Tamoxigang thread 49 when Sumer is y cumen in and we get out the Pimms

[Lilymaid]

New thread!

Thanks Tiny I hadn't even thought of pj's and a sports bra

Morning all.
Just adding in my experience of Chemo so far.
I had 6 lots of FEC, worked part time through it. Not too bad.
Had 2 out of 6 docetaxol at the moment. Tiredness worse, and sore hands or feet in first week, but no nausea. Am not working at the moment, but managing everything I need to (school run, gardening, drinking coffee, lunches out etc ;-) )

Hello and welcome to the new people. I'm sorry you find yourself here, but here is a good place to have found! Lovely people, lots of support and useful info!

I found a lump at the end of December and the biopsy said it was non-invasive. I had surgery including removal of 2 sentinel nodes and discovered that it was invasive but thankfully hadn't gone anywhere. Unfortunately that meant chemo, 3FEC, 3tax.

However I've just finished chemo - last session was last Tuesday! Yay!! Well, I can say that today - the last 3 days, I was dragging myself around with every joint and a fair few muscles aching and protesting. It's weird but the side effects of tax have been different every time.

I also worked right through chemo, only taking 2 or 3 days off sick per cycle. As Amber said, the treatment affects different people to different degrees.

Radiotherapy is next but the hospital have allowed me to push back the start so that we can go on holiday for 2 weeks in July. I'm really looking forward to it - but we're having difficulty finding insurance. We keep being told that the insurance won't cover existing conditions - absolutely fine by us - but we do want reassurance that if I break a leg, the insurance will cover repatriation etc. Could I ask those of you going on holiday this summer which insurance company you are using?

Gemma just to add, you may find like me, that they do your surgery as a day case. I went in at 7.30 and was home by about 5.30. It could have been earlier but I had a bit of a funny turn from the anaesthetic late afternoon so was delayed.

I was very happy to get home and its quite manageable. I just needed to sleep off the after effects. If that's the case you'll just need a dressing gown and slippers because they'll give you a surgical gown.

How are you feeling today?

Hi updating. I'm nearly 3 weeks post lumpectomy and 3 nodes removed. I'm having rads between now and August and we have a holiday booked for 1 August. We are insured through our bank, HSBC but its underwritten by Aviva. DH had many conversations with them two weeks ago and they agreed to cover me still, not for any bc issues, but for anything else like breaking a bone. Are you looking for completely fresh insurance or is it an existing policy which now won't have you? There was some chat about insurance quite recently on here with other options, hopefully someone will be back with ideas.

Updating is the problem because you haven't finished treatment yet ? We didn't go away till after rads, already had a worldwide family policy and they only charged us an extra £80 for me which covers everything.

Morning All!

Well done on getting through chemo Updating. A nice holiday is just what you need now, although I am afraid that I can't offer any help regarding insurance companies.

Wow Mrs, I am surprised that you were sent home same day when you have had a GA. I stayed in 3 nights and enjoyed the rest!

mrsrhodgilbert I am a day case, and, what we find a little weird is - I go to the breast unit to have the guide wire in and (maybe) the dye (will confirm this on weds) and then we have to drive over to the infirmary for the actual surgery.

I will get pjs for being at home I think.

I was in 2 nights after bmx. My node clearance could have been day surgery but I stayed in just in case ..... And because my hospital is so nice ;-)

gemma where I live you go to one hospital for injection for SNB, another for guide wire, then another for surgery ..... All in one morning .... Madness!

Thanks to all for comments about what to expect with tax possibly. It seems, as with fec, that everybody can be a bit different.

Tiny- the new drugs they gave me helped in first two days but after that it still didn't get particularly better for over a week. I feel queasy now but am just ignoring it and get out of breath if I do too much. Still don't know what I will get until wed.

Foo- can you do anything to relieve sore hands/feet? Glad to hear you are managing the main things. That is what I am worried about as the boys have been going to their dad's for about 10 days which gives me time to get over it but not sure what will happen with docetaxol.

Amber- do they have the mitts at the hospital or did you take your own?

I have managed some gardening so now time for a rest, hope everyone is getting some sunshine too.

It seems all of us are having slightly different experiences. I had to go to the nuclear medicine dept of local hospital the afternoon before surgery to have radioactive isotope injected. This was absolutely fine, nothing to fear.

The morning of surgery at the same hospital I had an ultrasound scan and the exact position of the tumour was marked with an X. The blue dye was injected in theatre and I believe it lasts a few months! I'm still a fetching shade of turquoise on my breast. I was a very faint shade of blue all over after surgery, the nurses kept commenting.

Staying in was mentioned once very briefly but the emphasis was on getting everyone home. I was very happy to leave, but I only had a ten minute drive. A longer journey might have been difficult as I felt quite sick, but that was the GA.

Mine had mitts at the hospital, but only for hands. I took frozen veg in carrier bag layers for my feet :D Do ask what they have. And sip iced water during chemo too - stops it from causing so many mouth ulcer problems, I think.

Thanks amber. Will ask when I go in.

I went home same day after both of my surgeries, the first time they told me as it was 8pm by the time I got back from recovery I'd have to stay in but I cried and they let me go. The second time the surgeon had written on my notes that he wanted me to stay in overnight ( still don't know why as I felt better that time) again I cried but this time they gave me a private room with its own bathroom. Moral of the story is that not all cancer patients are brave !

Hello all and welcome to nelson and gemma - sorry you are here but you have come to the right place for support and advice.

Had a call from Freeman Hospital today to ask me to go in this Wednesday for my Radiotherapy planning It will only have been a week since I had my final FEC. Had hoped for a little more time to recover - going to have to pull myself together! Any tips on what to expect would be good. Not read my booklet yet and feeling unprepared although I have ordered my Moogoo and should arrive any day

Mummy wheel don't worry about the rads honestly out of all of the treatment it's the easiest bit, the biggest pain is going every day. How far do you have to travel ? The planning appointment takes a while as you have a ct scan and then they might talk to you about side effects etc, I had to wait about 3 weeks after that to get started but my hospital are slow !

Thank you all for being so welcoming and for the very helpful tips and information I have had. Bought my button up PJ's this afternoon..... I never buy PJ's as I only wear a t-shirt to sleep,if that. Not much to be had but 'mature ladies' ones (I'm 49,I should be mature but hey . Appointment tomorrow for final audit and signing consent forms,hoping to come out with a date so I can plan my life round it. I work from home (guesthouse,no staff) so have no idea how much time I should take off and if I have to cancel any bookings .

It's a forty minute journey each way malt so I guess not too far

nelson hello, is it just surgery at the moment, or will you have other treatment as far as you know?

I had a single mastectomy with 10 nodes removed in March. I am also 49 . Judging from my own experience, so far as your guesthouse is concerned, I think you may very well need extra help for a couple of weeks. A mastectomy is not good preparation for vacuuming, making beds, shifting things about. I went home within 24 hours, and felt very wiped out for a day or two. After that, I could easily take care of myself but would have found it hard to do much that was physical. It took me a good few weeks to regain flexibility in my arm, due to cording, and there was a strange aching/burning feeling for a couple of weeks, as the cut nerves regenerated. Also there is a lot of advice about avoiding lymphoedema when you have had some nodes removed, and carrying or lifting weight is to be avoided.

How many guests are you likely to have in the relevant period? You may be able to do the cooking, although not for the first two or three days home, but the cleaning may be just too much and may leave you with other problems later.

updating have you checked the breastcancercare website for insurance information? One insurance co that lots of people have apparently found good is insurepink. I did get lots of tips from the forum pages, but I have reluctantly accepted my BCN's advice not to book anything yet and do something last minute if all goes to plan.

mummywheel, I just had my rads planning and it was pretty straightforward. I had a briefing on skin care and side effects, then the CT scan where I was carefully positioned, arms above head while they did a bunch of measurements and made three tiny tattoos to help future positioning. There was a surprising number of people there, but all very friendly. I did get a bit stiff in that posture - obviously not as flexible as I thought.

Updating - we are using Insure and Go, they won't cover cancer stuff but everything else. Insure Pink wouldn't cover me as I will be less than 3 weeks post rads when we go.
I've now finished my first week of rads. Been fine so far but the pain from my enormous seromas is really getting me down. Onc doesn't want to stop rads to aspirate, which is fair enough, but ow!

Weebara I hope the seromas go soon. Poor you. Will they go by themselves or do they have to be helped along?

I think you might need to get some help Nelson, although I haven't any experience of a mastectomy yet.

traviata thank you for your post . At the moment I am looking at a mastectomy of the left breast with an expander at the mastectomy stage. They will do sentinel node biopsy at the same time. They are saying they are not expecting to find any problems in the biopsy as they didn't see anything through mammography and ultrasound. They said they obviously can't be 100% sure of that until they have the results of the biopsy.
I keep thinking they may well have said that as a form of reassurance and they may always say that as they've already had to give you the message of having to have a mastectomy.That may well just be my suspicious mind though. Have others had experience with that?

I cater for 5 guests at a time divided over 3 rooms. That involves 3 bathrooms and 4 beds. I personally think it may be too much to take on to start with as it's a very physical job. Problem is,being self employed,if I don't work,I don't earn..... My DH has his own business to take care of and he is the main breadwinner but we can't be without my income for very long at all.We had taken out insurance for this,but it turns out it won't pay out as it is diagnosed as DCIS. On the other hand I wouldn't want it to be invasive,so if that's the way it is then that's the way it is. Just makes it financially really tricky to give myself time to recover properly.