The Lacies are back for cancer support thread 56 - all welcome!

[WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo]

Hello again, and welcome to our 56th thread. Some of us have been here ages and others have just joined. I hope you've all made it safely over to the new thread.

An extra special welcome to anyone who is lurking and feeling a bit shy. We are all quite friendly and we definitely don't bite, so please do say hello if you'd like to.

All are welcome here. We started off as a breast cancer support thread many years back, but all cancer types are welcome and at any point in the "journey", even if you haven't yet been diagnosed. We have all had different experiences but there's almost certainly someone here who will understand how you are feeling.

Our previous thread is here.

I have started the new thread a little early, and I will explain why in a moment.

Yah for test results mama. Enjoy your hols. Where are you off to?

Fantastic news royalmama I'm so pleased for you. Enjoy your holiday :)

I am good thanks. Hopefully having my postponed chemo on Wednesday. My throat seems to be improving, touch wood.

Great news Royal. I hope you have a lovely holiday.
Yaz I hope you have booked an appointment to see your GP today. If you go to a surgery where you need to wait 3 weeks for an appointment be sure and tell the receptionist what it is for. They usually find an appointment in these circumstances.
I'm back home from a lovely holiday in Centerparcs. I'm off to the hospital this afternoon for herceptin and then rads start tomorrow. I hope everyone on chemo is doing ok. Chewing good luck for the start of your treatment. Chemo isn't nice but it feels good doing something positive to treat cancer rather than just waiting for tests and results.

Thank you lovely lacies i so badly need this getaway!!
Chewing, we are off to the Bavarian Alps( we had booked to go last summer then cancer happened!)
Leslie, hope your chemo happens on Wednesday and we can mark that one off.

Ooh, that'll be lovely royal. I was hoping to have a nice holiday but will have to wait until next year now
silly glad you had a lovely holiday. Good luck with the rads.
Leslie I spoke to my BCN who didn't know the answer really to my question and suggested I speak to the chemo department so I'll try there. Good luck with your chemo.

Hello all, back from holiday and almost through the laundry. I need to read the last few pages to catch up but just wanted to say to royal what great news and I hope you have a fantastic time away.

Hi to everyone else, I hope nothing too dramatic has happened while I've been away and everyone is ticking over nicely. I came back to a letter from the oncologist saying he supports the hysterectomy recommendation so I need to get my head round that.

Glad you had a good break too mrsrhod
Hysterectomy is a big op so I understand your trepidation.

Welcome back mrs and thanks for your kind words. Hope you had a fab holiday and that all will be good for the decision making to come.
Chewing, I was about where you are this time last year and I really hope you will get your break too once the treatment is complete.

Mysillydog glad you had a good holiday. I hope the herceptin went well today and good luck tomorrow

chewing I hope the chemo people were more helpful. What day are you due to start chemo?

royal my friend went to the Alps a few weeks ago and her photos are beautiful. I hope you have a brilliant time!

mrsrhod welcome back :) did you have a good time? You've obviously brought the sunshine back with you, so thank you how are you feeling about the hysterectomy? I suppose it is good in a way to have a definite answer rather than being left to decide for yourself. But obviously it's yet another change to your body hopefully someone with more useful experience will be along soon

Waving to everyone. Sleep well

Hi guys, sorry for late reply, so went to the doctors yesterday and having been there for an hour and half and seen 2 doctors, the doctor said she was really concerned and she will refer me to breast clinic- one doctor felt a lump and the other doctor couldn't it was the size of a pea!! So hard- she seemed not to worried about the lump but more concerned with the dimpling, I mentioned about my breast itching but it feels like it's inside and I can't get the itch!! I asked her if it's linked with dimpling ect and she said yes probably! What does that mean??? Crazy hanging on to every word!!!
Any way breast clinic phoned me within 24hrs of my doctors appointment which is brilliant!!
She said I will be in breast clinic for about 2-3 hrs? Is this normal? What will they do? I've tried searching about dimpling and what else can cause it but all it does is come straight back with the bc!!!! Xxx
I've also taken time off work not to milk anything ect or to be a bum!!!
I think in my head it's such a wake up call I need to look after myself and my health and to be happy life is just to short so I'm not standing to be stressed and anxious with work!! I for the first time in my life am number 1 priority. Xxx

I'm really glad you went to the GP.
2-3 hours is typical for a breast clinic visit. You will see a breast specialist who will take a medical history, examine your breasts and feel the lymph nodes under your arms and at the collar bone. Then you will have imaging done. For women over 40 this is a mammogram and ultrasound. Mammograms don't work well on younger women because the breast tissue is dense. Some units mammogram younger women and others don't. If areas of concern are seen on the imaging biopsies are taken using ultrasound to guide to the correct place. Samples can be taken from both the breast and lymph nodes. This is done using local anaesthetic and is not painful. The local anaesthetic stings a bit for a few seconds but the biopsies do not hurt.

Most women (over 90%) are given a clear result on the day and do no need to go back. If biopsies are taken it is usual to come back in a week for results. At my unit my results are discussed by a MDT (multidisciplinary team) so there is a plan in place at the results appointment. I was told on the day of my initial breast clinic visit that my imaging showed probable breast cancer, but some units do not give much feedback until the results appointment.

Good luck. I hope you do not have to wait too long.

Morning

Royal hope you have a lovely holiday
Mrs Rhod glad that you enjoyed yours, I'm sure the hysterectomy is a lot to think about so good luck

Holidays are tough to think about when you are going through treatment, I had to cancel 2 and it was awful telling the children we couldn't go. So I do understand how people feel. However you do get back to lovely holidays though now I don't book in advance and never believe I'm actually going till I'm on the plane !

Yazo most people who are referred to the clinic come away with the all clear so hopefully you will be one of those. It's just us who have been unlucky ! If you do get bad news we will help you through it

Looks like another sunny day hope everyone enjoys it :)

Morning all.
yazo good luck with your appointment. It's good that they have acted quickly so far, much better than having to wait for weeks to hear anything as some of us have.
Today I am seeing the chemo sister and visiting the day suite ready for the first chemo session tomorrow. Hope you all have a good day in the sunshine.

Thanks guys, really appreciate your comments, well they have a look at my breasts and send me home or will they still do testing regardless x

Yazo; I have recently been through the breast clinic process and found the process is different in each individual clinic. I saw a consultant who had a feel and a prod, then marked the area to be ultra sounded, then sent for ultrasound, then back to consultant for biopsy and finally, a follow up appointment for the following week to discuss results. However, I had a breast clinic appointment a few years back at a different hospital and they mammo'd everyone first then u saw consultant to discuss mammo. Most breast clinic do everything on the day, except results. U could also be seen, given no ultrasound/ mammo and be sent home as they r happy nothing sinister is going g on. Good luck.

Yaz I think it would be unusual to not have an ultrasound or mammogram. At my clinic not everyone has a biopsy, only those who have an area which needs to be looked at more closely.

Thank you, just wait and see now it's probably nothing, but still scary. X if they look and say everything looks fine no need for testing can I say no I want testing for peace of mind?

Morning all . Seems a bit cooler today which is nice.
I start my chemo later this morning and will be arranging an appointment at the wig shop. Not sure whether I would wear one or not but no harm in trying on a few to see how they look. Have a good day everyone.

Hi everyone! I'm finally making the leap to this board.

It looks like I'm a few days in treatment behind chewingawasp I have my bone tests/ct scans tomorrow and start chemo on Tuesday. I had a mastectomy 2 weeks ago with 4 cat 3 tumors found (2 didn't show on any of the scans/mammogram).

If the tests are good I should finish the radiation 2 days before Xmas!

I'm a bit nervous about being in pain and actually feeling as though I have cancer. It's lovely to read all of your posts.

Welcome Tulip we can go through this together
They are a great bunch here and really helpful if you have any questions.
I shall come back later and let you know how it went. Good luck with your treatment

Please do! I'd love some details. So far ignorance is bliss (kind of).

Are there different levels of chemo/radiation?

Good luck today chewing I hope your first chemo goes well

Welcome WiltingTulip good luck with your scans :) my advice would not to get too attached to a specific completion date yet. Only because some chemo cycles might be delayed due to infections or low blood counts.

There are different chemo regimes depending on your cancer's specific characteristics, and then doses depend on your weight. Also some people have a weekly version of one drug whereas others have it three weekly. Or have different parts of the combination first. There are all sorts of variations really :) with radiotherapy people have a different number of sessions and some people have boosters too.

Hopefully your team will soon let you know exactly what you will be having, and there will almost certainly be someone on here who has had the same!

Yaz it depends what you mean by testing, I suppose. I can't imagine they would be willing to do a biopsy if it wasn't medically necessary. If nothing else, there might not be anything there to biopsy.

It's easier said than done, I know, but try not to get too ahead of yourself. Wait and see what they say on the day. Hopefully they'll be able to reassure you that it is harmless, and they will explain any decisions about test to you.

Waving to everyone. I had my chemo yesterday :) no pump this time, yay! It was a bit delayed as my temperature was a bit high when I arrived, so had to wait for them to decide what to do. They moved me to the oncology ward for the last couple of hours so they could close the day unit. I hadn't been there before but it has a cosy little living room where I could watch telly and some nice garden areas.

Hi Leslie I am in the comfy chair now with the poison going in
The staff are nice, I have a good view of the garden and have had a cuppa. Dh will be getting me some chocolate soon to keep me going. All is good.

Morning!

Great news royalmama enjoy your trip.

mrsrhod hello , glad to hear you had a fab holiday.

Good luck with the chemo today chewing .

Tulip hello . Good luck with your treatment . It can be really disappointing if things don't go to plan / cancelled etc. so as leslie said best to not get fixated on a date .

Leslie great that you got yesterday's chemo done. I sat in the living room area of our oncology ward waiting to have my picc put in . It had tv , music , a jigsaw on the go and the most beautiful views of the beach .

Has anyone else been left with pins and needles ? Mine started about 10 days after my last chemo . They have gone from a little tingling in my toes , then half a foot , whole foot etc. they are now upto my knees . This last week I've noticed them in my fingers. It's not painful just annoying , especially at bedtime.

Morning all and welcome to tulip, I can't call you wilting despite the weather and yaz.

Chewing, I hope it goes well for you first time and you don't feel too ropey afterwards. I haven't had chemo but the opinion seems to be that if you get side effects shout loudly because there are many remedies available.

Leslie, I'm pleased you're managing to get your treatment. I'm intrigued about your view of the seaside.

Mum, I know what you mean about booking holidays too far ahead, particularly with travel insurance being that little bit more difficult to get now. Do you have plans for the summer?

The temp has dropped thank goodness, it's 10 degrees cooler than Tuesday. I can only do heat on a sun lounger with access to a pool and aircon, such a wimp.

I've got an appt with my gp next week to discuss the hysterectomy. I don't have to have it but have been advised to but I need to be sure. I'm worried about something going wrong and ending up with worse issues afterwards and being plunged into surgical menopause with no hrt or even natural remedies. Bloody cancer.