I am sorry to hear you have breast cancer too. I hope that your operation went smoothly and that you are recovering well. Its quite a rollercoaster ride of emotion for most of us whilst we get our head around it all and that journey seems to continue on for a while and that is OK. One of the trickiest parts early on is all the waiting for scans, results, treatment plans and so on. Are you past that phase of things yet? This is a good place to share feelings with those who get it and to find practical advice and support. There is also the macmillan cancer support telephone line, where it can be helpful to just say what is on our minds and share our thoughts and concerns with someone who cares. I rang it quite a few times and found it really helped me process what was happening to me, especially early on.
There are also threads on here about chemotherapy and radiotherapy where you can find helpful tips. Most often, its quicker and easier just to ask your question afresh rather than scroll through past questions. If you need wig advice, cold cap advice, pre-chemo tips or anything else then this is a good place to be. Take it one day at a time, ask for advice, every question is valid and use the support that is on here.
There are some other helpful cancer charities too like Penny Brohn which offer nutritional advice, counselling and exercise classes, recipe ideas amongst others.
Macmillan also offer exercise classes in person or on zoom, cooking courses and other social sessions. You can call your local macmillan or maggie's centre to find out what they offer - they tend to be city based mostly. Some of the "look good feel better" charity courses on hair care, nail care, make-up and so on are held in person at macmillan/ maggie's centres, but can also be accessed by zoom. I did mine by zoom and it was fantastic. The make-up course comes with a very generous bag of make-up goodies. I think Macmillan Centres offer 6 free treatments to people with cancer from scalp massage, through reflexology to facials.
You can get a tattooed powder brow or microblading of eyebrows pre-chemo so that eyebrow loss is less apparent if it's for you. I didn't have time for a touching-up session before chemo but it didn't matter. I am not good with make-up and found the guidance of the powder brow meant my eyebrow filling in was really quick and easy.
There's a cancer hair care charity for those wishing to cold cap on chemo too.
You can also get a medical exemption certificate from your GP surgery - all your prescriptions will be free for the next 5 years.
There's an excellent book by Liz O'Riordan and Trish Greenhalgh on Breast Cancer - The complete guide to breast cancer. I found it hugely helpful and it gave me a sense of control in all the craziness around cancer. And in there I realised I could contribute to what it was like going through treatment by exercising regularly throughout treatment and also by taking care of nutrition as best I could given the chemo. I also felt much better prepared for chemo and its side effects and what to do if...Regaining a little control helped me hugely.
I guess my main top tips are ask for support when you need it. In terms of chemo preparation- exercise regularly if you can (walk if you can't do more, keep up cardio if you can and resistance training) and keep on going through chemo as you are able. Exercise helps with fatigue and helps with processing chemo and speeds your recovery afterwards as you will finish chemo in a better physical state. It is not always possible to do more than a short walk, but do what you can. Maybe think about nutrition before you start chemo and have some quick and speedy protein rich recipes to hand, so that you don't have to actively think about it whilst on treatment. And plan some things that you enjoy so that life isn't all about cancer and its treatment, and so that you still feel like you.
Wishing you a speedy recovery. It can seem daunting this side of treatment, but it really does pass by faster than expected. You will find your own way of getting in to a rhythm with the treatment. The most important thing now is looking after yourself physically and emotionally as you recover from your surgery and keeping up with your arm exercises. xx
