Hi - Just diagnosed.

Hi HEMH

Welcome to the forum and sorry to hear that you have been diagnosed with breast cancer.  No need to say sorry  for the long post, it's perfectly understandable that you would have questions to ask after a cancer diagnosis. No doubt the other scan is a bone scan.  If you want why not ring your BCN and they should be able to tell you what the second scan is for.

I got one of those ones of those ones that you hold away from your head.  I can't remember what make it was, but your local pharmacy should be able to recommend one for you.

Just eat what you normally eat while having treatment.  You might find that the chemo changes your taste buds.  Use an non-alcoholic mouth wash to prevent mouth sores during treatment.  I made up my own mouth wash everyday by using a half a teaspoon of salt and lukewarm water. 

I went for a walk everyday during treatment, even if it was just a short one and I found that it helped with the side effects. 

I took Sick leave from work as I had appointment every week during treatment as I had to have a PICC line inserted in my right arm as my veins were very small and hard to find.  It was great to have it as bloods were also taken from the line.  The only downside to it is trying to keep it dry in the shower, I used cling film for that.

Wishing you the best of luck with your treatment when it starts and if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask them, as myself or any of the other lovely ladies on this site will be able to answer them.

Best wishes

Daisy53

I’d recommend the Braun in ear thermometer 

Rx

Thank you daisy53

Thank you 

HiHemh 

our hospital in Norfolk gave out thermometers , but I have an in ear Braun for my work job , and like them . No need to change the caps if only for yourself? Just wash/ wipe . You get a box of disposable caps with them 

i use the Difflam mouth wash , also given out by the hospital with your other goodies ! ( nausea, diarrhoea pills , Injections - if needed for however many days) . Difflam did the trick. Can be purchased over the counter , or on prescription ( ours are all free now for 5 years with a cancer diagnosis- one Brucie bonus , oh plus immediate dental appointments ) get teeth checked prior to starting 

I can’t work as I drive many miles in the community working for 2 local hospitals 

my oncologist told me I couldn’t , because eyes may be affected , and with suppressed immunity , visiting newly discharged pts , I think would take too much energy , especially on evening visits . Altho saying that don’t sleep well and am rarely up and dressed by 9:30am 

If you can work from home at a leisurely pace, could be possible, there are some days you’ll feel not up to it, too tired, achy etc. But if you can get in a nap now and then I think it could maybe work? All depends on your chemo cocktail 

good luck x

Hello HEMH, have you already been given a treatment plan? I also have invasive ductal (IDC) grade 3 cancer and found that my treatment plan changed quite a bit due to test / biopsy results so you may find that yours does too. I bought a digital thermometer from my local pharmacy, as these tend to be more accurate, and I just need to hold it up to my forehead. Different types of chemo can cause different side effects so when you know what type of chemo you are having post the details as I'm sure there will be others here who who have had the same type of chemo and will be able to provide some tips about what helped them food wise. I had two different types of chemo and the effects were very different. 

Exercise wise, I tried to go out for a short walk very day when having chemo. If you are having any surgery you should be provided with details of specific exercises to do to help with the healing process. Chemo effects people differently and you might find that you are able to work from home but the best thing to do is to wait to see how the chemo effects you, and also be guided by your medical team. The effects are accumulative, so you might start off feeling able to work from home but later on not be able to, and as mentioned above, from experience you will probably have quite a few hospital appointments to attend too. Some chemo is given every 3 weeks and other chemo is given weekly so this will also impact on your availability to work. If you are not well enough to work then you should take sick leave, and your medical team will be able to offer advice about this. I was signed off for a month initially by the surgeon following surgery, and then for a further 6 months by the oncologist whilst having chemo and then a further 3 months pending further surgery - so signed off for 10 months so far. You might find that you will need quite a lot of off work or alternatively you might need very little time off, it will depend on your treatment plan and also on how you are feeling.

With a diagnosis of cancer you are now considered to have a disability so your employer must take steps to make reasonable adjustments for you. Let them know if your treatment plan has been fixed or not, and provide them with details, and discuss how flexible they could be with regards to making reasonable adjustments to enable you to work from home. Hopefully your employer will be able to accommodate any adjustments that you need, and best of luck with your treatment.

Thank you 

Hello,

Your diagnosis sounds similar to mine. I have stage 3 idc oestrogen positive and HER negative. I have 2 cancerous lumps in my left breast and a suspicious fibrous adenoma and a cancerous lump in my lymph node. 

At some point in the new year I'll need having surgery, followed by chemo, radiotherapy and Tamoxifen but I'm waiting for my MRI results to ascertain whether it will be a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. I'm suspecting the latter.

There is a good post on the main pages of the Macmillan website about diet when on chemo and basically eating a diet similar to when your are pregnant. 

I told both my employers when I find out. I suspect with my job in retail i don't think I'll be able to work much during my treatment but my consultant did indicate my job working for my friends husband shouldn't be an issue. For my own mental health and finances (we have 4 children) I'm going to try and work as much as my body will allow.

I was advised to have my covid booster but make sure it's done a minimum of a week before surgery.

Xx

Thank you lalalou

Thank you vwgirl. I have my scans next week so should know more soonish.