared everything and still landed up paying three times more then my partner.!! Sainsburys gave me a relatively good quote, try them, but I think once you have mentioned the word cancer your premium doubles 😞 Good luck, hope that helps. Michelle xx ... View more

Ok, its my turn to rant !! I am an exercercise nut, according to my friends! I am 44 , veggie (almost vegan), never smoked or drank and exercise 4 to 5 times a week. Prior to being diagnosed in Sept 2010 was running half marathons !! So that should prevent cancer ??? All the way through my treatment chemo, mastectomy, rsdiotherapy, shoulder op, herceptin etc I have exercised. I even ran the Great South through chemo. Not going to tell you that it is/ was easy because it hasn't been and my runs alnmost became walks at the most were very slow.And sometimes it was hard putting one foot in front of the other. So exercise prevents cancer, can prevent it coming back or helps you through your treatment, ... Mmm, All that i can say is according to statistics I should not have cancer and it wont come back !! Exercise is my thing and always has been, ladies you do what you can when you can. If you are unlucky enough to of had/ get cancer then in my mind it is just bad luck !! Michelle ... View more

Hi Livia, Decesions, decesions ha ! Well I can not give you advice just my experiences.My lymph glands were up at the time and my lump was quite big, so I\asked about having chemo first in order to try and avoid a mx (masectomy)and to shrink the tumour. It didn't work as planned and I had to have the mx anyway ! However they waited a month from my last chemo until the op,and I was told that that was standard practice. I wanted it all to happen quicker and as I was a private patient thought naively that it could !! Psychologically having the chemo first was a better option for me. In my head It felt that It would stop the cancer spreading into my lymph glands and killing the tumour at the same time. Not only that chemo was the bit that i was dreading most, having heard the horror stories and losing my hair. ( It wasn't that bad in the end ) On the other hand having a mx first gets the critter out and chemo mops up afterwards !! You just have to listen to what they advise you and go with your gut feeling. It's your body, your journey and your life. Good luck with everything and I promise that there is light at the end of the tunnel ..i have almost finished !! Michelle xx ... View more

Hi. I just wanted to say that its normal and is another damn problem that goes with the cancer. ( As if you don't have enough on your plate !!) I exercised all through my chemo wherever I was able ( I am a runner), still went to my exercise classes etc, didn't eat vast amounts as I was paranoid about putting on weight, yet I still managed to put on almost a stone!! I even stopped taking the anti sickness pills as they were steroids. ( not something that i advise!!) It is only now as I am nearing the end of all my treatment that it is finally coming off. So, dont feel guilty eat cake and enjoy it, it is a temporary all be it frustrating measure however, you will get there in the end !! Michelle xx ... View more

Hi Buzzy. I am so sorry to hear your news. I was originally planned for 6xFEC T chemo, which finished last week ..ye ha, however I only had two FEC sessions then they gave me 4xT chemo as I was not responding too the treatment as well as they expected. I just wanted to let you know that my hair stated to grow back after no 4. So you may not lose your hair, I think that it is the FEC that does it. So whilst it is a blow for you..(scream,stamp your feet and throw a few pillows!! as your entitled to .Fingers crossed that you may keep your hair. Why dont you check with your oncologist?? I wish you all the best, hope that it goes well. Michelle x ... View more

Hi Donna, My results came back inconclusive, however I still had to have chemo due to the cancer type and size. Next week I have my final one... yipee and I just want to say that although it is not nice, it is manageable and as someone else said, the waiting is the worst part. Some advice that I am able to give to you, is that you must speak out. If you are experiencing any side effects then you must let your care team know. Every treatment is different and individual to that person and as I was told by my team..'the last thing that we want to do is make you sick'!!!! For me, when I spoke out with regards to anything that I was not happy with, the nurses went out of their way to support me. Of course this advice comes only if you have to have chemo and as yet you do not know. We all imagine the worst case scenario and sometimes that scenario becomes a reality. However ,whatever the outcome may be,you will cope with it, we all do. I wish you luck and try not to worry. xx ... View more

Hi Donna, My results came back inconclusive, however I still had to have chemo due to the cancer type and size. Next week I have my final one... yipee and I just want to say that although it is not nice, it is manageable and as someone else said, the waiting is the worst part. Some advice that I am able to give to you, is that you must speak out. If you are experiencing any side effects then you must let your care team know. Every treatment is different and individual to that person and as I was told by my team..'the last thing that we want to do is make you sick'!!!! For me, when I spoke out with regards to anything that I was not happy with, the nurses went out of their way to support me. Of course this advice comes only if you have to have chemo and as yet you do not know. We all imagine the worst case scenario and sometimes that scenario becomes a reality. However ,whatever the outcome may be,you will cope with it, we all do. I wish you luck and try not to worry. xx ... View more

Day 1 of appointments done! Mmm, went through the op arrangements for the porta cath, the negatives and eh..hear this some positives of Chemo!, had a pregnancy test ..loud cough... ( standard practice so I am told !!)and no I am not ! and more importantly received my list of dates for chemo, so that I can plan my running schedule ..ye ha Hi Caroline: I am being treated at Goring Hall, my radiotherapy will be in Brighton though and your right the worst bit is the waiting around. Thats what caused the anxiety, chocolate eating and manic mood swings !! Hi Alex..parties what are they ??!!! Elaine : yep your right its so frustrating, it has already meant changes to my keep fit routines ! I hope that you all had a good day too, and are feeling upbeat regardless of your situation. Michelle ... View more