Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi Ladies, Our group appears to have disappeared! So I will sign off too...it was good to compare notes throughout and good luck to you all xRuth x ... View more

Hello Ladies,   Well portacath removal went off without a hitch, but we had a 7 hour power cut from 7.30pm onwards at home (whole village was out for 2 nd time in a week due to faulty transformer ) followed by one of our cats coming in injured, so shes presently at the vets awaiting x ray and meds..poor thing. We think she freake dout as she wa sout when all the overhead cables were sparking it was like a firework display.   Wax2014 - Good to hear your results brought you good news 🙂 and thanks for tips on Tamoxifen brand change. I will discuss with oncologist when I see him next.   GMC - The oncologist thinks all my stomach problems and retching are to blame for hernia but as its very small just to carry on...I don't think I could bear anymore poking and prodding at the moment ! I do find eating earlier helps, but its a shame as we like to eat together as a family and swap our news but it only happens at weekends now.   Next date now is feb 6th when I see oncologist, I also want to ask if my tastebuds will revert back to what they were as they are still strange....I used to be a real chocoholic but I cannot eat it at all now, has anyone else experienced changing tastes or tastebuds not returning to normality? xx Ruth xx ... View more

Hello Ladies,   Wax2014 - Glad I was able to help 🙂 I had alot of stomach problems when I began chemo last year, whether the hernia is a result if that who knows ! The other thing I have been told is to ensure i have my evening meal 4 hours before going to bed. Well my hubby often doesn't get home until between 7 - 8 and I go to bed around 10.30. So now my daughter and I eat around 6 - 6.30 and I reheat my hubbys meal, I have found this has helped too? Good luck with oncologist Monday, I have my next appointmet with him on Feb 6th.   GMC - Poor you having to endure two portacath insertions and removals. My removal has changed to 22nd now. I asked not to have the guy who put the port in, as I felt a bit butchered by him and also my scar took a long time to heal afterwards, the radiographer even rang me on the eve of the insertion day to ask if I was ok, as anothe rperson had complained about the guys technique ! He didnt close the scar either end very well and and as a result the ends kept splitting open 😞   Tamoxifen - I have been on this now since mid November and honestly I feel my joints have aged 20 years ! I am full of aches and pains...is anyone else on Tamoxifen and experiencing this side effect? I do have a joint condition anyway called ankylosing spondylitis, but it was being successfully managed by an anti inflammatory drug? So it is difficult to tell whether my joint condition has flared up or whether Tamoxifen is having an adverse effect...another question to go on the list for my oncologist !!   Hope everyone is ok, I will be glad when port removal has been done I am tired of being poked and prodded now after nearly a year of it !! xx Ruth xx ... View more

Wax2014 - I had the burping and reflux and during a scan it showed I had developed a hiatus hernia, I hope that helps you? Ruth x ... View more

GMC - How did you end up having a portacath removed twice? 🙂 Ruth x ... View more

Hello Ladies,   Our thread seems very quiet on here these days !   GMC - I hope your rads are going ok, I found rads relatively easy after 6 months of chemo ! Next stop for me now is having my portacath removed under sedation on 20th, I am too much of a wuss to opt for removal without sedation !   I hope everyone else is okay Love Ruth ... View more

Hello Ladies,   GMC - Nothing wrong with having counselling, I was having it throughout 2014 due to family problems and facing all the BC treatment, I found it helped to talk to someone impartial :)) Heres hoping all goes well with your rads, the skin broke open on my clavicle area over xmas, but I used savlon and it soon cleared up 🙂 I didn't find the Purilon gel given to me by the rads clinic nurse helped, as it was sticky and kept attaching itself to all my clothing and dressings ! Sodastream - Good luck with returning to work and your holiday hunting 🙂 I am loathe to book a holiday for 2015 until the mammogram results in March, I am not being pessimistic, just realistic. Wax2014 - Good to hear your hols went well ! I also have a few appointments coming up ....portacath removal, oncologist, mammogram and surgeon follow up. Plus I want to catch up with appointments such as dentist,eyes and hair which I didn't have the energy to deal with during the past 9 months 🙂   My christmas was stressful with mum in a care home for the first time, dad being difficult and my sister with gastric flu !! But still managed to enjoy meals out, a panto and a cinema visit with my girls and hubby 🙂   Do we all move onto the next category on here soon? living beyoond treatment or whatever it is called? I notice most groups seem to move on together? xx Ruth xx ... View more

Hi Ladies   Sodastream - Yes finished 5 weeks of Rads on Friday, it was quite a surreal feeling. However, I don't think I will fully relax until that first mammogram in March, but after 6 months of chemo and 5 weeks of Rads, it will just be nice not to be attending regular hopsital appointments for a while 🙂   GMC - Good luck for your rads beginning in January. I didn't suffer any horrible side effects, just slightly sore skin, but otherwise got off lightly.I would go as far as to say it was a walk in the park compared to chemo  🙂   I hope everyone has a lovely christmas and New Year, my taste buds are not back to normal just yet but I intend to eat drink and be merry 🙂 xx Ruth xx ... View more

Hello Ladies,   Sodastream - Congrats on completing your Rads, another hurdle over with.   Wax2014 - I hope you have a nice hols 🙂   Ladycroft -  I have one more week of Rads at MV on my clavicle area then I am finished, I had a meeting with the Rads clinic nurse too and shes giving me some gel incase my skin cracks. I have not yet made it to the Lynda Jackson centre as its always closed when I get there late afternoon. It also appears that I missed an introductory meeting at the start of Rads which I never got any info about, which they apologised for. I have also been on Tamoxifen now for nearly a month, with no obvious side effects so far. I next see my oncologist in February, mammogram and surgeon follow up in March and having my portacath removed in January. I have found the staff at MV very efficient, but the daily round trip of 54 miles very arduous, particularly one night last week during rush hour and several accidents it took us nearly 2 hours to get home rather than 40 mins.   I am suffering with a really stiff neck but as I have a back condition I think its all the positioning the staff do and the awkward angle I am placed in daily with my neck twisted !! I called the room the torture chamber the other day and they all laughed :))   I hope everyone else is doing ok xx Ruth xx ... View more

sodastream congrats on test result, how did you persuade them to do BRCA test? I asked and was told unless already history in family of BC they don't do it? it must begin with someone in a family ! Ruth X ... View more

Hello Ladies,   GMC - I am glad you got good results from your op... like you I have always enjoyed xmas  too 🙂   Ladycroft -  How did you find Mount Vernon when you were having your rads there? I have found them very efficient and the radiographers very nice. However, I popped to the Radiotherapy section in the menu here the other day and some there seemed to imply that if you get sent to Mount Vernon rather than Addenbrookes or Oxford, you have drawn the short straw?   I am drawing to the end of week 3 of Radiotherapy and other than traffic, its gone pretty much to plan. However a 4.30 appt for me today has been moved to 7.30...groan, so we won't get home until after 9pm. But I cannot really complain as all other appts I have gone in on time or early. Just a little sore on skin, so I am slavering on the Aqueos cream morning and evening 🙂   I hope everyone else is doing ok xx Ruth xx ... View more

Hello Ladies,   Well, the end of week 2 of Radiotherapy, so 10 days down , 15 to go 🙂 I think the radiographers think I am barking mad, as when they were adjusting the bed and machinery the other day, I felt the urge to shout out THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO !!! Unfortunately, they were too young to remember the programme?   Not finding the treatment too bad at the mo, its the 54 mile round trip we are finding ardous in rush hour there and back each night.   I am returning to the hopsital nearer to me on Tuesday to have my portacath flushed, mixed opinions on this...the oncologist said it was wise to have it flushed every 6 weeks until it is removed...the nurses said it wasn't necessary?   I hope you are all getitng along okay. xx Ruth xx ... View more

Hello Ladies,   GMC - Glad your op went okay and I hope you are on the road to recovery now 🙂 Wax2014 _ Good to hear Ray had a nice send off. Sorry to hear about the lymphodema, but I bet you wer epleased with the clear MRI result. Its also good the surgeon has agreed to your request to more surgery too.I must admit when I have my 1st mammogram in March 2015, should there be anything there, I will request a doiuble whammy for sure.   Well, nearly at the end of my first week of Radiotherapy. The part I find most difficult is having my hands and arms suspended on rests above my head for upto 45 minutes, they hurt  once the sessions over.When they say ok you can get up now, I think to myself how? my arms have gone to sleep lol ! Also, I have a stinker of a cold and not being able to move my arms to wipe my nose , I feel like a snotty nosed toddler who badly needs mum to wipe my nose ! Otherwise its just been the traffic, as due to my appt times we end up in rush hour each time, which doubles the time our 27 mile journey home takes. Hubs has been a star and come with me everyday, taking phone conferences in the car and working on his laptop whilst I wait for my appt and I have my session.   I can say 5 down, 20 to go after today 🙂   Hope everyone else is doing ok xx Ruth xx ... View more

Hello Ladies,   First Radiotherapy done and dusted so 1 down 24 to go 🙂 Although I found Mount Vernon lacking in explaining things such as what products to use on skin, I did find them really efficient yesterday. Although I thought I would lay on a bench get zapped for 10 minutes and it would be over, but the session actually took 45 minutes as they took a long time arranging me into a very uncomfortable position, then popped in and out saying most of it done now ! Although I whinged about having evening sessions the parking was a delight ..Loads of spaces, but the downside was getting caught up in rush hour which doubled the time of our journey home. Hubs and I ate dinner prepared by our lovely daughter and promptly fell asleep lol. Ladycroft thanks for the tip re parking tokens and the booking in card as well. Wax2014 sorry to hear of your loss. Hoping everyone else is doing okay xx Ruth xx ... View more

GMC - Sorry I mislead you there, I have a flu jab every year as I have an auto immune condition, so it wasn't suggested to me because of the cancer diagnosis. xx Ruth xx ... View more

Hi Ladies,   Ladycroft - I have bought my 25 parking tokens already, thanks for the tip re booking in card, I will ask for that on Monday. We gave our c/park ticket to someone as we left, as it cost us £5.20 and we only there for half hour! It said in the letter we could be there for upto half a day 🙂 I have to say no one at Mount Vernon told me about creams and not to use deo etc, so I am finding out through trial and error here and through another few pals going through bc too. Whta is Anastrazole>? I havent been told I will be put on any further meds after Radio? I asked to change my appts but they wouldnt let me saying I would have to delay my treatment to do so which I didnt want to do at all. Sodastream - I cannot remeber now who told me not to colour my hair, it was way back at the beginning as they also told me not to blow dry or use stying products.Also not to use nail polish on any nails, so I was a good girl and listened and as I still have my hair and all nails I guess it must have worked...I ve gone grey though so roll on next year when I can dye my hair once more 🙂 Everyone, t you for your good wishes, I just want to get going now on Radio and cross one day off at a time, then in   Jan I am having my portacath removed, so I have to have it flushed every 6 weeks in the meantime. I had my flu jab yesterday as I was told not to have it whilst on chemo.   We are getitng there ladies slowly but surely :)) xx Ruth xx Good Luck all ... View more

Hello Ladies,   Well I had my planning meeting at Mount Vernon today, The journey is a 54 round mile trip...more than I thought, Hubs and I got there in half an hour.............then spent a further half an hour trying to park it was absolutely diabolical !!!! I was late for my appointment as a result but then went straight in for my scan, given my timetable to begin November 17th, finished by December 19th, we were on our way home within half an hour ! So 5 weeks of stress to look forward to, especially as all my appointments fall during evening rush hour...oh joy ! I had a tattoo done to mark areas on my boob...whatever that is, then got called back in for them to take further photos. Sodastream...when I asked re hair colouring I was told in no uncertain terms not to use any dyes on my hair until all my treatment is over? No wonder we get confused with all the different advice we are given ! I am also about to start my 5 year prescription on Tamoxifen, can thid be taken whilst having Radio? I have received conflicting instructions regarding this and need to calrify with my oncologist I think 🙂 My hair is growing back fast very curly and fluffy...it is usually dead straight, I never did lose it all, it just thinned out a bit. I hope you are all doing okay, I can't even see the lighnt at the end of the tunnel just yet with the 5 weeks of radio looming xx Ruth xx ... View more

Hi Ladies !   Chemo done and dusted it was a really weird feeling I can tell you ! The nurses and I had hugs and kisses and I gave them a card and a huge box of biccies for looking after me so well. I will see them now and again as I have to go to them to have ny portacath flushed every 6 weeks until it is removed, which wont be until January 2015 at the earliest. I think they were concerened about me going to Radio with an open wound.  Blimey Radio sounds quite onerous with broken skin and blistering>? I knew skin got sore and only certain products can be used...I was worrying more about the daily round trip of 40 miles plus trying to park once I arrived there !!! Thanks for the tip re cool pads, I hope to get ahaead of the game and get these products in place at home before my radio begins after a 2 week break. Thanks for all your good wishes ladies and I hope you are all coping okay as well xx Ruth xx ... View more

GMC - Thank you 🙂 Hi ho hi ho its off to the last Taxol I go !!! xx Ruth xx ... View more

Hi Sodastream,   Blimey what an accolade the longest running chemo babe lol ! 🙂 I guess 6 months is a long time 🙂   Its interesting what you say about how to talk to folks about the cancer diagnosis. I must admit once I had the lumpectomy in March, from then on I have always said I HAD cancer but now receiving treatment to ensure it doesn't return 🙂   Yes not a big gap between chemo and Radio beginning, but I lost September to cancelled sessions of treatment so it set me back a bit.   Inbetween, we are going to Plymouth fir a couple of days, to visit our daughter who is at uni down there, plus hoping to organise my xmas gift shopping, as I want to get it all done incase radio affects my energy levels 🙂 Its been a funny old year all told and I cannot believe 2014 will soon be over, I seem to have been on my own little planet for the bulk of this year ! xx Ruth xx ... View more