Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hello lovely ladies, it's been a while, our lack of posts I hope means we are all busy getting back on with our normal lives! Rexi - cant believe how long you've taken to heal- thank goodness you've started radiotherapy now. Your having it in Harley street aren't you? Hopefully you can have a nice bit of retail therapy afterwards! Fab news re holiday what a thing to have to look forward to. I am back to my normal 3 days a week at work - wish I could do 2 but financially need to do 3! Hard to juggle baby, house and work but so good to be back to my old normal and boring life!! still have the occasional wobble - like I had a routine smear test last week and the nurse was talking through what they are looking for...cancer cells blah blah blah and I just burst out crying convinced myself I had cervical cancer and she had to calm me down! I can't believe It's been a year next month since I first found my lump- I have decided to try and give something back and together with some of my closest friends we are doing the "sun walk" half marathon in July for breast cancer in battersea park. Hope to raise lots of money and started to train for it now which is hard work !! Anyway how's everyone else doing? Be good to hear from you all Katie xxx ... View more

Sandy toes have a fab holiday - I promise once your in the sun u will start to relax. I am sure the surgeon was just being over cautious with your sis - when will she get the results? Dont wear less than factor 30 and have the best time - u so deserve it! Hope hubby gets home safe too x Pinky pam where did u go? So pleased you had a good time. I agree with you- holiday was the best medicine ever! Anyone else found alcohol not affecting them anymore . So wierd I have found last few times I have had a few to drink I feel completely fine when before chemo I would have been very tipsy ?? Have a good day junies x ... View more

Lorna, I just don't get how your work can be that insensitive. They clearly have absolutely no idea what u have been through. Maybe it will be fun to work with your friend in a different role? rexi, my onc was also very vague about the tumour markings. I was just being nosy and looking through my blood test results a while ago and noticed tumour markers on one of the pathology reports and asked what this was. She explained they check this at the beginning of chemo and mine had increased which apparently is quite normal as the neulasta injection makes this result high. Therefore she just wanted to check it had come back down 3months after my last chemo. It should be between 0-25 and mine was 40 while I was having chemo and now came back down to 12 so I am classed as "normal" however she did stress not to read too much into it!!! Let me know what yours is now. On a separate note, I am back training in the gym to shift the stone I put on last year. Can I lift weights with my left arm that I had the lymph nodes removed from? Katie xxx ... View more

Please dont be sorry sandytoes, I would have read it anyway as I follow her on fb! Whats your facebook name? I know exactly what you mean about feeling normal and happy now, and I guess every ache and pain we now get is going to bring us back down to reality with a big fat THUMP! I did go back to my oncologist (thats who i meant when i said doc) she was so uninterested in it! I bet they get this all the time! I am going to wait another week and if I still have got the pain insist on another appointment. I used factor 50 in the sun and covered up apart from when I went swimming with the kids. I was in no rush to get my body out in a bikini anyway!!!! thanks for the reassurances once again Katie xxx ... View more

Berthab - fantastic news over the moon for u Lorna - yayyyyy well done on finishing honey I am having a tough week. I think mainly because I have had a pain in my back, just below my shoulder blade for over a week now. It's not painful it just feels bruised when I touch it. I went to docs and they said I had pulled a muscle and made nothing of it. I was still concerned so called BCN and she thought it was from radiotherapy as its that same side. But I am still worried and scared and driving myself mad it's something bad. I had good tumour count results last week but don't know how reliable they are. I don't think it's helped reading that blog that sandy toes was talking about recently. I have also been following Lisa's story and am so sad at her news this month I'm so sorry to moan to u all but feel like all my friends and family are so happy that my treatments finished but I feel the worry has only just started! Anyone else feeling like this or am I just being silly? I am sure hopefully once back pain goes I will be ok. Do u think I should insist on a scan? Just interested to hear anyone's thoughts Thanks junies, keep well Katie xxx ... View more

Hi Everyone, So lovely to catch up on all your posts and happy and most importantly HEALTHY new year. I got back on saturday and had the best holiday ever. Amazing how i now appreciate everything. I feel relaxed and dare i say it .... healthy?? Sandytoes, so pleased there is hope for you and great news you started your periods, mine have not returned so i think its a great sign if yours have come back. I had a blood test today to make sure my tumour markers count had come back down as it kept increasing during chemo but apparantely thats normal as the injections i was giving myself make the tumour markers count high? anyone know what im talking about? hope everyone is ok, Lorna - when you finished - must be soon? woo hoo! berthab - sorry you have to have another op, you've had 2 (or maybe 3) so last one will be a doddle! good luck!! pam - you will have the best holiday as you will savour every second of it and chemo will feel like a distant memory! rexi - so sorry to hear about your hospital stays, hopefully new year, new start and no more problems! linda and everyone else, hope your feeling ok. Lots of love katie x ... View more

well I am all packed with 2 very over excited girls! Got some steroid cream for the burns (hydroquarterzone cream) and miraculously all cleared up today!! BB - Good luck for next week, how frustratng to have it all again but better out than in! Rexi - welcome home, no more rest and pmapering for you now! Lorna - good luck for starting rads next week and Sandytoes 2 more now?? congratulatons for next week I wish you all a very Merry Xmas and heres to a Happy and most importantly Heathly 2012. I will log in if I can while I am away Lot of love Kate xxx ... View more

SB - I had a masectomy and recon and drains were in for 4 days - just keep going on at them, thats what i did as was desperate to get home to my kids. I think they took them out to get rid of me in the end!! BB - So pleased your op is done - so nearly there now. Rexi is probabaly having her op as we speak so when your reading this it must mean you are all done and I am sure all went well. I am seeing my oncologist tonight and then will hopefully be signed off for 3 months - SCARY!!!!! I am off to florida on saturday - I think once I get on that plane i wont stop crying as never thought I would get here! My burns are very sore from the rads, under my arm has now blistered and cant wear a bra. I am not sure how long until this heals? Katie xx ... View more

Morning everyone Well this is my first morning not rushing off to the hospital as I am all done!!!!!!!!!!! I cant believe it!!!!!!! It is a bit of an anti climax but I am massively relieved that I can finally get back to normal. I had a big suprise party for me last night that my lovely hubby organised and although I was very emotonal and overwhelmed I did have a fab tme and got a lttle bit tipsy! My bood is very sore from the rads and red and a little swollen but I think I have got away with the effects quite lightly.No broken skin or blistering. I did use the aqueous cream very day 3 times a day so it must have helped. But dont think im out the woods yet as apparantely the burns peak 10 days after finishing so will keep u updated. I will never disappear - we have all helpoed eachopther through such difficult times and I hope we can con tinue to do so! xx ... View more

Evening ladies, Congrats on the house rexi, busy week ahead hope it helps take your mind off the op for a while. So sorry your feeling down pinky pam I think this is a very long slow process. I have 2 rads left now and all finished on Tuesday. A day I never thought would come. I have complete mixed emotions about it and very tearful. I have a busy week of celebrations that I am going along with even though I do t feel like celebrating but I know how happy my family and friends are for me. Lots of love to u all x ... View more

ps - check out my pic of me and my gorgeous girls - very thin hair but the cold cap was worth it i guess. ... View more

Evening ladies, lorna I'm still here how u feeling today. I went out without my wig for the first time today and I felt ok. My best friend burst out crying when I saw her as she said felt like she got me back!!! Dreading doing the school run on Monday with no wig but determined not to put it back on now. I have 7 rads left and had my port out on weds. Nowhere near as sore as it was going in. My leg muscles are getting back to normal and I feel like I am getting there slowly. Still have no idea how I am going to stop the panic rising every so often about my future but I guess time is the only thing that can help me with that. Bertha b, good to hear from you , when's your op. Rexi, hope you managed to exchange on your new home. Have a good weekend Katie x ... View more

sandytoes you look amazing. My hair is very similar to yours, also very thin on top but very frizzy around the sides and back - did you straighten yours as still not sure I can use GHDS? I may post a pic of mine for you all to see tomorrow. xx ... View more

Evening all, Glad everyone seems ok. Dont worry Lorna, I have no eyebrows or eyelashes either! sandytoes - did you get your fertility results? so hoping they were good. I am so excited for my holidays - we go in 4 weeks but I am getting slghtly worried as I still have bad muscle pains in my legs and got lots of walking about in Disney to do! My eldest daughter who is 5 has been crying every morning for a week now saying she dosent want to go to school as she dosent want to leave me - i dont know whether she has picked up on whats been going on or im being paranoid?? Anyone had their port out recently? I have mine out next weds and just wondered how long it should take to heal? I am on my 11th session out of 25 rads tomorrow and all going well so far. rexi - hope the side effects of the last one are not too bad - huge congrats on finishing chemo. Pam - good luck for your results on weds - have everything crossed for you. Katie xx ... View more

How did it go lindylou? this is a walk in the park compared to chemo! First week all going fine - 5 down and 20 to go! I am also delighted to say that the pains in my arms and legs are finally easing off. 4 weeks post last chemo and am on the right road now. My muscles are still achy but i walked up the stairs tonight carrying Chloe to put her to bed (we live in a town house and her bedroom is on the top floor!!)and I did so without being in pain! I did shed a tear afterwards as little things like this mean so much that we all took for granted pre cancer. Lorna/Pinky Pam/Sandytoes - when do u all start rads? lots of love to everyone xx ... View more

Lots of news to comment on tonight! Lorna - great great news with your results, you must be over the moon. well done you. Berthab - yeyyyyy - congrats on last chemo. Was a great feelng not having to go back for chemo this week (even though had rads!) hope side effetcs are minimal and even if there not, just think - LAST EVER ONES! Cant help with your decsion on the op, as I was only given the choice to have a masectomy but I hope you dont struggle too much. Just ask lots of questions to your surgeon. Pam - great news with your op, so pleased for you and hope you recover really quick from op. Lindy Lou - I am also still suffering with my muscles in legs and arms - its hell and each morning I wake up and move my legs praying they are better and still feel the same. How u feeling after the power port removel? Im having mine out next week - did u have sedation. So Rads are going ok - first day was a bit scary - felt like I was walking into space! Its so furturistic but the radiographers were lovely and its a walk in the park compared to chemo. My brest area feels a little sore tonight but I am rubbing the aqueous cream in all the time. I am so pleased you mentioned sticky eyes as I have that and had no idea what it was! Still also getting major night sweats Hair watch - no eyebrows or eyelashes but hair is growing thick and fast. I had a huge shedding on top despite the cold cap but no more bald patches stll wearing wig though until I am brave enough to step out without one! am i meant to get the new hair cut?? Sandytoes - I did have a temporary tissue expander and although I am not upset with it - because I only have one, it feels so different to my natural boob, I kinda wish I opted for the tummy tuck reconstructon as I have one firm solid fake boob and one normal natural saggy boob!! But at the time just wanted the quickest recovery time and least time away from my kids. SlendaBenda - sorry your feeling so poorly -not long now and then no more effects. Have a lovely weekend everyone - we have a holoween packed party weekend! Katie x ... View more

Oh Sandytoes, I so know how you feel and can only send you bug hugs. I was also told at first after my biopsy it was DCIS and no cancer but needed a masectomy as it was pre cancerous. Had the op, got the path results to be told it was breast cancer and needed chemo but no rads as tumour was not close enough to chest wall. Then my onc advsed me to have rads due to lymph node incolvement, stage 3, size of lump (5cm). I think because of our age, the docs just didnt think it was the worse case scenario at first?? Nothing wrong with having a good cry and letting it all out. Tomorrow is another day and you have got the worst part out the way now. Whats vascular invasion as thats never been mentioned to me? You must try and think of all the positives - the monsters are now gone, rads will be a precaution to stop them ever returning and you are on herceptin to ensure this too. I am on tamoxifen but dont start till after rads. Have your periods completely stopped as I have continued to have mine until last chemo seemed to stop them completelty. There is so much you can do nowadays regarding fertility - I lost 4 babies before I got my 2 gorgeous girls and I also thought I would never have kids but miracles do happen. Hows your hair doing? are you using products on your hair yet or ghds? I start rads tomorrow - feeling a bit nervous but want to get on with it now. anyone got any advise for me for tomorrow? creams etc? Love to you all kate x ... View more

Hi all, Lorna and sandy toes, how r u recovering. This week should be when u start to get back to normal.r your surgeons happy with how it all went. Nooshka I was so relieved when you posted your post. Everything you said about your legs and arms is what I have. I can't walk up the stairs or do the simplest of things without it hurting. I can't remember the last time I held my baby without being in pain. I feel so frustrated as I start rads on weds and thought I would be feeling fine by now. Thanks for the response Jane, so helpful to know it will go. I don't need a walking stick it's more when I walk up stairs or bend down or lift up it's painful. I guess we just grit our teeth an bare it then. Pinkypam good luck for Thursday. Lots of love to everyone Katie x ... View more

such amazing news rexi, couldnt ask for better news at this stage, over the moon for you. sandytoes, hope you are ok. i was in for 4 nights and so i am guessing you are still there. i found the nights the hardest to sleep and couldnt lay on either side, so ask for sleeping pills if you can. Lorna, I am thinking of you too and hope you are as comfortable as possible. I was up and about and more or less back to normal after a couple of weeks so your both be fine very soon! so I am day 8 of my last tax and have to admit still so achy, sore and breathless - my legs just dont belong to me - someone tell me when i will be back to my normal energetic 31 yr old self running after my kids and not having to stop to get my breath back every 2 minutes!! lots of love to you all katie x ... View more

sandytoes was thinking of you all day - hope all went well and your not feeling too bad. Lorna good luck for tomorrow bertha- good luck for scan tomorrow xx ... View more