Breast Cancer Now Forum

I couldn't get enough sleep for about 6 weeks after rads ended but that has gradually improved. Taking vitamin D has definitely helped. Jennifer ... View more

My first mammogram will be in May and I am already worrying about it! Thinking of you both. Chin up and let us know how you get on. x ... View more

Hallo Ladies, I finished my rads in August and haven't accessed the forum  much since then but during the Christmas holidays, exhaustion and the pain in my joints - especially my feet/ankles, hands and knees was so bad that I began to feel despair.  "What use recovering from BC?" I thought, if the result is that you are crippled with rhumatoid arthritic symptons and can't do anything?  I'm relieved (but sorry) to see that so many of us are suffering in this way.   My aches and pains are permanently present and I think getting worse (or maybe my tolerance is reducing) to the point where I can no longer practice the yoga that I have done for 5 years - my joints are simply too sore to take the pressure of a lot of the poses.  I do sleep but I usually wake up feeling about 80 years old and it takes a while to walk properly.  Is this normal?  I did see the GP before Christmas and she persuaded me to carry on until I had been taking the letrozole for at least six months.  She did say that there are alternative tablets but on reading all the posts here it seems that they produce similar side effects.  My BC consultant has said that I will be switched to tamoxifen after 2 years.  Has anyone else switched and seen an improvement?  Incidently, When I went to the GP I found that I had very low levels of vitamin D.   I've been taking 3000 M Us for a month now and I must say that the tiredness has reduced.   ... View more

Hi Meg, welcome to the forum. Sorry you have had to join the club but as you go through your treatment you will be very glad of the support and comfort that you can get from friends on these pages. Firstly, it sounds as though you are coping magnificently. I was diagnosed in May following a routine mammogram and I was a complete mess for quite sometime. I expect that underneath you are feeling pretty scared right now, I know I felt a huge sense of loneliness ( despite great hubby, daughters and friends) and grief for the loss of my health. I found this forum a great help and dip in and out still despite having completed my treatment som months ago. The waiting is the worst bit of it all and I found Hatha yoga and meditation classes really helped me to control the worrying. I think any exercise is useful because at the very least it helps you to sleep. Some ladies started to follow food regimes - your BC nurse should be able to advise - I ate and drank what I liked and still lost weight due to anxiety. Keeping busy, busy, busy certainly helped me and keeping company with positive people is another must. So sorry that this has happened to you but thanks to the wonderful NHS I'm sure that you will come through it all and carry on with your life. Hope all goes well. When is your surgery? ... View more

Elaine - I love that you are shaving your head. You are one brave lady. ... View more

Hi Charlie - you are the same age as my daughter and I am so sorry that you have to deal with this at a time when you should be having the time of your life.  We were ALL like you!    Everyone cries at first, the waiting for results stage is the worst part but The good news is that things will gradually get better,  most people now fully recover from BC and you will too.     I hope you have a manager or other senior colleague at work who you you can confide in?  You will need someone there also to support you through this.  In the meantime,  be kind to yourself, cry all you want and stay on line.   Lots of brave ladies here all willing to listen and comfort. I'm sending you all manner of positive thoughts and virtual hugs.  X  ... View more

Hi Gaynor - so sorry to hear about the careless way that you were treated by the radiologist.  It's all in a day's work for them and they forget that for other people cancer and its treatment is not a day to day matter; it feels like the end of the world when it happens to you.   But it isn't!  The crying and feelings of despair and fear are something most of us experienced - it's all such a shock.  I had myself dead and buried before I saw my grandson ( who has since been born and is a great joy) but once you know what you are dealing with and have a treatment programme you start to pick up and look forward. Aalthough friends and family can be wonderful, nobody can understand what it Is like to be told that you have cancer unless they have been through it. You'll get all the support that you need on these pages.  You will be ok but it will take time.  Thinking of you.          ... View more

Hi Emilylss, sorry that you are having bad time.  I am two months on from radiotherapy and generally feeling good except for attacks of fatigue that come out of the blue and lay me low for a day or two.  I also have moments of panic still but they are receding as time goes on.  I started hatha yoga and meditation to help with the feelings of anxiety, fear, loss of control etc and I think it is helping.  I also make sure that i go out for a walk every day and again, I think the exercise helps.   Accessing counselling always takes forever.  I shouldn't tell you this but a reliable source tells me that if you tell your doctor that your condition is making you feel suicidal then you will get an appointment soon.  Have you tried self help books to get you into a more assertive frame of mind.  There are loads - go an browse the shelves at Waterstones - you are bound to find one that suits and if you don't then it will take your mind off things for a couple of hours and maybe give you a laugh too.  Some of them are just bonkers!  best wishes Jennifer  ... View more

Hi Ladies - I've been quiet for a week or so but I still keep an ey on what you are all saying!  I think you are all grand getting back to work.  I am considering giving up the day job, retiring and getting myself a part time job at a charity or something.  I just want stress free living from now on - if that's possible!  I have been looking  into the pension situation and I am horrified by the issues for women.  Not only has our pension age been increased by 6 years in the past 5, but if you took any time off for children or went to uni, chances are you won't qualify for the full new state pension because  you don't have 35 years of class 1 contributions.   One way or another we always get hit hardest when there are cutbacks.  Sorry for ranting but this is not fair.   It's not fair that we get breast cancer either - but I can't think of anyone to blame for that!  Just booked a holiday in Barbados in November.......wondering what my shrunken bap will look like in my swimsuit.  Any one got any tips?  I assume its a case of buying some chicken fillets.  best wishes Jennifer  ... View more

Hallo - lost you all for a while!  I say my oncologist last week and when I asked her about drinking increasing the risk of reoccurance she completely poo-poohed it and said that half the medical profession would be dead by now if that was true!  She did say that weight control and regular exercise are the most effective things that we can all do - other than that the tablets and some luck are our best bet.  I was pretty happy to be discharged although this being breast cancer month, it's pretty hard to watch anything or go anywhere without being reminded isn't it?  Good luck with the return to work everyone.  Jennifer ... View more

How did it go? I have real difficulty dealing with the questions and I'm not looking forward to explaining my absence. ... View more

Wondered where you had all gone! ... View more

I'm still on the narrow boat somewhere in the midlands. Thought I was thinking less about cancer when I picked up this months Prima magazine and there is a whole section on BC . What really freaked me out was that it said if you have hormone receptive cancer - which I think most of us on this thread have - more than 2 alcoholic drinks a week can increase the chance of reoccurrence by 15% - never heard that before. Flipping heck. Why bother with the drugs if stopping drinking makes such a difference? Has anyone else heard of or read this? I see my oncologist next week I'm definately going to ask her about this. Or is it just a load of rubbish? ... View more