Hello, Nutshell version, This year I have been through breast cancer, mastectomy and I am now on Tamoxifen.

Throughout my treatments I have remained annoyingly positive and cheerful,thanks to the wonderful support of my friends and family  yet I am now finding this stage, "post cancer",  the hardest piece to bear I feel isolated I feel expectations of me doing something amazing are first and foremost in most folks mind....... I just want normal please . Ok the surgery scars are tight and healing so that is a nagging reminder but I am happy that my cancer was removed.  I am learning to live with and manage against lymphodema,.... aching limbs and  eye flashes ( my own personal disco)  I am back at work but not full time as I get tired ( i work in a mentally challenging environment) I want to give it up but it does pay the bills.   I don't know if this is the correct forum for post cancer survivors but thought  I would give it a go..

Hi Bea28,

all I can say is snap - i think folk are waiting for me to shoot lasers out of my implant or something, what am I suddenly invincible.......best I could manage was to pee pink after each chemo, but hey that's more than most folk can manage.

Did you get reconstruction?  Sorry don't answer if you don't want to, my bangers have never been so talked about...i have to go back to the surgeon in Dec to see where we can go now, I have a tissue expander in which is going hard (bummer) all other treatment finished, on tamoxifen to, are you suffering hot flushes ( I call them Tropical Moments)?

Keep in touch

S x

Hello Susan

I have had one side reconstructed using the muscle from my back  and I am waiting for the other side to be done will hear when I  meet with my surgeon in dec. Be nice if he woudl squeeze me in before the end of the year so I can get on with things..........what things I dont know ... just get on with not going to a hospital  and get on with choosing new bras I have not been able to do that yet ... tick tick tick.... bra shops i have my eye on you if only I know what size I will end up with....

Tamoxifen. aching leg ... for goodness sake I am turning to my mother .... ( doesn't help that I have torn the ligament in the base of my foot , possibly done from all these extreme sports I have been doing ... extreme chemo...........extreme surgery...... extreme zzzzzzz   Eye flashes started tonight and really depressed me, this was three hours after I had visited my oncologist for a check up.. Me " yes all is fine apart from aching leg"  Him ... "good , see you soon" after checking out aching leg. Get home and the flashes started....  will ring him tomorrow and no doubt make an appt with a optician... grief, tonight I am falling apart.... oh no Pammy is still there, so not completly falling apart as he stitched her on well.

Flushes...  .....my contribution to the global warming I am personally responsible for keeping November so mild..... and broken sleep I crave for a full nights sleep Otherwise I am fine..... Oh forgot the hair... who put that grey crop on there it was dark brown when we parted company. ( but grey crop does look funky) Hello eyebrows ......i missed you  x

hello, im nur from malaysia..im 34 yrs..im suffered with liver cancer..to those who also suffered with this,can we share so many things about it..

at least from the discussion we know more about our sickness and also gives some support to live normally..tq..

Hi

We could be twins!!!

I had reconstruction with a tissue expander (went and got it blown up a bit every week, strange experience), as I wasn't big enough to get any muscle from my back or tummy, the only bit I had was the top of my leg, which I ruled out immediately, well they are my best feature.  I was back 2 months ago and surgeon thinks radio has started to harden the implant, originally it was to come out an a natural shaped on put in, and they would boost the other side to match, now I need to wait and see, I asked him to leave it 3 months to see if it would harden further, if it does it needs to be removed and might not be able to be replaced. Another option is I could keep this one in, it's a bit round and a wee bit higher than "normal" but what's normal nowadays? and if so I get the other side boosted, last option is it comes out and I have nothing on one side - would prefer not.

I've never really had bangers (apart from when I was pregnant but I had a tummy to match) and I've gone from a 34a to now buying a 36b to fit in the new one.  Actually kept all my nice wee underwear, that's when I really cried, having to scoop it all up and bag it cos it was too small, I like nice underwear and have hundreds of pounds worth, all now in a carrier bag and I started buying again, but most of it is "daily" stuff cos I don't know what size I'll end up either.  Oh well at least if it's done soon the snow might offer a soft landing if I topple over, suddenly top heavy.

I have a fractured spine at the moment cos I fell in May - getting  a bone scan next month to check bone density now, so no riding/running/aerobics for me - extreme ironing is about all I can manage,

Aye the flushes are a pest, just when you roll into the duvet here they come and the covers are off, the fan on, cold facecloth to hand, then you're freezing and the fan goes off, the facecloth tossed, the duvet comes up, with extra blanket cos you're chilly and on it goes all night.....you'd think we could get a break someplace eh? And these memory foam mattresses are just the worst thing I ever bought.

And where is my lovely brunette hair, nice and thick, it's back but like you quite grey, thickening now and I have quite a mop - actually one of my work colleagues said the other day that I should shave it again as i suited being cropped.  That was one bit that didn't bother me actually, being bald, eyelashes went quite short and brittle and eyebrows thin, but now i'm back to practising batting my eyes - George Clooney beware!

However I don't moan about it, being on this site shows you just haw many people have to go through so much more than me.  But I'm here to compare notes anytime.

Keep in touch, we'll bra shop together.

S x

Hi my name is Jane, I have not had cancer myself but in the last 2 years have lost someone close to breast cancer, has a friend going through it now and a few close friends/family members are fighting bowel cancer,  Im not quite sure if im just unlucky knowing so many but believe this is the way life is going to be from now on and Im finding it a bit hard to deal with at the moment, scary, sad, anxious etc all those feelings that go along with it am probably in need of a little support at the moment.

Hi newbies

Nice to see you've bonded and become bra buying buddies already Susan and Bea28! Yes this is the right place to come for post cancer survivors.

Nurselamat, we'll look out for members with liver cancer to match you with.

JaneyJane you'll find plenty of people on here with similar experiences who can offer you some support.

Katey, sorry to read about your hubby but glad things are looking up.

Feel free to start new discussions on the topics you would like to talk about as JaneyJane has done. Or join in on those threads which suit the subjects that interest you. Other members will be there to offer you a warm welcome.

Jane

Hi All,

I thought I would say hello, being new here and all that.  I hope to be able to offer some words and experiences on this forum from my cancer story.  I did look at joining before but while I was in the middle of treatment I had to be my own sounding board - it was my way of coping.  Now I have more space between my thoughts there is room for me to offer something back.

I have already read some amazing accounts on here, some hugely sad, others so uplifting they could fill a hot air balloon.

I think that in the time this forum has been operating that it has built a door out of the lonliest place in your mind to a place where people are among friends.

Got to love the internet for something,

Charles.

Do you find yourself walking around in circles. See I had more than a handful for each "banger"  and now on my reconstructed side I have less than a handful. My choice I may as well get something good out of this and a boob reduction is just the ticket. So newly constructed Pammy is smaller than her much older sister Norah. This i use to blame on why I am always running around in circles. I am a mountain goat legs shorter on one side. Anyway I meet with my surgeon soon to talk about reducing Norah to match Pammy and nipple recon for Pammy. Be nice if he could fit me before Christmas.   Like you I have bag loads of bras I did/do love my undies which are now too big. But not quite sure what size Pammy is so can't even prep for a new bra. Hello lady in bra shop can you tell me what this one is

Hats off to you for the expander my friend had that it looked to be very painful. Is it painful or is that a crass question to ask?

I work in a mainly male environment and have great fun talking about Pammy and Norah. Honestly the chaps don't know where to  look  .......so you are not only coping with new bangers which you keep bumping into things by the sound:) but a fractured spine. Makes my internal disco eye and dodgy foot seem like  a walk in the park. Hop hop hop  I meant .   Can you go swimming with a dodgy spine not sure what exercise can be done in that case.

Ha ha re the hair the amount of folk who tell me it looks amazing and I should keep it cropped short. Do they not realise it's blooming cold when that wind gets up. But when I lost all of my hair my skin felt so amazingly soft.

Yes I agree with you I should be thankful I am on recovery so many folk are living with much worse. Xx.

Am sewing quilts to raise funds for Macmillan nurse. It was one of the things that kept me sane during chemo, my sewing and my garden   so back to sewing for an hour or so tonight before I veggie out n front of the burner I have about eight baby  quilts ready to hand over to them. Take care no back flips eh  ? X

Finally this bra shop, I'm guessing you are "up north".   I have  relocated   down south. Guess we can meet in the middle.

Welcome Charles,

What a lovely way to describe Cancer Chat. It has built a door out of the loneliest place in your mind to a place where people are among friends.

I'm glad you feel able to join us now,

Best wishes

Jane