Hi everyone,

So sorry I have been mising in action.

How are you all? Not sure i've managed to catch up on all the messages over the last few weeks so sorry if have missed something.

 Pippin24  I'm so, so sorry to hear about your Mum. That must be hard for you all to process and deal with so i'm sending you a big hug. "Im so sorry you've had another blow to deal with...but you sound like a super close family so i'm sure you'll support each other through it all...and we are here too!..How is your scar doing? Hope it's starting to heal a little. When you do you start Radio? That honestly will be a walk in the park after op and chemo.

 Jolamine  How are things with you? Great news your have your tilt test booked in....not too much longer to wait and really hope that gives you some answers. . Hope you're ok.

 NGS  Are you still in a lot of pain? So sorry to hear that. Have you tried acpuncture? I've heard amazing things about it and how it can relieve a lot of symptons. Might be worth investigating if you haven't already? Have your team suggested anything else to help?

Carol1964  how are you doing? Are you still feeling pretty wiped?

ROBIN71  How's it going on chemo. I don't think we've chatted since you joined the chat so just wanted to say that i hope you're doing ok and that they've given you something strong to stop the nausea etc on chemo. how many rounds do you have? What drugs are you taking?

I'm doing ok....started abemaciclib last week and so far that seems to be ok. What i'm finding really hard is the emotiona/hormonal side of things. I am totally emotionally unhinged at the moment!! !!!..so teary all the time. I know it's the hormones and my body being plummeted into menopause but the mental ride has been pretty wild these past few weeks. The oncologist said all totally normal and that it's the zoladex injections making me feel this way, shutting down my ovaries and getting rid of estrogen and he said by body should settle in 6 months or so!!....but yes just feeling very low, joyless and just finding eveything really hard, i'm usually so excited about christmas but i just can't find the joy this year..rubbish!....iv'e actually arranged to see a therapist and my first session is on Friday so hoping over time that may help process the past 12 months and help with dealing with the new me! Feel like i've totally lost the old, happy, positive me! Feels very odd to be so down and negative which isn't like me at all...but hoping it's just a phase...it also didn't help that sadly my husband was made redundant a couple of weeks ago...not ideal!...i'm sure he'll find something else but just a tricky time at the moment...BUT i'll get through it and will be grabbing life again soon i'm sure!!

Anyway, just wanted to check in to see how you are..and give you a little update. Sorry mine is slightly neggy!!!!

xx

Hi Greeny80, so lovely to hear from you. Sorry to hear that your emotions are all over the place at the moment due to hormones, hopefully this will settle down with time. I think therapy is well worth doing, after going through so much for so many months. I think it's quite likely that we'll all have times when we feel a bit down, towards the end of treatment. Especially as we've all tried so hard to stay positive so and strong throughout treatment. Such a shame that your husband got made redundant, this probably hasn't helped how you feel. How did everything go with your appointment, at the beginning of November? 

Thank you for sending me a hug, I need all I can get at the moment. Still attending the hospital weekly for wound check. They are now using a dressing that goes into the wound, which absorbs any leakage and turns to jelly. Luckily hubby is able to change dressings in-between hospital visits, don't know what I'd do without him  Going for my scan and markings on Thursday and should start radiotherapy two weeks later. Have 15 sessions and not looking forward to having to go every day. The journey to this hospital isn't the best! I've also started on letrazole for the next 5 years, which has caused my hot flushes to increase again. I have got the option to up my venlafaxine, which the GP gave me when I had to stop my HRT. I chose not to go onto the higher dose at the time,  as I new I would be starting the hormone blocker. This gives me the option to up it now if I want to. I'm going to wait a little while, to see if it settles down without the extra medication. 

Good luck with your therapy on Friday, I'm sure you'll soon be back to your usual self.  Sending love and don't forget we are all here if you need to chat. Xx

Hi everyone, I hope you've all had a good weekend, despite the horrible weather. 

I attended the radiotherapy hospital and had my ct scan and markings.They initially gave me a start date of the 5th of December, with the last one being boxing day. As I'm at my daughter's for Christmas, I wouldn't be able to do boxing day. When I phoned,  they agreed to start a day earlier, so will now finish on Christmas eve. I'm a little concerned about the journey, as a lot of appointments are before 9am, it will mean travelling on the m25 during rush hour, which isn't ideal.

My wound is now apparently healing too quickly, so dressings have changed again. They are still quite happy with how it's going, will just be a slow process. 

Have  finished all my Christmas shopping, so now won't have to worry about it, while going through radiotherapy.

How are you all doing?

Hi Greeny,

It's great to hear from you, although I'm sorry to hear that your emotions are all over the place. This won't have been helped by your hubby's redundancy - I hope that he manages to find other employment soon.

I am glad to see that you've got an appointment made to see a therapist on Friday. I found that attending some of breast cancer now's courses on Moving forward, were very helpful. Maybe you would benefit from them too?

Jolamine xx

Hi Greeny

I'm so sorry to hear you're all over the place at the moment, and double whammy with your husband's redundancy.  I was made redundant last year so I know how devastating it can feel.  Mine turned out for the best though as I now work for an amazing company who have supported me so well during my diagnosis and treatment, even though I'd only been with them for 3 weeks when diagnosis was made.  I really hope your husband find's something soon.   Same as Jolamine, I found the Breast Cancer Now Moving Forward courses really helpful and met some lovely ladies who have been (and continue to go through) similar or same journeys.  I hope you manage to find your way back to your normal self soon.

I'm doing ok thanks, I was wiped after my first Zoledronic acid infusion back in August, for about a week, but it improved after a while.  I had my final immunotherapy treatment on Thursday and got to ring the bell!  It was quite an emotional moment.  So I'll probably be a bit tired this week, but hope to be all good and ready to prepare for Christmas soon!  At least this year I get to see the family.  Woohoo! 

Take care of yourself and speak soon.

Carol x

Hi Pippin

Weekend was lovely thank you, I just holed myself up for most of it and avoided the wet and windy stuff!  Though we weren't too bad with the winds up here in the East Midlands. 

Goodness I didn't even know they'd do radiotherapy on Boxing Day!  I'm glad you've managed to get it shifted though so you finish on Christmas Eve.

How can a wound be healing too quickly?  Sometimes the medical profession baffles me (well, frequently actually lol).

I'm doing well thanks though I was mortified when I was weighed at my final immunotherapy session to find I'd put on a stone since I finished chemo!  Need to get that in check immediately!  But the upside is I got to ring that bell.  Woohoo!  No more treatments now until February for my next Zoledronic acid infusion.  In the meantime it leaves me free to prepare for and enjoy Christmas this year and see the family.  I didn't get to see them last year as I was too poorly to travel.

Good luck with the radiotherapy when it starts next month.  The travelling will be the worst part unfortunately but the treatment itself will be a walk in the park in comparison to everything else you've been through. 

Take care 

Carol xx

Hi Carol, I too avoided going out in the awful weather, sat and watched a couple of Christmas films instead. 

I was a bit surprised myself when they said wound was now healing too quickly. Apparently it was granulating too quickly. This means the tissue starts to form too quickly, which will then die off before wound has healed. They've now changed the type of dressing to address this.

So pleased that your immunotherapy has now finished and you got to ring the bell. Another thing you can now tick off. I'm sure your weight will sort itself out. I've been enjoying being back to my slimming group in the last few weeks as I  missed a few weeks due to surgery. It must be a wonderful feeling knowing that you have no more treatments until February, you can just relax, chill out and enjoy Christmas with your family. Xxx 

Hi everyone, hope you all had a good weekend. How are you all doing at the moment? I'm starting my radiotherapy on Wednesday and will be so pleased to get it out of the way. My tummy wound is healing, albeit it slowly, hoping it will be healed by Christmas. Now all Christmas shopping is finished, thinking of starting the wrapping today. I usually have everyone to me at Christmas, but having a break this year and going to my daughter's. It will make a lovely change for me. What are you all doing over the festive period?

HI Pippin,

I am glad to hear that your wound is finally beginning to heal, albeit slowly. I had everyone to us for Christmas and New Year, but have now decided that it's time for the younger members of the family to pick up the cudgel. We are going to my son and his family, which we are looking forward to,

It'll be great to get to your radiotherapy, at long last and I hope that it all goes well.

Regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine, good to hear that you will be getting looked after over Christmas this year. I normally have my mum and dad along with other members of the family. I thought it would be too much this year, especially as everyone stays over. Mum and dad are going yo my brother's instead this year, so they'll be well looked after. I feel a bit stressy this week. Keep thinking I can feel a lump under my arm, on the side of my surgery. Not sure who to mention this to, the breast team  or plastics team. I also start my radiotherapy tomorrow, so won't have an opportunity to go anywhere about it. I'm sure it's probably nothing and just the new tissue settling in. I hope moving forward I'm not going to be scared all the time about it coming back, I  really don't want to feel like that. I'm sure I'll feel better when my wound has healed and I can get back to my walking. It's so good for the mindset and I'm really missing that. Sorry for the rant, but it feels good to get my feelings out. Xx