One Year On

Hi lovely to hear from you and that you are out the other side. Also made me lol with your description of your hair. I'm exactly the same, curly perm effect, peppered with grey now and so like my mother that when I did a video chat with my Dad recently (they don't live together) he thought he was talking to my Mum !!! I told him I was 22 years too young for that.

Sorry to hear that you had such an unpleasant experience with the rude doctor but glad to hear it was nothing to worry about even though I think we are now pre conditioned to worry.

I too am a 1year neddy, passed my 1st anniversary on 29th April from first diagnosis, then mastectomy, chemo, radiotherapy and herceptin. Still on herceptin, just had my 10th, so, like you, am shielding.

I could be wrong here, not a doctor or anything, but I think the shielding is because of herceptin and if you've stopped it now perhaps you can come out of shielding, in a controlled way?  Maybe not back to work as that would be a very high risk area but could you not maybe meet up with family, in an outdoor environment and socially distanced?

You're right, the last thing anyone who is going through cancer (or any other illness) needs is the added difficulties of Covid

Take care and allow yourself a little celebration for getting to the other side, I know it was not easy but we did it.

XOXO

Hi ...thank you for your lovely message. I'm intending to visit my daughter in Chorley for the wee one's 1st birthday, which will be my 12th week of shielding. I don't care if I need to stand in the driveway and sleep in my car lol...I'm sure it won't come to that. I've loved our video chats and interaction...copying me waving and clapping and blowing kisses...she melts my heart...and I'm determined her first words sound Scottish lol.

Yes, the shielding is because the Herceptin is an immunotherapy...who knows if it's affecting my white cell count as I've not had bloods taken for months. Have you to continue on Herceptin?...I thought everyone was stopping at 9/10 doses but might be different for individual cases. I think I would rather have had some more but I've read the research and know why the decision was made.

Enjoy your weekend and stay safe, Fee x

Hi I've had 3 or so blood tests since started shielding and I do have lowered immunity, my neutrophils that they were worried about during chemo are fine now but now it's lymphocytes that are low.

No one's mentioned stopping Herceptin so I shall continue, although I too have read the research and it does seem that it doesn't make much difference one way or another.

For me shielding is not too much of a change in my circumstances, both my partner and I work together from home already and we are by nature particularly anti social. Also my treatments have all been well organised.  I get my bloods taken in a Super Green Surgery that has been set up especially for shielding patients, my hospital is also well set up with the cancer unit at the rear with it's own car park and entrance so you don't have to go through the hospital at all.  Even when I had my last ECG and my 1year mammogram, which I had to do in the main hospital, it is well set up and pretty much like a ghost town as there's not many people attending.

If I were you, where it is having such an impact I'd be happy to stop so that my immune system could get back to normal and I could see my family but my kids are all grown & don't as yet have kids of their own so I can wait to see them a bit longer. 2 are within an hour or so whilst the 3rd is in Aberdeen but will certainly be visiting them all as soon as either the shielding allows or I finish herceptin whichever comes first.  Hopefully shielding allows as I don't finish herceptin til Nov.

Take care

XOXO