My first blog...

Hi Mary, just thought I would reply to your post and let you know you have my support too. Hopefully you feel well enough to maybe attend the South East & Bayside group and some face-to-face support too.

I heard quite alot about the cold caps, quite pricey to hire I think but well worth it if you don't want to lose hair. I only found out recently, wish I'd heard about it before my chemo treatment think I would've seriously given it a go.

My journey with breast cancer started in Jan 2012. Had a lumpectomy in Feb with 2 lymph nodes taken out as cancer had spread. Then I had chemo from March to June, then radiotherapy in August, 20 days straight. Through all that I also had to deal with diabetes and as I had a previous blot clots the chemo caused more within two weeks of starting.

Was a really scary time for me, was hospitalised for a week to treat blot clot, lost my hair and then had to learn how to inject myself as I needed blood thinning medication for 6 months!!

I feel your pain with sciatica, I hope you don't need that injection. To have all that pain while also to deal with cancer/chemo/hair loss etc is alot to cope with.

Not sure where you live but if you're local to Cheltenham, I'm happy to come along with you to chemo treatments if I'm free.

This blogging thing is all new to me too, I really didn't get into it until after I had treatment as I couldn't see myself pouring out my feelings to people I didn't know. But it's a great place to vent, to ask what we may think are silly questions and just to 'meet' other women that have been there. There are NO silly questions when you have cancer, it's terrifying not knowing what is going to happen and terrifying when you do!!!

Keep well, Dianne :)

Thank you for your promp response Mich, I really appreciate it. Firstly, I have ordered my journey kit...I take it to every appointment, it is my new bible. I am on 75 mg of Lyrica, but I have only just started on them. I am not sure how long they take to kick in, but I am still in a lot of pain. I am on cortesone tablets too and I go back to visit the GP on THursday. I guess if medication is not working I will need injection. My MRI results showed a bulging disc and some bone degeneration. Sounds like you have had your fair share of dramas and I really feel your pain. It's terrible not being able to make a cup of coffee without slouching over the bench or not being able to stand long enough to have a shower. Desperately need to get a shower chair. Haven't been able to go shopping nor drive my car for the last 3 weeks. Thankfully, I have a wonderful husband and 2 great kids that have been fantastic. My 17 yr old boy loves cooking, so he cooksmost of the evening meals. I am having 6 rounds of chemo every 3 weeks and then radiation..will be seeing radiation oncologist tomorrow, so will find out how long I will need to do this. Will be asking a lot of questions regarding my treatment and will definitely be speaking to support people. Am also seeing social worker. All my love to you and best of luck with everything. Thank you so much...Mary xxx

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to me. I am not really familiar with how this all works, ie...the blog thingy?? Hope I am doing this right. I really appreciate your words of encouragement, and I am trying to stay positive. As for the cold caps, I found out that only the Adelaide Cancer Centre have them for their patients and not really available anyhwere else unless you hire them and do it yourself. Not really sure if Melbourne hospitals allow them either?? Would be interested to see if anyone in Melbourne has used them?? All my love and thanks again.

Mary xxx