Breast Cancer Now Forum

I have taken Sertraline for 3 years and had no side affects. It does take about 7 weeks to work but I could not have coped without it. Take the tablets and I hope you feel better soon. love Tracy x ... View more

Hi Kevin,   I am so pleased that Marg is home and bossing you around again , but make sure you take some time for yourself as well. You are right this site is wonderful that we can all help one another through a tough time. Marg is a tough cookie like you know so keep wearing your Big Boy pants you are doing a great job !!   Hope you have a good weekend. Take care Love Tracy xxx ... View more

Thinking of you both Kevin and sending Marg healing thoughts. I am also sending you strength to cope and put a big smile on your face exactly like your wife wants you to. Take good care of yourself . Love Tracy x ... View more

Ah bless you Kevin,  your wife will be fine as she has a good hubby to look after her. I had immediate reconstruction with a tissue expander in place and it all went okay. Lotsof love and healing thoughts to you both. May 2014 be a good one for you x love Tracy xxx ... View more

Yes you can do it Naz !!. Tell us your progress and we will support you all the way. I am going to try and lose at least a stone in weight this year so I too am determined to change. For too long now I have blamed the Tamoxifen but I need to take control now and not eat too many crisps and chocolate. I always used to cook from scratch but got a bit lazy after the BC so it is fresh veg, fruit and salads for the New Year. I have had to have the next size uniform at work so I am desperate to get back down to a size 12 , as all my clothes feel tight and uncomfortable. I will not let the BC change me this much. I want to be my old self and weight again !! So a New year and a fresh start. I will let you know Naz how things progress. Love Tracy  xxxx   ... View more

Yes it makes perfect sense Naz and I am sending you lots of love and healing thoughts to help you move on. I am confident that you will have the strength to cope this year. You will do all that you want to and much more because deep down you know you can do it !!! Go for it girl 2014 is the year of change xxx Love and light Tracy xxx ... View more

Dear Naz,   I am so sorry that your Body issues are still troubling you. I do think professional counselling will help and the first thing tomorrow I would visit your GP for a referral as there will be a waiting list. You need to chat it through with an expert because they can help you grieve for the breast you have lost . In the meantime remember to practice the art of Mindfulness and have techniques in place to avert any negative thoughts into your job, your children and family and friends.  Please let us know how things progress as we are willing you to get better, but our minds are very very powerful which is why we sometimes need the help from a professional counsellor. Get the help you need and deserve Naz. The approaching New Year is your time to help yourself and get well again. Sending you lots of love and healing thoughts. Tracy  xxx ... View more

Warm Huggles gratefully accepted as I am feeling a bit fed up this evening. Had a funny day at work and been in pain with the back ache. I start physio a week on Friday so I am hoping and praying that it will strengthen the core muscles in my back. I am ready for the Christmas break now so I will wish you all a very Happy and Peaceful Christmas , sending you love and warm thoughts for a good time. Love Tracy xxx ... View more

Hello Mrs Angry .... It is normal to feel this way after treatment BUT please do something about it as the dark thoughts and feelings will not go away on there own. Please visit your GP and get the help you deserve. We should not have to suffer in silence. I too was in a big black hole after treatment ended. I could not understand it as I had sailed through all the treatments. I was given anti depressants and diazepam to cope with the anxious thoughts. Then I saw the Cancer Psychologist for Counselling which for me was absolutely brilliant as she made me realise what I had been through, how to grieve for my lost breast. How to cope with other people when we feel angry and afraid. I still take the anti depressants 3 years after , but I dont care they keep me sane and feeling well again. I also went to a Self Help Depression group in my town. I tried everything as I told my husband I simply did not want to live feeling as I did and gradually it disappeared. I started to feel lessanxious and interested in the world around me again. Please have a chat with your BCN or GP to get this sorted. It is awful but it WILL pass . You will feel well again soon . Sending love and healing thoughts Tracy xxx ... View more

Hello everyone ,   Another annoying thing that people say is " You do look well ". Yes, but I may not always feel it ! I just do not think that anyone who has NOT had Cancer can begin to imagine the psychological trauma that a Cancer diagnosis gives us. We try and be normal , we try and be positive during the treatment but afterwards we are left with the stress of it all and the last thing we want is to be told to be Positive. I totally agree with you all. BUT .....I do feel for people who dont really know what to say to us and bereavement is another area when we cannot comprehend what another person is feeling, and I send my love to you Mel at this time of year.  I saw  a lady in town yesterday, I worked with her hubby who died at 51 and I just could not bring myself to try and speak to her. I know I should have done. I wanted to , but I just did not know what to say to her. He was such a vibrant, energetic, warm loving man that I know she and her children will miss him beyond compare and that their lives will never be the same again. And we feel the same after the Cancer , as we are left with a constant nagging doubt that it may return . SO we act brave and strong , we put a smile on our faces and we try and face the world the best we can .  Sending everyone love and warm wishes. Tracy xxx ... View more

Good Morning ,   Just a quick message to say I have been thinking about you all especially when you wake up anxious in the mornings. I must admit that was the time of the day when I used to be most stressed as we plan and prepare for the rest of the day. I used to phone my Mum every single morning as I could not seem to function at all, but as she talked to me and encouraged me to get showered and dressed I could feel myself trying so hard to get well again. So I am sending you all positive vibes for the morning and strength to cope with the rest of the day. Be kind to yourselves and continue to be Mindful, If you are feeling so bad then I would encourage you to have a little walk around the block to blow the cob webs away. Take care everyone.Let us know how you are feeling Lots of love Tracy xxx   ... View more

Hiya Bev ,   Its Tracy here popping in to say Hello and reassure you that it is fine to take most prescription drugs with Tamoxifen and your GP would know all the antidepressants that could interact with the Tamoxifen. I take my Tamoxifen in the morning , along with Omeprazole for Barretts Oesphagus and then I take my Sertraline in the evening. I dont think it really matters what time of day you take the drugs.  The herbal remedies that some ladies take for Menopausal symptons do actually reduce the effect of the Tamoxifen , the ones like Black Cohosh, Evening Primrose and of course we cannot take HRT. I hope this helps you a bit Bev . Are you pre or post menopausal ? The Chemo sent me into an early menopause which made me feel dreadful, then when I started on the Tamoxifen I felt even worse. this is why I know I will take the Sertraline whilst ever I take the Tamoxifen which is hopefully saving my life. My husband usually asks me very night ..." have you taken your tablet " ...I know he is fearful that I will become ill again , as of course anxiety affects the whole family. Try and stay calm Bev. Do some deep breathing and get out into the fresh air every day. Put on your favourite music and sing , it makes you feel a bit better. Keep yourself busy and keep letting us all know how you feel. We do understand and we are willing you to get better. Lots of love Tracy xxx ... View more

Hello Bev and Carol Jenny and Naz .... Thinking of you all.Sending you all positive vibes for the week ahead. Bev I take Sertraline and like you was started on 50mg then 100mg up to 150mg and finally 200mg before it worked for me. It took about 7 or 8 weeks to work and I felt dreadful throughout the whole period. i kept telling my hubby that I could not live feeling so ill and in such a big black hole. My GP presribed Diazepam as well because he said I was more anxious than depressed. Stick with it Bev it will stat to work very soon. Go back to the GP and ask for it to be increased again. Dont worry you will wean yourself off it as I am back down to 100mg now but you may need the initial boost like me. Not long to wait for the Counselling and I am sure that will help. Take good care of yourself and practice Mindfulness. Naz where are you ? We have not heard from you for a while. I hope you are keeping busy. We miss you Naz and want you to come and let us know you are okay. Praying that you are feeling brighter and calmer. Jenny I am sure your grand daughter will talk about her experiences soon. Carol how are you feelibg this weekend ? Thinking of you . Lots of love and huggles to you all Tracy xxx ... View more

Hello everyone,   Its the last day of the month to get rid of all our negative thoughts and feelings and start afresh tomorrow . It is time for us all to look forward to Christmas and prepare and plan what we can do each day. I have not been very organised this year at all. I had not felt like shopping or writing my cards, but I must shake myself. I must try and overcome that " cant be bothered feeling " and make a list and get cracking. Otherwise Christmas will just pass me by and everyone will wonder what happened to me. I hope your grand daughter is doing fine and healing well. I am sending lots of love and positive vibes for her to Get Well Soon. Keep in touch everyone and try and have a relaxing weekend. Tracy xxx ... View more

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is what the CBT online is , but not sure how it works as I just had one to one Counselling which I found incredibly useful. I do know however that my friend who suffers with Clinical depression had CBT and did lots of painting and arts and crafts. I guess each centre is different. I was given a book by Paul Gilbert called the Compassionate Mind and this taught to be mindful of all I was thinking and doing each day. Good luck with it all. Sending you love and positive vibes. Tracy xxx  ... View more

Hello everyone, It was good news yesterday. The Cancer has not spread to my spine. Hoorah !! But the pain is being caused because the last 5 intervetebral discs are all damaged with wear and tear. In other words, old age, I was 50 yesterday so that makes perfect sense really. However I didnt realise that this part of my spine was not fused with the Harrington rod when I had the Spinal Fusion operation when I was 14. I have since read on the Scoliosis website that they do not use Harrington rods anymore because of these limitations.   Anyway ...enough about spinal problems.....Welcome to Bev , you will find the forums a huge help and support during the dark and lonely hours when we wake up and feel afraid. I was just like you and sailed through all my treatment, was never sick with the Chemo, managed to save all my hair with doing the Cold cap and apart from a very sore mouth , kept well throughout the FEC T.  Then I realised that the Chemo had sent me into an early menopause which along with the Tamoxifen made me feel dreadful. I was anxious and depressed. I could not concentrate and I felt just the same as I had when I had sever post natal depression after my daughter was born. My hubby took me to the GP and I was presribed anti depressants and a short course of diazepam to help me cope. I had started back to work but as I was having reconstruction I had to be signed off again. I thought I would never feel well again, but the GP referred me for one to one Counselling which made me realise I was not alone. Please get the help you need and deserve Bev as going back to work right now , may not be the best thing for you. Only you will be able to decide as we all know whether our places of work expect 100% when we are back, or if indeed you could have lighter duties. Maybe Christmas at home would be a good idea but see what happens........take good care of yourself, you are more important than any job, so be kind to yourself. Practice Mindfulness and stay in control of your thoughts by meditation or listening to your favourite music.   Hope everyone else is not feeling too bad this week. It is back to work for me tomorrow after a lovely 5 day trip to Rome for my Birthday.   Lots of love and Huggles to you all Tracy xxx     ... View more

Oh dear Naz and Kirstie,   I am so sorry to hear that you are feeling down and fed up. It is certainly a challenge every day when we wake up and see our bodies, but remember how far you have come Naz and how many other ladies you have helped on here. You are here to collect your children from school, make cakes, walk through the autumn leaves and start and gently plan for Christmas. The knack on this journey is to be mindful and keep busy. I went for the full MRI scan on Sat and it was very claustrophobic. I have been in the polo mint scanner before but this was like a toilet roll tube, with the machine and equipment very close to your face. I was in the scanner over 50 minutes as they did the full spine. I get the results next Monday. If you think the dark feelings are getting worse then ring your Breast Care Nurse as they are trained to listen to our worries and fears. Or make an appointment to see your GP.....but dont suffer in silence.  Get rid of all your negative vibes on here so that you are ready to face the world with a cheerful face and thankful heart that we have survived. Sending you both positive vibes and healing thoughts Tracy xxx       ... View more

Hello there,   It is commendable that you feel so strongly about our world to consider not having treatment in order to save the NHS money , but really you have to realise like Poems said that there are so many other sectors of society who do not maybe deserve the treatment they get on the NHS, but that after all is what the Health Service was set up for , free treatment for all. When I was offered FEC T Chemotherapy I did much research about the drugs and was unsure whether to have the Taxotere part, not just because of the huge expense , but because of the danger of permanent hair loss, BUT one of the Chemo nurses said to me " Tracy if you was in India you would be fighting to get this drug ". It kind of put everything into perspective for me and I did follow the regime for the recommended 3 cycles. Afterwards I found that I wanted to fund raise for Breast Cancer Care so I organised Pink Fridays, Strawberry Teas and other events to raise awareness of this wonderful charity and all that it does, so please accept the treatment you are offered. God wants you on this earth for a long time yet to be an advocate for BCC and other Cancer charities. I also increased all my giving across the board both at church and through direct debits. This may help you feel better about taking the treatment that you so richly deserve. Love Tracy xxx     ... View more

Great news NIna. We are always pleased when ladies come along and tell us good news. I  echo all that Butterfly has said in her post. You did the right thing by getting it checked out..... keep healthy and well. You could decide to go dairy free if you wanted to help with your diet as milk can feed any cancer cells due to the level of hormones in it.  Hope you stay happy and healthy for many years to come Love Tracy xxx ... View more

Hello there,   I guess it depends what surgery you are having really . I personally would not want to go on a skiing holiday and take part after a full mx. I would be taking the chair lift and sitting in the bar with a nice glass of something. The problem with any surgery is always the recovery time. I had a mx with immediate recon in July 2010 and had a Coach holiday booked to Lake Garda but my surgeon said right from the outset that she recommended cancelling the holiday that was booked for August. To be honest I was more tearful and upset about cancelling the holiday than the diagnosis of Breast Cancer so I know how you feel......BUT it is only a short time out of your life and any damage to your arm could leave you with permanent lympodema in the affected arm. Please talk through all the options with your breast surgeon , but I personally would be cancelling. Could you bring it forward and go now before surgery ?   Sending you love and positive vibes, Tracy xxx   ... View more