Hi, sorry to hear about your diagnosis and hope everything goes well with your surgery. I was also diagnosed with breast cancer in January. I will be starting chemo on Monday, but due to have a mastectomy further down the line. Although, my treatment plan is a different way around, I am still interested in any information about what's involved in the surgery and anyone's experience of it.

Hi Pippin24 - I had a single mastectomy and axillary lymph node clearance 6 weeks ago.  6 weeks on and I have healed really well.  The pain afterwards for me was sore bit I'm not sure if it's due to the lymph nodes being taken aswell. I'm really nervous about starting my Chemo next week how are you feeling about it?  I'm seeing my oncologist today to sign consent forms and discuss exact treatment.  Wishing you well.

Thank you for the tips. Hope you saw my added bit of message was having a few issues. Hope all goes well for you at your appointment, keep in touch, if you want to share chemo journey. Xx

Hello SANDYDEE53 , I had bilateral mastectomies in September 22, the op wasn’t painful ,I came home with drains . They also gave bags to put drains in and be able to move around , I also had the heart shaped cushions to pop under your arm ,these were very comfortable.I was taught to empty the drain and record the amount which I would phone through to district nurse . They would call every few days too . The only thing I found awkward ,was sleeping on my back ,but propped some pillows up and that solved it .Not having a shower bothered me ,but my husband had to wash my hair and that was fine .I bought myself front buttoning nightshirts,which were easier.Before I had my op , I cooked a lot of meals to freeze as you can’t lift much after the operation.

Good idea to be prepared .Rest when you get home and listen to your body .

I didn’t start my Chemo til December and that went quite well to .Had a bit of brain fog for about three days but nothing else really .Felt quite well ,let’s hope all goes well for you too .Anything you aren’t happy with mention it to the Breast nurses or in the chemo unit . 
Keep in touch xxx

Gad my oncology appointment today.

I'll be starting Chemo next week unfortunately I need to have more chemo that first anticipated.

My course of Chemo is EC - P which will be in the form of 8 sessions in total and frequency is fortnightly.  4 sessions of EC then 4 Sessions of P.  After this I'll get 3 or 4 weeks to recovering before starting 15 Radiotherapy sessions over a 3 week period.  They will also put me on Tamoxifen for 10 years, suppress my ovaries with a possibility of removing my ovaries altogether.  I will also be put on the drug abemaciclib which is oral for 2 years.

Feeling sad and tired- I don't know if I can do this.

Hi Angus101, I am also starting chemo next week, so you are not alone. I was diagnosed on the 18th January, only just starting treatment now. Quite worrying as I do have a fast growing cancer. I do realise that all the tests need to be done first. I would have rather had my surgery first really, but they wanted me to have chemo first. Will have mastectomy later in the year, then radiotherapy. Will also need hormone blockers for 5-10 years. I understand how you are feeling, it is all very daunting. Good luck with the rest of your treatment. Always here for a chat. Xx

 Pippin24 thank you.  Feels so overwhelming I've only just got over my mastectomy but I know I have to get through it.  Do you mind ne asking what type of Breast Cancer you have - only if you feel comfortable telling me.

Thanks for being so kind and I'm sorry we are in the same boat x

 Pippin24 how did your Chemo go? I have my first one this morning and I am really scared - haven't slept a wink. X

Hi Angus, sorry I must have missed your last message and also got your name wrong previously. This text is so small, looks like I'm getting old!

I have two areas of invasive ductal carcinoma and low grade cells in breast tissues. It has also been found in 1 lymph node. It did come as quite a shock as had a mammogram only 14 months ago I am ER positive, PR positive and HER2 positive, so will need chemo and Herceptin  My chemo is EC-T, 3 cycles of EC then 4 cycles of T (Docetaxel). I had my first cycle on Monday which went really smoothly. Side effect have been minimal so far. I had a headache yesterday that I couldn't shift, but this is not unusual for me anyway. I went out for 40 minute walk with hubby to get some fresh air. I was also able to cook dinner with no problem. I've had no sickness so far which is great, although on lots of anti sickness tablets for first few days. Will have to see how it goes when they're finished. I also have an injection from day 4-10 to help boost white blood cells, hubby going to do this. It's the Docetaxel that I'm more concerned about, the side effects seem a bit more unpleasant. After chemo I'll be having a mastectomy, radiotherapy, followed by 5-10 years of hormone blockers. I hope all goes well today, I'm sure you'll be well looked after. Please let me know how you get on. Xx

 SANDYDEE53 how are things going with you?

 Pippin24 the chemo itself went OK but I've had the most horrendous sickness - violent vomiting could keep any medication done.  I ended up having to get an antisickness injection last night.  I've woke up today feeling rough but just trying to keep my meds down.  Struggling to eat anything - hoping going forward they can get this under control for me.  How are you doing? X

Hi Angus201, sorry I haven't kept in touch, forgot to bookmark this thread. Hope you have been doing OK since your chemo, and sickness didn't last too long. My side effects were minimal after 1st cycle, just hoping it will be the same after next cycle, which is on Monday. My hair started falling out on day 14, which did upset me, even though I knew it would happen. I took control and went and had my head shaved, number 4 with the clippers. Have now worn my wig for the first time and have also got lots of lovely hats to choose from. I'm feeling much better now, especially as the anticipation of losing it has gone. Hope all goes well with your next treatment. Xx

Hi Angus201, sorry I haven't kept in touch, forgot to bookmark this thread. Hope you have been doing OK since your chemo, and sickness didn't last too long. My side effects were minimal after 1st cycle, just hoping it will be the same after next cycle, which is on Monday. My hair started falling out on day 14, which did upset me, even though I knew it would happen. I took control and went and had my head shaved, number 4 with the clippers. Have now worn my wig for the first time and have also got lots of lovely hats to choose from. I'm feeling much better now, especially as the anticipation of losing it has gone. Hope all goes well with your next treatment. Xx

Hey Pippin24 I've had my 2nd chemo now and got to say the nurses were fantastic they introduced another anti sickness drug into my regime so no vomiting this time which makes all my other side effects more manageable.

My hair is coming out in handfuls now which I'm finding hard, I need to shave my head but I can't find the courage.  I have my wig fitting tomorrow so I'm hoping that might cheer me up a bit.

Hope you're doing OK. X

Pleased to hear that your second chemo went well and that sickness is now under control. I think as much as we prepare for the hair loss, it is still hard to deal with when it happens. Hope your wig fitting goes well and you find something that you like. Xx

 Pippin24 how are you getting on? Hope your treatment is going OK.  My 3rd chemo should be this week but it's being pushed as I ended up with neutropenic sepsis after my last one was in hospital for 5 days was awful. X

So sorry to hear that you ended up with neutropenic sepsis, that is just awful. Hope you are now feeling much better. It's a shame that your third chemo is now delayed, do you have any idea when you will be able to have the next ones? I had my second chemo last Monday and so far all has been good, with minimal side effects. I have my port being fitted on Wednesday, which I'm a little nervous about, but will make things easier moving forward. Also have a thorax ct scan at the end of the month. It's to check a couple of small lung nodules they found at my last ct scan. They did say they have seen a lot of theses nodules since covid, I'm hoping that's all it is. It's obviously always a worry that the cancer has spread and  it's awful having to wait so long to find out. Last EC chemo is on the 15th April, then move onto docetaxel, which is apparently harsher. Will have to wait and see how that goes. Hope things go better for you after your next chemo, keep in touch. Xx