**TAMOXIFEN**the 6th

[MaryAnnSingleton]

here we go !

yey for pennies! and at kylie gig!

oh phew !!!!!! that's a huge relief Pennies

Can't tell you how pleased and relieved I am Pennies , The things we have to go through eh? I hope you managed to get to your dinner and have a great time last night.

Have also looked at your blog - what a great thing to do,I wish I'd had the courage to make a journal of some sort, but I couldn't cope with writing it all down - I wish I had now. Your photos are lovely - hair looks great.

Off to brave the shops now, and going over to DS and his DP for a meal tonight.

Have a great weekend everyone

of Geneva and kylie

I am so, so pleased, Pennies.

I was out last night and have just put the 'pooter on especially to get an update. i can rest easy now.

Relieved also that you weren't WITH Sir Paul - I can't stand the man, not that it would have had anything to do with me either way - prettty about both Geneva and Kylie. Sainsburys is going to be as exciting as it gets for me....

Though we are going to see Diversity and also Jools Holland before Xmas

Pennies I am so glad for you. I was thinking of you all evening, but couldn't log on (at hospital with ds, he is home now) so happy weekends all round.

about Geneva, Kylie, Diversity, Jools Holland (I love him) and even sainsbury's - we are snowed in again!

Hooray for Pennies that's great news. I also had a look at your blog and your photo is lovely! You can enjoy CHristmas now.

Having had all these meals out this week I am being very restrained today but DH and I are going out to the Bridgewater Hall for a concert by the BBC Phil. tonight. Then its up early again tomorrow to take DS and several other teenagers to the Liverpool Santa Dash - it was good fun last year so should be nice. Lots of boys doing the dash 3-legged

Hope everyone is OK and not overdoing the Christmas shopping. I find the crowds pretty difficult to bear for more than half an hour!

at Kylie from me too, Pennies. I started to skim down the posts and my heart sunk when I read you'd found a lump. So, so relieved to skim down and find you're okay. Must have been quite a thing to be lying there while they did the ultrasound. So hard to trust our bodies after all of this, but at least you can have a fantastic Christmas now, knowing that all is well. Hooray for scar tissue, I say.

MAS, your arm sounds horrible. Has it improved today?? Really hope it has. I love the idea of Celeste with a snowball. Shame she's too little to go out just yet. Our cat loves it.

And Sparkles is BabySparkle any better today? Bet you're going a bit stir crazy. We've got rain, so the snow's gone - am wishing you some of the same.

RWU, your friend donating her organs is such a positive amidst the sadness. What a brilliant thing to do.

Kurri, your daughter looks like a lot of fun, though it's hard to see her properly. And I like no.5 too.

Thanks all for asking after my skin. The skin on the top half of my breast has broken down. Also now under the arm and under the breast has started to go too. It's liquid sores, oozing yuk, though apparently it should blister at some point soon. They've given me some cream to stop infection, but nothing else. Very hard to know what to do as I can't go round without it covered up as it looks revolting, but if I cover it the material sticks into the wound which irritates it even more. Kurri, sorry that you went through all of this too. I'm wearing no bra, clothes inside out so the seams don't rub, etc. If you have any other tips let me know.

But still, I'VE FINISHED!! And the skin will get better, so am sure I can put up with it for a week or so. DH and I went out for a meal to celebrate last night, but I nearly fell asleep at the table. Fortunately he's used to zombie woman. What a fantastic thing to have a lovely other half though. Can't imagine how I'd have got through all of this without him.

Waving to SR, Cakes and all others who I haven't mentioned. Hope you're all having good weekends. Have to go, as I have a large glass of wine calling me. DH says it's medicinal.

Hmmm - I have lost a pound at the weigh in. Better than nothing - but I think I will be hard pushed to lose the 7 pounds by the 22nd.

I did have pannini and stilton at DS's last night, and wine, - oh dear!

hooray for smee ! let's hope skin soon gets better.
Hope BabySparkle is feeling more chirpy today.
Well done KK - that's not to be sniffed at ! stilton sounds very yum.
Arm is back to normal - thank goodness.
Am trekking into town shortly with ds for the Yuletide Festival - he is meant to be carol singing with school choir,but has missed all the practices for one reason or another so feels unprepared- will go and see what the teacher thinks-if they have hymn sheets should be fine !

Sad news though- a family friend has just died of lung cancer -have known her since I was 5 or 6- she was Italian and married to an Irish man with 6 children who we grew up with(so imagine the family parties !) She was one of the most good and selfless people I've ever known - when my parents went on holiday and I stayed home (aged 16 or so) she fed me lunch every day -pasta,main course and pudding- and i remember so many times popping round to have coffee and grappa with her and my mum. Very sad indeed. Hope to go to the funeral which will be where we used to live.
I shall raise a glass of wine tonight for the very wonderful and nearest person to a saint I know - Gabriella.

I'm really sorry to hear about your friend MAS she sounds a wonderful person. Your memories of her are lovely, and will be a comfort to you I hope.

thank you KK - she'd been ill for a long time- had worked so hard all her life,v sad- my mum is very upset as they were good friends.

MAS - I'm sorry to hear about Gabriella. Sad news. You'll have some wonderful memories of her, from your description.

Smee - sympathies re your burns - that sounds really ouch! You might find that you get more tired before you come back up, but I think that's common. So hang in there.

KK and Cakes - OMG I'm back to the weight I styarted at so am about your pouind KK! Well done. I knew this week of birthdya celebrations was going to be tricky but I'm that I've slid so far!!

Santa Dash was fun - DS has lovely friends and they make me laugh. Some pavements were truly an ice rink though - I had to be rescued from one place on a hill as I couldn't make any progress at all and was about to collapse laughing.

Another Christmas cake in oven now - for DH's aunts. Have to keep busy as due to builders we have nowehere comfy to sit. And no telly - so no slobbing for a whole week. I guess that's a good thing.

Waving to everyone.

Oh MAS I am so sorry to hear about your friend, she was obviously a very important person in your life. I am sending good thoughts to you and your mum.

Smee your skin reactions sounds horrid for you, I hope that it calms down soon, does it look any batter today? I guess loose clothes that rub it as little as possible are the only thing you can do

SR hope the three legged dash went well, sound funs for them.

Baby sparkle is still a bit under the weather, but not too bad, just a little more moany than nromal. DS had a bad start to the weekend with ambulance to the hospital, he was in a fould mood with life when we got him home, but he has slowly been getting back to normal. Cyrrently desperately harassing me to get the shoe cleaning stuff out so he can polish his shoes for St Nicholaus tonight....dh is german so we have a lovely combination of traditions. They are all expecting little gifts from St. Nic as a prelude to xmas....they won't be disappointed.

I am gearing myself up for Tuesday's biopsy, thinking of trying to persuade my lovely friend who took me to the last appointment to have coffee with me in the morning if she is not working, so I can do something special before dh and I have to go to the hospital. Rest of time trying to forget about it all, focussing on the dc.

A warm and gentle festive to everyone, especially MAS.

Smee - better today, not batter obviously.....cos that wouldn't help at all!

MAS, that's sad about your family friend. What lovely memories you have. I hope she didn't suffer for too long. Do you have to travel far for the funeral? I'm not sure where you're originally from.

SR, DS and his friends sound like a lot of fun. Have never heard of a Santa Dash - is it a new thing?! Or am I just an old fart (quite possible!).

Sparkle, 'batter' feels kind of appropriate , but you don't have it easy do you? Poor DS having to go to hospital again. Not surprised he was grumpy, but it must take it out of you too, especially as BabySparkle's not well either. Wishing you all a very happy Nikolaustag (is that what you call it?!). Do you do the leaving shoes out night before thing too.

ah thank you - I hadn't seen her for years -mum spoke to her often on the phone and 2 of her daughters are on facebook. I suppose it's another bit of the past disappearing more than anything. Her eldest son was my brother Richard's best friend and after R died we used to take Peter on all our holidays as a kind of substitute brother (I think this too may have stopped us grieving properly,filling up the gap with a boy who was like R)
So most of my memories and time spent with her and her family were many years ago- am sad for her children and my mum really.Funeral will be back in London - so not too far -about an hour's drive.
Poor Sparkle's ds Hope St Nicholas fills his shoes - how nice to have a pre-Christmas treat. My cousins have a German mum and always have Christmas on Christmas Eve.
Will be thinking of you Sprkle and sending good vibes for the biopsy xxx

Crikey sparkles - poorly kids and your biopsy looming too. I hope the kids are feeling a bit better, they got nice gifts to soothe their respective fevered brows, and that you are feeling positive about the biopsy. It'll be good to get it over with.

MAS - sorry about Gabriella. I hope the funeral gives you a good chance to say a proper goodbye.

Smee - there are some really expensive dressings that you can have for broken down skin. The hospital refused to prescribe for me (budgets) but gave me a note for the GP saying I needed them. He gave me boxes and boxes. So, ask the hospital if Mepilex dressings would help you, if they would but you can't get given them, get back to me. I will happily send you the unused ones I still have.

KK and SR - I have lost a pound Not sure how, possibly a fluke.

Cakes, congrats on the pound.

And thanks for the dressings tip. Am off to the doctors in a bit, so you're mighty timely. I think I might have an infection, as I can't stop shivering and my temps up, though I do have a stonker of a cold too, so it might just be that. Definitely need some dressings of some sort as my clothes keep sticking to the wound and then pull the skin off - all very helpful.

Yuk. I remember it well - mine was weeping green goo.

Good luck at the doctor's - let me know if I can help.

yack- I can't remember the name of my dressings but they were brilliant- non-sticky and very soothing (if you go to rthe first Tamoxifen thread am sure the name is there !!)

Oo smee and infection too is not good. I hope that the gp can help.

Yep we did the shoe thing last night, the kids polished their own, a lot of mess, but those shoes really shined. A few little present this morning, and they even went into school happy.

We need an ouch smiley! - that sounds very sore Smee , -you sound quite poorly, I hope you get something sorted at the doctors.

Sparkles sorry to hear the children have been unwell, - hope they are a bit better today. I love the sound of St Nicholas celebrations - how great to be able to enjoy two kinds of traditions.

Good luck with your appointment tomorrow, I think going out for coffee beforehand is a very good idea, no point just waiting around, you might as well do something nice

Cakes - well done on the pound. I got DH to blow up my old fit ball so I can do some exercises on that (think I could manage them they're fairly gentle).

SR - never mind, - you needed to enjoy your birthday, you will get back on track with the dieting. I've got a birthday coming up soonish, so will being exactly the same boat, I am going to have a birthday cake and that's that

MAS I hope you are feeling OK, funerals are always tough, but as Cakes says, it's important to be able to say your farewells, and have a chance to remember your friend with other friends and family.

My dog has killed a spider this morning I found her dancing about in the shower tray and when I called her out she was chomping and had a couple of spidery legs dangling out if her mouth. Yuk, yuk, yuk. If she finds a beetle, she jumps up and down on it, then rolls on it, until it gives up and dies, she is quite the little murderer

thanks KK - am fretting more about needing a loo when there- can't think that the church has one-will need a wee after a drive from Hampshire
Poor spider - eeek.

Sparkle - will be thinking about you tomorrow and hoping for good news.

Smee - ouch, ouch - that sounds awful. I hope GP can help.

Speaking of rads, I have had a pain under operated boob for a few days. Thought it was a tight bra but have now focussed on it and realised ther's a little area where it is tender to press, sort of on a rib. Its near where I had rads - does anyone have experience of a new pain starting some 5 months after rads?

Santa Dash was new to me last year but I think its been going for several years - they have them in the US as well. LIverpool is trying to gain the title for the most runners but L:as Vegas is still ahead! Yesterday there were 8000 Santas (yes all dressed red suits) running the 5k. DS and a mate did 3-leged, and so did two other pairs in their group! DS had had a late night with mates so they all looked shattered afterwards! We took them for a big veggie brunch and it was fun.

Working at home today.

Cakes - well done on your pound! You and KK have obviously just sent them here to me in the Christmas post.

Builders still here......woodworm now found....