Breast Cancer Now Forum

Just to add my two penny worth - I was diagnosed with liver bone and lung mets Nov 2011 and given 6 weeks to live!! I am now on cycle 24 of cap and have worked throughtout - have had 5 days off since diagnosis. To be fair I only work 23 hours a week but one is an 11.5 hourd dat and two 6.5 hour days - I am a paedatric nurse . I do find it tiring but dobable. Help ths helps. xx ... View more

Hi NBF There is hope - here is my story I was diagnosed in august 2008 with what they thought was stage 1 breast cancer - well it tuned into stage 3 with many lymph nodes involved along with vascular invasion - i had a mastectomy and reconstrution - 6 loads of chemo and 7 weeks radiotherapy. Four years later - so in Novemebr 2011 i was diagnosed with secondaries to liver, lung and bone. My liver was so bad they gave me 6 weeks to live - needless to say I am still here. Can't say it has been easy - i was put on chemo that made me so ill I was in a wheelchair for 6 weeks - I got multiple pulmonary emboli and i was very poorly - but i fought and fought hard and at the moment I am very well. I am on my 23rd cycle of oral cap and have a fantastic quality of life. I have a husband and two children who will soon be 11 and 9 - and I really thought I would not see my daughter go to secondary school in Septemenr - but it is becoming a reality. I have an amazing familly - an awesome best friend who is there for me always on good and bad days and many many friends who without them all would not be in this postion today. Don't get me wrong I do have bad days and feel rubbish sometimes and I have loads of demons I have to fight with - but | am nowe being treated as a chronic illnesss. I also know that at some point his awful disease will progress but for now I am enjoying life and making the most of it. Massive hugs xxx ... View more

I am so sad. Kate was truly an inspiration to many people - I followed her blog and posts on here. Goodbye and God Bless. My heart and deepest sympathy go to her husband, children, family and friends. Love Anne ... View more

Dear Kate I have followed your story, blog and comments on this site since I was diagnosed in July 2007. I have found you to be truly inspirational and a great support to others. I do not post often but felt I had to today after ready your blog. I am appaulled at the treatment you have been receiving from your local hospital and have no heisatation in emailing those you have listed. I hope you start fo feel a little better after yesterdays problems and your pain is controlled. I can not beleive in this day and age you are being treated like this. Please take care, love Anne xx ... View more

Hi Msmolly I too had an anaphalytic reaction to tax. but on my 2nd dose. All good with 1st except usually ongoing side effects like tiredness and metallic mouth etc. 2nd dose - after less than 3 mins hada massive reaction - crash team and all. Was told would not be able to have it again. It was the most terrifying experience ever - worse than all my other treatment put together. My Consultant then put me onto CMF for 2 regimes. (prior to this I had had 3 FEC.) Said reduced dose would be too risky too. Hope that helps. please take care,love Anne x ... View more

Tears here too - so sorry that this has happened . My thoughts are with her family - she was an inspiration to us all. Love anne x ... View more

Jenny - Do you mean the 8th or 15th. I could possible be around both dys - have follow up with surgeon monday this monday lunchtime and he always runs late. Let me Know - How was Tunisa? Sorry I will not be around for the meet up tomorrow - have something to do that I can not get out of. Hope you have a great day - despite the awful weather. Please take care, love Anne x ... View more

Hi Jenny What kind of recon are you having? I had a mastectomy and LD reconstruction last Sept - for grade 3 IDC and widespread DCIS and 12/29 lymph node invlovement. I can honestly say - it was nowhere near as bad as I expected both physically and emotionally. Pain - I was only really uncomfortable never painful. I leave in Crawley - West Sussex - so would not mind meeting up at all. I am 41 (40 at diagnosis - what a birthday !- lol!) I have two children 4 and 6. So once the kids are back at school would be better. I wil pm my email address. Please take care, love Anne x ... View more

Hi Paula Just wanted to let you know that I am thinking of you - and too bloody right about the boxing gloves - fight all the way - kick this C right where it hurts. Ensure you take a longlist of questions with you Tuesday and a couple of other people to listen and pick up information - for you. Please take care, love Anne x ... View more

Hi I decided I could not stand bits of hair falling out so got my husband to give me a grade 1. I had to have the wig in the house - just in case, but actualy never wore it. Kept to bandandas - had a different one for every day of the week, and my mood. I found the hair shaving quite liberating - it would be something I would never ever of done except when on chemo. I got so many good comments about my bandandas. when i finished chemo and hair started growing back - decided to brave it and go commando (head I mean!) - it was fine. Have now decide to keep my hair quite short. Please take care, love Anne x ... View more

Hi Jenny I am up for it - live in West Sussex. Love Anne x ... View more

Hi Paula I am so sorry you have to go through this. Unfortunetly now we have had BC - we can not have any else wrong with us that will not involve full investigation. I am sure the bone scan is just a precuation - they would not be doing there jobs properly - but it does not make us feel any better. I still say waiting for the results is the hardest out of this damn journey. It sounds like your GP and Chiro are having simialr thoughts, so I am sure that is what it is. Our minds start to go into overdrive - and we can not think logically. Good Luck and let us now how you get on. Please take care, love Anne x ... View more

Hi Dee I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis. It sounds slightly similar to me. I t am 40 and was diagnosed last July with what they thought was grade 1 IDC. Had wle and snb - to find they did not get clear margins on the DCIS and that the IDC was infact grade 3 - recommended further wle and if that did not work mastectomy. I opted for mastectomy with immediate LD reconsrtuction - when my results came back I had 12/29 nodes affected and they found another 1mm grade 3 IDC not seen on scans. I then had chemo and rads and am now on tamoxifen. (finished rads may 9th). It is extremely scary- especially with the lymph node involvement - but we are offered the most upto date care. Stats are stats - and some people will fall oneside and some the other - I intend to be around for long time yet as my kids are only 6 and 4. All the treatment is doable - even the chemo - I can honestly say I had more good days then bad, and actually got more fed up when on the rads. The daily trips drove me to distraction. (I had a 2 hour round trip - without waiting for treatment!). I have decided to enjoy life to the full and make the most of each day - as to be honest none of us know what is round the corner. For me this has been a huge wake up call. My friends, colleagues and this site have been fantastic and without them all I do not know what I woould of done - so use this site. Please take care and a huge cyber hug Love Anne x ... View more

Hi Amanda I was not allowed to work during chemo for my protection. I am a children's nurse and they did not want me catching any bugs when my immune system was going to be comprmised (nor me!). I feel that i could not of worked the day of chemo and for one week after, but could of worked weeks 2 and 3 (infact I did - doing paperwork from home). I think it really depends on how you are feeling from the chemo and what sort of hours you will be doing. Personally I needed some work - just to keep me going and having some sort of normalitly - whatever that is. Please take care, love Anne x ... View more

Hi bugnut Have emailed you. Will try to pm you- but not sure how to! Anne x ... View more

Hi Bugnut Sorry to welcome you to this site but you will get through this. I am 40 and was diagnosed July 07 with grade 3 IDC with 12/29 lymph nodes invloved. This too surprised everyone - including me. I initially had a WLE and SNB but had to go back as also had extensive DCIS and although they got clear margins on IDC not on DCIS. I opted for a mastectomy with immediate LD recon - and so far happy with the results. I then had 6 cycles of chemo and have just finished 30 rads. (may 9th). I am now on tamoxifen. It is really sacry at times but you will get through it - I found my children the best tonic (although child care was interesting). My two were 5 and 3. I too come from Crawley - so if you would like to get together over a coffee - just let me know. I truly believe the waiting for the results and surgery is the worst mentally. We will all be here to support you. Big cyber hugs Please take care, love Anne x ... View more

Hi Congratulations to all those finishing rads. I finished yesterday after 30 sessions. Not really sure how I feel - will defo be pleased not to do the commute - know what you mean - knowing every pot hole and bloody traffic lights. It will be good to have some time to myself - by the time I did school drop off - rads and back it was time to pick little one up from pre-school - so none of the jobs that I would usually do got done and more importantly no time to relax!!! Skin definetly sore - especially to collar bone area and scars - will have to see - was told it will be at its worst in one week. Please takce care,love Anne x ... View more

Hi Lucy I am so sorry to hear of your diagnosis, but you will get through this and enjoy your little baby girl too. At the moment it seems like a massive hill that you can not climb - but you can do it. We will all be here to support you. Break each bit down and it will become doable. You will receive lots of advice and support from here. I was diagnosed July 2007 and have just finished rads - I have a 3 and 5 year old. Beleive me it is doable. Please take care,love Anne x ... View more