Breast cancer

Polly, it’s up to you to decide about antidepressants but I’d urge you to examine your reasons. For me they’ve been life changing. Once I found the right on I’ve had few side effects, they were not addictive and whilst they didn’t make me super happy they helped me cope. 

ironically I’ve not needed them since my cancer diagnosis even though I’ve needed them many times in the past  

I tryed a couple of different ones and they made me so unwell and because I have health anxiety they wouldn’t have suited me feeling like that … is your cancer breast and how are you coping with diagnosis.. I’m trying to take ideas from each of you loverly people to try and get my way through this xx

I’ve found talking you you all even just writing about things helps a bit , I looked after mum and dad before they passed in all 8 years , and worked full time , then my partner and myself took my older brother in he lived with us for 5 years then had my eldest son and family moved in , then I had the stroke and now breast cancer my partner and myself have only had a few years where we have actually been on our own and now I feel so bad , at the moment we have my youngest son and family with us we have told them we may have to move , but if there’s a god up there he can see I’ve tryed my best and will help me xx

Emotion wise I’m coping better than I could ever have imagined.

• I’m someone who stresses about everything, worries constantly and yet here I am ‘still standing’. 

Oh hun...  I want to say at least you've got family but I know some times you just want to hide from EVERYONE. I live alone, both my kids live miles away so I'm dreading if I get ill ill.

If you want, rant and scream away on here

Pretty sure we'll ignore it, or join in!

Love and hugs to all xxx

I've now got Elton John stuck in my head!

Love and hugs to all xxx

I’m a proper worry guts and like yourself stresses about everything , wish I could worry less xx

Now you’ve mentioned Elton John I’m singing it now ‍♀️

I decided that the one positive thing about being a lifetime worrier is that I don’t really have any extra capacity for additional worrying. Maybe that’s what has got me through so far?! 

Hi there, wanted to pop in to wish you all well with your treatments. Pollyperk you are at such a horrible stage, in limbo till you know what is likely to be ahead for you. And they do say that nurses make the worst patients!! 
I wanted to pick up on the hormone type breast cancer genetic link or not issue. When I was first diagnosed back in 2018, the doctor at the breast clinic said that as mine was hormone positive, it wouldn’t be genetic (I asked as my mum had hormone positive breast cancer back in the 70s). So no genetic testing. But it niggled at me so I asked again at a follow up appointment a few years later, as I have quite a strong family history of cancer. The breast surgeon agreed to refer me even though he wasn’t sure I’d ‘qualify’ for testing. Anyway long story short, 8 months later I learned that I do indeed have a genetic mutation which carries a moderate risk of breast cancer. Not BRCA, which is much more common, carries a high risk and usually results in triple negative breast cancer. Mine is ATM and is much less well known but significant all the same. It usually results in hormone positive cancer. I wanted to share this as it may give ‘ammunition’ for your daughter to get tested. ATM mutation carriers can start being screened at 40 instead of 50. This wouldn’t have been relevant for me as I was 59 at diagnosis but obviously is for younger people. Love and hugs, HFxx