Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hello, just wanted to say that my results were ok-the lump turned out to be scar tissue from the rads. The consultant rang me at 2pm on Christmas Eve to give me the good news, and said although the policy was not to give results over the phone he was making an exception so I could enjoy my Christmas. As you can imagine that was the best present I could've received. Thanks for your good wishes, Nicky x ... View more

Hi Laine, I was so pleased to get your reply, how are you? I hope that you are keeping well. I remember our conversations and I'm glad you feel I was able to help you a bit at the time. I am trying to keep busy and not think about it, as you say there is so much to do at the moment it's good really. I haven't been on the site for a while but it was so nice to have replies when I posted, everyone on here understands how you are feeling whereas family and friends don't always. I told my daughters last night and was glad I did, they were pleased I had told them and they were both very positive and supportive. I'm just waiting to hear now when the tests will be. Take care, and I hope you have a good Christmas too, Love Nicky x ... View more

Hi Mushroom & Jackie, Thank you so much for your replies, it really does help to talk to someone else who knows how you are feeling. I also have had problems with the breast since treatment, it is still very tender particularly around my underarm scar from the lymph gland removal and I had an ultrasound last year because of the pain and was diagnosed with radiation mastitis. I am hoping this lump is part of the scar tissue associated with that, although the lump is higher up and out of the irradiated area (I still have the obvious line that shows where that was!) I think Jackie what you say is so true. I feel in a lot of ways I have moved on and my family don't mention it now, but we are very close-I have four kids in their twenties and when I was first diagnosed my elder daughter was in the middle of her finals at uni. I agonised over whether to mention it then but struggled to hide it from her, and when I did tell her she said that she was so glad that I had shared it with her at the start. I think I will tell them, as like you say I need their support.I don't even know whether I'll get the appointment for the tests before Christmas and I don't think I could keep up a front for that long-everyone is coming to me for Christmas dinner so it would be really hard. Thanks again for your support, and I will let you know the results-hopefully it will be nothing to worry about. I hope you both have a great Christmas, and wish you both continued good health. Nicky ... View more

hello Hello Eileen Mary, I had exactly the same diagnosis and treatment as you fourteen months ago and remember well the arm pain, which was much worse than the breast pain following the surgery. It is only two weeks since your op and there has been a lot of damage to the nerves in your arm that need to heal. It is important to try and do the exercises they show you even though it hurts, as they do help. I used to take painkillers half an hour before. I still get shooting pains sometimes even now and the area is still quite numb but a lot better than it was. I do feel for you with your other problems, which I was fortunate not to have to contend with as well, and naturally you are also worried about your husband. Do you have any family or friends that can help you, as you need to give yourself time to recover? Wishing you both all the best, Nicky x ... View more

fantastic news! Hi Elaine, Great news, I had the same result following my first mammogram in February a year after diagnosis and the feeling of relief is brilliant. Hope you have a fantastic holiday and continued good health, Best wishes, Nicky x ... View more

thank you! Hello Laine, Dawn, Shell and Liz, Many thanks again for all your good wishes, I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and wish you loads of happiness and good health. It's my birthday tomorrow, (I will be 52), we are off to see The Who live in Swansea next weekend (long time ambition!) and in September are doing our dream trip of a motorbike touring holiday to the southwest USA for three weeks taking in the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley etc. on a Harley! I'm determined to not put off doing anything I want to do and to live life to the full. I was made redundant in January and before my diagnosis would probably have done something a lot more sensible with the money but not now! Love Nicky XX ... View more

what a relief... Hello again, The results of my spine and hip x-rays show "chronic wear and tear" to two of the lumbar discs. I never thought I would have been pleased to get this diagnosis-but it was so much better than the one I had been dreading! The GP was confident that there was no evidence of bone mets. I am being referred for physio, which I hope helps-it must have been disappointing for you Liz not to have noticed much improvement after three months of treatment. I am sitting here in work this morning with a hangover due to a bit too much celebrating last night! Thanks to all of you who replied to me for your support and good wishes, and good luck and hopefully good health too, Nicky x ... View more

Hello Laine Thanks so much for replying, I'm touched that you remember me, I also remember the trouble you had with your haematoma! Glad you are now doing well, and good luck for your first mammo. You've really hit the nail on the head-there's lots of things this pain could be but in the wee small hours I can't rid myself of the fear it's bone mets. I think the reason my family are being so upbeat about this is fear- they really don't want to even think about dealing with worrying about me again! As I said, at least on this site you can admit to your worries and nobody thinks you are being a hypochondriac or a drama queen-we all understand how it feels. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be told it's something straightforward and referred for some physio or something, whatever happens I'll let you know. Thanks again for your good wishes, Love Nicky x ... View more

thanks Hi Dawn, Thank you very much for your reply, I have followed some of your posts over the last year and know that you have had a long battle with this disease yet always seem to be able to give positive help and reassurance. I know that there are several reasons why I could be having this pain other than bone mets and I am trying to think positively, but I have some arthritis in other bits of me, e.g. my knees, and the pain is totally different. That pain is much more associated with movement and worse in the morning when the joints are stiff, this hip pain is always there but much worse at night and when resting. I just want to find out now, the waiting for results is always the worst part isn't it! My family are playing down my fears and it's nice to be able to come on here and speak to people who understand the worries that we have of reoccurence, even when you can rationalise that it's more likely to be something else. I've largely kept these thoughts to myself over the weekend but am getting more scared the nearer it gets to tomorrow afternoon. I did go on the bcpals site when first diagnosed last year but haven't been on it for a while. I would love to be able to speak more, so will look for you on there when I've been to the doctor's tomorrow. Thanks again for your support. Thanks also Moderator for your email and advice. Best wishes, Nicky x ... View more

Hip pain Hi, I had a WLE/ANC followed by rads last summer, no node involvement. For the past few weeks I've had severe pain in my hip which sometimes is accompanied by sciatica. The area over the hip is very tender and he focus of the pain seems to be in a very precise small area. It doesn't seem to be linked to anything I do, like exercise, and my mobility is not affected at all. I went to see my GP a couple of weeks ago and was prescribed painkillers which haven't helped at all. The pain is much worse at night. Last week she sent me for a spine and pelvic x ray and blood tests. I phoned on Friday for the results to be told the blood tests were ok but the x rays weren't and I have an appointment to go back on Tuesday. I know my prognosis was really good and I am trying to rationalise that it is probably nothing to do with the breast cancer but I can't help feeling worried all the same. Has anybody else had a similar experience? Nicky x ... View more

Hi Suzanne The breast lymphoedema started after I'd finished radiotherapy. I was in a lot of pain, mostly concentrated in the outside of the breast and radiating up to the area under the underarm scar. I was in so much pain (much worse than immediately after the surgery) I rang the breast care nurse who arranged for me to see the surgeon, who referred me for an ultrasound. The radiologist confirmed that there were pockets of fluid trapped between the layers of scar tissue. The pain is a lot better now but still present, combined with some swelling in the outside of the breast and at the side where your bra goes. which seems to emphasise the really noticeable large "hole" where the lymph nodes were removed, which eveyone I've seen medically since has commented on. I find it hard to get a comfortable bra. It feels very much like when I was breast feeding the kids and the breasts were engorged. I am stll having regular periods and the symptoms get much worse the week before my period. I know there have been other threads on breast lymphoedema over the past few months, you could try putting it into the search box at the top. Best wishes, Nicky x ... View more

advice I too am thinking of going back to the gym as I want to get the weight I've put on since dx and treatment over the last year off before our holiday. I asked the lymphoedema nurse what I should/shouldn't do and her advice was to just try stuff, gently at first, and just build it up if it doesn'y make the swelling worse. Apparently what affects some people others cope with fine. I guess it's just about being sensible and listening to your body. Thanks for your good wishes and advice Birgit, I can't wait for this trip! Doing Route 66 on a Harley has been my dream since I saw Easy Rider as a teenager, can't believe I'm doing it in my fifties!! Nicky x ... View more

lymphoedema Hi, I had a WLE and axillary node clearance twelve months ago and have since developed lymphoedema which like Birgit mainly affects my upper arm, breast and chest wall although my hand and fingers also swell towards the evening. I wear a compression sleeve and have been taught massage to do simple drainage by my lymphoedema nurse. She also recommended carrying on with the post-surgery exercises. I go to aquarobics too which seems to have helped. The nurse gave me a "Medical Alert" card stating that I have lymphoedema in my left arm and no medical treatment should be administered to that arm. I carry it in my purse although I suppose if I were unconscious it might not be the first thing whoever was treating me might look for but my thought is that if I were in that situation lymphoedema would probably be the least of my worries! I too try to live life to the full and we have recently booked a three week motorcycle touring holiday to the US. I have read that long haul flights can aggravate lymphoedema and wondered whether anybody has any experience of this? I've been given a sheet with lots of advice, like to drink lots of water during the flight and try to keep the arm moving etc. The nurse also advised me to ask for some antibiotics from my GP just in case I need them. We will also be experiencing dramatic changes in temperature and altitude each day-e.g. going from Las Vegas where the temp is in the nineties high into the Colorado mountains where its twenty degrees cooler, so I am expecting my arm to complain a bit, but this trip is a dream we've had for years and my recent redundancy payment has enabled us to do it financially, so no way am I going to let lymphoedema get in the way! Best wishes to you all, Nicky x ... View more

lymphoedema and travel insurance Hubby and I have booked a three week trip to America for September and it will then be more than 12 months since I completed my treatment, since which I have also had a clear mammogram. I would be inclined to just opt for excluding the cancer as I did when we went on a European trip last September, but I have developed mild lymphoedema in the affected arm and was wondering whether to get more comprehensive cover? I know I will have to wear my compression sleeve during the flight and I thought of asking my GP for some antibiotics to take with me as a precaution, but would be grateful to know what others think as to whether I should pay more to include this condition or not. So far I've had no problems other than slight swelling. Best wishes to all, Nicky ... View more

Whoo-hooo! Brilliant news! So very pleased for you! Booking a holiday is a great idea. Have a fab weekend celebrating, I shall raise a glass of wine to all of us. Take care, Love Nicky x ... View more

Hi Sonya Hello, hope all is going well for you at the mo. I have only just realised you kindly replied to my post, as it had slipped a couple of pages. Thanks for your good wishes, I am chuffed to bits with my new job-I eventually got made redundant as my old firm went into administration. I was out of work for a couple of weeks (which was actually a nice break!) before landing this new job. I am getting a decent redundancy payment as I was with my old firm for nine years and we have been having the "do we do something sensible with the money or do something amazing with it" dilemma-in the light of my results and the experiences of last year we have decided to hell with being sensible and have decided to do something we have dreamed of doing for a long time, and that is to rent a Harley -Davidson motorbike and tour the American South-West taking in sights such as the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley etc. One of our greatest pleasures is touring on our motorbike, its such a stress buster, and the experience of doing so through such wonderful scenery will be amazing. So we are off in the autumn! Just wanted to share this with you, I remember reading that you went to Mexico last year. There are so many things I want to do, and the shock of realising how your life can change is such an incentive to actually go out and do it. I do realise that I'm lucky to have this lump of cash to do it with. Best wishes for continued good health and happiness, Love Nicky x ... View more

thanks and good luck! Hi Jugsy, Thanks for your reply, what a fab pic on your profile, who is the little one? Great name too! Know what you mean about the what ifs, like you I have to think the worst and then anything better is a bonus. I've been lying awake too imagining all sorts. Good luck for your mammo, do you know how long you will have to wait to find out the results? Please do let me know how you get on. Love Nicky x ... View more

what a relief!... Went to get the results of my first mammogram since original dx today, and am on cloud nine after being told everything was ok. Having felt I had managed to begin to move on, for the last seven days since the mammo I have been back in that scary place of waiting for results again. I actually felt quite sick waiting to be called to go in to see the consultant. I have just poured myself a large glass of wine to celebrate. I started a new job yesterday and am starting to hope that this year is going to be much better than 2006. Best wishes and thanks to everyone who has helped make this site such a lifeline and source of support to me over the past year. Here's to all of us...cheers!! Love Nicky x ... View more