Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi ladies I was diagnosed in Worthing in 2008, (aged 38)  after a biopsy of what I was assured would be a benign cyst ( got the results from the biopsy 2 weeks later)  I then had a lumpectomy of this presumed benign cyst which is when it was discovered it was malignant. I had a mastectomy and immediate recon at East Grinstead ( a very impressive service, there! - they were extremely kind and very good indeed )  I had radiotherapy afterwards at Brighton  All my aftercare and follow up appointments ( aside from surgery check ups and nipple tattoo etc) were at worthing and I continue to have yearly mamograms on the 'good' boob!  - I had my 5 year mamo about 3 weeks ago and still wa\iting the letter to confirm all is ok - so am starting to worry a bit now 😞  I dont know if things have changed, but Worthing was certainly not a one stop shop!!    ... View more

nearly 5 years on ... still here... still fighting fit! 🙂  ... View more

Its all done now. Had my final tattoo on Tuesday - and was discharged from their care afterwards. So I hope my post and all the ladies that added to it over the last few years has given some hope - I am at the end of my long tunnel and out the other side into the sunshine. I'm down to one mastectomy a year now too. So no longer terrified and no longer 38... I'm 40 and fighting fit again!! Thank you to all my lovely friends I made via this site - which at times was an utter godsend. Be strong - I never thought I'd get through it and yet here I am a few years later and all is well. Love & best wishes for a happy Christmas Jenny xx ... View more

and so we come to the end of my long journey - am pleased to report it's a happy ending .... the nipple was tattooed on Wednesday and I am now looking not TOO different to 2 and a bit years ago. Of course I have changed as a person - it knocks the stuffing out of you... but I am alive, I have survived and I got through it. Life for me will re-start in 2011. I wish every one on here a happy ending. Far too many of those I have chatted to on here and via face book have been lost to this horrible cancer over the past few years and I count myself extremely lucky. This site provided me with vital support when I was at my lowest and I hope some find my post and get some comfort and help from it as I did from others when I was diagnosed. Jenny xxx ... View more

now waiting for nippled to be tattooed... its a long journey isnt it ... View more

deleted - was going to write a blog , but couldnt figure it out!!! ... View more

Hi ladies Me again ... well THANKFULLY the hairy toe ( as it looked liked when the dressings were removed.. it was HUGE and there were stitches hanging from it) has shrunk right down to a far more acceptable and nipply like lump I am going back for a follow up consultation on Thursday this week... supsect he wont be overly pleased as the dog ears are still there - and its still very sore and bruised feeling where they allegedly lypo'd. I will be suprised if they actually did anything as apart from the pain in that area and the big purple bruises which appeared afterwards... nothing looks any different. I have decided I will live with my corners as I am not going through any more surgery ... in the name of vanity! ... View more

few days since surgery now and Im not sure that the lypo on the tummy tuck has been very successfull. I still seem to have a 'corner' on one side. Has anyone else had this done and found it doesnt seemed to have flattened out properly? ... View more

thanks to everyone for your post - Dotchas and Gill lovely to hear from you! I don't come on here much anymore I'm afraid - it was a HUGE help to me when I was going through the mastectomy but I had to just 'crack on' with living after all that, so sorry for not updating our long thread I started back in Sep 2008! Anyway, I'm back home - surgery was at 10am yesterday and I was dressed and out by 6pm I too have the blue mini ring donut over my new nipple ( I am so excited about having a nipple after 1.5 years without one ) and there is no pain from that area The tummy flaps/ dog ears area is really sore though - burning and bruised and I'm shuffling about a bit . cant roll over or lie on my side in bed which meant I didn't have a great nights sleep last night.Other than that its great to have had it done finally. I had a cold in November last year when I was supposed to have it done - they sent me away!! I hope this info helps those due to have the surgery - if you have any questions please ask - as its very fresh in my mind at the moment!! Jenny xxx ... View more

if anyone is in worthing and would like to get together one evening ( as I work full time and am single mum of a 9 year old) then please do let me know - Im in Durrington and would be lovely to get together for a chat and cuppa and compare experiences - Im not sure I have mentally recovered from this - as I joke about it all the time with friends etc ( well, not exactly joke... but make light of it) and when ever I speak to docs / hospital about it I do tend to well up and blub a bit... might be good to chat to those in similar situ's Feel free to pm me if you fancy this.... ( or I am childfree all next weekend.... ) ... View more

just been watching the news re Cumbrian floods - what an utter nightmare it must be for everyone. Was your house OK ? are you getting help ? Well i now have my rescheduled date for recon - 15th Feb ! still got the cold, so am quite glad they didnt operate as I would be feeling really rough! glad you are all ok. Hope Ostrich is alright - will check in from time to time and see how you are all doing take care xxxx ... View more

I WAS in East Grinsted ( Queen Vic) for about half an hour until they decided my cold was too bad to operate on me. Back to work tomorrow then with a wait for another appointment. Quite frustrating, but also means it will be tricky for me to meet up as I am single mum with full time job.. Shame... 😞 ... View more

went up to the hospital today... got the wrist band put on... the aneathatist decided that due to bad cold that I should not be operated on... so I am back home again feeling very fed up. Nipple will not be in place til next year now I guess. ... View more

I would love to try 4th in Arundel!! I am due to have nipple recon on Monday but have come down with a cold so not sure what the situ will be. If I dont go into hospital I will have to go back to work and wont be able to make it ... other wise, if they do operate I should be good for 4th xx ... View more

I am having nipple recon on Monday up at East Grinsted with Charles Nduka ( having seen Mr Bonomi at Worthing who dod the mastectomy)... so once that heals a bit I would love to meet up locally. its such a shame there wasnt anyone local to me last year when I was diagnosed , but would still be keen to meet anyone local now, even though the worst is over for me ( i hope / think ) ... View more

Shenay I am also in Worthing ..... be good to meet up sometime if you feel like it ... View more

Am glad my frank and candid descriptions have helped - it was good to get it all 'off my chest' at the time... and time is certainly a great healer ... reading back ( as I have done tonight) makes me realise how far Ive come since then - never been so frightened in my life and hope I never have to go back to that dark place again. Apart from the odd wobble I have when I talk about it to the medical people when i go for check ups, it all feels like a very distant nightmare now. As for the procedure Im having done on Monday - Its nipple recon using the skin I have on the breast - apparently they will make 4 little petal shaped cuts and then sew them together to form a nodule.. friends have helpfully suggested I take in a rivet from my jeans to use... or a small button... but I'll trust the surgeon to use his own method! Am also having some lypo done on the new boob as its a little too large and needs balancing a bit to match the other one, also some lypo on my tummy tuck; the 'dog ears' that were left over, like small fleshy corners will be flattened out. Its all just cosmetic really and Im not keen on operations ... but have been persuaded to have this last bit of surgery done to complete the work... next step will be tattooing and am seriously considering something a bit different for that. maybe a star shape in nipple colours!!! Feel I ought to mark it with something a bit different! Wish I could persuade him to lypo my thighs & bingo wings too ... but doubt he will. ... View more

Oh Dot... how awfull for you ... poor thing... :o( Hope you are ok and had lots of support - only sorry I wasnt here for you on the forum - I do feel very selfish for just abandoning... but I just wanted to forget everything . I have re-read our thread - and it brings it all back just reading through it all . I still check for lumps and bumps all the time - dont think the fear will ever go! How are the other girls ? have you heard from any of them lately? ... View more

would be lovely to get together with local ladies to talk it all through - although Ive been through the worst (I hope) and have recently been cleared but the nightmare of it reoccurring worries me - and the last year has been hellish. but no one local to me to meet and talk to - which would have been so fabulous last year. ... View more