Hi all,
First time posting on the group and just hoped for a bit of advice! My mum was diagnosed with HER2+ stage 2 breast cancer in August last year and from the beginning we were told all good things (caught early, curable etc). She was put on a clinical trial and had four rounds of TC chemo before being told in December that she’d had a complete response. The operation then followed with no signs of cancer in the body. Mum has since had radiotherapy and things are looking up. However in December time she started having Herceptin injections every three weeks, and this is when she first started scratching. This has been a consistent problem ever since and gets worse when Mum gets hot. She’s been to the doctor and has been taking anti histamines; but it still persists, happening mostly at night which stops her from sleeping. It’s mainly on her arms and the backs of her legs and is quite debilitating. Mum has been referred to a dermatologist in October but understandably this is a while away and I’d love to help her alleviate this now!
Does anyone have experience of this/tips to help control it?
Thank you,
Soph xxxx
Hi and welcome to the Online Community, although I am so sorry to see you having to find us.
A cancer diagnosis can bring a lot of questions and stress on a family but talking with people who are on the same journey can help a lot and will reduce the whirlwind wind that is rushing in your head.
As my cancer journey was rather different you may like to follow this link to our Breast cancer forum where you will connect with people who understand the journey your mum is on. You can ask the folks all your questions about treatments and what to expect at this time.
Follow the link and join the group by hitting the ‘Join the Group’ tab just under the main group name. At this point go to the right on the group home page and select how you want to receive email notifications when someone answers your posts.
The best way to get support is to go to the 'Start a Discussion' tab just under the main group name. Set up your own Discussion and Introduce yourself to the group - you could just copy an paste what you have in this first post.
We also have these forums where you can connect with others supporting family and friends through their cancer journey: Carers Forum and Friends and Family Forum
You may find our various Macmillan Support Line Services to be helpful - call them on 0808 808 00 00 This free service covers Emotional Support, Practical Information. Clinical Information, Financial Support and Work Guidance mostly open 8.00 to 8.00 but check the link.
We also have our ‘Ask an Expert’section where you can post questions to our mostly Volunteer Experts but please allow 2 working days to get a reply.
Our Online Information and Support Sectionis a good place to find some great pages covering the cancer diagnosis, treatment and information pages covering most types of cancers.
Talking to people face to face can help a lot so check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support Groups in your area or a Maggie’s Centre as these folks are amazing.
When you feel up to it think about putting some information in your profile. This really helps others when answering. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself.
To do this click on YOUR username, look to the left and select 'Edit Profile'. Put as much or as little in your profile and you can amend it at any time - you can see members profiles by hitting our forum names.
All the best.
