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

[Lilymaid]

New thread!

Hi there, I am joining the thread after advice from others to do so. Got diagnosed with BC this morning, it has been an unmitigatedly horrendous day, and I won't have my treatment plan for another week. Already feel utterly exhausted

You are in the right place elporto. So much support on here. Right now I can imagine how you are feeling. Allow yourself to feel anything you want to. From experience once I had the treatment plan in place I felt much more in control. There will be much wiser people than me along in a bit. Sending you a very big hug.

Glad you've come over :) think we've all found the same as speedy that once you know exactly what's going to happen and when you do feel a little better. At the moment you will be in shock and must have so much going round in your head. Do ask us anything.
On a practical level if you can't sleep ask your gp for sleeping tablets, I found the nights weird the worst time and they really did help

That is meant to say the nights were the worst time

Oh yes, I would never have been an advocate of sleeping tabs before but they have been very useful. Also lorazepam before chemo did help with anxiety and nausea ( I used to start feeling sick when I approached the hospital!)

Missed your post elporto. The day you have your diagnosis is never a highlight! DH and I and the small people went off for a week after as it was the October hols. Are you able to spend a couple of days away?

speedy once I told Onc that initial prescription (Ponstan) didn't get on top of the aches, she prescribed a much stronger drug. My lovely Onc is of impression there is no need to suffer any SE that can be managed by a drug. My type of woman!!

Thanks mom for the tip. Will ask next time.

elportal sorry you find yourself here, but welcome. Most of us here can testify that treatment is quite manageable, even if not very pleasant. My advise is to plan several treats along the way, to give yourself things to look forward to.

lady a holiday is a great idea. Just tell the school it needs to happen... I had chemo during Christmas hols, while my DDs were off. It worked out grand. My DDs are 10 and 12, and they just got on with things... Much shorter than summer hols, but I had been concerned. Not juggling their many hobbies was a relief ! And I had Rads every weekday of their Easter hols.

Elportal, welcome from me too. If it helps, at least 8 out of 10 people with breast cancer will live just as long as everyone else, these days. There's nothing even remotely fatal about it being in the breast or lymph nodes. Treatment is so good now that unless it's gotten into several other places too, teams are relaxed and know that they have everything they need to sort it out. Not a fun set of a treatments, admittedly, but, as the others say, it's doable. And, even if it is in several other places too, on average teams still manage to keep people going for two to five years. By then, there'll be even more good treatments, so they may extend that more and more and more. I'm still here three and a half years later. Plenty of our thread inhabitants are living with cancer long term and still enjoying family, holidays, work etc - so although it is not the news any of us wanted, there's no need to start planning your funeral. The youngsters may need only know that you have a lump that means you are going to need strong medicines to sort it out and will be tired and etc for a while - very practical normal info. Plenty of lovely people here to support you through all of this. Have a or indeed a and ask anything. Someone will know.

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone, I really appreciate it. Today has been without doubt the worst day of all time, and it's nice to hear it might improve once I know what treatment lies ahead of me. Keep crying in waves, then feeling oddly calm. Thanks too for the tip about sleeping tablets, I will need them to get through this week

I hope you get some sleep tonight elporto, try and take things one day at a time :)

Hello elporto and welcome. I know this is the very last place you want to be posting but you will find a lot of advice and help here. It's a shame you have to wait a week for your plan but you will feel more in control when you get it. Your life is going to be disrupted for a while but you're not alone here. Ask anything. Did they not give you any clues about treatment?

elporto the crying in waves is exactly how I felt - one minute calm the next weeping. I was diagnosed in April and it's now just part of my life - I know it's hard to believe right now but the shock will fade over the next few days and weeks. Sending hugs and x

Thank you all. I took some sleeping tablets and did get some rest but was up at 3am and then it hit me all over again this morning.

They have told me that they expect to operate within a few weeks, just waiting for an MRI and bone scan to be sure of what they're dealing with. CT scan was clear though so they are pretty sure it hasn't spread.

Feeling numb and not coping very well at the moment, poor DH has headed out to work, but he is not doing very well either.

Hi elporto, sorry you've had to join us. I've got a different type of cancer, melanoma, but still on the emotional roller coaster like everyone else. Not knowing what was going to happen next is really hard. I found it easier when there was a treatment plan in place. Felt less like I was in free-fall at any rate.

It seems I still have quite a lot of tests ahead - bone scan, MRI and liver ultrasound plus another different type of biopsy. It's so confusing
Am pencilled in for surgery on 31 July, possibly a week earlier if they can, which is good news. Like everyone, I want my surgery TOMORROW please. Seeing my nurse tomorrow to run through it all, it's really bewildering. So many tests coming up, I really hope they are all clear, it's a horrible wait

Evening all.

Welcome, elporto. As others have said we realise you'd rather not be here but just remember there's strength in numbers.

It's been a very long day at the hospital. Cycle 2 of Docetaxel and Cycle 1 of Herceptin. I left home at 7.30 to catch the 7.54 train from Craven Arms to Shrewsbury. Arrived in Shrewsbury at 8.22 and walked up into town for my MaccyD breakfast. Then went back to the station to pick up a taxi to the hospital. I was in my chair in the CDC at 9.40 and there I stayed until nearly 4.00. Taxi back to the station just in time to get straight on my train. Home at 5.30.

Tomorrow I get to see how good a nurse I am when I give myself the first injection of GSCF. That should be interesting.

ZombieHugs™ to all.

Welcome elporto .... It is confusing to start but you quickly start to understand things. I understand about wanting surgery 'now' but its better to have MRI etc first so they are 100% sure what they are dealing with.

I saw my Onc today and request has gone in for radio .... 15 lots ... Should start middle of Aug after my holiday. Last chemo on 17th July.

I have decided to delay going back to work until Sep!

Hope you get on well with injections zombie. I didn't think I would be able to do it but have managed. It is setting up the solution which is fiddly but don't know if mine are same as yours.

Foo - hope that last chemo goes quickly and you can get onto your rads. Nearly there!

Elporto the waiting is hard I know. Hope you get some sleep.

I have just come back from an awards evening where my son got a cup for community fundraising which was lovely. Managed to sit for most of it but painkillers are now wearing off. When do the aches go?

speedy that was lovely for your son to get an award

INJECTIONS - mine are very easy as its a complete unit and needle so fine you don't even feel it go in. Just a push and click.

Obviously yours are different speedy: why don't they make things as simple as poss??

Morning all,
speedy how lovely for your son, what a fabulous award to get. And I second marmite as something that actually still tastes the same (not good if you didn't like it in the first place).
elporto you have already had the advice that,coping wise, it will get better, especially once you feel the treatment is underway and you are physically doing something to regain control. This a great place for specific advise as well and practical tips. What op are you having? All flavours have been experienced on this forum.
lady take a holiday while you have the chance. If the school don't except this as exceptional circumstances they need to review their welfare policy.
second chemo session for me today. I have been feeling so well it is frustrating to know that in a couple days I will be crawling around the house again. I kept a symptom/side effect log so I will know roughly what to expect when and am hoping it follows a similar pattern and not much worse as it was bearable and only a few days. I found the worst bit the aches and pains and didn't take anything very strong for them, wanted to, but after the fiasco with my pain killers and indigestion after the op was sticking to the kinder stuff - still got some indigestion but nothing like as bad. Got used to the bald(well stubbly) head. I find it quite liberating to go bare, but not sure I have the confidence in public yet and anyway, don't want to waste my beautiful wigs which I have managed to wrestle back from the dog. Even people that know I was losing my hair haven't been sure it was a wig, so can't look too bad (is about 6 inches longer than my hair was a week ago but some people aren't very observant!)
Hello to everyone else, hope you are all coping with whatever the week throes at you - never know do we?

Are they real hair wigs?

beccajoh most wigs are synthetic. Mine was a monofilament one that I bought from a hairdresser that had a specialist service. No one could tell it wasn't my "real" hair. I wore it most days (particularly for work and going out) from July 2013 to May 2014 and it was still in good condition at the end.

Mine are synthetic as well. The important bit is the weave into the cap, that will make the difference, like lily says monofilament ones are good. The benefit if synthetic is that they don't need styling - get caught in the rain and they bounce back. They don't need washing so often either. The down side is that the longer styles can get matted after prolonged rubbing against synthetic fabric clothes.