**T*A*M*O*X*I*F*E*N 11 **

[MaryAnnSingleton]

new thread here !

sparkle...bless your dd.

mas...i use to drink lots of herbal tea but since chemo i cant face it,tesco do a greentea variety pack which has different fruits added made by london fruit and herb company.

smee...how annoying

cakes lol.

well my nail did fall off during the night sob,but on a positive note ive found a sure way to make my son behave discovered after chasing him round the living room( i know im a terrible mum lol) after lots of screams,giggles and shudders hes promised hes going to be good all the school holidays.

I soooo love the interviews episode of the Apprentice .
It's the best part .

pink - the nail thing sounds horrid . I just noticed I have managed to knock half the nail on my little toe off . Think I stubbed it on a footstool at the weekend .

kk - hope your day is lovely . Take lots of photos , and relish your proud mummy moment !

MAS - well done on getting your website work done . I bet it wasn't as bad as you thought it would be .

sparkle - ooh potty training , I remember it well . Keep on smiling , it will be over soon .

smee - have PM'd you . And enjoy the Apprentice . It was a great episode . I actually watched the after part of it with Dara O Briain for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it .

No shoe shopping .
Took stock of my online banking last night and decided I have enough shoes !
I think I got a bit carried away buying shorts and t shirts for the DC .

On a sweet note , I have just opened my post and found a card from an elderly Aunt of Dh . She said that she had heard (through the family grapevine) about my dx and treatment , and just wanted me to know she was thinking of me and praying for me .
Very lovely of her , especially considering I haven't seen her since my wedding , 15 years ago !

Wishing good days to all , and hope the rain dries up a bit .

Oh yes, Margaret's on, and as acerbic as ever. She really is great.

Ooh pink, yikes. Still, on the bright side, whatever makes 'em behave

By the way, if any of you remember the kid my dd has had a lot of trouble with over the years - she has been put in the same kid's class next year.

Head teacher and I are now at total loggerheads. I know I can't get the decision reversed but I have taken this opportunity to tell him I think he is a git mistaken and he's understandably not pleased.

I am but also very, VERY

Sorry topsy, just saw a cross post. How lovely of the old auntie. People really do care, and it does make a difference. Bless her. Stay strong, you're still doing great (and a bit of extra shopping is understnadable )

Left dd2 watching tv for half an hour, whilst I was in kitchen writing yet another letter to MP. Just walked in to find andrex puppy moment with dd2, 1 yr ol black lab, and entire roll of toilet paper which I left by the potty for her............ Both dog and child very happy

Which of the three desserts friend left at the weekend should I have and feel very very guilty for... votes please

1. Nigella guiness chocolate cake
2. Lemon Tarte
3. raspberry pavlova, with fresh raspberries, cream.

Diet suspended until desserts gone, although still no other carbs, wine [sob sob], biscuits or snacks.

Right as no-one is around I will have to make my own choice then

damn- had just typed a post and it disappeared !!
I was going to suggest the pavlova,after much mulling over...which did you pick ?
Sorry to hear that nail has fallen off pink- but @ you chasing ds with it !
cakes - grrrr too about that horrid child being in same class as dd next term- ridiculous.
Good luck with letter writing sparkle
topsy what a kind and lovely old aunt - that's very heartwarming.
I really enjoyed the Apprentice-fest last night ! love Margaret,as you know.

Went to town to bank and was interviewed by a reporter from The Sun on the way home ~(and had to have picture taken ,despite my whining about it) They were asking whether I was frightened by the links between alcohol and breast cancer...

Hi ladies. Started another thread but got directed here my sister is starting chemo today for breast cancer. I could do with knowing which days are going to be worse for her as I suspect she won't aka for help, but with 2 small DC's I think she'll need it.

Pavlova for me too Sparkle, though the Lemon Tarte's a close second.

pink chasing your DS. My DS was the opposite. He had a right old strop for binning it, then put my toe under his microscope to look close up..

Cakes, not surprised you're hacked off. I would be too. Is this kid obnoxious to everyone or is it focussed solely on your DD? Hope she's not stressed by it. grr on your behalf.

Ooh MAS is going in print - though which of us will buy The Sun to check?!

xposted Jennyt. Sorry to hear about your sister. What chemo's she on? Let us know and one of us will have been on the same am sure. It's hard to say which will be her low days until she's gone through one cycle, as everyone's hit differently, but as a broad rule of thumb, the first few days can be tough if you're hit by sickness. Fingers crossed she won't be. Hope she's okay. Let us help if we can.

Ooh MAS - which day's paper, do you know? Personally links between alcohol and BC scare the crap out of me, I like wine and beer and have drunk much of both in my time....

Sparkles - all three!

smee - the kid is vile to about 90 per cent of the school population but on a sliding scale with my dd being one of the prime targets. She is a bit stressed about it, TBH. I am absolutely incandescent, it is SO unnecessary. There is no apparent reason to move them together, lots of kids have been left where they are. I have told the head that I will log ALL incidents other than usual rough and tumble stuff so they can be dealt with formally. And I will make a pest of myself if necessary. He is being a total prat.

Jenny - sorry to hear about your sister. As smee said - let us know her treatment regime as it does vary. The first few days are often the worst: it's important to tell the hospital about bad symptoms, they can do a lot to make things better. Eating/drinking ginger, pineapple, fennel etc all help a lot with sickness. Post more details and we'll dredge up more info.

Jenny - just seen it's FEC. Yes, the first few days are the worst (maybe three or four), and then the immune system crashes at around day 10 so it's important to keep away from big crowds as much as possible, especially if indoors. She doesn't want to get sneezed on or suchlike. Being outdoors should be fine though.

Her treatment cycle is 5 sessions, once every 3 wks. Will she be able to cope with the DC's when she's sick or shall I take them for a few days. I am waiting to pick her up now, she has been here since 11am, bless her.

Oh Jenny, I am sorry your sister is having to go through this, the women on here are fab though with lots of advice.

I went for the lemon tart in the end it was lovely.

The letter is complete and in the post. I wrote it, then edited all the venom and fury out in respect of the CXO of local authority as it will get me nowhere. I would quite like to invite MP to visit new school to see what a good Headteacher looks like, but I won't stress the Head with that idea just yet.

Jenny, every person reacts differently to FEC. Some are pretty fine on it and can carry on through nearly every day. Others aren't and have all sorts of difficulties. The best thing is to let her know you're there, and keep in touch, and be on hand in case of difficulty. I had four lots of FEC recently and it wasn't too bad for me (though I won't say it was the best experience of my life!!), but I have a teenager rather than young children. I'm pretty sure she'll value people being there if she needs them...

Well done sparkles - for doing the letter and for being wiling to be moderate.

Jenny - it is hard to say. Does she have a supportive partner? I do and, together, we were fine managing my dd. I only have one, though. She was 6 at the time.

It depends on how sick she will feel as well, and you cant really know that until she has had a cycle. I was pretty OK - nauseous, but not sick. As a rule of thumb, they say you are often about as sick as you were when pregnant, oddly. And that was true in my case. I would say it would be good if you could be on standby each time - in case the first one is not good, and also later, as the tiredness is cumulative.

You do sound like a good sister. Bloody well done.

Hi jenny
I've just had my first course of FEC . And about 12 hours after it I was very sick . And continued to be sick through the night .
I phoned the oncology helpline number that my hospital gave me and they brought me straight back in . They put up a bag of saline to rehydrate me . And then fixed me up with a syringe driver that dispenses anti sickness meds 24 hours per day .
I kept that for 5 days , the district nurses came out to my house and refilled it every day . And it was brilliant . Within an hour of having it I was eating a bowl of soup !

I also have 2 children , 8 and 12 . My 12 year old is pretty self sufficient and entertained himself .
But my 8 year old needs more imput . So I booked her into a drama summer scheme (already on summer hols here) . And I'm glad I did that because although I felt mainly ok , the anti sickness drugs make you quite sleepy .

So basically , stand by . If she feels ill , step in .
Hope this helps .

Cakes, what's DD's new class teacher like? Are they going to be good at sitting on her? Sod all you can do about it though, so chill and enjoy the summer, then sharpen your pen..

Sparkle, YEAY for letter in post. I hope you get a reply. Regardless though, it's fantastic DS is so much happier.

MAS is this new research into BC and alcohol or the same as came out a few months ago?

Jenny, I had 3xFEC and my main problem was nausea. I was like Topsy, so couldn't keep anything down which was exhausting. I have one DS who was 6 at the time. What helped lots was someone taking him out for a few hours each day, so that I could collapse if I needed to. if can you do that it'll mean a lot. Tell her to take whatever anti sickness drugs she's been given even if she's feeling okay. Once it's started it's hard to stop.

well done sparkle !
BCC website had posted a link to the DM story o n the research- will link to it..I think it pretty much comes down to the same thing- everything in moderation www.dailymail.co.uk/hea​lth/article-2015844/Alcohol-ra​ises-risk-breast-cancer-death.​html#ixzz1SRvChvs9
Will I have to look in a copy of The Sun tomorrow in case ?

Ooooh she wasn't very sick during pregnancy so that's good. She has been given anti sickness tablets and steroids, but she has to go in for a blood transfusion tomorrow.

cakesandale her partner committed suicide in January so she doesn't have any other help. It's literally been the worst year of our lives.

The hospital are not very understanding about childcare issues. They keep asking if she anyone who can pick them up from school ect. I can't do that as my DC go to a different school so it's very tricky coordinating things.

Thanks everyone as well, I am getting a better idea now of what it will be really like.

Oh Jenny, that's terrible. Can't imagine how she's coping with BC on top of losing her husband. Is she very anaemic? I'm guessing that's the reason for the blood transfusion. If so that might well make her feel a lot better. Please tell her to come and natter to us. I know talking to others really helped me get through. You keep talking to us too - at the very least we can try and give you helpful tips. Between us we're quite a resource on coping with this bloody disease. Fingers crossed she won't get hit by sickness.

jenny that's terrible- poor sister Do tell her to join in here if it'll help,and you are of course more than welcome -you sound a brilliant sister to have