Breast cancer young

Hi Sparkle49uk

Welcome to the forum I'm Daisy53 one of the Community Champions on this forum. I'm sorry to hear that you were diagnosed with breast cancer and that you have the BRCA2 gene. I was diagnosed with the same breast cancer as you.  My treatment regimen was docetaxel and cyclophosphamide.  I had four sessions of chemo which I mostly got through all right.  It wasn't easy but it was doable.  You will be given medication to help combat any side effects that you may have. You will also get a couple of number to call, one of which is the chemo ward and then when the chemo ward is closed an emergency number should you need it.

Wishing you the best of luck with your treatment.

Best wishes

Daisy53

Thank you so much. Did you suffer with hair loss/what was the worst side effect for you? I know everyone reacts differently, worried about looking ill as well as being ill but I know the side effects can be managed well with sickness/diarhoea tablets etc. 

Hi,

I can't really offer any advice specifically but I just wanted to say I'm in a really similar situation to you.

I'm 41, diagnosed with Grade 2, ER + PR+ HER2 negative, I've had mastectomy and reconstruction and today I've been told my oncotype results aren't yet available however it's likely I'll be 'borderline' and most likely need to decide myself regarding chemo.

I think for me, I see it as a preventative chemo....disease is gone and this is a way of preventing recurrence, I'm terrified of chemo like you, don't want to loose hair/look ill but it'll be 6 months of my life which will hopefully prolong my life by a long time.

In a year, this will all just be a memory and you'll have piece of mind that you've done all you can to prevent it coming back 

Thank you, you are right, this time next year we will be feeling better than we do now. 

I hope you get a low oncotype result and you are ok. 

Hi, I thought I'd jump in on the hair loss question.  My hair began to fall out after my first chemo and it became noticeable. My lovely hairdresser came to my house and shaved it off for me and I'd already chosen a wig.  I have to say, I LOVED my wig. It looked natural, I loved the style (completely different to my natural hairstyle) it was so easy to manage, quick in the mornings, the style looked great at the end of the day, honestly it was so much better than I ever anticipated and I felt great. I hope this gives you a little comfort and a more positive view. Best wishes 

Did you choose wig before you started treatment? 

Hi MissP84  I had stage 3 cancer and had lumpectomy, chemo and radiotherapy.  Yes I lost all my hair but had a lovely wig which I wore when I went out only.  I picked my wig whilst I still had hair.  It started falling out two weeks to the day after my first chemo.  You could try the cold cap and save your hair, but it does add time on when you have your chemo.  It is tough but it is doable and there is so much support on here.  Good luck on your journey.

Lee x

Thank you...I didn't even think of choosing my wig beforehand, but it makes sense, thank you! 

Yes, I had an appointment via the local cancer centre at the hospital, tried on a variety of styles with the lovely lady who owned the wig business being very helpful.  I went for something completely different in the end.

My daughter got her wig before treatment but used cold cap so did not loose any hair.   One night she fell asleep with her hair wet and omg when she woke up she looked like a rid had made a best in her hair during the night called my friend who’s hairdresser and it had to be cut off so be careful don’t go to bed with wet hair when on treatment