Just posting an update,I saw my GP on Wednesday the 5th Jan, the bone scan and heart scan, were positive good results, which was a great relief, i tell you. I met with my oncologyst on Thursday 6th Jan, I now have my treatment organised. Chemo is 3 "FEC", then 3 Taxotore - one day every 3 weeks for a total of 6 treatments. Radiotherapy after chemo is completed Tamoxifin of 5 years(but maybe cross over to other tablets " Aramatase inhibitors" if i become post menopausal. I know this treatment has to be, i have it in my head that its a job that has to be done, but i tell you, im so nervous, scared....i find it difficult to find the words to express how i feel. What i do know is that this treatment is for the best, iknow that i want to live, and kick this cancers' butt!!! ...that is my somewhat positive side of me...but im scared On another note - I have been busy in purchasing scarves, caps and headwrap, also Friday i found a lovely wig, which i purchased...loosing a breast is one thing(and im coping with that slowly), but picturing myself going down the street or shopping or going to a cafe, with no hair just a scarf or hat...it just didnt sit right in my mind...so after thinking about it...i decided to take control over the 'hair thing'. Me at home i can let loose and get around with a cap/hat...but doing the social side of things ima getting wiggy with it (that is me and a touch of humour for the first time ..since i dont know when) Hugs to you all, hope that your day is a pleasant one, talk soon, take care and be safe Caron xx

You are just a little way ahead of me. I see my medical oncologist on 25th Jan and the radiation oncologist on 20 and 2st January. I have been diagnosed with secondaries in my lymph nodes. I was diagnosed on 20-12-10 after surgery on 14-12. Yes it is very scary. My intuition told me that this was not BC again so I had it in my mind that all was well. So at diagnosis I pretty well wanted to crack. I didn't because my husband finds it very hard to deal with. What made it worse was that my surgeon was very upset - I have been seeing him for 3years post first surgery (previous surgeon retired) and we have formed a good bond. Then to make it worse I rang the pathologist to clarify some things and she said "I'm so sorry!!!!" Holly hell was I ready for the scrap heap? Anyway this made me hasten the body scan and bone scan as I wanted some good news to tide me over Xmas. The body scan came back good before Xmas and the bone scan came back the same after Xmas. What a relief for all my family and husband. I am not so sure to celebrate too soon though as I have been quite ill with some flu every since. I will stay positive but deep down inside there is pure ?????. I had radiation therapy last time and have been on Tamoxifen for 4 years. I am now on Arimidex even though I still haven't gone through menopause - who knows could have but not by tests. As I didn't have chemo last time this is unknown territory and I will be petrified having the first shot as I hate being sick. I have had too much sickness in my life already. Anyway we do have to go with it .....and in doing so enjoy what we have and look forward to the end of treatment.XLeonie

Hello Leonie, Lovely to recieve a reply from you, my thoughts and prayers are with you in this difficult unknown time. Its a comfort in knowing that someone else is in that state of the unknown territory too, and i find this site a big help, just reading about other wonderful ladies out there, who are going through and have survived breast cancer. My oncologyst informed me of new anti nausea tablets (there are about 3-4 that will be given to me) on the day of the start of the chemo treatment, the cancer nurse will be telling me when to take them etc. Apparently, these are a new way of attacking the nausea, allowing cancer patients to be able to drive themselves even.., This remains to be seen, as the way that i see things...every one is different in the way that medication works, it will be a bonus, if those tablets ease the nausea, as i dont like being sick either....Sooo...i will let you know how that goes. I found out about my diagnosis of breast cancer a month before Christmas, had my mastectomy on the 8th Dec. 2010 and was out of hospital on the 13th Dec....I decided that i would not celebrate Christmas and the New Year - putting it on hold..(maybe have Christmas in July)...but im deffinately looking forward to 2011 Christmas...to make up for not having one over the time of my diagnosis. I look forward to chatting with you more, take care and be safe... Ohh ...and here is an ~internet hug~ Regards Caron x

Hi Caron Just to reassure you, I had a mastectomy in July and I finished my chemo on Dec 9th after 6 cycles of T/C every 3 weeks I had no nausea or really bad side effects except the hair loss. I drove myself to all the treatments, the hospital is very close to home At first I was paranoid about the hair thing and wore hats and turbans when my own hair thinnned to try and not look bald but in the end I just looked like a crazy zombie woman with patches of hair and was getting fed up with sweeping the bathroom floor (and the rest of the house) and asked my hubby to clip it off. Bought a fake fringe which peeked out from hats and bandanas and wore that for a while. Have a lovely wig but it's so hot that I only wear it for parties and nights out. Decided it was ok to be bald (and beautiful) and soon was answering the front door bald and not caring however I still always wear a bandana ( fringe has been ditched - too hot) when I go shopping just can't be doing with people staring at my beautiful bald head but the hair is growing and once I have GI Jane length will probably ditch the bandanas. I am someone who has always liked to have well cut and groomed hair so to lose it has been terrible but you know it's actually ok and as my hubby said at least you know the chemo is working!! My eyelashes all stayed and my eyebrows although thinner are still there. Make sure you go to Look Good Feel Better workshop your breast nurse will know where your local one is, I found it invaluable and up lifting. Chemo does make you tired and I have been lucky not working through all this as I have income protection. Just take one day at a time let people help you as it might be their only way they can offer support. I didn't join this network until Ii was quite a way through my chemo and it has been great and have met up with some of the ladies for coffee wish I had joined earlier. There is always someone here. Good luck with your journey and hope this has been of some help. Sarah x

Hello Sarah, Thankyou for your reply, lovely to meet you., and thankyou for sharing your journey with me :) I have already purchsed a few hats and caps/scarves and a wig is on its way...i will see how i feel as to what i wear, i just wanted to be content in the knowledge that i have options of different things to wear...with loosing my hair. It will be a wait n see...kind of moment i believe. Im not working at the moment, so this does and will help with going through the treatments this year. Any information and little tid bits, usefull hints are a blessing i say...so thankyou for your kind words and encouragement. I look forward to conversing with you again. Take care and be safe, Caron x

Hi Caron, Thanks for the internet hug. Boy is it hot here in Gracemere. We are cut off from Rockhampton by the floods. Queensland weather has gone crazy. All the heartache for the people who are flooded, losing their property and loved ones makes BC look easy!!!!! Not sure if I have added you as a contact but will put a request to you anyway - to be sure to be sure. Lets keep each other up to date with treatment progress. XLeonie

Nervous times... | BCNA Online Network

11 Replies

Caron
Member
15 years ago
Hello Kay,

Lovely to hear from you., and yes i agree, the lovely ladies on here are an inspiration, as we are the only ones that know of the journey that lays within each of us.

Know that you are in my hopes and prayes, for a wonderful year ahead, as are you all on here, in the various different stages of this breast cancer journey.

~internet hugs~ to you all...for you ...although you may not know it...are helping me through these rough times

Look forward to chatting with you again,

Take care and be safe,

Kind Regards

Caron xx
kay
Member
15 years ago
Hi Caron,

I also was not looking forward to chemo January 2010. It was really daunting for us and we didn't feel like celebrating Christmas and New Year. It's been a year ago today since my first chemo. We felt much better when the first one was over as we knew what to maybe expect. We live on a property near Middlemount Central Qld, so my husband took the week of after my first chemo because he didn't know what I was going to be like and didn't want me to be alone.I also didn't want to go without a wig as our daughters wedding was in February last year, so was prepared with a wig before it fell out. I had radiation in Brisbane and finished that towards the end of June. I was able to stay with my daughter down there and get transport in. Hopefully this year will be a better one for us and I'm thankful for people on here, as we are the only ones that knows what the journey is like.

Take care

Kay

Leonie we have a house in Gracemere that we are renting out.
kay
Member
15 years ago
Hi Caron,

I also was not looking forward to chemo January 2010. It was really daunting for us and we didn't feel like celebrating Christmas and New Year. It's been a year ago today since my first chemo. We felt much better when the first one was over as we knew what to maybe expect. We live on a property near Middlemount Central Qld, so my husband took the week of after my first chemo because he didn't know what I was going to be like and didn't want me to be alone.I also didn't want to go without a wig as our daughters wedding was in February last year, so was prepared with a wig before it fell out. I had radiation in Brisbane and finished that towards the end of June. I was able to stay with my daughter down there and get transport in. Hopefully this year will be a better one for us and I'm thankful for people on here, as we are the only ones that knows what the journey is like.

Take care

Kay

Leonie we have a house in Gracemere that we are renting out.
Christine_Denni
Member
15 years ago
Hi Leonie,

I didnt know you lived in Gracemere. Two of my daughters live in Rocky and One in Maryborough and I live in Bundy. (we are all on high ground and not flooded just cut off from the world) Hope you are safe. I guess food supplies are running low, being cut off from the Rocky for so long.

Hope you are able to make it to your medical appointments and able to get medications etc.

Take Care and hope the road opens up soon.

Chrissy D :) xoxo
Caron
Member
15 years ago
Thankyou for your message and your friend request, more than happy to have you aboard here, one can never ever have too many friends, me...im juust starting out filling that cup, with new found friends.

And yes, my heart goes out to all those affected and devistated with the floods., so you are safe from the flooding?(sorry...feels like i have chemo head..all fuzzy)

~Internet hugs~ are the greatest...and they are just as giving and filled with warmth as the real ones, i believe, anyways :) ...so you are so welcome XLeonie.

Look forward to chatting with you..take care and keep safe.

Regards

Caron xx
Caron
Member
15 years ago
Thankyou for your message and your friend request, more than happy to have you aboard here, one can never ever have too many friends, me...im juust starting out filling that cup, with new found friends.

And yes, my heart goes out to all those affected and devistated with the floods., so you are safe from the flooding?(sorry...feels like i have chemo head..all fuzzy)

~Internet hugs~ are the greatest...and they are just as giving and filled with warmth as the real ones, i believe, anyways :) ...so you are so welcome XLeonie.

Look forward to chatting with you..take care and keep safe.

Regards

Caron xx
Leonie_Moore
Member
15 years ago
Hi Caron, Thanks for the internet hug. Boy is it hot here in Gracemere. We are cut off from Rockhampton by the floods. Queensland weather has gone crazy. All the heartache for the people who are flooded, losing their property and loved ones makes BC look easy!!!!! Not sure if I have added you as a contact but will put a request to you anyway - to be sure to be sure. Lets keep each other up to date with treatment progress. XLeonie
Caron
Member
15 years ago
Hello Sarah,

Thankyou for your reply, lovely to meet you., and thankyou for sharing your journey with me :)

I have already purchsed a few hats and caps/scarves and a wig is on its way...i will see how i feel as to what i wear, i just wanted to be content in the knowledge that i have options of different things to wear...with loosing my hair. It will be a wait n see...kind of moment i believe.

Im not working at the moment, so this does and will help with going through the treatments this year.

Any information and little tid bits, usefull hints are a blessing i say...so thankyou for your kind words and encouragement. I look forward to conversing with you again.

Take care and be safe,

Caron x
Sarah_51
Member
15 years ago
Hi Caron

Just to reassure you, I had a mastectomy in July and I finished my chemo on Dec 9th after 6 cycles of T/C every 3 weeks I had no nausea or really bad side effects except the hair loss. I drove myself to all the treatments, the hospital is very close to home At first I was paranoid about the hair thing and wore hats and turbans when my own hair thinnned to try and not look bald but in the end I just looked like a crazy zombie woman with patches of hair and was getting fed up with sweeping the bathroom floor (and the rest of the house) and asked my hubby to clip it off. Bought a fake fringe which peeked out from hats and bandanas and wore that for a while. Have a lovely wig but it's so hot that I only wear it for parties and nights out. Decided it was ok to be bald (and beautiful) and soon was answering the front door bald and not caring however I still always wear a bandana ( fringe has been ditched - too hot) when I go shopping just can't be doing with people staring at my beautiful bald head but the hair is growing and once I have GI Jane length will probably ditch the bandanas. I am someone who has always liked to have well cut and groomed hair so to lose it has been terrible but you know it's actually ok and as my hubby said at least you know the chemo is working!! My eyelashes all stayed and my eyebrows although thinner are still there. Make sure you go to Look Good Feel Better workshop your breast nurse will know where your local one is, I found it invaluable and up lifting. Chemo does make you tired and I have been lucky not working through all this as I have income protection. Just take one day at a time let people help you as it might be their only way they can offer support. I didn't join this network until Ii was quite a way through my chemo and it has been great and have met up with some of the ladies for coffee wish I had joined earlier. There is always someone here.

Good luck with your journey and hope this has been of some help.

Sarah x
Caron
Member
15 years ago
Hello Leonie,

Lovely to recieve a reply from you, my thoughts and prayers are with you in this difficult unknown time. Its a comfort in knowing that someone else is in that state of the unknown territory too, and i find this site a big help, just reading about other wonderful ladies out there, who are going through and have survived breast cancer.

My oncologyst informed me of new anti nausea tablets (there are about 3-4 that will be given to me) on the day of the start of the chemo treatment, the cancer nurse will be telling me when to take them etc. Apparently, these are a new way of attacking the nausea, allowing cancer patients to be able to drive themselves even.., This remains to be seen, as the way that i see things...every one is different in the way that medication works, it will be a bonus, if those tablets ease the nausea, as i dont like being sick either....Sooo...i will let you know how that goes.

I found out about my diagnosis of breast cancer a month before Christmas, had my mastectomy on the 8th Dec. 2010 and was out of hospital on the 13th Dec....I decided that i would not celebrate Christmas and the New Year - putting it on hold..(maybe have Christmas in July)...but im deffinately looking forward to 2011 Christmas...to make up for not having one over the time of my diagnosis.

I look forward to chatting with you more, take care and be safe...

Ohh ...and here is an ~internet hug~

Regards

Caron x