Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi Daysie,   I have not logged onto this site for a long time, but decided to have another look this evening. I see that you ahev just posted. I am so sorry to read your post. I can imagine, I think, how you might well be feeling. I cannot add anything as this is outside of my experience, but I just wanted to say "Hi" and wish you well while someone else comes along who can be of help to you. It does seem, from the earlier posts on here as though people have had good results with modern treatments. Hopefully someone knowledgeable will ocme along very soon.   Wishing you all the very best.   Verity xx ... View more

Hi Ellidog, I haven't checked in here for a while. so it is good to see your post. Sorry to hear about the spots but great to hear that you are feeling more positive and, apart from spots, are feeling reasonably well. Continued good luck for a great outcome. Your liver spot is very small so I do think you have lots to look forward to!!! lovely to hear your news. VXX ... View more

Very worrying, and disappointing. I have used them a few times and each time have been assured that bieng on long term Heceptin is NOT a problem as long as Drs say I am fit to travel. Offered them a letter to that effect and told by them it not necessary!!! Perhaps they were writing this insurance without really having understood it - although that would seem extraordinary. Looks like I have to start again then. I have tried all the others mentioned got nowehere. The last time I obtained a quote for a 5 day break in Italy form someone other than Eorotunnel they wanted about £1200...... Oh dear.... ... View more

This is intersting - and worrying!! I have travelled twice with Eurotunnel insurance. Both times they have assured me that the fact I am having Herceptin is not a problem because if Dr says I am fit to travel , that is all that is required. They did not want a letter.They said as long sa I had checked, and as lng as if anything happened my Dr.s would confirm that that was their view vefore I travelled that was all that was needed. I am very particular about things like this. Discussed it with them in detail and they absoutely sure.... How disappointing...Perhaps they are becoming more cautious..? ... View more

Hi, Yes, I am sure you are on a rocky road at the moment. Since I had my diagnosis four of my friends have had their own diagnoses of breast cancer...Horrid, horrid!! It is so hard to watch them struggle with emotions that come in large part from the fear of the unknown, and I really feel for ladies (and gents) on here when they are waiting. It is true what so many people say, that the waiting in a sense is the hardest part. It is amazing what the spirit and the body can cope with, when it is actually DOING it - rather than contemplating it. You have a great range of treatment options Elliedog. I know it isn't always easy, far from it, but try to approach this as a task to be addressed and come through and think of that lady who has been on Herceptin for 10 years that you were told about. Add to that that my oncologist has some ladies who were in the original trials in the late 1990s who are still going strong.. I still have to tell myself that occasionally when I get jittery!! As for the wig, I felt the same at first but I got used to it quite quickly and ended up loving it. So did my friends. For me if was infinitely better than seeing myself with no hair.Once my hair started fallling out, on th emorning of the second chemo, I had it all cut off and wore the wig. I found the handfuls of hair falling out to be more distressing than a head with a wig on it. Felt odd at first, but not for long. So, by all means contact me if you think I might be able to help. Happy to hear from you, of course. Best wishes, Verity xx ... View more

Hi Elliedog, Sorry that you are going through this but please take heart. I was diagnosed with breast cancer and mets in the liver - 3 of them, the biggest 5cm by 4cm getting on for two years ago. I am ER and PR negative, but HER 2 positive. I had chemo - 4 x AC then 4 x Taxol and started Herceptin at the same time as the Taxol. The tumours shrunk considerably and then I had mastectomy, followed by Radio Frequency Ablation of the liver. I have been NED (No evidence of Disease) for almost 15 months!! I will be on Herceptin forever,now had 30 odd treatments, I think, but I am alive and well and hope that will continue for many years. I understand there is a good chance that it will. Pertuzumab trials have shown it to work fantastically with Herceptin, and I think H itself does great things SO PLEASE, please allow yourself and your family to start to believe that you will be around and enjoying life for some time to come yet. It is possible. I remember being SO terrified that I would be leaving my family prematurely, but I am more relaxed now. Still get nervous when I go for scans, but it is getting easier. Wishing you all the very best. If you have any questions by all means send me a private message and I will help if I can. Btw, radio frequency ablation is basically the inserting in the liver of a heated probe which fries the tumours - or does it microwave them? Not sure - but either way it is a heat source which destroys the tumours. Mine was done under general anaesthetic. The liver can regenerate itself. Once my tumours had shrunk, this procedure was possible for me. Good luck - the very best of luck! Verity x ... View more

I have not been on this site very much lately. Logged on this morning to see this. What sad, sad news . I always enjoyed reading Laurie's posts which were always knowledgeable and caring and positive. Like all of you, I feel for her husband and children. RIP Laurie. xx ... View more

And yes, I am now going to email MacMillan to add my request that they name this on their site. Thank you, thank you for this info!! ... View more

Amazing!!!Just bought a week's travel insurance for £17 - a little over.(Europe) Checked what needed/what criteria is as I have had treatment for breast cancer. Only criteria is that my Doctor says I am fit to travel, which is the case, and Eurotunnel do not wish to see evidence of that. No doubt they would be likely to if I made a claim, but there would be no problem with that anyway. Fantastic!! I think InsurePink can expect to catch a cold......!!! ... View more

Hi Littlescoot, I cannot answer your question, I'm afraid. As soon as I was diagnosed I was told that I would need a mx. The oncologist thought my tumour had probably been in situ for up to several years; it was very large with additonal growths nearby. It had gone to my lympgh nodes. So, I did n't have to make the decision you are facing, it was always clear that I would lose my breast. That was 18 months ago. When disgnosed I was stage 3. Within 2 weeks they had discovered 3 large mets in my liver. I had chemo, mx , full node clearance on the affected side , reconstruction and radio frequency ablation to deal with what was left in the liver after chemo. I have been No Evidence of Disease for almost a year now and I feel very well. I get scared every time I go for a scan, but things are looking good. So, if you can, take heart! Your diagnosis does not mean that you will not be able to make great progress. I am SO sorry that you are facing this. It is horrid, and scary and no -one who has been through BC would say otherwise, BUT you might be surprised once treatment starts how well you manage to cope, and how well your body responds. I do wish you well, and I hope that this reply will move your post to a more visible part of the site and someone else will come along to answer your actual question. Sorry you are going through this!!! Thinking of you. Veroty C x ... View more

Jane, I see another Jane was posting at the same time as me - and with very good info. I hope you can find reassurance very soon. Verity xx ... View more

Good morning Jane, I can not answer your question, I am sorry, but I wanted to say "Hi" and hopefully boost this so others see it. I see that you posted at 3 a.m. - at least that is what my screen is telling me; I imagine you are very worried. Have your oncology team given you any advice? I do worry about information on the internet and it is often wrong, or it seems to me, gives the worst case scenario, which can very easily terrify! I do hope that someone comes along soon to help you. I wish you all the very best . Verity xx ... View more

WOW! I wonder if your personnel department knows what a liability they have in him!! How amazingly insensitive and stupid!! Did he see that you were upset? ... View more

Hi Karen-m, Sorry to read that your mother has been diagnosed with breast cancer. It must be very worrying and upsetting for you. Others may offer their advice. This is a site where lots of support if given! I just wonder though what anyone can tell you about breast cancer if you have no detail about your mother's diagnosis, simply because there are a number of variations of type and severity which affect the type of treatment offered. So, if I told you about my diagnosis and treatment, for example, it may not be anything like your mother's situation, and could worry you unnecessarily. Probably confuse you too! Do you know how advanced your mother's BC is? Is she likely to have a mastectomy, do you know, or a lumpectomy (removal of the lump rather than the breast)? Is she going to have radiotherapy? I think the thing that is common to all of us is that when we are going thourgh this, and coming out the other side, we need all the love and support of our family and friends that we can get, and practical help too. Sorry I cannot be more help. If your mother does get to the stage where she will talk about it it might be easier for you to get information from this site and others, but obviously your mother has to take this at her own pace. As her daughter though, I can see that you would have a natural wish to be involved and know what is going on. Good luck to your mother, and to you. Verity x ... View more

Hi Cailin9, It is so worrying to be where you are now, and with the added "burden" of being a health professional yourself I can imagine that you are finding this wait very hard! I think all of us who have found a lump, or have been alerted to a problem by mammogram can vividly remember the horrid time we had waiting for the initial appointments/diagnosis etc. I am sorry, I cannot tell you if the lump is benign or not. I DO hope that when you finally get seen you will be given the news that you have nothing to worry about though, obviously. Just wanted to say "Hi" and wish you good luck. This is a difficult time to get through but hopefully your good genes and lifestyle will stand you in good stead. All the very best for a good result. V ... View more

You poor thing, dizzycloud. The system seems very unrealistic and unfair, and now you have to fight at a time when you are still not yourself, I suspect. I have no experience of this but I hope this reply will move your post up and attract the attention of someone who can help. I hope you are able to appeal successfully. Good luck! Verity ... View more

Hi Tittlemouse, I haven't heard of this trial. Have just Googled it but could not find anything relevant. I hope that this reply will move your post into a more visible section of the site and others will come along to reply. Hope it goes well, if you decide to take part. Verity ... View more

Hi Blue Rose, Yes, you are right, there is a plus (pardon the pun!) to being HER 2+ if you are oestrogen and progesterone negative, and that is that Herceptin is available. I will always be on Herceptin and the few side effects that I did have initially lessened over time and have now gone. Some women do report side effects, you will see the threads of here, but it is a targeted therapy so has distinct advantages over chemotherapy and for many is very effective. Good luck with your treatment. Verity ... View more

Hi Cheryl17, Yes this happened to me too. It isn't particularly unusual. Insurance companies have pay scales for different types of procedure and often surgeons, for example, do not fall exactly in these. Some insurance companies are better than others. You could have a word with your surgeon's secretary to see if she could do anything by speaking to the insurance company. I am assuming it is the surgeon's fee, or perhaps an anaethetist's fee that is causing the problem, rather than the hospital costs. It is annoying, but I just took the view that in the scheme of things this was not my biggest problem, and the inusrance company was paying by far the lion's share of the costs. I appreciate that not everyone may see it that way. Good luck. Verity. ... View more

Hi Fizmeplz I am sorry you are so worried. It must be very upsetting if you feel you are being ignored by your GP. I think if you feel that bad about going back to your GP that it is worth either trying to see another one or perhaps going straight to A & E. PLEASE give the Breast Cancer Care helpline a call tomorrow. I am sure that they will advise you how best to get help. Don't give up. You really should get some advice that you can have faith in. I wish you well. Please post again to let us know how you get on if you can. Where are you in the country geographically? (I am not asking for your address, but the region, nearest city) Verity ... View more