Breast Cancer Now Forum

I was on a first aid refresher course on Tuesday. At one point our (not very good) instructor said when discussing a particular injury, "You don't wanna think about going to bed like that, coz next day you'll wake up dead." Hmmm. I wonder how that works? ... View more

Just lost my post - was long and rambling so maybe no bad thing for it to disappear into the ether. All i really wanted to say is I am finding this thread very useful and interesting. My energy levels make massive leaps on the weeks where I exercise caution over what I eat. The benefits of a good diet are not just physical but also psychological for me. Just wish I could keep it up. Silly that it can be difficult sometimes, but it is. Love to all. Xxx ... View more

I wouldn't normally do this, so please excuse me, but I think just this once it's worth it, and since we have been on the subject of dogs.... It's a link to You Tube. Talking dog. You need sound for this. I guess you probably have to cut and paste the link below into your address bar. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGeKSiCQkPw Nowt to do with breast cancer, but it cheered me up today. Promise I won't talk any more doggie stuff. ... View more

Sorry AlexG. It was just that the dog was so unattractive that my husband joked it was crossed with a pig hence the name. I also recently saw what looked like a Jack Russell crossed with a chihuahua and I have wondered if that makes it a jackahuahua? Enough already! Xx ... View more

Sorry this is a bit off topic but last week OH and I saw a large ugly curly haired beast of a dog lumbering round the park. After some disagreement over what breed it might be, OH told me it must be a pigadoodle. Was very funny at the time but maybe you had to be there. Oh well... Xx ... View more

Way to go Dundeemeg! x ... View more

Sorry you feel so awful. This is a big bunch of sh*t to have to deal with - you are in a tailspin and it feels absolutely dreadful. I remember as well, there were some days I couldn't stop shivering and shaking. My emotional 'crutch' to see me through the first while was diazepam (valium) which gave me some much needed respite. It gave me a small sense of control (I could decide if and when I needed to take a tablet). It's not for everyone I know but it was my brother-in-law doctor who suggested to me that these days there is no need to go without sleep and suffer more anguish than is necessary when there are medicines which are designed for just this kind of thing to give you a bit of breathing space and time to get your head around it all. As others say, this hellishness will surprisingly pass given time. Xxx ... View more

hi Ninja, welcome to the forums. You are going through a hard time, and I'm sorry to hear that on top of all your current troubles you have breast cancer too. That really is cr*p for you. You probably feel like a rabbit caught in the headlights just now, but that will pass. Hope some ladies with a similar diagnosis to yours will pop in to say hi and reassure you that this is do-able. Take care. scottiedog xxx ... View more

Dundeemeg, I was seen at Ninewells in May 2009. It was suggested to me to phone the receptiionist at the breast clinic for a cancellation. Unfortunately they had no current cancellations but she told me I could phone twice a day if I wanted, so that's what I did and after maybe the 3rd or 4th day of trying I managed to get a cancellation and my apointment was brought well forward. There were only certain days the clinic was open, can't remember which, but of course this was 2 years ago. Maybe ask as well if there is a chance you can be seen at Perth - my surgery was there as I nearly flipped when I was told at Ninewells that I'd have to wait a few weeks as the surgeon was going on holiday. Not sure if there even is a screening clinic in Perth, but you never know. Good luck phoning. I phoned about 9.30 in the mornings and again just after lunch. ... View more

Hi. My PICC line was put in just before my 2nd or maybe 3rd FEC because my veins didn't cope with the FEC. I only wish I'd had it put in sooner as it made life much simpler thereafter. Yes there was a lot of blood but it was completely painless. I looked away the whole time and I only know about the blood because my friend told me afterwards. The procedure itself just took minutes. There was a bit of mild discomfort during the first couple of weeks, I seem to remember that it was something to do with the veins reacting a bit to having a foreign object inserted but that settled down. I quite enjoyed having to go to hospital more regularly to get it flushed etc as it meant more contact with the lovely supportive chemo nurses and a chance to speak about any concerns. Please don't worry. I found it to be a good thing to have. ... View more

Just wanted to say hi maclinski. I had my surgery at Perth and chemo (FEC) at Ninewells, back in 2009. Good luck with your treatment. Xxxx ... View more

Finally - gone blonde! ... View more

Oh Muffett (Teresa), I'm sorry your OH isn't coping with your weight gain, that's the last thing you need after everything else. I know mine is also struggling a bit with this, but for us it's because I feel so flabby and unattractive and he sees that my feelings about myself have changed for the worse. If he criticised me openly about my physical weight I'd be truly devastated and very p***ed off with him. However there is a perception in society (held by men as well as women I think) that eating is purely a self-control issue for women, and therefore that the thinnest among us must the most in control of their lives and as a consequence the most attractive. I disagree (and thankfully so does my OH) but we girls are all subject to these kind of pressures and peceptions whether we agree with them or not. Part of my negative view of my weight gain probably stems from how I think other people see me. Good luck in dealing with this with your partner. A year or so ago there was a weight loss thread started - I didn't last long on it as I couldn't shift the pounds, but maybe some posters had some good ideas. I will dig around for it. Interested to read from Lily that changing from Tamoxifen to another tablet worked. not sure I'm brave enough to change my tablets. I'm NED at the mo, and "if it ain't broke don't fix it" comes to mind. I will watch this thread with interest. Take care all you fabulous ladies. scottiedog xxxx ... View more

Hi lol1968. I haven't got any answers but I have the exact same problems as you. I'm finding it incredibly hard to lose weight, and pre-BC I never had to bother with weight as my appetite and energy levels were fine, but now food / eating / weight has become an issue for me. I want the old me back. ... View more

My treatment ( lumpectomy / chemo / radiotherapy ) was also for a grade 3 lump and i had 6 x FEC. I hope you have a similar experience to mine. I was not sick at all, or even nauseous, although i felt a little bit iffy for a day or 2 after each cycle. I am grateful that i was able to continue working (teaching at college) part time although I did have concerns over catching infections. My chemo began just as last year's swine flu hit a massive crescendo in the summer, and i wasn't sure i was doing the right thing by working. However it worked out fine for me - luckily no infections, even though my cell count was very low a couple of times and chemo had to be postponed. Keeping as much of my life as normal as poss was important to me though, and looking back im certain that helped me through the seemingly never-ending treatments. My one problem was the FEC buggered up my veins and i needed a PICC line in my arm. My only regret is that i didnt push for a PICC line sooner as i found it upsetting to see and feel my veins grow as hard as concrete. However lots of people don't have any vein problems at all. I hope you have a reasonable time on FEC. Another thing, i was prescribed a sedative before each cycle. Worked for me and stopped me stressing. Very good luck to all about to embark on chemo. Do take heart that while you are probably wise to prepare for a bumpy ride, it may not be so bad for you. ... View more

Hi Dawn, I do hope you get this sorted out very soon, and get the right type and balance with your pain meds. I can well understand your concerns re drugs masking the underlying pain, as I'd feel the same as you about that. Sorry I can't offer advice on the matter but I'm wishing you well with it. Hope some more ladies can offer their views / experiences on this soon. scottiedog xxx ... View more

Oh Val, your post has made me chuckle! I too suspect that my brain doesn't function just as well as it did 10 or 20 years ago. I rely on lists for remembering pretty much everything, and at the moment the names I constantly get muddled up are my 2 dogs (actually I regularly muddle their names with the names of my children too, you'd think I could at least get my kids' names right!). Chemo provides a nice excuse for my addled brain but perhaps I have to face the fact I am (wee whisper here) just ...getting ...older! xx ... View more

Well hi again folks, thought I'd update you.... Had a CT scan of my brain and it has showed that there is an old (ie not recent) infarction, on the left side of my brain, which is really weird I think, because I can't think I've ever had anything that would suggest a stroke prior to the turn I described at the start of this thread. The GP who gave me my results says that it needs further investigation but he's not sure what that will involve yet. Anyway, it doesn't seem to be related to having had BC, and it also doesn't seem to be related to the strange turn I had a couple of weeks ago, (or at least that's what the GP seemed to hint if not exactly say). I am now wondering if this is what may be responsible for my word-finding problems and general muddled-ness I sometimes feel, and which I had put down to a mixture of chemo brain and 'just me'....Once again any thoughts or knowledge appreciated. I'm OK about it all (mighty relieved it's not secondaries, which is what I suspected) but not sure what to think really... Sorry this is all me, me, me. I do know that some of you are having a much tougher time than me. My love goes out to all readers and posters on this site. xx ... View more

Just wanted to add my experience too. Last year I had 6 x FEC chemo, and although my veins got knackered pretty quickly, that got sorted out with a PICC line. I'm the world's biggest coward and was terrified before my first FEC, but was fortunate not to feel more than just a wee bit iffy for a day or 2, was never sick, and continued to work part-time throughout my treatment. I know of others who felt even better than I did with absolutely no side-effects, and I hope that those who are waiting to start their chemo will take some comfort from that. By the way, I relied on chemo scarves for a while to cover my balding head, but once I started to experiment with lots of woolly hats, I discovered that I really like some styles of them, and now have a small collection of hats that I would never have worn before and which I love. ... View more