Hi I'm MattA male with breast cancer, I came across this site a couple of days ago, I've been reading a lot of blogs and has been very helpful wish I found this before I started my treatment :-), not sure what treatment I'm on but must be a common one, I do 4 at 3 week intervals with my 4th one this Friday then change over to weekly for 12 weeks, then I go in for surgery and if all good start my radiation so far so good on side effects not much really, lost my hair about 2-3 weeks after first treatment, a bit of constipation and sleepless nights, just last week I noticed two of my toes, one on each foot right next to the big toe went purple in colour at the top, the left toe nail changed colour to purple and the right toe nail changed to a hazy white, will I lose them,just touching base for today and introducing myself, it is a little hard for me to talk about this but am getting better

Hi AllThanks for your concerns, at the moment i'm doing fine, my wife and daughter are great support and my family, while i'm getting treatment there's hope, sure before treatment, emotions were all over the place but i'm much better now, ok looks like I might be losing a couple of toe nails but hopefully they'll grow back, same with my hair :-) @Romla thanks for the compliment but i'm not young, I guess the thing that really keeps me going is my daughter she is 9 yrs old, i'm a late starter hehe,@traveltext and @PeterB thank you both for all your help and information, its a great assert to have

There is a section for men to post here. They really just don't post though. When you consider there's only 150 new cases a year in Australia and most of them are like Matt. too embarrassed to post. I'm on the US breast cancer blogs all the time, particularly breastcancer.org, since there's 2500 new cases over there per year and many more guys to reach out to. Also, malebreastcancercoalition.org has a website and Facebook page.I'm always available to help men offline and I'm a Cancer Council trained telephone counsellor. If Matt, or anyone here wants to contact me here: http://malebc.org/contact/

Hi MattGood luck with the steroids, I was lucky and didn't need them, just as well as I didn't like Taxol at all, found A/C easier. Lymphoedema is manageable, may also be temporary, but a compression sleeve is sensible. If you can get access to a specialist lymphoedema therapist, it's worth trying to do so. Exercise helps, your physio should be able to give you a daily regime. Takes me less than five minutes twice a day. So does massage but you need a good therapist to show you how. Your arm is susceptible to germs, so take extra care with any cuts or scratches, particularly in the garden or around animals. I've only had one infection in six years, so it's usually not a frequent thing but can be serious if it occurs. Just wash and disinfect ASAP. Any other advice I can give just ask! In October I will be six years free of cancer, a few side effects but worth it? You bet!! Best wishes

There's an old saying "You can only make a first impression once" and that is so true. I'm not an advertising guru, but I do consider myself to be pretty street smart and attentive. With the overload of advertising in the modern world, you have only a split second to attract the eye of your potential target. If the colour, format, music or jingle, give you a bum steer right at the get go, you've lost them...they won't come back for a second look. The pink loo lady cut out doesn't do it for me at all. I simply can't imaging any bloke's eyes swivelling back for a second look at any written message attached to it that might save their lives. Not that many years ago, informational advertising regarding heart attacks typically portrayed a middle aged businessman clutching his chest in pain. The general public opinion on the matter was that heart attacks typically affected middle aged businessmen and that the symptoms were chest pain. The picture said it all and reinforced that public perception. How many women died because they thought that what they were experiencing was a severe attack of heartburn? It is now more publicly known that these so called facts are not always true. Men of all ages and occupations have heart attacks as do women. Some have chest pain, some don't. Some have abdominal pain, some have only dizziness, some are silent and simply knock you down. Breast cancer ...ditto... Mostly women, but certainly men get it. Some have a discernible lump, some don't. Only recently was the thing with the lemons out in public...many people didn't know that you could have breast cancer if you didn't feel a lump. I think things could be improved to firstly attract the attention (and donor dollars) of the public and then accurately inform and educate them.

@Matt I think what Ive liked about the Forum is, eventhough I came well after I'd finished all treatment, it's a place where you can talk about everything, knowing you are understood completely. Loved ones and friends mean well, but they cannot understand the full extent of it physically or mentally, so I have found it invaluable to be able to come here to share experience or offer support and in turn receive the same by people who just 'get it' All the best coming up to Taxol, it is different but I didn't personally find it easier on top of the Fec. Make sure you keep your Team in the loop of absolutely everything as I found my pain management wasn't very good at all and struggled as am drug sensitive so could only take nurofen with panadol osteo. Step at a time, but sounds like you're smashing it! :) Melinda xo

A Little Embarrassing | BCNA Online Network

90 Replies

traveltext
Member
8 years ago
Hi Matt, My cancer was Stage 3b and had lymph node involvement, so chemo came first. This reduced the tumour size so that a mastectomy was possible. I had, then radiation. Then Tamoxifen. I am four years pst treatment and have never felt better. Hoping this is your path too. As @SoldierCrab says, one day at a time.
SoldierCrab
Member
8 years ago
Matt, just take it one day at a time
got Questions post them and someone will always be around to help and answer or tag someone whom they know can answer the questions.
Matt
Member
8 years ago

Sister said:

Hi Matt, As everyone else has said - don't be embarrassed. I think you may be on the same chemo as me. I had 4 AC x 3 weekly and am now on Paclitaxol each week for 12 weeks (having No. 3 tomorrow). Interesting about the second toenails. I have the same thing but put it down to kicking a ladder (accidentally) for one and catching the other, lifting the nail, on a lounge chair. I do know that the AC can make you more susceptible to bruising so maybe it's just that those toes are in the firing line.

Hi All
thank you so much for the overwhelming response, SoldierCrab thankyou for all the information,
traveltex thankyou also when I was with the doctors a lot of information went over my head, I have rather a large lump/cancer on my right breast and affected most of my nodes, they called it invasive, aggressive and some other things,
its a stage 3 bordering 4 something like that, also its hormone based if that means anything, the plan is to do the chemo first to try and reduce the size of the cancer and the nodes so they can operate,
Matt
Member
8 years ago
Hi All
thank you so much for the overwhelming response, SoldierCrab thankyou for all the information,
traveltex thankyou also when I was with the doctors a lot of information went over my head, I have rather a large lump/cancer on my right breast and affected most of my nodes, they called it invasive, aggressive and some other things,
its a stage 3 bordering 4 something like that, also its hormone based if that means anything, the plan is to do the chemo first to try and reduce the size of the cancer and the nodes so they can operate, i'm having the treatment at the Gold Coast University Hospital
traveltext
Member
8 years ago
Okay, I'd say they took blood from the affected arm at the time your lymp nodes were out of action or some infection happ we Ned without you noticing it. After surgery, you'll have no lymph nodes and thherefore a lifetime battle with lymphedema, so bestbget on top of it asap.
Matt
Member
8 years ago
Hi @traveltext I have the physio at the gold coast hospital who specialises with cancer patients, they have taken measurements of the arm and hand, they started me with a sleeve and glove and will order me a one piece sleeve with glove fitted as the two piece makes my hand swell even more, yes the doctors and physio people are surprised about the lymphoedema and they checked for other possible causes to no avail but did find a few other things not related :-), the physio team think its because the lymph nodes were bad to start with because of the cancer and what's left probably isn't coping with the amount of fluids and the chemo drugs isn't helping, once I'm off the chemo they might get a better understanding and control,
jmichelle
Member
8 years ago
Hi Matt, good luck in this crazy ride, gender is irrelevant we are all fighting the shitty bc, keep us posted and there is always someone here if you need to chat, vent or can't sleep.
traveltext
Member
8 years ago
@Matt I'm surprised you have been diagnosed with lymphedema before surgery. Have never heard of this. In any case I'd stick with the sleeve since this is important right now before the condition gets a go on. Try to access a physio who specialises in lymphedema treatment and ask for base arm measurements to be taken. This way you can benchmark future swelling, should it occur post surgery.

Dont worry too too much about having the cancer in you while chemo is going on. Even if it doesn't kill the cancer, it will get it under control so the surgeon gets a clear run at cutting it out of your breast and your lymph nodes. Likely they will remove all these and that's when your lymphedema risk really is a greater risk and the sage advice from @Afraser really kicks in.

Keep us posted as things develop.
iserbrown
Member
8 years ago
@Matt
Afraser
Member
8 years ago
Hi Matt

Good luck with the steroids, I was lucky and didn't need them, just as well as I didn't like Taxol at all, found A/C easier. Lymphoedema is manageable, may also be temporary, but a compression sleeve is sensible. If you can get access to a specialist lymphoedema therapist, it's worth trying to do so. Exercise helps, your physio should be able to give you a daily regime. Takes me less than five minutes twice a day. So does massage but you need a good therapist to show you how. Your arm is susceptible to germs, so take extra care with any cuts or scratches, particularly in the garden or around animals. I've only had one infection in six years, so it's usually not a frequent thing but can be serious if it occurs. Just wash and disinfect ASAP. Any other advice I can give just ask! In October I will be six years free of cancer, a few side effects but worth it? You bet!! Best wishes