Breast Cancer Now Forum

I am so sad to hear this, she was such an inspiration and support to so many of us. My deepest condolences to her family. xxx ... View more

Hi Lulu, Thank you so much for this! Plasters are an issue for me so I tend to avoid them and just keep applying the antiseptic as often as possible. It's a real bugger it being my dominant side as there are so many things that you just cannot avoid doing. 'Suse my ignorance but what is a LO, (:D) maybe I should talk to my BCN about it all too? Nymeria xx ... View more

Oh I do. I have antibac wipes and sprays dotted about the house, and I launch into action every time. I even carry a tube of antiseptic cream and a hand gel in my handbag. Careful as I am (OH calls it obsessed! :D) this still seems to end up happening. It's very frustrating when I go out of my way to try and reduce both the risk and infection. Guess I'll just have to try harder??? 😞 Nymeria x ... View more

Thank you so much everyone. My family and I really appreciate all your lovely comments and support. Nymeria x ... View more

Thank you! x ... View more

I know I'm one of the bloggers but I've added myself too. A brilliant idea and a quick and easy way of raising awareness. Nymeria ... View more

Hi Laura, I was going through chemo this time last year and boy was it cold! 🙂 Aside from putting the heating more than I liked, I found the following helped: Buy a fleece blanket to snuggle up in for when sitting around the house. I also bought one as a car blanket too. Wear lots of layers. I bought some cheap and cheerful thermal vests and they really made a difference. They made me feel like my granny tho'! 😄 Hot water bottles are your friend! On really bad days I would have one for my feet and one to snuggle up with. If you can manage it, lots of hot drinks. Nymeria xx ... View more

Hi Hedonist, I'm so sorry you've had to join our club! 😞 I was diagnosis with invasive lobular carcinoma in October 2010 and looking back, I don't which was worse all the waiting for results, treatment plans etc., or the treatment itself! Hang on in there! You'll get lots of support here on the board and BCC has some wonderful resources that you can download or order for free. Remember that there is no such thing as a silly question, if you need to know something no matter how trivial it seems, it's an important question! 🙂 Nymeria x ... View more

Me too! 🙂 ... View more

Oh Poppy, I'm so sorry to hear this! You went through your treatment in a similar time line to me and like me you've had to deal with other stuff that on its own would be hard to cope with let alone whilst you are also dealing with breast cancer! First off a huge one of these (((((((((hug!))))))) CM's advice is excellent and I hope you find it helpful. As a former HR person it is *exactly* what I would recommend. Also, most definitely cut yourself some slack, as by heck you've been through the wringer! I found myself feeling very much the same way now that I'm a year down the road from going through dx, treatment etc. You get to the end and expect to be able to just pick up the life you left on hold and it's such a let down when the reality is that that life has changed so much you don't know how to deal with it. All of this is **completely** normal! I found this book hugely helpful - The Cancer Survivor's Handbook. There were parts of it that had me in tears because it seemed to have been written with me in mind! 🙂 The other thing that you might want to do is organise some counselling. Your HR people might be able to help with this but you could also try this as well - http://www.cancercounselling.org.uk/ Again, a huge hug! Nymeria xxx ... View more

I know everyone is different but I've had no problems with Citalopram at all. TBH I'd almost welcome a little weight gain as I lost so much during treatment and still not got back to a healthy weight 8 months later, but that hasn't happened. The thing I did notice was that for the first week or so I had a dry mouth. Do remember that if you go down the route of an anti-depressant, it is at a very low dose. Hope you get some relief soon! Nymeria xx ... View more

Hi Francescap29, I had really horrible hot flashes on TAX and this was really helped by a low dose of Citalopram. I did find that the following helped: Wearing cotton Wearing layers Carrying a fan in my handbag A cooling drink Night sweats were a pain because like most of us we have a duvet. What worked for me was to go to a lower rate of tog and to have a throw on the bed to provide extra warmth when needed. I often felt very chilly once the hot flush had actually worn off! 🙂 I often slept on a towel to save having to keep changing the bedclothes. Since starting with Citalopram the hot flushes are so much better. 2 or 3 a week instead of several per day. I'm sure there will other advice forthcoming too! 🙂 Nymeria x ... View more

Yes, do ask about a Blue Badge because it's so useful to have! I had a temporary one because when I finally came out of hospital after chemo was finished I could only get about with two walking sticks and had to surrender my driving licence after having a seizure. If you are unable to drive but up to occasionally using the bus it might be worth you looking into whether you can get a free pass or discount pass. I know that the National Bus Pass Scheme isn't valid in Wales but there might something that your local council offers instead. I don't know yet how long I will be without a driving licence, so when I gave back the blue badge because I was more mobile and lived near a bus stop, I applied for a free pass. My GP gave me a letter certifying me as medically unfit to drive. There are things out there that can help and it's never stupid to ask for help when you need it. My mum summed it up neatly - if you don't ask, you don't get! 🙂 I've had to swallow my pride and admit that I needed help but I was pleasantly surprised a) about what I was actually entitled to and b) how helpful most people were when I asked for help. 🙂 Nymeria xx ... View more

Thank you for posting this. It made me cry because it is so flipping true - where are the pretty clothes and underwear for post-surgery women? I have found the whole experience something of a nightmare as I have found it virtually impossible to find anything that works and is pretty. As a result I now live in t-shirts and jeans with all my pretty clothes either hidden in the back of the wardrobe or consigned to the charity shop. I can't tell you how many times I have walked around the high street desperate for something else to wear and then come home empty-handed and in tears. Thank you *so much* Libby for helping make the fashion world take notice of us! I have already started a 'share campaign' via Facebook. Nymeria xx ... View more

Hi Erin, Thank you so much for sharing Jo's story with us. Your love and devotion to her really shines though all of this. Jo sounds like a lovely woman and I am so sorry that she had to endure so much, and that you had to watch her go through it all. She was lucky to have you by her side. Thinking of you both! Nymeria xx ... View more

My taste buds took quite a while to fully return to normal (I had AC-T). I think the worst thing for me was that I couldn't stand the taste of two of my favourite things - chocolate and coffee! 🙂 They do normally come back but my onc said that like a lot of other SEs it differed from person to person as to how long it would actually take. I think mine were finally back to normal about 6-8 weeks after last chemo and I celebrated with some Hotel Chocolate which I'd been saving - it was heaven! 🙂 Give it a bit longer Claire, I'm sure they will start returning to normal soon! Nymeria xx ... View more

Hi CW, Poor you, being in constant pain is so debilitating and has a huge negative impact on quality of life. I have been in pain for the best part of a year since my mx in November 2010 and instead of just gritting my teeth and trying to cope with it (which wasn't working) I had a long chat with my GP about it. As a result I am now taking Gabapentin and Amitriptyline in a slowly increasing dose. It's not got rid of the pain completely yet but I am *finally* starting to see a bit of an improvement after 5 weeks. Talk to either your hospital team or your GP about pain relief because whatever the cause, you really shouldn't have to continue to suffer with it. Nymeria x ... View more