Hi Rose, sorry to hear about your diagnosis of breast cancer. I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma in January and I had 7 cycles of chemo, from March to July and got through it with minimal side effects. I had a diep flap reconstruction 5 weeks ago and will be starting radiotherapy at the beginning of December. I am retired, so didn't have any work worries. I pretty much carried on as normal through treatment, although did need to take it easy for a couple of weeks after surgery. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I wish you well with your journey moving forward. Xx

Hi, thank you for your response and sharing your own experience with me. Despite what you have been through reading your message feels positive in terms of treatment and makes me feel hopeful.  In terms of your reconstruction does it look realistic and are you satisfied with how it went?  Over how many surgeries did it take to reconstruct and did you opt for an inplant or your own skin reconstruction and if so which part of the body did you get the skin from? In terms of reducing scarring is there anything you would recommend?  Chemo wise does it make your body feel hot or cold, or do you not really notice any effect? I am prepared that I may lose hair and finger nails.

Hi Rose,

A very warm welcome to our forum.

I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I haven't had chemo, so can't help you with that, but I have had a double mastectomy.  I had a lumpectomy, a year prior to having this, but discovered a second cancer in the same breast, less than a year later. I actually found the double mastectomy easier to cope with, than the lumpectomy. Unfortunately, I was not a suitable candidate for reconstruction, due to previous, non-cancer related surgery.

There were two things that I found helpful post-surgery. One was a heart shaped cushion, which I placed under my arms initially. The other was to have day and night wear which opened at the front and didn't have to be lifted over the head. These were also helpful for post-surgical examinations. I have previously stopped breathing under general anaesthetic, due to having a narrow oesophagus and now need fibro-optic intubation, so this was a worry for me, but fortunately all went swimmingly.

It is good to hear that there has been no spread. Do you have a date for the start of chemo yet? Chemo is often the first mode of attack, as this often reduces the size of the tumour before surgery takes place. 

I sincerely hope that your treatment starts soon and that it does what it says on the tin. Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Rose, I had a diep flap reconstruction, where they took tissue and skin  from my stomach for the reconstruction. I am really pleased with my new boob, as it's now smaller and very pert. I will be having a second surgery, to reduce healthy breast to match. I think some people do have both done at the same time  I was told that as my surgery was already 8 hours, they would rather do a second surgery. Could be an age thing, as I'm 62. I will also need to get a nipple tattoo at some point, as that had to be removed also. My breast healed quite quickly after surgery. I have had a slight issue with tummy wound. It goes from hip to hip and most of it has healed nicely. However, one little section  about an inch and a half long, still hasn't healed properly. I'm still having weekly wound check at the hospital. It's gradually getting there, but this section of scar will be a little wider. It may be because I had a previous scar in the same place, from having a hysterectomy  but who knows. 

In preparation for chemo I started walking 2 1/2 miles everyday with hubby. It was great for the mindset and we even managed it on the day after chemo sessions. I also cut all alcohol and made sure I was eating healthily. Plus I did up my water intake, as prior to chemo I didn't drink enough water. I did often have a snooze in the afternoon, due to being more tired. I did bought a lovely soft blanket to snuggle on the sofa, which I still use, now the weather had turned colder. But I was able to do my usual jobs around the house and cook meals. It's early days regarding scarring, but I have bought some bio oil to use. 

I was on EC-T chemo, 3 cycles of EC, then 4 of T (for me this was docetaxel). I did lose my hair, but bought a couple of wigs and lots of lovely hats. I was really worried about nail damage, someone recommended a product called polybalm. I used this throughout chemo and had no problems with nails at all. If you go onto YouTube and look it up, it is very informative. I hope this info has been of some use to you  xx

Hi Rose, I had a diep flap reconstruction, where they took tissue and skin  from my stomach for the reconstruction. I am really pleased with my new boob, as it's now smaller and very pert. I will be having a second surgery, to reduce healthy breast to match. I think some people do have both done at the same time  I was told that as my surgery was already 8 hours, they would rather do a second surgery. Could be an age thing, as I'm 62. I will also need to get a nipple tattoo at some point, as that had to be removed also. My breast healed quite quickly after surgery. I have had a slight issue with tummy wound. It goes from hip to hip and most of it has healed nicely. However, one little section  about an inch and a half long, still hasn't healed properly. I'm still having weekly wound check at the hospital. It's gradually getting there, but this section of scar will be a little wider. It may be because I had a previous scar in the same place, from having a hysterectomy  but who knows. 

In preparation for chemo I started walking 2 1/2 miles everyday with hubby. It was great for the mindset and we even managed it on the day after chemo sessions. I also cut all alcohol and made sure I was eating healthily. Plus I did up my water intake, as prior to chemo I didn't drink enough water. I did often have a snooze in the afternoon, due to being more tired. I did bought a lovely soft blanket to snuggle on the sofa, which I still use, now the weather had turned colder. But I was able to do my usual jobs around the house and cook meals. It's early days regarding scarring, but I have bought some bio oil to use. 

I was on EC-T chemo, 3 cycles of EC, then 4 of T (for me this was docetaxel). I did lose my hair, but bought a couple of wigs and lots of lovely hats. I was really worried about nail damage, someone recommended a product called polybalm. I used this throughout chemo and had no problems with nails at all. If you go onto YouTube and look it up, it is very informative. I hope this info has been of some use to you  xx

Hi, 

Thank you for the response it has been useful.  It's not a nice thing to know other people have gone through this because obviously no one would want any one to go through it but it is good to hear that people can get through it all and it makes it seem less daunting if that make sense.  Again thank you for sharing.