Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi , as soon as someone knows would you be so kind as to tell us what the Form number will be ? I went to my GP surgery today (i guess they are not available yet) but the receptionist had no idea what I was talking about . It would be easier to go and request the form by its code/number . thanks Cally ... View more

Hi , just to add. I finished chemo end of Feb and my periods have returned in November. Have just been for a hormonal blood test to check for sure . I am 42 ... View more

Anne , I totally agree with you. I am also practising living for now and its helping me to cope with bc but its taken me a year to get to this stage. I do yoga , go to the gym and have started painting . I really can switch off for 2 hrs a week and focus on being creative) . Maybe its stopped me being ambitious I dont know , as I am not really thinking about the future at all but as you say you have to find your own way to live with it . Cally x ... View more

Desperately sad news , Rest in peace Paula ... View more

Hi I finished chemo end of Feb and I have a mop of thick iry hair which just doesnt make me feel like me . I was intersted to read katie that there are hairdressers out there who specialise in chemo patients. Whereabouts in the country are you ? I hate the texure of my hair as its so wiry at the front. It looks like a perm growing out and I cant wait to go a bit dramatic with the colour. Cally x ... View more

Hi , thanks for the info on lipofill. By the way does anyone know is reconstruction part of the treatment plan for bc ? I had my op and chemo privately but dont know if reconstruction is covered or if I can get i done on the NHS ? Maybe thats an obvious question but because it hasnt been mentioned to me at all wasnt sure. Cally xx ... View more

Hey Ostrich , my chemo nurse recommended I drink wine , good for the heart and the head (as long as you dont drink the bottle !) Like all mums you have given yourself to others all the time , children , hubby , its constant so can totally understand the 'need to be selfish' you just need time for you and to be you not something to everyone else. Its hard in the early days , you are totaly turned upside down. At least you can talk with your youngest but the downside of that of course is that she is aware of the situation and your feelings. My two little monkeys bicker a lot (and still do) sounds like you have a lovely normal family (be pretty weird if your 10 year old didnt go off and sulk once in a while) Cally ... View more

Hi recon hasnt been mentioned to me at all . I sort of assumed I would have to be proactive about it . As you say I am sort of ok with it but bras dont fit and I pad my bra out if I am wearing something vaguely clingy. I just wanted to see what my options were before asking them . I know it sounds like the opposite way around but I want to make sure I am knowledgeable and dont get fobbed off ! What is Lipofill by the way Cally ... View more

HI Saradenn I was dx with bc August 07 at the age of 41 and I also have a twin . Have finished chemo and rads end of May and am now on Tamoxifen . She has been checked out and thankfully all is ok . I have 3 other sisters in addition of which I am the youngest. Even though they all live 250 miles away when I asked for help they came a couple of days at a time to help with my children and my distressed hubby which I really really needed . Thank God for my beautiful sisters. My twin has been very unemotional about the whole thing which I found a bit odd at first but I'm sure its just her way of coping. If I'd seen her upset it wouldnt have helped me for sure. She is planning to emigrate to Australia which I found quite hard to deal with at first but after being through this I am now a bit unemotional about it all . Well I wont go on about that , all I can say is just be there as I know you will be . love Cally ... View more

Hi Dilys and Horace you have echoed what I feel , although I am 20+ years younger than you Horace I am at the point like you where i am happy to just be here and enjoy the things around me . I have lived abroad in various countries , seen amazing sights travelled , done silly thing I'll never do again (bungee springs to mind) but am content to just be me with my children , see my family as often as I can up north and cherish them . I dont feel the need to go out and swim with dolphins or climb kilimanjaro but I do like being out in nature and feeling alive . C x ... View more

Hi Tigerjo I have a similar story to you . I was diagnosed last Aug 17th . I had my mammogram brought forward to beginning of August as I couldnt wait until after the summer and I also requested an ultrasound. The sonographer was great and talked me through it as I guess with ultrasound the results are there to be explained there and then not afterwards . She gave me the all clear straight away so that when I walked into the surgeons office a week later I already knew and didnt have to suffer the terrible waiting game. However when the letter arrived at home i was still nervous opening it just in case she had made a mistake. I have had bad times and still do since treatment has finished but am having counselling and it has helped just to see things in a different way and not get caught up in the 'what if' type scenarios that I was getting so scared about. love cally x ... View more

Hi I too apologize if I upset anyone by saying I was scared by what I read. For a while I couldnt read anything , even a newspaper article about stats or anything to do with bc (not just on here) but I am scared by cancer (who isnt) and know how real and unpredictable it is. I seek information but I dont get depressed but inspired as Jane has expressed in her post. Cally x ... View more

Hi there I finished my chemo in Feb and while I can say I overall felt ok its does affect people in different ways. Tax was a bit harder for me but still manageable but I did have a few low points after I stopped the steroids. The unknown is scary and I felt like I was walking to the gallows going for the first chemo but came out feeling fine , a bit drugged up but ok ! I drank 3 litres a day on the advice of the chemo nurse and basically took the anti sickness meds whether I felt like i needed them or not. I felt desperately tired a couple of days after the first but it did get better. Have to say each one was a bit different for me but I can still say it was better than I expected . good luck cally x ... View more

Hi Paula Just wanted to send you my love too x Cally ... View more

Hi Just browsing and picked up on this thread. I get scared reading these secondary threads but as I am now learning its ok to be scared . I used to get myself in a state thinking the worst . The stats arent great are they but then again we are all different with different genetic make up and we just cannot predict the future. I am seeing somebody at the moment who has helped me work through my thoughts and can echo what Julie has just said . Dont think about the 'what if' as we cant answer that question. If something happens we will deal with it then. love to all x ... View more

104. you never thought you would appreciate leg and underarm hair ] ... View more

Hi Marie I was so sorry to read your post and all you have been through . I think what we have all been through makes you empathise a lot more when people suffer a loss. My sisters husband died when she was 48 also with grown up children and together for 27 yrs that was 3 years ago . She found a part time job after closing their business they had together and is rebuilding her life and really embracing it . As you say you know that he would have wanted you to carry on and be strong as my brother in law said to my sister before he died . The job gives my sister focus as well as a social life and its been the best thing she has done for her confidence too. Life is hard isnt it but is also a gift and you have great great memories of your husband . I do admire my sis for her courage and I know you will get the strength too. I hope I have said the right things and really wish you the very best in what you decide to do. ... View more

Hi Ladela I was diagnosed Aug 07 and was scheduled for my mammogram sept 08 . I couldnt wait so asked for it to be brought forward to July.I was only down for a mammogram but insisted on a ultrasound whih had to be approved as its not standard where I am inless theres a problem however as some ladies have mentioned my initial mammo was clear and ultrasound wasnt plus the doctor agreed the scar tissue was difficult to make sense of with a mammogram. I was reassured in that she also checked my lymph on the ultrasound and thankfully all looks clear. I see the oncologist next april for bloods and then i imagine it'll be another mammogam in a year. Cally ... View more