Breast Cancer Now Forum

Saffronseed Hope it goes well, I think my GP takes the very reasonable view that I've had enough to put up with without losing my hair too although like you I originally didn't want to be a nuisance. Foxy xxxxx ... View more

Hi all About 9 months ago I lost a strip of hair at the front and immediately blamed letrozole. I discussed this with my onc who suggested tests for low thyroid as that can cause hair loss, when they came back negative we looked at Adjuvant Online and agreed I would stop as the benefit was quite small. (I had other troublesome SE's the worst of which was dizziness and joint pain). However, my hair didn't get any better so I spoke to my GP again and she referred me to a dermatologist who eventually diagnosed lichen planus which causes something called frontal fibrosing alopecia. I now use a prescription steroid lotion to try and halt the spread, but the hair will never come back. My dermatologist says it is very common in post menopausal women - think of all those old ladies you've seen with short permed hair and very high foreheads? However, lichen planus is an auto-immune disease and when I saw my onc today for my routine appointment he was curious to know what triggered it, and I have to say I never asked my dermatologist if it could be connected to the cancer although obviously he knows I've had it. I didn't have chemo, I had surgery and rads. Hair loss is a medical not a cosmetic problem so don't suffer in silence, see your GP and get referred to a specialist dermatologist through the NHS and find out what is really causing it. Both my onc and my GP have been incredibly sympathetic. I actually saw my dermatologist privately first as there was quite a wait, but he then put me on his NHS list as he wanted to do a skin biopsy and he couldn't see why I should have to pay! Now I know what it is I'm much more comfortable with it, and my lovely hairdresser has given me a new style to help disguise it. Foxy xxxxxxxx ... View more

One of my "tittoos" is visible in a scoop neck t-shirt, and when I was on holiday with a group of people I hadn't met before I sat opposite a lady at breakfast. I saw her look at my tattoo, then I glanced down and saw hers! We smiled at each other and never mentioned it again. In a funny sort of way I'm quite proud of them. I had an ECG last week for a (non BC) medical research project I'm in and the girl was cleaning my skin before she put the pads on. So I joked that the tattoo wasn't dirt and not to rub too hard and her colleague said "ooh, can I see" then came over all embarrassed so I told her I was proud to show them off. After all, lying there with my chest exposed they would have to be blind not to notice I've only got one and a half boobs so the ice was well and truely broken on that subject! Hope the job news is good CM. Foxy xxxxxx ... View more

JCJ - 3 cheers for your nephew and all his colleagues. Watched the Derbyshire Air Ambulance circle Kinder Scout on Sunday and land below us at the top of Jacob's Ladder. No mean feat. Passed them treating a lady who had collapsed on the path half way up together with the Mountain Rescue. Glad your nephew is OK! Foxy xxxxx ... View more

Welcome Heather, so sorry too you had to join us but you are in the best place now. I was a bit of a lurker until recently when I came out - if that's the right phrase. Quail, hope you are on the Itwillallbeok bench as suggested. I might have to join you there, or is there a why is nothing straightforward when you are ready to move on bench, probably recently occupied by Grumpy? Saw my surgeon on Wed and although she is happy to replace my tissue expander with an implant she wants to use strattice, and she has to apply for funding. I had thought strattice was only used for immediate reconstruction, but she says because I'm very small and the implant will probably sit a bit high up on my chest if she relies on the muscle holding it in place she wants to put a strattice cradle underneath so it can drop down a bit. I can't find any reference to this procedure anywhere, but she says she did it recently for another lady. So having psyched myself up to face another operation I now have to start worrying about whether they will fund it and if not, what do I do? A private reconstruction with strattice is about £10k, but my surgeon doesn't do private work and I trust her. So it's either stop worrying or go and buy a lottery ticket. RevCat - we called them boyracers as well. When I was working and doing lots of mileage I had a Rover 75 with a BMW diesel engine. It was a real wolf in sheep's clothing and I used to love burning boyracers off at the lights. They would come alongside, glance at sweet middle aged lady in what one of my friends called "an old f**rts car" and rev their engines. I coudn't resist it. Have a good weekend everyone. Foxy xxxxxx ... View more

Oooh, can't stop laughing. Glad you are all as daft as me and hope we cheered up those on the FF bench. I worked in a 90% male occupation and the things I heard, including the ones about how I got promoted. It wasn't so much that they said them that astonished me, it was that they didn't think I'd be offended. Seems things haven't changed.Must be genetic. CM, what made you think it was underarm deodorant........no, just joking. Foxy xxxxxx ... View more

I have developed a furry face too. I stopped taking HRT after many years when I was diagnosed (another bit of guilt to throw in the lake) then took letrozole for 6 months until the SEs got too much to bear and the onc said it only made 4% difference, so I don't know which caused it. I had electrolysis in my much younger days which worked but now it's back with a vengeance. I went for a laser consultation and she said I had to get the OK from the doc because I'd had cancer (why?) so I went to the doc and he offered me a cream to kill the hair follicles, which I didn't know even existed. He said he doesn't prescribe it often because it's £50 a tube (gulp, even more guilt) but he thought I'd had enough to put up with recently. (As well as only one and a half boobs I have also developed lichen planus which has given me a rapidly receding hairline so he probably thinks I have body image issues, he may be right). So I'm dutifully rubbing that cream on my chin and upper lip while slathering my bald patch with steroids - must remember not to do it the other way round. Like the time I sprayed the inside of the freezer with oven cleaner instead of that stuff that's supposed to help it defrost. And let's not even mention the hairspray/deodorant incident. Appointment with surgeon tomorrow to discuss replacing my tissue expander....getting more excited/nervous. Thanks for the pep talk Grumpy, just what I needed! Foxy xxxxx ... View more

Absolutely brilliant!!!! I can't believe the snow, well done to you and Deed. I can see the pic OK and I use Firefox (natch). Have a really l-o-n-g soak in a hot tub with a few cupcakes. Foxy xxxxxxxx ... View more

How lovely FF that you are now fixed up, you must be purring with pleasure (do foxes or indeed ferrets do that?). Such a shame you had to wait so long. Why are services so different across the country? I have a tissue expander so no help was considered necessary, but I have the problem that it won't "droop" so I have a gap at the bottom of my boob and my bras go all wrinkly underneath. I was trying to compensate with a heavily padded bra, but when I complained to a lady in M&S that they had discontinued the one that did the business she fished in her drawer and produced a chicken fillet. You'll only be wanting the one she said, have it on us. Bless. Appointment next week to be "measured up" for the permanent implant. Cue expectation, panic that expectation won't be met, guilt that I'm using NHS resources for cosmetic reasons, and that I'll be asking other people to look after me when it was my decision to have it done. Staggering down to the lake under weight of guilt. If I accidentally throw myself in too can someone rescue me? On the animal theme we have acquired a pet hare. We have them around from time to time but this one seems to have taken up residence. It has no fear, the only thing it doesn't like is the beeping when the milkman reverses back down the lane. It likes sleeping on the metal cover over the inspection point for the drain to tbe septic tank, maybe it gets warm when the dishwasher empties at 5 am. I am getting really fond of it although I do wonder if it has special needs since I'm not sure they are supposed to lie back in the flower bed and look at you when you are hoeing round them. If I get even more attached to it I might have to change my name. RevCat, there is a lady called Deed who posted on the Chubb Club thread who is doing Ben Nevis. I think she is from WAY down south. Off out tomorrow to stock up on goodies for the bonfire to celebrate the conqueror's return. Anyone know where to get parkin? Foxy xxxxxxxx ... View more