**TAMOXIFEN**the 6th

[MaryAnnSingleton]

here we go !

how horrible Cakes - grrr
thanks for good wishes, and of course- good luck with pre-op KK xxx

How horrible Cakes We are lucky we don't get too many disturbances of that nature, but I used to live in Reading when I was first married, in a ground floor flat and we got all sorts hammering on the window etc. at night.

Good luck at your check up MAS, am sure all will be fine. Glad Celeste is on the mend

My pre-op was fine, really just paperwork and they took a blood test to re-check my thyroid. Students everywhere to day, - a student nurse observing while the theatre nurse did the pre-op. And a student Doctor took my blood - bless her she was very nervous, and kept saying 'I'm not hurting you am I?' very anxiously. - Actually she was much better than the phlebotomists usually are

I have to say I am really fed up with bloody rats. The field behind us has been ploughed so they have all fled into our garden. There were 2 big bruisers on the bird table this morning, and I saw another one digging in my tub of herbs - throwing all the plants out on to the patio. DH is apparently dealing with the situation

Hope everyone is having a good day today.

I'm back too - half term went so quickly, though am not sure what we did, other than it was fun and we needed far longer.

So many posts to catch up on, though MAS am glad your niece is back home safely. She must be relieved that she's through the op.

KK, good luck from me too for today, though I think I'm too late as you'll be back before the luck reaches you. Hope it went as well as these things can. Good to get it done am sure.

Can't quite get over RWU collecting horses unwittingly. I'd have a fit if that was me, but then again am a city girl and horses are scary things to wimps like us.

SR, will be thinking of you tomorrow for your first day back at work. Bet once you're there it'll be okay, though I'm sure it feels daunting. Have you got a tan?? Be lovely to walk in looking vibrant and healthy.

Momentous day here as Rads started first thing (I get zapped by Saturn..!) Timely posts from you about arm exercises - I asked if there were any any my lot said no. First day of Tamoxifen for me too.

Got to run. Lost half the day getting to hospital and back. Am waving to all others. Here's to November.

Just seen I've x-posted Kurri. Glad pre-op was okay.

I've lost the post I wrote - where did it go

Well, thank-you for comments re arms. Smee- what are your lot doing? Seems remiss of them not to advise on exercises as its a long term thing after rads.

KK - sorry about the nasty rats. But glad your pre=-op was OK. Good luck with theactual procedure.

I haven't got much of a tan but do look pretty healthy I think. Weighed myself this morning - groan. Have decided to make a serious effort. I generally find this easier at work as I'm further from the pantry . Sadly I'm a signed up member of the 'Girls who are fridge pickers wear the big knickers' club. I now weigh more than when 9 months pregnant - aghh. That's the trouble with holidays.

Going out for a walk now and then if have energy will finish painting my shed/greenhouse. Its 'Sea Grass' coloured paint - I like it.

Glad Celeste has recovered, MAS.

hey smee - lovely to see you back too- lots of good luck with rads and tamoxifen...must go and work now, but back soon. Glad pre-op was ok KK
Cakes - am hoping to start on your picture- will send you a rough for approval

Good luck with the rads and tamoxifen Smee how many sessions of rads are you having?

SR - sympathies re. the weight - if its any comfort I am having the same problem. I've had about 3 weeks of not eating very healthily - due to being on hols., going out to various things, having guests etc. (who end to bring edible gifts.) - I don't have the will power to resist treats, the only solution for me is not to have them in the house, but its hard if other (skinnier) family members want them. I didn't look when they weighed me at the hosp. this morning - would be too depressing

I bought a Womens fitness magazine today and am going to put a bit more effort into diet (unfortunately exercise will take a bit of a nose dive for a while after the op. although I'm allowed to go on walks.)

25 sessions so 24 left, Kurri. Which day is your op?? Is it this week? And rats sound horrible. Hope they decide to go back to the field soon. Have you got a compost heap? Apparently that's a common place for them to set up camp as they like the warmth. (yuk emoticon)

SR, what's work like foodwise? Might be a good route to less maybe? I think it's fair enough to put on weight though. After all it's been quite a year.

Cakes, sympathies over drunks. Hope it was a blip. How's your back doing these days? Is it any better?

So dark here already - I know it's the hour, but I already want to go to bed.

Hi Smee- I moved to a new office in July 2009 and there is no canteen or anything there. So that's quite good in that I will just take a (healthy) lunch with me. I also usually find that having to get up that bit earlier seems to help me lose weight. I've generally had an extra half hour or even an hour in bed over the past year, and longer on the grotty days of course.

At first during chemo I was very good about eating little meals but I lapsed...have been good today though.

KK - yes guests are lovely but tend to bring chocs etc.

Cakes - perhaps you need to move house - to get away from those drunks! A few of my friends seem to be moving at present. I think its the empty nest effect as after a couple of years withot DCs at home people seem to get the urge to move or down-size and start a whole new project of renovation etc. Couldn't face this myself at the mo - not having an army of your farmers at my beck and call...hope RWU is still relaxing and enjoying the new surroundings.

Thanks for the good luck messages about work - I do feel a little tense about it!

hey SR - today will be fine

Welcome back, smee.

I too hope the drunks were a blip - it has all been quiet since. We live right on the very edge of the city, the fields start at the end of my very short little close, so it isn't on the way anywhere for partying hordes. usually all we hear is cows mooing. So let's hope it was a one off. Of course, the fields all around mean we get the rat thing as well, so big sympathies to KK there. Some of them are more like cats!!

The weight thing is a real pain, isn't it? I too am far too round and all the exercise I am doing is not helping: nor has last week's holiday. I am going to try to do a bit each day, but very hard to fit it in. How long will you be on special measures exercise-wise, KK?

The back is not great, smee - but thanks for asking I was feeling a bit like crying at Pilates last night because it just hurt so much Although it is better today, so I am sure it helps really. I am going for my final physio appt later this week. I'll keep going with the exercises but realistically, I think I am going to have to go for the surgery to decompress the nerve.

No rush with the pic MAS - slot it in when you fancy it.

Hi Everybody. I haven't been on for months. But I came back to work yesterday and now have regular access to t'internet again. So I thought I'd check in.

Finished all my chemo and rads now. My hair is almost an inch long now. I have to take Tamoxifen for five years, but apart from that I'm starting to feel like I might be able to begin getting back to normal.

Hope everybody is doing OK.

hey BB -nice to see you back and well done- that's brilliant progress - am sure you'll manage just fine with tamoxifen.
Cakes - bugger about the back,must be horrid.
Will send you my rough for approval - have a card to slot in first anyway...

hmm,teatotal is on another cancer thread (ovarian)- i suppose it's nothing to do with us really

Hiya BB - I was wondering about you only yesterday. See, we do care! Great that you are getting back to normal and the hair is on the return. Stay strong and positive. I am sure you will be OK on the tamoxifen. Look how far you've come. I remember you being so worried abut the effect on your littlies - I bet they are just fine now, aren't they? Good for you.

Teatotal again? I hope they run her out of town, pronto.

Hi MAS and Cakes. The Tamoxifen is fine. Although my body temperature is really erratic. I go from burning hot to ice cold and back again half a dozen times a day.

My little one has dealt with everything remarkably well, Cakes. She's just taken it all ion her stride. Kids are so robust and adaptable though.

Oh yes, body temperature all over the place here, too

yep, me too.

Cakes -well done for speaking up on the ovarian c thread- I am being a wimp

Hi all (yes it's me in bonfire night disguise)

Good to see you BB, and well done getting through your treatment and getting back to work. I too have no temperature control, I just wear layers so I can strip off easily when I start boiling.

Sorry about your back Cakes, - what a pain for you. I think I've got to lay of the exercise for 4-6 weeks (and I think I'll probably err on the side of caution, I don't want to damage things again). But I can go for walks and after 3 -4 weeks apparently try 'light running' but nothing that's going to twist, pull or strain.

Hope SR's first day back is going well and she's not feeling too tired.

I must check out the ovarian cancer thread if Teatotal is back. I at 'running her out of town' - I have visions of RWU charging up on her horse!

Oooh, Cakes being stroppy. I will hot foot over to see. I think Teatotal must have been pre me, so am intrigued.

Poor you with your back though. I know I've said this before, but I went through two Pilates teachers before I found someone who managed to give me exercises which didn't hurt. And having had an op I think you should go for it. Honestly it was life changing for me.

Hello Burning Bright - hair an inch long must feel fantastic. Good to hear you're feeling more like normal too. I have taken precisely two tamoxifen pills from my five year stint and so far no different. But then I was already having the hot flushes, so am just hoping they won't get any worse.

Brief thought on absurdity here, but why in a state of the art unit, with brand new radiation equipment which makes me feel as though I'm in a sci-fi film, do they still draw on me with old biros?!

Kurri, am liking the new name.

Meant to add, MAS hope it all goes well tomorrow. Will be thinking of you.

• SR, how was first day back at work? Hope it felt good to be back. How many biscuits did you consume..?!

Cakes have just skipped over to the Ovarian thread. Think the way you put it was just right and the OP instantly picked up on it, so a job well done.

Smee - do they tattoo you as well or ONLY use old biros? Apparantly some places draw a nice flower on you as well, although I didn't have this treat.

Cakes - so sorry about your back - its such a 'lowering pain' isn't it - it affects you all over and doing every movement. Sympathies to you.

BB - how nice to see you. When did you finish chemo again? Your hair sounds at a similar stage to mine. I have had a few compliments on having ultra short hair (and I think they mean it - not just being nice) so am sticking with the aim of the Judi Dench look. Having white hair with a light Tenerife tan is not bad! Its not white all over, but that's the main 'colour'! So it has to be short and trendy or I'd look like an old bat (as someone once called me in a car park when I'd failed to control my trolley of groceries and it very slightly touched someone's car - twice!)

Work was OK thanks. Colleagues had left cards and flowers on my desk for me. I left at 3.30 and spent the day clearing our old papers from a year ago, deleting loads of e-mails and arranging meetings for the next few weeks to get myself back up to speed. My pc was certainly not up to speed so I've logged a request for it to be checked over.

Not surprisingly in local government the main issue is transformation and cuts and a ;etter ca,e out today asking all staff to express interest in voluntary redundancy if they wish. In the past we've been much more targetted than this so we've reached a new level. Fortunately the authority had done a huge amount of change to improve servcies and efficiency before these new cuts so we're not too badly positioned.

thank you smee... I think they like to use a bit of pen now and again- sometimes i had biro,sometimes not. Glad work was ok SR

Glad you think I said the right thing - I'll nip over to see what the response was - haven't done it yet.

SR's colleagues sound fab....