Mutual support thread for breast cancer patients. All welcome including non-cancer patients who want to chip in!

[anorak]

There seem to be quite a few of us now so I thought we might like a place where we can congregate to laugh, cry, share, compare notes and give each other a bit of support.

Hi anorak hows it going. I am due for round 4 next tuesday, have just had a bad cold which landed me in hospital.

Hello beep, so glad you spotted this, I was wondering whether to CAT you to tell you I'd started this thread. Do tell me all about it.

Just to get us started, we could introduce to each other.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in November, after finding a lump. I had a DCIS tumour with a more aggressive tumour inside it. I had a single mastectomy in December and 10 lymph nodes removed, of which only the sentinal was positive. I am supposed to be cancer-free now as far as is know, and am a third of the way through a 20 week course of chemotherapy, to make sure. After that the plan is to have a reconstruction op and 5 years of tamoxifem.

I was diagnosed with brast cancer in november.I had two tumours that had joined up.I also had a single masectomy in december and removal f the lymph glands several of which were affect> I have had 3 otut of 8 doses of chemo (the first 4 are FEC and the next 4 are)Taxotere). After that I will have 5 weeks of radiotherapy.

how are you coping with the chemo.It is really knocking me up.I am not being sick much now but feel very ill for the first week then tired for the next week,but with having had this cold i am only today feeling anywhere close to being human.

I really don't want to join this thread . But I suppose there is no hiding from it.

I have DCIS with something nasty inside. I am going to have my armpit scanned on tuesday but the (terribly nice and rather dishy apart from the fact he kept refering to me as a cancer patient) surgeon said he thought my nodes were suspicious. The bastards.

Mastectomy on Thursday with any luck.

I'm terrified.

I am a bit self obsessed at the moment.

Nice to meet you beep.

Hi pigleto. I'm sorry you are going through this too. I too was absolutly terrified but the masectomy was nothing like as bad as I had thought, I remember being in hospital and asking when it was going to start hurting.I have surprised myself how well I have coped so far, I really hated needles ( i had 4 kids without pain relief in case they wanted to give me an injection!)but i have coped so far.

I didn't have pain relief for my births either. Birth didn't feel medical to me.

Everyone tells me I will be fine. And I will be fine. Ask me next week.

[shitting self emoticon]

pigleto being in hospital after an op isn't so bad, you can drift off to sleep in a comfy bed whenever you like, you can read for hours, and there are no chores to do and no one asking you to make them drinks or snacks...

While none of us enjoyed having a mastectomy, it isn't a painful operation and is fairly straightforward and complication-free.

beep I am feeling much as you are with the chemo, they are telling me that when I change drugs next time the side-effects will be far more tolerable, and I hope the same can be said for you.

What chemo are you on ?

Hello girls - just a supporter here Good idea for a thread Anorak - my mum went through a mastectomy about 15 yrs ago and she had no-one to talk to about it really. She's fine now by the way

Good luck with scanning and op Pigleto (nice name btw!)

girls, hi. am also a supporter. Have been thinking about you anorak and glad to hear you're bravely (I know you hate being called brave) struggling through your chemo.

beep and piglet, my love and support to you to.

too.

not to.

I've had four fortnightly doses of cyclophosphamide and doxyrubicin. Had the last dose yesterday and will be having 12 weeks of weekly taxol next.

Thank you Tickle.

Hi dolally, thanks for the support. It's not that I hate being called brave, I just don't think I am! I didn't choose this, I'm just stuck with it, that's all.

wow that sounds like a lot of treatments, how are you coping?

Hiya. I have a different sort of cancer and have just started on my second course of chemo. Don't want to crash your specialist thread other than to say "Nah, you're not being brave" to beep and anorak .

I beg to differ about hospital. I thought it was vile! My surgery was seriously major, though and I'm still not fully recovered three months later.

beep, I'm tired and often nauseous, like you I think!

ThingOne, what cancer are you suffering from and what surgery have you had?

well I'm really tired now so i'm off to bed now.speak to you all soon.

Hello, another supporter, great idea for a thread. I'll see if my mum wants to get on here - she's starting chemo in a couple of weeks. I think you are all fantastically brave, mum included, to be able to talk so frankly and face things head on... sending good wishes to you all

Another supporter sending positive thoughts to you all. I'm in same position as JRocks - my Mum was diagnosed with DCIS this last week and am going with her to see specialist bloke on Thurs. Am so impressed at how she has been so down to earth and positive, like all of you. Wish you all the best - hope you don't mind if I drop in for your knowledge in the coming weeks x

I have colo-rectal cancer. As for surgery the short answer is "too much". I was attacked from the back to cut out the blighter and fitted with a fashionable little pouch on the front. I had chemo-radiotherapy beforehand. Then surgery and now the follow-up chemo . They wait until you nicely recovered before they start again, lol. I'll have six cycles over three months then - lucky me - liver surgery for a secondary. I haven't asked what's after that .

I shouldn't lose my hair with my chemo but I get sensitive to cold and an unpleasant tingling called peripheral neuropathy.

Hello JRocks and nooonit, do direct your mums over here!

ThingOne, sounds like you've had a rough time - well done for sounding so upbeat about it. Please do join in with us.

Hi there,

A cancer sufferer (prefer that to victim )here.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. The cancer triggered off several other conditions with resulted in me spending time in hospital with deep vein thrombosis and a hysterectomy. I then had chemo, mastectomy and radiotherapy.

We found out the cancer had metastazed in 2007 and I had chemo for secondaries in the lower vetebrae and pelvis. Fortunately, it responded and I'm now on hormone therapy. Have to go back once a month for checks and bone strengthening treatment.

We moved to France a year before I was diagnosed, so all this has been complicated by struggling with a foreign language and an unfamiliar health system. I have to say the treatment has been superb but the bureaucracy a nightmare.

Great idea this thread!

MM

can I join as a supporter ? SIL had breast cancer and one of my friends has just been diagnosed