The good and the bad

Hi peeps

I have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. Taking the excellent advice on this website I pretty much started by taking it one day at a time. This does indeed help. 

I thought to share the good and the bad and would love to hear anyone else's should they wish to share.

Today I had both a good and a bad moment. I received 2 letters in the post.

The first was from the hosp confirming my op date (my bad moment) cos my stomach dropped and I had that now familiar feeling of anxiousness take hold for a moment but shook it off cos I know it is needed. 

The good - my 2nd letter - as if... a tax rebate - boom  . Not half put a much needed smile on my face . Reckon a my treat family meal is in order.

Eeee it's the little things ain't it. 

Take care peeps 

Sandra x ️X

 

Parents
  • Hi pippin and a warm welcome to the thread....there are some lovely people on here  and now we have you too :-)

    You have done fabulous me dear...may not feel it but... the hardest bit is under your belt. Just know how u r feeling is totally normal. Look after yourself and rest when u need. No right or wrong way to deal with the blow you have been dealt. Do what is best for u nd yrs. I know it’s hard but try to look on this “wait” time as down time from everything hosp. The cancer is out now...even I can see the light at the end of your tunnel.

    letrozole... been on it a yr now. In the beginning I had 2 wks where I felt 90 and ached all over then i woke up one morning nd well u talk... it had gone and I was back to normal. Mind u I did also get really bad night sweats .... again this has dissipated but still have the odd night. I was told I might get side effects but they often clear up in the first few wks so try t work through them ....I did and they did :-) I took my meds at 9pm cos I’d read somewhere it helped- don’t know if it did but still take them late. Everyone is different and some needed to change to another medication so play it by ear and know u have options.

    radiotherapy......start slapping that moisturiser on now in prep. Others will hopefully drop by nd tell u their regime...mine I used aveeno in the lead up to RT then my hosp supplied QV cream ( not all hosps do this)...post RT I finished off the QV cream then went back to the aveeno ( your skin will continue to “cook” for a couple of wks post RT). My skin was fine it got a tanned look to it .....remember everyone is different.

    so.... good luck for Tuesday. Do things u like or fancy till then. Ask away anything u need ..... lots of been there done thats or I too am at that point to chip in and help. 

    U are not alone we are here if u want or need us.....or to just shoot the breeze  :-)

    take care lass x

     

  • Hi Sandra 

    Thank you for your warm welcome and all the encouragement and for sharing your experiences with it all x 

    I dont feel quite so alone now, it’s weird that everything else goes on as normal but my life is suddenly taking a different unexpected route. Getting used to this new way of life a little bit but it’s hard to not ‘do’ especially when you are a ‘doer’ but I expect it will come back in time....hope so! 

    Thats very reassuring for me that you said the hardest part is under my belt, I didn’t think of it like that and will jolly along to the hospital this afternoon with that thought :) thank you x

    The good......sunny day and goldfinches galore in the garden!

    the bad...... tummy wobble about hospital this afternoon and scary thoughts of them poking the sore bits

  • The Good- Although cold and windy out walked to mums today as now training for the London moonwalk in May! 

    The Bad - Like Sandra really feeling for you dizzle, sending you a massive hugs x 

  • Lovely u still post beach ️

    How far is the walk u r doing? U have done better than me today .... I’ve done nowt lol x

  • 26.2 miles!! It’s for breast cancer, cancer research is behind it! I have talked three friends into doing it with me! Just wanted to give something back for all the support I received! X 

  • Thank you x

    im back all intact :) so that’s another event ticked off the list!

    back on Thursday for markings and scan, thanks for the heads up not to wear nice new bra! The doctor showed me the dot, he had one on his hand so I will think of them as beauty spots :D

    moisturising as much as possible, he said Aveeno is great too x 

    letrozole is to start tonight so here goes with that then.

    good.... feeling much more positive and human again, thank you 

    bad....none

    have a lovely evening everyone x

  • Wow... go u lass. It’s lovely to hear you doing so well now.  :-) it’s a fair way so u f doing the right thing prep for it x

  • Ah well done you. Think you can see the the light at the end too :-)

    are u having 15 sessions over 3 wks? I don’t mind my tats ( I’ve got 5 dots...others have less). Others want rid of them ( I get that too). If you want yours removed after ask ... my hosp could help you get sorted to have them removed free of charge so yours might too. Rileyroo can let you know the process if you want to know more about it as she had hers removed.

    Try not to get hyped about Thursday.... it doesn’t take long ( mostly laying there while the measure u up) nd a light pin touch ( edited cos look what it auto does t the word pin ***) for the tats.

    The sessions themselves ....change into gown, into room,  set up on table, couple of mins treatment, off bed dressed nd out.....where I went always seemed to b running 45 mins to an hour behind bless... hopefully yours will b on time :-) 

    so... kick back, relax nd do all things u till Thursday u r nearly there lass :-) x

     

     

     

  • Morning peeps 

    wondering how u r feeling today dizzel ?

    bad :- none yay

    good :- school run, shops, garden centre, coffee nd read book order of the day..... normality.... bliss :-)

    have as good a day as u can peeps x

  • Morning :)

    thank you x yes it’s 15 sessions over 3 weeks.... a lot of tooing and fro ing so fingers crossed the weather doesn’t get too bad for the journeys there and back! I will know on Thursday when it will start :)

    I think there’s a light shining a bit more now, thank you so much x

    Good.....sunny day, shopping trip for goodies yay

    Bad.....none :)

    have a lovely day x

     

  • Training has started! I do walk about 4 miles a day at work about 14,000 steps! Thanks Sandra your support and everyone’s else helped me so much x 

  • Hi pippin nice to have you here even though we all wish circumstances were different. 

    I had 15 sessions over 3 weeks radiotherapy and as sandra says you spend more time waiting and getting set up than you fo having the actual treatment. 

    Almost there hun. You seem to be quite upbeat and positivity is the key....although we all get down days. Listen to your body through treatment. I experienced extreme fatigue. But I recovered well and went back to work on a phased return the month after I finished radiotherapy. It will be a year in March that I was diagnosed, and had WLE an SNB in April. 

    Unfortunately we are doing it all again as my partner was diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer the week before Christmas. He is currently having monthly injection for 6 months and will have 20 sessions radiotherapy at the end of April. 

    Anyway lol...That's me x

Reply
  • Hi pippin nice to have you here even though we all wish circumstances were different. 

    I had 15 sessions over 3 weeks radiotherapy and as sandra says you spend more time waiting and getting set up than you fo having the actual treatment. 

    Almost there hun. You seem to be quite upbeat and positivity is the key....although we all get down days. Listen to your body through treatment. I experienced extreme fatigue. But I recovered well and went back to work on a phased return the month after I finished radiotherapy. It will be a year in March that I was diagnosed, and had WLE an SNB in April. 

    Unfortunately we are doing it all again as my partner was diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer the week before Christmas. He is currently having monthly injection for 6 months and will have 20 sessions radiotherapy at the end of April. 

    Anyway lol...That's me x

Children
  • Hi cornish

    just wanted to say been thinking of you all. Hope you nd yours are holding up well. Don’t forget to look after yourself too. 

    Shoulder squeeze from me....take care lass x

     

  • Hey Sandra. I'm good hun. And other half is doing ok given that it's only 3 weeks post diagnosis.

    Hope you are well x

  • Hi Cornish 

    Thank you so much, it’s comforting to belong somewhere where everyone is in the same kind of boat or have been in it and got out!  It’s hard to explain but it feels like nothing has changed but everything has changed if that makes sense. 

    Im so sorry to hear about your partner and wish him well very soon. Its another hurdle isn’t it and I hope all will be ok for him and for you too xx 

    I had the planning and tattoos today but they are delaying RT because the end of my SNB scar looks a bit unhealed so I’ve got antibiotics for that. They will start it in 2 weeks and I can’t wait for it to be over and done with :)

    That’s really good to know that you are back at work! Seems such a long way off for me yet and so many decisions to make after this.

    thank you xx

     

     

  • So glad all is as well as it can be, especially more so in the early days as we both know form our own experiences they can b the worst emotionally. 

    Thinking of you all me dear :-) ️

  • Ooo ya all ready for radiotherapy to start just need that scar to heal. How many tats have u got ( I got 5 ... not heard of anyone having as many lol) . X

     

  • Morning peeps 

    sorry we didn’t hear from u yesterday dizzel... would b lovely to hear from u today... thinking of you ️

    Bad :- none.. yay

    good :- sitting at daughters waiting on her new flooring for the extension they have built t b delivered. Then t shops I go...lil ones house at school have the most house points so they all have a come as u please day next tues.. get t watch a dvd and take soft toy nd cushion in with them...she doesn’t have a cushion so have rqst for a unicorn one... wish me luck lol

    have as good a day as u can peeps x

     

  • Hello to all you beautiful women, last night I read through this thread and it had me tittering like a teenager! 

    The good.   .... I found this forum and it has saved my sanity 

    The bad............I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma a few days before Christmas, my world caved in.....lumpectomy last week....and appointment next wed for treatment plan...

    Xxxx

  • Hi Sandra

    i got 3 tats, one either side and one in the middle and a whole road map of marker pen! That has washed off so I don’t know if they draw them again when I go.

    5 is a lot, you were brave xx

    Bad ...antibiotics are yuk

    Good....going to see hairdresser yay ......it’s been weeks and weeks and weeks!

    have a lovely Friday xx

     

  • Hello Marlyn

    A huge welcome...even though I’m very new here too xxx

    sorry to hear about your bad xxx I have the same and had my op on 13 December. Like you I think my sanity has been saved by being here and I only found it very recently. The support is amazing and already I’m looking at things in a different light :)

    So very thankful to Sandra for starting this and all the other lovely brave ladies here xx

    Xxxx

     

  • Morning Sandra

    good luck with the unicorn chasing!!! :):)

    xxx