Breast Cancer Now Forum

Liz, Sorry to hear about Mike. I used to contribute to this forum, and Mike used to write in from time to time. I have not been looking into the forum for some time and have only just noticed the news.   David S ... View more

Hi I too still pop in from time to time to see what is going on. There used to be quite a few men posting on this site about 10 years ago, but recently it has become quiet. I hope more men will be able to post here and exchange information with others. David S ... View more

Hi Phil, I had breast cancer 12 years ago and there used to be around 4 regular guys posting on this site, in both the mens' section and the regular sites. Recently all seems to have become quiet during the past 5 years. Unfortunately men are not well-known for discussing their feelings, so the men's site is not well supported. Many of the postings are from women enquiring about the breast cancfer of men they know. I hope you are able to get any information you want from the Breast Cancer Care booklets, but keep looking in at this site too. David S ... View more

Hi David, I do not look at the forum much nowadays, not like in the past, when I looked in at least every day. I decided to look in today, and saw your entry. There does not appear to be so many users of the forum now, compared to 2004, when there used to be about 6 or more regular users on the male breast cancer site, and many more regulars on the women's site. I expect it is because there are many more blogs, Facebook and so people tend to go on those. David S ... View more

Hi Beftruss I am another David, age 62. I had breast cancer 11 years ago, no chemo or radiotherapy, but was on Tamoxifen for the first five years. I used to post quite a lot on this forum, but now only look in from time to time. I agree that there is not much refernce to men with breast cancer in the leaflets, but that is supposed to be due to there not being many men with breast cancer, "only" 300 a year, compared with the thousands of women. I sometimes give talks about breast awareness, and mention that men can have it. I have also made some quotes in the BCC booklet about men with breast cancer, and so hope the message gets through. I hope that you recover from your operations in time. David S ... View more

I had breast cancer 11 years ago, and do not expect it to come back, but I never use the words "all clear". "No evidence of disease" is a more suitable thing to say, because breast cancer is very unpredictable. Newspapers usually use the all clear for famous people, but they then find they have to have a mastectomy. ... View more

Hi dwrig I am ok thanks, hope you are too. I still give talks for Breast Cancer Care about Breast Awareness, and was one of the models at the fashion show 2 years ago. I do not look into the forum so often now, but am glad to see some old "faces" and plenty of new ones. DavidS ... View more

I was sorry to hear of Jane's passing. I used to contribute to the BCC forum during the mid 2000's and found her postings inspiring. Her contributions and advice to helping people will surely live on. DavidS ... View more

Checking Helen, Sorry to hear that your husband has a lump on his breast. The normal procedure is that he will hear from the hospital within 2 weeks, and asked to go to the clinic for a check. My check up involved the doctor feeling the lump, taking out a sample of the lump with a needle, then I went for a mammogram and then a scan (like what happens with pregnant women) The mammogram me was not too bad, as I was not all that thin, and had a bit of flab which they were able to squeeze! I was told the result the same day, but that can vary. They will tell him whether he will have to have a lumpectomy. If so, they should be able to tell him what to expect, whether he will need radiotherapy, a mastectomy, or a full mastectomy. I hope that they can find that it is not what you feared. Even then, the hospitals have made great advances in the treatment of breast cancer in the past few years, and the prognosis is now much better than it was before. Good luck. David S ... View more

Where are we? It would be interesting to know where we all come from. The last time this subject was asked, it was found that several of the posters came from nearby someone, or some were from overseas. I had breast cancer 7 years ago and come from Colchester, North Essex, not far from Clacton. David ... View more

Paying You have to pay for prescriptions, unless you are over 60, or on some benefits. If you are taking Tamoxifen, it is no different from any other prescription. Breast cancer is not exempted for some reason. David ... View more

You do not know what is coming Two years after having a mastectomy, and after going for my check-ups several times, I was told everything appeared OK, but that a spot on my nose was cancerous. It was nothing to do with breast cancer, and would not spread, but I had to have radiotherapy on it to stop it getting bigger and spoiling my nose. I had had it for about 4 years, and no one had mentioned it while I was going through my treatment. While I had been worrying about cancer on my breast, there was also cancer under my nose (well almost) David ... View more

NOLVADEX-D Nolvadex is the brand that was first used. After a time, other firms were allowed to make generic copies of the drug. These are cheaper, so the doctors tend to give them to their patients instead of the original brand. For some reason people often find that they have more side-effects with the generic brands, and not the original Nolvadex. This might be due to the ingredients used in the tablets which are added to make up the pill. You can try and get your GP to change the prescription to Nolvadex. Some are willing to change if asked. I was on Tamoxifen for 5 years after having bc 8 years ago. David ... View more

Only one month now I recently collected a prescription from my local chemists for heartburn, nothing to do with breast cancer, and there was a note from my local health authority (North East Essex) saying that as from Mat 1st, we will all only be allowed to have one months supply of drugs at a time. This is to save on wasted drugs which people decide not to take any more. It would appear that from now, it is not up to out doctor to decide whether we have one, two or three month's supply, but up to our health authority. If my doc prescribes two months of drugs, the chemist will only cut it down to one month. Has anyone else been told of that new restriction, or is only my area? David ... View more

Rays I had TB when 5, then had x-rays to my chest up to the age of 18. that probably contributed to my breast cancer when I was 52. My sister had breast cancer, so that might also have been a contributory factor. There are several causes of breast cancer, so it might not be due to just one factor, but a mix of different causes. The usual reasons given do not apply to me. I did not have HRT, have periods, or start my family late. I think we may never really know how we got it. David ... View more

Sorry Dolores, Sorry to hear about your husband Shaun. I have been following his progress since you first posted in June last year, and was shocked to hear of his death. I am sure that he would want you and your family to go for the meal at the place you used to go to celebrate his birthday in his memory. I hope you retain all the pleasant memories you had with him. David S ... View more

Tamoxifen My GP gave me a months supply when I first started, then when I changed my doctor, he gave me 2 months supply at a time. They were both in the same area, so it depends on the individual GP as to whether they give one or two months' supply. I was told that they do not give you too large a supply due to the fact that you might stop taking the prescription, leading to waste. Seems daft as we have to take Tamoxifen for 5 years, and it is important to take it. David ... View more