*TAMOXIFEN* the 5th

[MaryAnnSingleton]

in case we forget and find ourselves at 1000 - here's a fresh new thread !

thanks haggis - will let you all know how it goes -am sure it can do me nothing but good.
London ! how old is ds ? London Eye/river cruise/Natural history & science museums, um... if going out of town a bit,then Kew Gardens is fab,lots for kids to do there and they go in free if under 16.

sorry- meant to say that your room mate at work's mum having cancer is bound to make you remember your own experiences,it can't not really-it's very hard.

RWU, attagirl!!! I think your attitude is brill. Thanks for letting us join in the celebration. Cheers to you, clink, clink, x

Purplefish, hope your mum got on OK yesterday. It is always good in a way to get started, fear of the unknown is hard.

SR, good for you, Tenerife will be lovely at this time of year. I was there when 28 weeks pregnant with first DS, so 17 yrs ago. I remember it being much nicer (more picturesque) than I had expected. Hope it sets you up for work. I could absolutely not think about going back to work yet, I can hardly concentrate on a newspaper never mind make any sort of decisions more weighty than what to wear in the morning. I do hope chemo brain improves. Heartened by Haggis saying that only coming round now 6 months later. Good! And sorry to hear about your room-mate's issues, Haggis, hard for you to have to listen to.

I've never had any sort of bone scan, either as part of initial work-up or pre tamoxifen. Too late now, started it 2 nights ago!

MAS, how on earth do you get a dog to pose??

KK, sorry to hear about car, what a pain, but glad to hear didn't put you off the Crucible. I love theatre, make sure and tell us all about it. John Simms needing a wash :o

Smee, good on ya for cycling! Buffs are great aren't they. I may try blowing dust off bike instead of running if I have any sort of energy on radiotherapy. Currently having trouble dragging myself upstairs to go to bed..

hey cupcaked - how is the tamoxifen going ?
I have never had bone scan either (my ma has a bit of osteoporosis)
Am going to do the driver awareness course to avoid the 3 points on my licence- am very cross wityh myself.
I make the dogs up in my head -though I do sometimes look at reference for a specific dog- eg shar pei.
Off to clean,then Sainsbury's...

I am raising my teacup to you RWU, keep kicking and fighting.

never been to Tenerife but DH's aunt goes (she is old but not bats) and absolutely loves it. It will be great to get some autumn sun.

at a speeding ticket for doing 36, MAS. I got a letter recently saying I'd been caught in a speed trap being operated by the local community, and could I confirm it was me driving? I have NO idea, the alleged (ahem) offence was nearly three months pre-letter! My brain (even after chemo brain has largely dissipated) just doesn't go back so far. DH siad vaguely he thought it might have been him, but we don't know so we are ignoring the letter and seeing what happens.

Haggis - colleague's Mum's cancer is bound to be painful for you - don't kick yourself over that.

Hope you are doing OK on the tamoxifen cupcaked - it'll be a breeze compared with what went before.

Smee - cycling. Why oh why??? [self confessed sloth emoticon] (although I did go to aqua aerobics and pilates yesterday [proud]

Think cycling might have been an aberration, as today the legs most definitely say 'no'..

Haggis, sorry about your friend, but am not surprised you find it hard to be amidst. I'd bet she asks for your advice all the time, which is bound to bring it all back, so far from easy to deal with.

Tell us how old DS is/ what's he like? I'm London based with a 6 yr old son, so might have a few suggestions. And as you asked, my party's settled as a Wake For My Breast, replete with cupcakes am sure. Sorry if anyone finds that in bad taste, but dark humour has helped me mightily and it's made lots of friends laugh, which can't be a bad thing.

Cupcaked when do your Rads start then? Must be quite soon. Are you feeling okay about them? And let us know how Tamoxifen is for you. I start in a few weeks, so am intrigued.

MAS, I now have some notion that your head is full of dogs bounding around. Seriously, do you really draw from memory. Am hugely impressed.

So far tamoxifen might as well be Smarties, but early days. Rads start next Monday, and bring it on, as my tumour was only 1mm away from what was left behind, which freaks me out a little, esp as the wounds STILL haven't healed up properly. Been biopsied a few times but I still can't help worrying a little bit sometimes.. Wish I could have a wake for it (:o Smee, like it! When?) but they insisted on leaving it there minus a big lump. Time will tell.

Haggis - very sorry about your colleagues mum, but you shouldn't feel bad at finding it hard to deal with, it will all be very raw for you still, it's not selfishness, I think it's more a kind of self-protection which kicks in,and is very natural all considered.

How old is your DS? - London eye is worth a go, and I always found the natural History museum a big hit with mine (dinosaurs etc ). There might also be a child friendly show on you could go to if you have a wet day.

SR, I've never been to Tenerife, but it sounds lovely, just the break you need. I hope your friend arrived safely in the end and didn't have too bumpy a flight!

CC - good luck with the rads and tamoxifen. Well done for even trying to drag yourself upstairs (my bedroom is downstairs so I made no attempts on chemo/rads!)

Smee - Wake for My Breast sounds a great idea, dark humour is definitely the way to go as far as I'm concerned.

Cakes -well done on pilates and aerobics. I went to pilates last night - I am really enjoying it, although I do feel a bit achey this morning.

I like the term 'old but not bats' its sounds like one of those codes Doctors put on your medical notes OBNB - it should be an official acronym

Sorry about the speeding ticket, and yours MAS - what a pain.

I'm off to a talk about menopausal symptoms from treatment this afternoon - if I learn anything useful I'll pass it on.
Won't be around for a couple of days, as I have to go and check on John Simm's cleanliness

love to all, - hope your Mum is feeling OK after her chemo, Purplefish, - good she's got one out of the way now.

Enjoy checking out John Simm -if you get close enough I think he would be quite fragrant, actually, doesn't look dirty to me (but then you should see my house ).

Anyway, i hope you enjoy Hamlet mightily. I am envious of your commitment to it - it is a bit long for me, I have what my Dad used to call a grasshopper mind , so Macbeth is about my limit time-wise. When I went to see Coriolanus I nearly passed out from boredom. (I failed the Shakespeare module of my English degree
)

Yay for dark humour smee, sometimes it was all that stood between me and the abyss - I think the party (and its name) is a sound idea.

Pilates is very achey-making, but if it helps to get rid of my jelly belly then it gets my vote. DH says I need to do more than just go mad one night a week. Sigh. I know he is right, but it's so hard to fit in/get motivated.

PS - any wise words this afternoon related to fluid retention (it can't all be fat, I'm sure) would be most welcome!!!

Smarties, ooh am liking the sound of that, cupcaked. Though I know you didn't mean it in the chocolate sense.
I think you'd worry even if they had taken your breast. I do, as I also had quite extensive DCIS, some of which was quite close to the skin. Even though they take your breast, lots of the skin has to stay. Whatever version of this you have, the paranoia never stops.

Wake will probably be in between chemo and rads. I was going to wait until after rads, but think I'll be wiped out by then, as found out last week I'm having 5 weeks of it, so am a bit down about that. There's something so symbolic about finishing chemo though, so am determined to muster the energy to party somehow.

Cakes, am impressed by the Pilates. Why not tell DH he should lead by example?

Wake sounds a brilliant idea !
Have a good trip KK and hope the menopausal symptoms talk is helpful.

Five weeks of rads? That is quite a while, so eminently sensible to hold the wake before it starts. You can always have another later .

Paranoia is our mutual friend for the foreseeable future. Every little ache gets examined - I was convinced there were problems with my oesophagus, as indeed there are, but after about three weeks of mounting panic I remembered that I have reflux and realised I was just having a bit of a bout of it. A drop of Gaviscon before bed each night and now I feel like a new woman!

Pilates was quite a triumph last night - aqua aerobics sesssion, followed by 10 lengths of the pool, then a pilates class. When I got home I almost fell asleep in the chair, and drank two glasses of wine because they were put into my hand and I couldnt be bothered to argue.

If it stops raining I may walk up to school to collect dd later (or equally, I may not)

well done for all that exercising Cakes - you deserved the wine afterwards
5 weeks of rads is quite a hefty stretch of time -it's more the to-ing and fro-ing than the actual treatment which is tiring, plus sometimes waiting if they're running late.

I am in a rush as have a visitor as you know and now have to collect son - good thing I slept for 2 hours this afternoon, but JUST WANT TO SAY HOORAY FOR RWU, DRINKS ALL ROUND AND KEEP ON TRUCKIN'. No wonder it was a tearful moment.

Sorry everyone else, have to go but will just add I think the sentence 'Paranoia is our mutual friend' has a wonderful ring to it!

With a friend like that.....

We should talk about Paranoia behind her back.

I have heard that the move may be on v.v.soon, vendors want to exchange and complete within a week

excellent news RWU - fingers crosse3d for it !! xx

Excellent but terrifying too, rwu. How on earth will you cope?! What have they decided about the next chemo? Don't tell me that might be on moving day...

Cakes, you're showing off. Wine most definitely deserved though. Glad to hear it's not just me who gets paranoid, but also that your current bout was curable.

SR, I vote for Paranoia being an honorary member too. Grand idea, after all she's bound to make regular contributions.

Five weeks of Rads was a bit of a shock. Apparently I get a lower daily dose, but for more sessions, so hopefully it won't be too hard on my skin. It's all because of nodal involvement, but does seem a teeny bit random. I had 4 nodes involved (out of 22), but the treatment would be the same if I'd had all 22 involved. They ummed and ahhed as to whether I needed it, but my age was a big factor and apparently it gives me better odds against recurrence, so who am I to argue. Was a bit of a shock though, as I'd guessed at three weeks.

rads will be over before you know it! i felt weird when i finished my first course- didn't quite know what to do without the routine. Although it is the travelling that is half the prob tbh!

scary indeed about the house, solicitor is a bit that after all the messing and finally getting this damn letter from severn trent water (which they knew was a problem from the start hence accepting our ridiculous cash offer- non-mortgagable as it stands atm!) the vendor has gone "right we want our money..... NOW!!

No idea on chemo, we won't be moving in as such until half term, work to be done first!

House stuff sounds v stressful RWU - hope it all comes together for you.
DH came upstairs to see what I was chortling at - it was reading about the Wake for Smee's boob - and the cup cakes which shall be suitably adorned i am sure!!
Re London trip - DS is 7 tomorrow. We are going down on the sleeper and then have a day at Legoland (have to say it sounds like my idea of hell) and then back into London for 2 days before getting back on the sleeper on Sunday night. We did the London Eye a few years ago - and also the museums which he loved. Will definitely be going back to the Natural History and Science musueums - at his request - and also the British Museum to see the mummies (after school project has fired enthusiasm for all things Egyptian). Thought we may try Camden Market and the Tower on Saturday and the museums and the London Duck on Sunday. Has anyone been on the London Duck tour (amphibious vehicle thingy)?

Glad to hear I am not the only one Ms Paranoia keeps company with- have had an ache in my ribs same side as tumour for several days now which is defying logic and reason...

Smee, I was (am!) in such party humour since finishing chemo but am tired tired tired and just could not organise a party, so I was thinking of after rads. Tho I am getting 6 wks of rads! So sounds like I may not be fit for party planning for quite a while. Getting 6 weeks because of the very close tumour margin. Thankfully I live about a mile away from the treatment centre- would be awful if lived 80 miles away as some do.

RWU, stressful but great!!!!

Haggis, enjoy Legoland. I was there about 10 yrs ago and really liked it (and I am no fan of euroDisney etc). Get into the spirit!

happy birthdate to MAS!

Happy Birthday MAS!

And that's great news about the house RWU, although I fully see the solicitor being angry.

Smee and Cupcaked - I really think you'll find rads a doddle - even 6 weeks of them. Compared to chemo they are IME not stressfeul and its just the routine that you have to accommodate. I know I only had 3 weeks (due to having all lymph nodes removed) but I was having chemo at the same time and it was still OK. You do have to monitor your skin though. I got a minor infection which was easily resolved with ABs.

Am taking German friend to Chester this morning.

I don't know the London duck thingy. Tower was very crowded last time I tried so suggest an early start on that one! If the Rainforest cafe is still there on Picadilly it was really fun a few years ago!

rwu, sounds a bit hectic to say the least, but think of the joy of leaving. You should think of a suitable leaving present for those neighbours..

haggis, Legoland might surprise you. We won tickets to go last year and I wasn't looking forward to it, but lots of lovely little detail like lego squirrels in trees swung it for me. Howabout HMS Belfast? My DS's favourite place. It's amazing and always pretty empty. DS loves Camden too. If you get there, end up at Marine Ices at the Chalk Farm end for an ice cream sundae (lovely old fashioned Italian ice cream sellers). Haven't done the Duck tour, but we did do it in Liverpool and it was great fun, so am sure would be a hit.

Cupcaked, 6 weeks?! Blimey, I'll stop moaning then. When do you finish? I think I'll have my last on 3rd December. And pain in ribs, me too!! Bone /CT scans came up as negative, and also as it's intermittent so the Oncs just laugh at me (in a kind way!). I think mine's IBS related - google low rib pain/ IBS and it comes up. I've never been diagnosed, but do seem to have a fair few symptoms.

Happy Birthday from me too, MAS. Are you celebrating? Virtual cake mmmm.... What shall we bake?

Happy birthday MAS!

We are singing a virtual round of 'happy Birthday to you' ( and, hey, Miss Paranoia can't really hold a tune) and hoping for nice pressies and cards.

House move sounds a nightmare: but i hope it goes through as smoothly as these things can.

Hope you have a good time in London, haggis - it sounds fab (if expensive), I keep meaning to take dd. Maybe I'll be tempted by your experience, do share.

Long stretches of rads do sound a pain - it's doable though. Top tip - get a good and long book to immerse yourself in. It's the travel and the waiting that are more of a pain than the treatment, which is short and painless.

Good weekend, all!