**TAMOXIFEN TEN***

[MaryAnnSingleton]

brand new shiny thread....our tenth !

sparkle - sending very positive thoughts to junior sparkle . Hope it all goes smoothly today .

Morning all. Feeling rough but carrying on regardless once the tablets have done their job.
Topsy, I've taken lots of mini breaks throughout chemo etc, and we're away with friends for a week in late July. No way will I miss out on holidays through this and my team are supportive of it - they reckon we need our rest and enjoyment too. Well worth getting people to work round that date so you get a decent break - they can often delay chemo for a few days to give you the best chance of feeling ok.

topsy - a restful holiday like yours sounds perfect -am sure it might be less crappy to be on a calming beach than sitting feeling crappy at home
Lots of good thoughts to junior sparkle - brave boy.
Hope the roughness subsides soon amber x

Hi all

Topsy - have the holiday. Get it planned into the schedule now, it will do you the power of good. I am glad your kids did so magnificently with the news - and well done to you for telling them. Good luck this pm.

Sparkles - good luck for you and junior sparkles this pm.

I will be thinking of you both, and of topsy.

Pink - that sounds awful. I am glad you are having a week's respite. make good use of it, and have some rest and treats. The break won't make any difference to your treatment and prospects at ll. Your system can only take too much, it's a good job the symptoms came out now, before the next shot, rather than after, when it would be so much worse.

Amber, MAS and everyone else with aches, pains and problems of all sorts - I am thinking of you too.

And now I am off to lie down in a darkened room after a very, very, VERY busy weekend. (Dd's party was ace though, thanks for remembering about it )

waves to Cakes ! and KK -there's an email coming your way

Am back from my riotous weekend. Was lovely to see old friends, and even though it rained all the time, Edinburgh's still fantastic.

Lots going on with you all. Cakes, glad you survived the party. Sounds fun. Did DD like the iPod?

Topsy, hope your Onc is lovely - mine's genuinely bonkers, but I do like her a lot - always looks like she drinks a bottle of Chardonnay for breakfast. Must be a huge relief to have told the kids - sounds like you handled it perfectly. And yes, definitely take that holiday. Sounds perfect to me.

Pink, being delayed's a sod. Happened to me too and I do remember how fed up I was. Hope your reaction's calming down. Are you feeling any better today?

Fingers crossed that little Sparkle copes with his MRI. I can't stand even taking DS to the dentist, so I can't imagine how hard and MRI must be.

MAS, am wishing you less aches x

• Amber, a sounds necessary. Sorry you're feeling rough. Hope those pills have kicked in.

Hope I haven't missed anybody. Here's to a healthy week.

The weekend sounds fab smee - welcome back

dd hasn't had the iPod yet - the real birthday isn't until Thursday.

A riotous weekend? Excellent! Ours is next weekend, in which DH and I are escaping for a bit.

sounds ideal. Just tried eating a Tuna Tuscan Sandwich and it tasted like cardboard. Not fair. I want my taste buds back

Remind me amber - where's the riot happening next weekend?

We have one too - the school's annual family camp. Never been before (and i am not camping, I am going to the travelodge instead, and leaving dd and dh to brazen it out in the tent

Near Coventry!
Wise plan re camping. I'm very suspicious of all the tenting lark. I do like a nice bed.

Cakes, that sounds like hell fun.

Amber, excellent idea to go away. Distract, distract, distract. Tastebud's will be back before you know it.

Can you be riotous near Coventry? It is your duty to try..

I can assure you that our family can manage to be riotous absolutely anywhere

I am on the edge of Coventry and I find it very, very easy to be riotous quite often. Amber, in the interests of optimal fun, I'd stay near rather than venturing into Coventry itself. There are some very, very nice places nearby.... but the city itself? NO.

Ah yes, we have a country cottage in a small town near there rather than in Coventry itself, though we're visiting friends in the town...

I'm told our family camp is very, very riotous indeed. It's in the Cotswolds, and half the school and their families go. After years of pestering by our fellow drinkers party animals we have been persuaded to try it. But I can't cope with bugs or hard beds. So it's the Travelodge down the road for me.

yesterday DH attempted a dry run with the tent we have borrowed. DBIL had forgotten to send us the poles, so we drank wine instead

I hope you have a lovely time, amber. It will do you the world of good. I'd suggest a brief meet up if you were up for it, and if I wasn't heading out of town. Maybe next time?

Ooo yes, always willing for a meetup when time allows

Lots of posts to catch up with, - I pop out to yoga and you all run riot

MAS - thanks for the e-mail, I have replied Mindfully eating chocolates makes them good for you

Smee - glad the weekend was fun - Edinburgh is great even in the rain, and its always good to see old friends.

Topsy, I would definitely aim to go on your holiday - it sounds like a very relaxing place, where you'd be able to rest if you needed to and be able to walk on the beach if you're feeling energetic - let them know about it and it might be possible to arrange things so you are on your good week in your cycle.

Amber - sorry you're feeling rough, and the tastebuds thing is horrible - but it does get back to normal fairly quickly when you finish. Have a lovely weekend away

Cakes - well done on surviving the party, I'm glad DD had a good time, The camping weekend sounds adventurous (You are wise to book into the travelodge - I would too)

Sparkle - lots of good wishes for your little man, he's probably had his MRI by now, - he is a brave little chap

Hope everyone else is feeling Ok, and sympathies to those with aches and pains and S/E's.

I had a good weekend, lovely to see DS and his DP, they are wanting me to do a lot more puppet work over the next 18mnths or so. next project is The Tempest and I have to do some sort of floating heads for sprites (I'll have to read the Tempest to give myself a clue!)

Spent yesterday gardening (in between dodging the showers).

Excellent! We'll do it next time. have fun!

The Tempest is my favourite - hence dd's name

I should think that it would be great with puppets because it's so surreal and odd anyway. So you'll be busy - hope you will enjoy it!
Isn't it nice that your ds and his dp can work together?

Yes it is Cakes - they've done quite a few things together now (and they met because his DP was stage managing a play he was in, - she liked the look of him and kept putting nice things in his dressing room - fruit and flowers etc. - being a man he didn't notice )

Its a few months before they do the Tempest, so I've got a bit of a break (and its only got a few puppets, its mostly actors)

I'd stay in Travelodge too- am far too wimpy to camp these days

More puppets sound fab KK - and thanks for reply- will get cracking asap

Have just walked into town and back to buy envelopes and am shattered and feeling completely weedy - am wondering whether I've given myself permission to not feel well,if that makes any kind of sense ? I usually carry on regardless but I do really feel wiped out. Anyway,blood test tomorrow - will not look and there isn't far to walk home so am sure it'll be fine
Hope junior sparkle has managed ok today,bless him.
Am about to order a new mobile phone -my first all singing and dancing one -which is quite exciting. I quizzed the man in our mobile shop last week and got lots of info. and now feel a bit guilty about ordering online (the tariffs much cheaper for a start !)

I just though I would pop on to let you know that ds did it, he managed really well, even giving me a little thumbs up between scans. He was in there for an hour, he lay really still most of the time, they only had to repeat one series because he wriggled. He panicked a bit agt the sounds at first, but he calmed himself down, with deep breathing. He was a super star, and I am proud of him. Now we await the consultation to discuss the results.

Sorry I am so far behind, I send love to all those with aches and pains, and feeling rotten.

As for camping, ds, dd1 and dh camped this weekend at a friends house.....I "glamped" in the house with dd2!!!!! Travelodge gets a vote for me everytime!

oh well done little sparkle-what a star !