Tamoxigang cancer support thread 54: A new thread for a new year!

[WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo]

Welcome one and all to the wonderful Tamoxigang thread! May 2016 bring us all health and happiness

If you are new here, then an extra big welcome to the club nobody wants to join. The thread is for people with any type of cancer, and also those who are waiting for results. So don't be shy. We are more than happy to hold your hand while you are waiting for a diagnosis, and we will be here to celebrate or commiserate, whatever your news

No question is too big or too small, someone will usually have an answer, or an idea of where you might find one. You can laugh, cry, shout, swear, and, of course, eat chocolate it is a bit of a safe haven from the mad world of cancer, the head-tilting and talk of bravery, and all the nonsense that comes with this diagnosis :)

So feel free to introduce yourself. And oldies, feel free to re-introduce yourself if you'd like.

We only have one rule here and that is no Googling!

[WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo]

Oops, I knew I'd forgotten something, here is a link to our previous thread

[PerfidiousPanda]

That's wonderful news Marshy! I hope you, and everyone else, has some Xmas peace x

Thank you for the good wishes - I'll be there in 12 hours, terrified but there . . .

[fresta]

Hi, just reintroducing myself for any newcomers. I was diagnosed in Sept with invasive Ductal carcinoma in right breast, 3-4cm lump diffuse areas around it. Currently having chemo to shrink before surgery, sentinel nodes also positive so will be having full auxillary clearance as well. Responding well so far to treatment. Age 42.

[WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo]

Good luck tomorrow Panda, and I hope you manage to get some sleep tonight.

[WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo]

I should probably reintroduce myself too. I was diagnosed with bowel cancer about three years ago now, aged 21. I had surgery and eight rounds of chemo. I had a scan in March which showed no evidence of disease, and when I saw my surgeon recently he said he had been quite "twitchy" about me, but is starting to relax now I've passed the three year mark :)

[amberlight]

I second the No Googling suggestion. It's 99% rubbish on there. Might as well try to read tea leaves.
And thank you for the new thread
Good luck for tomorrow, Panda.

[WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo]

Sorry, I hope that didn't sound smug to newer people three years probably seems a long way off right now.

Also any newcomers, no evidence of disease (NED) is what the medical teams are aiming for. They can't guarantee that someone is cancer-free, so NED is about as close as they'll get to saying "all clear". It sounds a bit gloomy, but it's really good news.

We use a bit of cancer terminology, though not that much. Please don't feel embarrassed if you have to ask what anything means. And it is definitely better than asking Google, which can bring up all sorts of cancer-related madness.

[Cratos]

Good luck for tomorrow Panda

hope all goes well

[mumto2andnomore]

Thought with a new thread I would de lurk and say hi and happy Christmas to everyone. I used to be malteserzz but derigistered when MN was hacked. I've been reading but only just worked out how to get back in !
I was diagnosed in 2013 with breast cancer aged 41, huge shock then and still is. Had lumpectomy, chemo, node clearance and rads. To the new people I'm sorry you are here, its rubbish to have cancer and the treatments can be hard to get through but you will do it one day at a time and there will be happier times ahead :)

[WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo]

Lovely to see you again mumto2

[mumto2andnomore]

Ah thank you
Good job I previewed as I said that I had nose clearance !

[royalmama]

Good morning all! Firstly, thanks for the new thread leslie:)
marshy. Congrats for this all so important result:) i al so glad for you and hoping every year is just as good.
Have a great day.

[royalmama]

panda sending you good vibes and wishing you the best:)

[Marshy]

Will be thinking of you for your appt panda and sending good vibes in your direction.

Waving at malt/mumto2. So nice to see you and at nose clearance.

My story: diagnosed with extensive high grade dcis in Sept 2013 aftet routine mammo. My mum had just died. It was grim.. Had mx with implant recon. Nodes clear. All good.
Same problem diagnosed in remaining breast at routine mammo one year later. Had 2nd mx and implant recon in Sept 2014. Nodes clear but spent a week awaiting treatment plan having been told it had become invasive this time. Then was told it hadn't and all done. Next appt booked for 12 months. I fell apart and was put back together by lovely macmillan
counsellor. Fast forward to yesterday......

[Marshy]

Morning royal and thanks for good wishes. Can't you sleep either? I have to be up in an hour and a half for work...

[royalmama]

All I want from Santa is sleep

[AnnaFiveTowns]

Hi everyone! Thanks for the new thread. My story so far: diagnosed with lobular breast cancer at the end of August, initially thought it had spread to my spine, but after numerous scans and a biopsy, the tumour on my spine turned out to be benign and unrelated. I had a mastectomy without reconstruction a month after diagnosis; sentinel lymph node biopsy was positive despite the original ultrasound showing it to be clear. I've had 3 rounds of chemo ( EC) and I'm due to start the next lot which will be 9 x weekly (taxol) on New Year's Eve. Im then due to have full nodal clearance and radiotherapy. I've struggled a bit with the chemo so far; I've generally managed to keep quite positive but in the week following chemo, I find myself in a dark place - only to be expected, I suppose! Anyway I'm feeling good now and looking forward to spending Christmas with my family.

I hope you all have a peaceful Christmas! Good luck for tomorrow, Panda!

[mrsrhodgilbert]

Thanks for the new thread Leslie.

In May 2014 I found a lump, got the hospital referral and had the mammo and scan. The lump I'd found was completely fine but they found another one which was cancer. It couldn't be felt by hand as it was only 11mm as it turned out. I was very lucky, because had I waited until my routine mammogram this September things would have been very different. I had a lumpectomy, clear SNB, 15x rads and now tamoxifen. I have my next check up in early March.

Panda, best wishes for you appt today.

[mrsrhodgilbert]

Malt/ mumto2, lovely to see you again. Hope you have a lovely Christmas.

[DottyBee]

Hi, I have been following this thread for the last week, since my gp submitted a two week referral to the colorectal department.

I feel a little silly posting as I am sure there is nothing wrong with me and gp is erring on the side of caution.

I have still not heard anything and stupidly didn't think to ask the gp what would happen. I would appreciate it if anybody could tell me what to expect.

Thank you. DottyBee .

[WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo]

Hi DottyBee and welcome. I expect they may be a bit delayed with Christmas coming up. You will probably be given an appointment for a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. They may ask for you to have blood tests or submit a sample depending on what tests your GP has already done. Sometimes they will be able to give a diagnosis on the day, but if they've taken biopsies they will want the results before giving a definite diagnosis. They might need to do additional tests too.

Depending on your symptoms, there are various other ways bowels can misbehave, but it's better to rule out cancer first :)

[WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo]

at nose clearance

[DottyBee]

Thank you Leslie. I have to be honest, I prefer to wait until after Christmas. If there is anything, I don't want to know until then.

I know you was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Did you suffer with thirstiness at all? I seem to have a cold drink constantly on the go lately.

[WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo]

Not that I remember, no. If you're having diarrhoea though, it might be dehydration?

[amberlight]

Oh yes, quick past history for newer folk. Hi, I'm still alive five years after breast cancer diagnosis. Mine was a HER2+ sort, lump 2.3cm or 4cm (depending on who we believe in the teams...different types of scan showed different sizes). Nothing in the nodes, but grade 3. 4 FEC, 4 Tax, lumpectomy after pCR (pCR means the chemo got rid of all traces of visible cancer), and rads +booster rads. That was all do-able. Then I was one of the very few who reacted badly to Herceptin, the wonder drug that HER2+ folk are supposed to take for a year.
Waiting to book biopsy in Jan to check out a longish-term skin mystery on the boob in question and make sure it's not a radiation-caused angiosarcoma (entirely different form of cancer - that one is cancer of the insides of blood vessels). Unlikely to be. Surgeon seemed confident he'd know if it was, so just being cautious. But it would be hilarious (in a way) if I survive bc and the treatment gives me something more difficult to treat than bc