Cancer Support Thread 96: It’s nearly Christmas - get the sprouts on.

[LemonDrizzle10]

New thread - old one nearly full!

@ememem84 Well done, that’s a major milestone 🎉🎉

@BatshitCrazyWoman thanks - nice to know there’s someone else on this HER2 + train! Phesgo for me is fine, a bit achy but fine otherwise. Kadcyla has a bit of chemo in it, as well as herceptin, so I’m worried about side effects impacting my life & body again. I want to move on from this shit!

CHEMO - completed it mate.

Exactly. I don't want to have regular bloody infusions for months (Phesgo is as you say, easy, quick and I don't react much to it either). I want my life back, too!

Awesome! Well done you bloomin superstar. Hope the next few days are ok for you.

I haven’t read in depth but cheering for the good news.

I hope everyone is going on ok.

I’ve had a good “week off” after my sicky weekend. This proved a bit of a blessing in disguise as I was able to let my nurse know how grotty I’ve been. I had a good chat with the registrar yesterday and they’ve reduced my first EC to 70% and prescribed strong anti sickness drugs. I’ve had bloods today and they’ve said depending on how grumpy my liver still is they may drop the E part further. If my liver is not at its best it won’t process the chemo effectively.

First EC now due tomorrow. I’m grateful for the info I’ve picked up from everyone here. I’ve already got some lansoprazole prescribed as I previously have needed this. Four to go …

Well done @ememem84 you made it! Now take some time to recuperate.

@dancingwhilstfacingthemusic having a week off is such a mixed blessing. You feel so much better for it while feeling frustrated that all the dates have slipped. Let’s hope the next bit is tolerable, and you will be through before you know it.

@GrannyGoggles I have my year 2 and 4 mammogram due. I rang the BCN about a lumpy bit of scar tissue and they have switched me to the 2 week wait cancer clinic instead. I know it was the sensible thing to do but now I am bricking it. 9 days of trying not to think about the possibility of a recurrence…. Aargh. Yoga breathing and lots of distraction!

Sending everyone good wishes. @ememem84 ..well done on crossing that finish line!! Hope this last one is kind to you. Then no more!!!
Flippin eck @TopOfTheCliff ..that's a bit pants ..but my scar looks and feels different every day. Honestly there is a bit at the end where I think I "ran off the sewing machine" so that has a little tuck all of its own. It's not very pleasing on the eye,.

No words to a veteran of this sh3t...but lots of distraction solidarity. I am trying to be outdoors more (Dog is knackered!) and then when its dark i have started watching The Following..which is ages old but lots of episodes and Kevin Bacon before he got into EE!!
I am trying to do more reading too. I have found the end of chemo hard as my brain likes to wander off to places it shouldn't so distract, distract, distract. Hope these 9 days go quickly for you x

Thanks team! I’m so bloody proud of myself for getting through it. Cannot believe I did it. Cannot believe I had to do it. But onward!!!

i have a haircut booked for Thursday morning. I have a mess of hair. The majority is about 2 inches long. But with some patchy fuzzies.
I suspect I’m going to end up with a very short pixie. But I want it to be the same length or as much as it can be. I trust my hairdresser completely though so know she will do her absolute best with what she has to work with.

I’ve never had short short hair before that I remember. So this could be fun!

in an effort to return to “normal” I’ve decided I need a kick up the arse to lose weight. DH sadly agrees. He hasn’t said I’m fat because I’m not. But have put on weight. I have a meeting with a nutritionist tomorrow who specialises in oncology nutrician and also menopause nutrician. Both are relatable.

I do sufficient ish exercise when I feel well but it’s the food side that lets me down. I love food. So better choices needed.

we go to Tenerife on 7 feb so want to use this time inbetween to rest, recover as much as I can and hopefully get down the gym for some gently workouts.

A good new update - my post surgery pathology resulted showed that there was nothing left of the cancer when they operated - the chemo & immunotherapy got it all. I still need to continue with immunotherapy & will have radiotherapy in March but everything from now on is preventative to stop it returning. So pleased.

I asked for a copy of the pathology report and (this is a little squeamish, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know) - the boob weighed 1034g, they took 19 slices, there is a sample description for each slice, plus sample description for each node. So if you are in any doubt as to the thoroughness of your pathology report or paranoid that they missed something, the detail here is extensive. I don’t pretend to understand any of it, and I’m not going to google the terms, but it’s thorough. I thought it would be “all clear” or similar but it’s much more complicated. And fascinating. But I feel for my poor boob.

Now on to radiotherapy.

Well done @ememem84 , that must be the most amazing feeling plusTenerife to look forward to as well.

@Littlecaf I was given my pathology report by my BCN after my follow up with the surgeon and she took me through it bit by bit - I found it fascinating if somewhat gruesome, and very technical too.

I've got a repeat blood test tomorrow ahead of chemo on Monday so I'm hoping my white blood cells have been busy reproducing whilst I've had a quiet week.

@frostyfingers hoping the little buggers are reproducing like mad. I shall wave filgristim vibes your way when I start mine on Friday.

@Littlecaf lots of good news there. I love the gruesome details although can’t say I understand. When my surgeon said he was going to show me a photo of my tumour I thought he meant one of it in the dish. I was almost disappointed when it was a photo of the slice!

@ememem84 lots of good stuff there. Steady as we go.

I’ve had EC 1 of 4 today and have come home with my party pack. Wondering what the next few days will bring and hoping they’ve got things right with the anti emetics. Super tired, which I wasn’t expecting due to the steroids. I guess I may ping like the Duracell bunny later.

I hope your white blood cells are doing what they should, @frostyfingers . Mine recovered themselves quite quickly, so I hope it's the same for you

How are you this morning, @dancingwhilstfacingthemusic - I really hope any nasty side effects stay away.

Good news @Littlecaf

Oh goodness a haircut @ememem84 ! And a holiday to look forward to! Lovely. Congratulations on being done with chemo I think it may be another few weeks before I need to do anything with my hair - I have short bits, fuzzy bits and some bits that are longer: a mess, basically! Thank fuck for wigs!

I've had a recurrence of the incredibly sore mouth and throat this past week, so I've eaten even less. 🙁 Bloods and weight today, I'm pretty sure I've lost another pound or two. My skin rashes have come back again, along with the nose bleeds ramping up - I think my body's had enough!

And I need to have my tooth crowned (it's been niggling) but I can't get the two appointments two weeks apart in the time between chemo ending (Friday) and possible surgery date (last week in February). So I'm going to have to put up with the pain until post surgery, but I don't know what kind of surgery, or how long I'll be out of action. Gah, I hate uncertainty

@BatshitCrazyWoman hair has been cut. It looks ok. No more whispys or stragglys

pre op assessment today. So fun. 🙄 but we are moving in the right direction.

Yay for new hair @ememem84

And each appointment is a step on the road towards this shit show being over

White blood cells have been busy reproducing so chemo is on for Monday - it sounds mad but although I'm not looking forward to it as such, I'm glad it's going ahead.

Just had 2 week urgent referral by GP for lump in my left breast. Am 54 single with a 17 Yr old DD.

6 years ago I had stage 1 cancer in my right breast so know what's potentially coming.

Had a Google (I know, I know 😣) but most info is about recurrance.

Anyone else had a second primary for bc? Haven't told family yet, think I want the scan first so I know what I'm dealing with.

Forgot yo add last mammogram was 12 months ago and was clear

The post chemo fatigue and body aches have kicked in. Thankfully DH came home
from work early so I had an hour with the kids after school and then dinner and I’ve been sent to bed with nurse catface and a hot water bottle.

i also have sore eyelids. I think it’s new lashes pushing through. Stupid chemo.

i was also weighed today. And discovered that I’ve put on about 10kg which is around a stone and half. Ffs.

@chasegirl so sorry you’re here again, fingers crossed for it just being something benign.

@ememem84 i put on about a stone over the course of chemo and surgery - ridiculous because I spent half the time vomiting & the rest not eating much so not sure where it’s all come from. Thinking of starting a weight loss diet in the next week but can’t seem to muster the energy just yet.

@chasegirl got my fingers firmly crossed for you. Glad you have good company here and I hope it’s just a short time and good news. I have read about women who have a primary and then another primary.

@BatshitCrazyWoman your poor bloomin mouth. Jeez. Your think you’d get a break from some of this nonsense eh?

well done on the reproducing @frostyfingers The effects of my first filgrastim injection are making themselves known. I have 6 more days of this. I’m wrapped in a heated blanket to help deal with it. Antihistamines and a salt bath for me. I’ve been given clearance to take paracetamol but have to be so careful due to elevated liver readings (if these increase further it won’t help the nausea as the liver needs to filter the chemo out). Do the aches get worse through the week as people take more injections?

@Littlecaf @ememem84 Im with you there on the weight gain despite everything. There’s nothing much I can do, I’m eating healthily when I can eat and walking daily. It’ll just have to come off once I’ve finished treatment. One battle at a time.

glad nurse cat face is with you @ememem84 Also glad the lashes are coming though but ffs you’d think they’d glide out like Glinda’s after all this.

I have dr dog, who at 13 has been given a warning not to keel over as I have had enough to deal with in the last few months. He can definitely sense that things are a bit off tonight.

@chasegirl I also have my fingers crossed for you.

@dancingwhilstfacingthemusic I'm glad you aren't feeling too bad - I found I reacted differently to the injections each time, but the antihistamine did help ease the aches (and also acted like a sleeping tablet for me, so I slept well!). Loving Dr Dog 🐕

@ememem84 my eyelids are itchy - my eyelashes seem to be thinning out and growing back at the same time. Weird.

My final chemo (for now) was yesterday. I normally feel really well the morning afterwards (even though that morning started at 3 am today). So will be okay for my appointment with the surgeon (and another ultrasound). I can't even feel the lump now. Then home to do mindless housework while processing everything.

I couldn't have the Zometa infusion yesterday (the bone one) because I haven't hady tooth dealt with yet - all dental work needs to be completed before it starts. I need a crown, which is two longish appointments two weeks apart, and the dental surgery just can't fit them in before when I think my surgery is going to be. Bloody annoying. Tooth hurts, too. Hopefully I'll get surgery dates and likely recovery times today so I can PLAN (which I have to do for my mental wellbeing).

Thinking of us all, we're bloody troopers!

@dancingwhilstfacingthemusic dr dog looks super knowledgeable and caring.

Jealous of talks of haircut! I finished chemo 6 weeks ago and have almost no regrowth. Attempting not to panic about that as my hair has always grown slowly anyway…

had a nasty surprise at what I thought was an oncology discharge meeting this week. They’ve looked again at my pathology report and think I might need radiotherapy after all. They are having a MDT meeting first to discuss it- I wish they’d done that and THEN told me so I didn’t have to wait yet again.

im a bit gutted because I thought I was finished having my life dictated by hospital appts so had booked a few non refundable things next month.

i don’t know whether to hope for radio so that i know every last bit has been blasted at or hope for not because I don’t want it! I get the impression it’s new oncologist disagreeing with previous MDT meetings decision which makes it’s unnerving because if I don’t get it I’ll always wonder if I should of but it’s out of my hands so just trying no to think about it.