Breast Cancer Now Forum

Morning ladies, Rosie, your hair looks great. I'm quite envious, mine is still Wayne Rooney pre hair transplant! Can't wait to get rid of scarves and I think my kids will think their mum has recovered if she looks normal. I'm hoping to be able to go without a scarf in a few weeks time when we go on holiday. With everyone talking about dogs it makes me feel like we should take the plunge and get one. My husband has wanted one for ages, but I know who will end up looking after it, Moi. My son arrived home about 2 hours late yesterday and it was touch and go as the fog descended over our island. We would have all been gutted if the plane had had to return to the UK. Anyway he's home now until tomorrow night, so we are catching up with all the news. Meanwhile his younger brother is out playing hockey in the pouring rain. Later we have invited another family over for a catch up and an early supper. I had to make a quick dash to the hospital on Friday afternoon because I had developed a rash around my wound. Fortunately, the surgeon thought it was ok, but he has given me a course of antibiotics just in case. Next week is a bit manic with the build up to the Christmas holidays. I've been helping prepare the school Christmas fair which is on Friday and I also have to help out all day at another Christmas fair for CLIC Sargent. Hope everyone has a relaxing Sunday. ... View more

Morning ladies, Rosie I hope you can have a relaxing weekend after your night out and I hope you are not finding the RT too exhausting and your skin is intact. Lovewine, now I think about it the soles of my feet did feel weird/uncomfortable towards the end of my chemo. I assumed it was the chemo but it may have been the herceptin. They are fine now, so hopefully yours will improve too. I hope your son has a good weekend in London, hopefully his mates will cheer him up. I'm glad to hear your husband now has a diagnosis for his tummy troubles. Gallstones are so common but it can make you feel pretty unwell so I hope they manage to sort him out soon. Will they operate or are they going to try to dissolve them? Hope your Dad is on the mend too. Have they managed to restore the circulation to his leg? Wildpurl, you deserve a relaxing weekend after your big night in London. It must be very stressful to be in a work environment where everyone is having to reapply for their jobs. But it is encouraging that the manager approached you. So hopefully, it will all workout. Joan, are you having a well earned rest from the grandchildren this weekend? When does your prosthesis arrive? Kirstie, hope you're having a good time in Scotland. Cassie, I wish I could have seen the poppies. It looks so impressive on the TV, it must be very moving to see it for real. Whoever the artist is should really be congratulated. My week seems to have flown by. I've been helping with the sorting for the school Christmas fair most mornings. My husband and I cycled to the hospital on Wednesday for my herceptin injection and then we stopped for lunch at one of our favourite bistros on the way home. It was a lovely day, almost normal! Then it was an early start on Thursday to be at the hospital for my port removal. All went well and I just have a small dressing. I'm finding it slightly worrying that I have got so used to being a patient now, I don't find it so stressful. In fact I quite enjoyed that wonderful calm feeling when you wake up in recovery and drift in and out of sleep. Beginning to understand why people become addicted to drugs, which is slightly scary! This morning my younger son has a football match and then we are going to chill. Tomorrow it's hockey and then we are going to some friends for lunch. My older son seems to be happier, although not communicating much so hard to be sure. He has exams all next week, so I hope he doesn't get himself too stressed out and then he is coming home on Saturday. Can't wait to hear all his news in person. Hope you all have a good weekend ... View more

Lovewine, yes I have herceptin on oncology unit. I quite like going to say hello to everyone. I had to wait for 6 hours the first time, then 3 hours and after that just half an hour. Fortunately, I don't seem to feel any side effects. Some people complain of aches and pains, I really don't feel anything. My nails are pretty flakey though. Hospital rang this morning and asked me if I could get to the hospital by 7am tomorrow so I could be first on the list. So it's an early start tomorrow, but hopefully that will mean I will be allowed home by the end of the day. Hope you all have a good few days ... View more

Hi ladies, Sorry I haven't been on the thread lately, don't quite know where the time has gone. It seems like all the men in our lives are having troubles. I hope they all are on the mend now, whether it's fathers, sons or husbands. Rosie I can't believe you have had so many radiotherapy treatments already. You must be beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. My son seems to be ok at school, although it's hard to tell because he's not being very communicative. I'm hoping no news is good news. Younger son was in an inter schools general knowledge quiz yesterday. It was all set up just like university challenge with buzzers. His team were runners up in the final, so I was really proud of him. I've got herceptin number 8 tomorrow and surgery on Thursday to have my implant port removed. So still filling my week with hospital appointments! Hair still resembles Wayne Rooney pre hair transplant. I think it will be Christmas before I could consider going without some headgear. Hope everyone is having a relaxing evening. ... View more

Gosh, it's taken me ages to catch up with all your posts and now I can't remember what everyone has been up to without going back through it again. However, I get the general impression that everyone is busy getting on with their lives physically even if the mental effects are taking their time to recover. I am very envious of all of you talking about hair dye. I still look like Wayne Rooney pre his hair transplant. My hair seems to be growing painfully slowly. I'll be lucky to reveal my new look by Christmas at this rate! I took my son back to school at the weekend and attended his first parents evening. He seems to be getting on fine, although emotionally I think he is a little low. I think he is finding it all quite tough. He's at a very academic school and I think he's finding it hard not being regarded as one of the clever kids anymore. It's hard trying to buoy him up from a distance. Other son starts indoor cricket training tonight, so the taxiing continues. Has anyone put on weight since starting herceptin or tamoxifen? My tummy seems to be getting bigger and bigger! I'm trying to watch what I eat but seem to be forever hungry. ... View more

Morning ladies, I'm back from Paris. We had a great time. We walked and walked, something I couldn't have done 6 weeks ago. We didn't make it to Versailles, but I'm sure we will be back in France soon and it is on our to do list. Felt really proud of my boys, every time we went into a restaurant they impressed the waiters with their menu choices. They were willing to try anything, which makes it so much easier when choosing somewhere to eat. Kirstie, I feel for you re your relationship issues. It must be really hard when you need your husband to be your rock and he isn't quite getting it. However, I think lots of partners find this situation very hard to cope with. Ironically, my husband fell apart a bit when I had just finished my chemo. I think he had been holding it together whilst I was at my worst and once he could see me recovering, he relaxed and then felt very low. I know someone else who's husband has left her in the middle of chemo. He just couldn't cope. Needless to say her children were really upset. Your husband sounds like the typical british male that is trying to hide his emotions, but it's coming over as being uncaring. Wildpurl , hope you have a fun last few days off. You must be on a high after your good news. Joan, hope your husband is feeling better and you didn't have to take on the Florence nightingale role last night. You deserve a restful day today. Rosie, thinking of you on the bus today. Hope all goes to plan and there are no hold ups. Lovewine, Cassie and anyone else I may have forgotten , hope you all have good days. I'm going to the hospital today for a pre op assessment. I'm going to have the port of my expandable implant removed in a couple of weeks. I'm so glad I dont work, or I would be really stressed about the amount of time off one needs keep going to endless hospital appointments. ... View more

Morning everyone. Reading this thread now is so different from a few months ago. We are all talking about going out and doing things as opposed to being fed up with sitting on a sofa. It's really encouraging. My son is home. He drove me mad in the days before he came home because I was trying to give him last minute instructions and he wouldn't responed to my messages. Typical teenager! It was great to give him a hug when I picked him up from the airport. We are now all about to go out on a bike ride and have some lunch along the way. Tomorrow we are going to Paris for a few days. I've never been to Paris so I'm really looking forward to it. Where we live is quite rural so it's great to feel the buzz of a city. We are taking the boys on a bus tour, a boat ride down the Seine, up the Effel tower and then to the Musee D'Orsay. So it will be culture overload. Hope you all have a good few days with all your family visitors. We will probably all be moaning next week how knackered we are but at least we are living our lives and not just existing. ... View more

Morning ladies. Hope everyone's in good spirits despite the sad news about Lynda Bellingham. You have all inspired me to have a go at making the veggie chilli. I was just saying to my husband that I was bored of cooking the same old things. So I'm going to look the recipe up on line in a minute. I hope everyone's weekend was enjoyable and relaxing. I am starting to feel as if life is getting back to normal, other than serious lack of hair, tamoxifen and herceptin. We invited some friends round for dinner on Saturday night and I went on a bike ride with my husband on Sunday. Really looking forward to my son coming home on Thursday. Can't wait to give him a big hug. He's still only communicating via text at the moment so it's hard to tell how he is feeling. Rosie, when you see this you will probably have returned from your RT. I hope you are not too exhausted after your long journey. Have you got an iPod you could listen to on the bus? Must get on with the domestic tasks now, washing up, trip to supermarket and general tidying. ... View more

Morning everyone. Jackie, I'm sending you lucky lottery vibes. I completely understand your concerns but the thing that keeps me going is the thought that I have to for my children. So the irony is that although we worry about our children, it's them that keeps us moving forward positively. A week in Cyprus sounds lovely and just what you all need. Wildpurl, good luck with the blanket making and I hope the weather stays dry as I'm sure you will want to be out in your garden before the weather gets too cold. Lovewine, really sorry about your iPad. You must be so annoyed with yourself. Hope your son is coping without his girlfriend. Rosie, are you resting today after your busy Friday? Glad you've got your RT sorted. Attending a school disco must be quite an experience, somewhere between scary and amusing! Joan, hope the RT is still going well. Was it you that said the machine is called Bosworth? Is it called that after the battle? Hope the grandchildren are not exhausting you too much. Cassie, I know what you mean about losing weight. I haven't gained any weight during my treatment but at about the time I was diagnosed I was thinking I really needed to shift a bit of weight. It is a dilemma. You want to loose weight but you don't want to deprive your body of any needed nutrients. The sun is shining here, so we are hoping to go for a family bike ride once the dreaded homework is out of the way. My older son has gone from phoning us everyday to just texting, so it's hard to tell how he is. I have to assume he is ok, otherwise I would have heard from his housemaster. This boarding school parenting is actually very tricky to manage. I'm trying not to worry about him, but just want to be able to give him a big hug. ... View more

Morning ladies, sorry some of you have returned to the grumpy step. Maybe there is something in the atmosphere at the moment. I didn't have a great day yesterday. Nothing to do with breast cancer thank God. My son had a wobble at his new school and the housemaster was really worried about him. It was such a shock as I had spoken to him the day before and he had seemed so happy. He's not saying he wants to come home, I think he is just feeling a bit low. Then school nurse rang from my other son's school to say he had hurt his finger in the playground. I think it may be broken and he is supposed to be auditioning for an orchestra in 2 weeks time. Life certainly has it's ups and downs. Rosie, you may be interested in a series on radio 4 called the educators. Can you download the podcast and have a listen. I would very curious to know your opinion as a teacher. The chap that set up Khan Academy was on the series which made me look up his website. It's actually really interesting to see how he teaches. It's raining here today which doesn't help lift the mood. I was hoping to go on a bike ride today but it's too wet at the moment. So I will have to face the boring paperwork instead. I've got an enormous pile of paper to be filed! Hope we can all get ourselves off the grumpy step by the end of the day. ... View more

Lovewine, don't worry about an allergic reaction. The nurse told me she had never seen anyone react to it and you only had to stay for along time for the first injection to comply with the new licsencing agreement as it was a realitively new way to administer the drug ... View more

Lovewine, I'm on my 6th herceptin injection. My injections are in my thigh. The first time I had to wait 6 hours on the oncology unit in case of an allergic reaction, the second time 3 hours and now just half an hour. I have mine once every 3 weeks and a heart scan once every 3 months. ... View more

Hi ladies Hope everyone is feeling ok and not on the grumpy step. I'm in the middle of a week of hospital visits. I saw the oncologist yesterday, the surgeon today and will be going back for herceptin injection tomorrow. Everything seems to be going to plan so far and now have a date in November for the removal of my implant port. The surgeon and oncologist can't decide how to manage my follow up. Oncologist offered me a CT scan of chest, abdomen and pelvis in 6 months time. The surgeon felt that was not necessary and suggested a breast MRI instead. Curious to know what regime everyone else has been offered. I had a good trip to the UK with DS2 and then we returned home to a lovely weekend with DS1. He has now returned to the UK and won't be back home now until half term. It felt very funny leaving him at the airport to get on a plane without us. He was completely knackered when he got home on Friday, so hopefully we managed to recharge his batteries over the weekend enough to keep him going for the next few weeks. Hope the car is fixed Rosie. Lovewine, I hope your son's troubles resolve, sometimes the thought of the breakup is worse than the reality. ... View more

Hi everyone Thinking of you Jackie and Rosie. Hope your days have not been too grim. I've had a pretty good day today. I've been on a bike ride with my husband as he has the day off. It was great to do something together that wasn't involving my treatment. I'm now packed and ready to bring my younger son to the uk to look round a couple of schools before we pick the older one up on Friday. Can't wait to see him! Then we will be coming back home on Friday evening. He'll be travelling back again on Sunday evening with 2 older boys who are in the same boarding house as him. All very grown up for a 13 year old. Hope you all have a good evening. ... View more

Oh Rosie, how frustrating. Do you know what the CT is for? You may have been referred for a CT of your chest, abdomen and pelvis to ensure that the rest of your body is clear of anything nasty. That would be done in the diagnostic radiology department. Whereas the radiotherapy department may also have a CT scanner that they use to plan the exact positioning of the radiation beam for the radiotherapy treatment. Sounds like you have got lost in the system. Perhaps they want to do a diagnostic CT before they make any decisions on the radiotherapy. Hope you get it sorted out. I had quite a productive trip to the shops. There was a 20% off day in White Stuff, so I have to admit a couple of items were purchased. My son rang at 9pm last night having just got back from London. He sounded exhausted but his housemaster was making something to eat which was kind, so didn't get much of a chance to chat. Can't wait to see him this time next week. Hope everybody has a good day. ... View more

Morning everyone. Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Don't quite know where the time goes. Rosie, I hope your appointment goes well today and the expanders behave themselves. I can't believe people are talking about hair cuts! Mine is barely visible and very grey so you can't see it against my white head, so I still look like Kojak. I had my CT scan yesterday and was told there was nothing nasty to be seen. Thank God. I have to admit I was more worried about the outcome than the scan itself. I have an appointment in 10 days time with the oncologist which I hope will be the last time I see him for a long time. The next day I have an appointment with the surgeon to discuss whether I am going to have the port to my inflatable implant removed and whether I'm going to have surgery to my other breast to make it match my new boob. Otherwise everything is ok. My son seems to be having a great time at his new school. I think he will be exhausted when he comes home in a weeks time. He's travelling to London today with his school's sports team to compete against Westminster School. So he might be competing against a few potential cabinet ministers! Feeling slightly guilty that everyone is talking about going to work. I'm considering a trip to the shops to enjoy a browse, unhindered by children which is the first time in months. Hope you all have a good day ... View more

We live in the Channel Islands, so only a 30 min plane ride to the mainland. His school is close to the airport, so he can come home for exeats, half terms and holidays. His first assignment was to write an essay entitled 'my life in books'. That would have filled me with dread, but he seemed to enjoy it. I'm hoping he rings tonight as he was representing the school in a sports team this afternoon which, for my son is a real bonus as he is not a natural sportsman. Hope it went well. ... View more

Hello everyone. I wrote a long thread last night and just as I posted it the website crashed, so lost it. Anyway, I hope everyone is fine and enjoying the sunshine still. We have returned from the UK, having left our son at his new boarding school. He has phoned every night and seems to be settling in ok. I'm so relieved, I couldn't bear it if he was unhappy. I'm sure he will have a wobble at some time in the next few weeks, but so far so good. I had my 5th herceptin yesterday and am on to my 3rd week of tamoxifen. The hot flushes have definitely started, particularly at night. It will be interesting how it feels when the weather gets colder. You never know, I might be able to turn the central heating down which will please my husband. My hair is growing, but not very fast, so I think it will be at least another month before I can go out without something on my head. Otherwise, I seem to be recovering my fitness levels although still a long way to go on that front. Really enjoying my electric bike. ... View more

Morning everyone, the sun is shining so I hope everyone is in a good frame of mind and the sulky step has been put away. Lovewine, glad to hear your recovery is going well. Rosie, sorry to hear about your Dad. I know how difficult it is when you live a plane ride away from family when there is a crisis. I have survived my Dad's visit and now need to put the clean sheets back on the spare bed as my sister in law arrives today. My lovely husband has bought me an amazing gift to aid my recovery. It's an electric bike. You still have to pedal, but the electric motor kicks in when you need some extra power. I'm going to take it on its inaugural ride in a minute with my boys. Hoping it will help me get my fitness levels back. ... View more

Louise, you are entitled to sit on the sulky step every now and then. I was feeling just like you 2 weeks ago. In the last couple of days I can feel my energy levels getting better and I subsequently feel emotionally better. I'm sure I will go through a few more sulky step phases over the next few months. We just have to enjoy the good bits. As Rosie says you probably can change your prosthesis and if not try to enjoy a bit of a shopping trip. Perhaps treat yourself to something else as well as a bra. Life here is pretty busy with Dad and step mum staying. We managed a wet bank holiday cooped up in the house without falling out, so that is an achievement. I'm off to younger sons school shop in a minute to get new trousers for him and then the grand parents want to take the boys shopping for a present. I think they are going to get fleeced for a Chelsea shirt which I refused to buy younger son because they are rediculously expensive. I got on the scales this morning and it was not good! One week of tamoxifen and the weight is piling on. I'm going to have to really watch it as I can already feel my clothes are getting quite tight. One thumb nail has fallen off and the other one is lifting up. At this rate I'm going to look a real sight for sore eyes when I meet the parents at my sons new school in 10 days time. My son is beginning to get a bit nervous about starting now, I think the reality is beginning to hit him. I'm sure he will be fine, just need to get through the first few weeks, just like starting any new school. ... View more