New to this.

Hello Parkgateone 

You seem to have a similar BC to me I had Bilateral mastectomy and node clearance one one side and nodes tested on the other. My Oncotype score came back 38 so found out last week that I'm due chemotherapy. I'm ok about the hair loss although , it still worries me I have sort of come to terms with it. I'm not having much Chemo 4 sessions and no radiation but that might change I suppose. 

If you think about it you had surgery to save your life and your breast won't grow back , but your hair will . It's not worth your life it really isn't . Finely,  got a wig today not going to cut my hair untill it starts to go .But some women find they are so terrified of hair loss that they cut it all off so that they have faced the Terror and they say that makes than feel better. I'm not there yet but who knows. I can't believe I have no boobs but it is what it is and they were not worth my life X 

Take care 

Jayne 

Hi Parkgateone

Welcome and sorry to hear that you have been diagnosed with breast cancer. While chemo is a scary thought it usually isn’t as bad as it’s made out to be. While I won’t say it is easy it is doable. Your medical team will do everything in their power to make sure you don’t have any side effects and they will give you a number so you can contact your medical team if you find the side effects too much before you start your treatment.

While at first I hated the hair loss I soon got over and wore turbans when I had to go out for any reason. 

Wishing you the best of luck with your treatments.

Best wishes

Daisy53

Hi there Parkgateone,  so sorry to meet you here!

I do understand - it's terrifying but still do-able like loads of people here will tell you.  You're bound to panic, especially when you don't know how things are going to affect you. Before I started treatment I tussled with the child inside me who was totally petrified;  fortunately the adult part of me won over, had a bit of compassion and some sensible words, and I'm here to tell the tale.   

All you need to do is take one step at a time.  I've quoted the following elsewhere, but at the risk of repeating myself "you don't need to predict how everything will play out, just master the next step and continue moving in the right direction". 

They have medication to counteract the side-effects of the chemo and some people use cold caps to help prevent hair loss during treatment.  My sister in law (who was HER-2 +) has been having rounds and rounds of chemo and the cold cap worked for her and you would never know she'd been on chemo.  Those who loose their hair through chemo find that it tends to grow back.  As for me, I'm vain and have always liked my hair but I'm on letrozole for my breast cancer and one of the side-effects (it affects everyone differently) is that my hair is thinning.  I don't like it and don't like loosing hair but I know that I'd hate even more to have secondaries and so I tell myself this is a relatively small price to pay. 

Hi there, so sorry you find yourself here but I hope we can all help. I have just come through 6 rounds of chemo and, truly honestly, it was nowhere near as bad as I had thought or feared. Yes, I lost my hair, but I got a wig and it looks so natural and I actually love it more than my own style!  Yes, I was tired and sick some days, but this was for 1 or 2 out of every 21 and I knew each cycle was shrinking my lump and giving me hope.

I worked all the way through chemo and whilst I know I was lucky and other people find it much more challenging, I was really impressed by the medical team and their genuine desire to help me control side effects and mange it.

I hope you can talk to your nurse amd consultant and get some reassurance to at least give it a go if that’s what they recommend. Wishing you luck and strength x

Hi Pargateone

Sorry to meet you on here. We all felt the same as you when we got the news about diagnosis and what the treatment would entail. Many many folk have walked this path before you. Give yourself time to come to terms with what your treatment will be and when you know more about which chemo agents you are advised to have, post on here and there will be lots of ladies along to give hints and tips for getting by with it.

None of us would want it by choice. However, if the magic chemo juice is what is going to stop it coming back and keep you alive, see it as a friend. It is quite doable nowadays and the care team will give you support meds to minimise your side effects.

All th ebest

WallyDug