*TAMOXIFEN* the 5th

[MaryAnnSingleton]

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

I don't know anything about cysts. But it's good that she is being monitored. Fingers crossed.

no, am ignorant about ovarian cysts it's funny how you don't know about stuff until it happens to you or a person close to you

Gosh- a lot of posts since I was last on, - so forgive me if I miss things out.

Well done on all the decorating RWU, what a worker you are! You must be really looking forward to getting into your new home now.

Well done everyone exercising and dieting, Don't overdo it though if you are still on treatment (I'm looking at you Smee ).

Glad to hear rads are going smoothly for you CC and skin holding up.

Can't remember who asked about Tamoxifen, but IIRC I started about 2 weeks after I finished chemo (slightly before I had my rads) And for anyone having herceptin, I started that about 3 months after finishing chemo.

SR, a friend of mine is on arimidex, as she reacted badly to tamox. AFAIK you have to be post menopausal to have it, and you have bone density checks (because of osteoparosis as poss. SE) and possibly calcium tablets.
My oncologist is considering changing me onto it (if he does, we can be tamoxifen threads frauds together ) so I will be very interested to hear how you get on, if you do have it.

Cakes pleased DD is a bit happier at school. at her 'older man', hmm red hair and a tendency to be naughty sounds like my DS when he was a little boy - he had a little girlfriend at that age, and her mum told me when her DH heard about it he came over all heavy Dad 'who is this boy, what is his background?'

MAS - your pictures are lovely, you are so talented, I will certainly direct friends to your site. I'm so sorry to hear about your niece, it is worrying but it's good she is being checked out, keeping fingers crossed for a good outcome for her.

Inspired by all of you, I am starting to do a bit of work again (I was doing freelance writing), I was doing a lot when I was DX and for some reason in my mind it is very much associated with my cancer. Silly I know, but I am ready to move on now, and have spent the morning on the word processor.
I need to recover my self discipline, (I used to work to a fairly strict time structure) but my mind tends to wander a bit nowadays. So if you see me on here to much tell me off.

Had to laugh at DH today, I said to him 'I wish I had a skinny bum and legs like you' he replied 'It has disadvantages, it's uncomfortable sitting for ages when you have no bum. You are lucky ,you've got an inbuilt cushion' - Not sure if this was a compliment or he was being cheeky as usual

Oh I forgot, I think I may have linked to this before, but it is a good article by Dr Peter Harvey called 'After the Treatment Finishes'. It deals with quite a lot of the post treatment anxieties and life changes, and I found it very helpful. Some of you coming to the end of your treatment might like a look. (There's nothing scary in it, it deals with psychological aspects, which I know from experience can take you a bit unawares)

Link

Hi KK - good to see you back and to hear that you are ready to get back to work. What kind of writing do you do? I am in the same boat as you workwise, it is very easy for the mind to wander. If only mine wandered to anything useful, it wouldn't be so bad....

at the 'inbuilt cushion' - how very rude

Cakes, I do short stories, and articles. I've also done some comedy writing/sketches for performance - in collaboration with others. Some info type writing for rather obscure mags. (the sort you get free on airlines/ within companies etc.) Have done a few bits of academic research as well, but I haven't quite got the confidence in my brain I used to have!

I have got some longer, novel length work completed although I've never had anything of that length published. I became ill while I was doing it, it needs a lot of editing, but I would like to knock it into shape while doing some of the bread and butter stuff.

am v interested to hear about your writing KK - one of my friends does copywriting -probabl;y for obscure magazines too...
dh writes-he's done a few novels (unpublished so far) and a children's book which is doing the rounds of publ;ishers -he'd love to write full time but obviously has to earn a living (so that i can waft around drawing !)

KK thanks for the link to this article. i Have a different one by the same doctor but this lokks v. timely and I've just printed it out to read.

Oh I hope you can take up your writing again - how exciting. I think you can have a lot of confidence in yourself, judging by your persona on MN! You're a great support to us all. I will certainly tell you about Arimidex if I do start it.

Have had a v. quiet day trying to help my cold get better but it hasn't worked yet. Will have an early night.

My MA dissertation is also in need of re visiting. Head not quite there again yet tho..

My friend is on Arimidex and finds it ok, tho she is a very glass half full person. Wonder why they changed their minds on you, SR? Hope u can shake off that cold soon.

KK, enjoyed that article. Will be finished rads end of October and then Herceptin. I still feel v much on the roller coaster but it is slowing down and I know when I get off my legs will be like jelly. Am amazed even looking back at the chemo, how horrible it was in retrospect. It's only now that I am feeling a bit more energetic that I realise how bad I felt. But that was then. Thinking about attempting a little run tomoro morning to stretch the legs, cycling Smee has inspired me. Let u know :0

PS, KK I agree with SR, u express yourself v well on MN, so get the laptop out and off you go again ediong your novel. We will all be so proud of you when you submit the manuscript to multiple publishing houses!

KK - I enjoyed that article too. Makes us realise just how much we are dealing with. And in a way its quite a warning about how we will need time to adjust. I haven't had any return of energy yet due to this cold, but I slept well last night. Another quiet day today then.

Cupcaked - you are doing so well! It must be great to feel your energy returning. Enjoy!

KK, I think you have the earned the right to feel confident in your abilities and, if you can get back onto it, it could be quite a satisfying and nurturing way to move on. I hope so, anyway.

I can see there is going to be a massive surge of renewed creative energy coming from this thread over the next couple of months, it'll be crackling with it by Christmas.

I'm going to spend a peaceful day looking out pictures for dd's Christmas picture by MAS - oh, and getting my ingrown toenail sorted at the chiropodist's (oh the glamour) - oh, and if i am allowed to go swimming with a dodgy toe, I'll try to slot in some aqua aerobics as well. It cracks dd up - she comes and stands on the field outside to ogle at us.

Wow I have just read that article again KK. It really is fab.

Cakes - friend of mine of mine had an in-grown toenail done a cople of months ago - no way could she have gone into water with it for several weeks. Mind you, she had to have whole nail permanently removed - perhaps your's isn't so drastic! I've been in detailed conversation with this friend ( who is the same person who has the Non-Hodgkins lymphoma which you might remember from a couple of months ago) because I have a toe-nail which looks dodgy but I'm just monitoring it for the time being. Good luck with it anyway!

Looking forward to crackling energy!

Can't keep up with you all, but dropping in before hitting the sofa, as had last chemo yesterday. Will catch up soon when the fug leaves. Will read that article too Kurri. Very timely for me. Thought I'd be ecstatic finishing, but felt very low yesterday. Think I was just overwhelmed as am bit more my old self today.

Go running Cupcaked, then you can inspire me. And all others. Am fully in favour of a pre-Crimble energy surge, though am not sure if I'll crackle for a while yet..

Will catch up soon.

Oh bugger toenail doesn't sound promising then . I'll give you a sanitised update later, but I don't think it is very good. Toe is big, swollen and throbbing. Serves me right for digging around myself, which I may not admit to at the clinic.

How is that friend by the way, SR - I mean ref the lymphoma rather than the nail. IIRC it was a watching brief?

Smee - last chemo. I know you aren't ready to celebrate yet, and KK's article will kind of underline why that is, if you need it, - but it really IS good news. Just take it steady. You have done the yukkiest bit.

hooray for last chemo smee-I too think the article is excellent- read the original format after my rads finished and it helped a lot.
Cruse lady this morning -I think I am having 4 more sessions at 2 weekly intervals. Mindfulness course starts this evening -am quite nervous.

Very soon now you will be serene and calm MAS - that's my hope, anyway

Good luck!

if you hear any distant screaming at about 1pm don't worry, it'll be me and my toe getting dealt with

oh yikes - thinking of you- be brave ! xx

Ouch about the toe Cakes, hope they sort it out for you, ingrowing toenails are very painful.

Thank you for all the kind comments regarding my writing, I think as with most things it is largely a question of confidence. And being out of action for a while gives it a bit of a knock.

I'm pleased the article has been helpful, I thought it was great, I also got DH to read it to help him understand some of the things going on in my head.

I definitely understand you feeling a bit low Smee, I was like that and you feel under a pressure to be celebrating. But it's really the end of one phase and the start of another in this whole business, so just allow yourself to adjust in your own time.

Have to take poor little dog to the vets tonight, she started yelping last night when she tried to eat her tea, - so I think there is a tooth problem (she's not mad keen on me having a look, so I hope she's not too uncooperative when the vet pokes around)

starting or restarting anything is very hard - I am nervous and anxious before any new illustration job, no matter how nice.
Hope Cakes's toe is sorted and not too sore...ow
And hope little dog is ok - poor thing. The advert with the dog who can't chew his bone always upsets me

Smee- I just felt a huge relief at the last chemo - but not any sense of joy, as its the end of a horrible stage rather than something wonderful and new, IYSWIM. But congratulations to you on getting through it, and I hope you'll soon pick up. We'll compare notes I'm sure.

Cakes - thanks for asking about my friend with the non-Hodgkins. I haven't seen her yet as we agreed not to meet while she still had peculiar symptoms and my immunity was low. But she's coming down in October for a long w/e with another girl-fried joining us from Croydon so that will be great. She says she feels better now, though not 100%. She's been on a couple of holidays which helped! Her toe has done really well though! Hope your toe recovers soon, despite earlier interventions by yourself!!

KK - hope your dog is OK.

MAS - good luck with your sessions coming up.

Onc hasn't phoned me back re prescription so I'm going to be assertive and ring the PA again now. I'm getting twitchy about getting the drugs before the w/e whatever they are.

Dog is going in for an operation tomorrow morning, to have some teeth out - seems to be largely receding gums which is apparently fairly common in a dog her age. So I'm a bit nervous (she reacted badly to the last GA she had about 7 years ago), and he said she'll look a bit bloody and battered when we get her home

I've got to go and see Doctor Hernia tomorrow afternoon, so bit of a medical day all round in the Kurri household!

i bid you all farewell until my internet connection is up and running in the new pad!

New house ready for the furniture now, old house NEARLY packed van coming at 9am [argh].

Pics will follow!

xxx