Breast Cancer Now Forum

Jo Stoney is a mate of mine and a marvellous woman! Haven't read the article yet, but look forward to seeing it. ... View more

Hi KittenMad So sorry to hear you need another op - but good that you got it checked out so quickly. I had some hypnotherapy from a local cancer charity to help me deal with chemo (I got more needle-phobic with each treatment) and it really helped - I was taught some techniques that helped me feel calmer before and during each chemo. Maybe something similar would help you prepare for the op? Sending love and hugs your way. Haven't been onto the forum for ages whilst it's been getting sorted out, so only just catching up with everyone's news. Em - well done with the Race for Life, that's fantastic. Quick time too! I've been trying to exercise more, partly to try and keep the weight of (the Tamoxifen makes me eat for England). Yesterday my OH drove me halfway to work and I cycled the rest of the way - about 7 miles. Did the same coming home, and might try to do that once a week. Love to everyone, Alix xx ... View more

Hi everyone Gillian - hope your pre-op went well; good luck for Friday. I'll be thinking of you buddy. Haven't been on here for ages - my partner and I had our civil partnership a fortnight ago, so we were caught up in arranging it, and have been on honeymoon in the Outer Hebrides for the past fortnight in our little caravan! We had the best time, the sun shone on the big day and we had a wonderful ceremony and fantastic party. The Outer Hebrides was beautiful, we were blessed with wonderful weather and some of the loveliest beaches I've ever seen. We even went in for a swim (in our wetsuits I hasten to add). Lovely to catch up with everyone on here, love and hugs to everyone. Alix xx ... View more

Hi BenitsyKim I'm so sorry to hear about your partner's secondary diagnosis. I really hope that she starts to improve on the treatment. Your profile pic is gorgeous - you look like a lovely family. Love and light, Alix ... View more

Hi Deb You're not alone! I was diagnosed just over a year ago, and have had three lots of surgery and chemo since then, and I'm on Tamoxifen. I'm now back at work, and me and my OH are having our civil partnership on May 31st (postponed from last year because of diagnosis). When did you finish your treatment? Alix x ... View more

Hi everyone Sorry I haven't been on for ages - when I've been checking back it says no new posts, but it was because I wasn't logged in. Doh! Lovely to catch up with everyone, and thanks to Meerkat for posting - sorry you're still going through the mill. As Em says, think about the new chemo regime doing its stuff. Keeping everything crossed for your results. Rattles - hope your op goes well, and that you have a speedy recovery. I had my one year mammo about a month ago, only just got the results which were thankfully ok. Didn't find it too painful, but then I only have one boob to do these days! Me and OH have our civil partnership on 31st May, postponed from last year when I was diagnosed. We're going to buy a caravan and go to the Outer Hebrides for our honeymoon - not very glamorous, but I'm really looking forward to it. Love to everyone, Alix xx ... View more

Feel likje I 'know' a few of you already from the Younger Breast Cancer Network on Facebook - looking forward to meeting everyone in person xx ... View more

Hi everyone I'm Alix, I was diagnosed a year ago, had a mastectomy and chemo and am now on Tamoxifen. Looking forward to meeting you all this weekend xx ... View more

Hi everyone Julie - great to hear from you, hope the mammo went ok. Do they do a same day results service at your hospital? Mine is due a week on Thursday, amazing to think that it's been a year since diagnosis. What a year we've all had. Em - I didn't do any low-cal days last week, but am planning to get back on track tomorrow. I've found it quite hard, although my job isn't really physical we have two offices which are a couple of fields apart, so I do a fair bit of walking between them during the day. I've found that the Tamoxifen makes me crave sweet things, which I never used to, so I'm having to try and stop myself eating cake all the time! The health check at your GP surgery sounds good, I was recently told by a BCN that 2 hours of exercise per week reduces the chances of the cancer coming back so I'm trying to get back into running. Thailand sounds fantastic, a holiday of a lifetime. Rattles - there are definitely some ladies with lymphodema at paddling, not sure if they have it in the hand though. I was told that research showed that paddling didn't worsen lymphodema, or bring it on. Good to hear that work will pay you when you're off - do you have a date for surgery yet? I agree that the Menopause Clinic doesn't sound very inviting - when I was having chemo I used to have to walk past a sign to the 'Discharge Lounge' which could also do with a re-brand!! Meerkat - thinking about you and wondering where things are up to with your treatment, hope you're doing ok buddy. love Alix xx ... View more

Hi cazyb Like you I was diagnosed with IDC at 43 - that was nearly a year ago. In that year I've had 3 ops and chemo, and am now on Tamoxifen. I found that things got much easier once I had a treatment plan in place, and knew what I was dealing with. I dreaded having chemo, but it was doable, and I got lots of support on here. The Facebook page for Younger Women with Breast Cancer that KG mentioned is fab, there are loads of young women on there at different stages of treatment, with loads of advice and support. Good luck - things do get easier. Alix xx ... View more

Squeaky - so glad to hear that your hips are just deteriorating normally! Must have been a terrible worry. Good that you're happy with your hair - mine feels pretty much back to normal now. Rattles - reat that you had a good night out. Like you say, sometimes the enormity of everything creeps up on you when you least expect it. Em - How are you getting on with the 5:2 diet? OH and I did our first low-cal day on Thursday, we've both been eating for England ever since! OH confessed to waking up at 4am on Friday morning and having a banana! I might try and stick with it for the health benefits, for a few months at least (might then just do it once a week). I've just got back from a practice pool session with the local 'Paddlers for Life' group - dragon boating for women who've had BC, plus their partners & supporters. They seem like a really lovely bunch, so I think we'll be going out on Lake Windermere with them next month! The exercise is supposed to be really good for avoiding or treating lymphodema, as well as improving wellbeing. Freezing cold up here again after some lovely sunshine earlier in the week, though it hasn't rained in ages so I can't complain. Love to everyone, Alix xx ... View more

Hi all Got my MRI results yesterday and all is apparently normal on my other side! Still need to have a mammogram in March, but was good to go to the breast clinic and get good news! Love to everyone, Alix xx ... View more

Hi all Rattles - hope you had a lovely evening out with your OH. Thanks for the info on bras and pockets Merc - I was going to chuck out all my old non-pocketed bras, but will try and adapt them instead. I found some mastectomy bra specialists who do sports bras, ranging from about £25 to £50. I've got an appointment this afternoon to get results of the MRI they did recently on my 'good' side, to check up on some changes that they found when I was first diagnosed. Am trying to keep my stress levels about it under control. Wish me luck... Like Doggirl, I never went down the wig route, just wore hats when I was bald, so I've been showing off my hair since November. It's really back to normal now, no curls, same colour, and even the extreme cowlick I had seems to be growing out. I haven't washed it since I finished chemo and it started growing back - I just rinse it every day. It sounds gross, but seems to work fine and my OH says it looks in much better condition than when I used to wash it! I have very fine, flyaway hair, and this seems to help with that. Em, I've been reading up on the 5:2 diet, sounds interesting. Myself and OH are thinking of giving it a go. I don't really need to lose weight, but the health benefits sound worth pursuing. Meerkat, hope you're doing ok. love Alix xx ... View more

Meerkat - hope your appointment today went ok, and that your treatment plan is in place. I'm so sorry you're having to go through chemo again so soon. Like Kittenmad, my hair is now growing like a weed, I went for my second haircut today (the first one was really just trimming off the straggly ends). It's come back as straight as ever! I've always had short hair, so am now back to normal (hairwise, at least...) Love and hugs to everyone Alix xx ... View more

Hi everyone Meerkat - so sorry to hear you're having to go through chemo again, it's just not fair. Sending positive thoughts for Tuesday, hope the meeting goes ok and that having a treatment plan in place helps. I am pretty much healed after my op and am getting used to being lop-sided. We went to Glasgow this weekend to see some cycling at the new velodrome, it was boiling hot in there and I ended up taking off my bra and prosthesis as it was so sweaty! I had on a baggy t-shirt and am only a 36A so I don't think it was obvious, but to be honest I was so hot I was past caring. Kittenmad - well done for going on the skiing trip, sounds tiring but fun. I'm knackered after a weekend away! Am going back to work tomorrow, have been off for a fortnight with the op. Am looking forward to being back, although I feel a bit daunted at the prospect! Love to everyone, Alix xx ... View more

Hi all Em - hope it went ok, I always get nervous before appointments, hope your onc put your mind at rest. Alix x ... View more

Hi all Thanks for all your kind words. Am feeling pretty good following op, have just stopped taking painkillers and feel fine. They took the drain out in hospital which was great, I found it a pain being at home with it last time around. Meerkat - great to hear that you're recovering well after your op, will keep everything crossed for you on 29th. I have an MRI on my 'good' side on 31st Jan to check on some changes they found at diagnosis, so am hoping it won't be anything ominous. I find waiting for results the hardest thing. Good to hear about buddies getting out and enjoying the snow - we have only had a sprinkling here. Hope Kitten-mad's having a fab time after her epic journey on the 28 bus! love to everyone, Alix xx ... View more

Hi all Many thanks for all the good wishes, the op went well and they let me out this evening. I had a bit of bleeding just before I was about to leave, so the surgeon did some emergency stitching of a rogue vein on the ward. The nurses were quite excited! I had a side room with my own en-suite which was great (especially as one of the meds they gave me caused terrible wind...) Feels nice to be home! Feel a bit 'lop-sided' but ok about it. OH has a horrible chest infection which I'm trying to avoid, I don't think she was really fit to drive me home but we made it ok. Sorry to hear about the ongoing problems with Lynn Ferdema, hope the manual drainage helps. Doggirl - happy birthday for yesterday! Hope you had a fab time - what did you get up to? Love to everyone, Alix xx ... View more

Hi all We had some snow here in Cumbria - not enough to make a snowman, but quite exciting! Em - when we went to Spain I got insurance through a company called Insurancewith - if you google them you'll find them. I think they specialise in travel insurance for people with medical conditions. I had to fill in quite a detailed questionnaire, but the cover was only £10 or so more than the cost for my OH. The cover didn't exclude breast cancer, but there was an additional excess of £200 if I'd had to claim for anything BC-related (I think the standard excess was £75). Hope that helps - I know in Europe you can get treated as long as you get a European Health Insurance Card before you go, but I liked the additional security of being insured. Nice to hear about everyone's travel plans! Alix xx ... View more

Fab news Doggirl! Roll on Mexico... I'm going in for my pre-op assessment this morning, ahead of op on Weds. Last time they told me that (apart from the obvious) I was just about the healthiest person they'd had through the doors in a month - hopefully that'll still be the case. Hope you're resting up Meerkat, and being taken care of. Alix xx ... View more