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

[MaryAnnSingleton]

new thread here !

It looks beautiful Cakes (even sideways ), - great to have you back, and I'm glad you had a lovely holiday. Have a great birthday dinner tonight

Very sorry to hear about your friend though, - bastard cancer

Bastard indeed. I have no details except that she did not need to have chemo, thankfully. I will find out more when she returns from her own holiday - apparently in a very hippyish VW camper van. DH is beyond jealous as he is an old hippy too

You lot have been chatty as usual while I have been away, I am hoping I didn't miss too many laughs. I am quite certain I have missed out on some wise words and a lot of cake, however.

Time to catch up on all your news. Off I go....

yes,even sideways it looks fab ! You have missed at least one coffee and walnut cake I know...

Glad your holiday was fab cakes . Jura is on my list of places I want to go to .
So sorry to hear about your friend . Tell her to come and play on here if she wants to .

Anyone get really dizzy after chemo ?
I am almost 1 week post my 2nd course of FEC , and yesterday and today I have been really really dizzy . To the point where today I have had to sit in a chair to make dinner . (Before we all shout at DH for letting me , he walked in from work and found me like that and told me off )
Could I be getting a bit anaemic ?
Do I need to inform anyone ?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAKES!! and welcome back. Love the sound of Jura, and you deserved the good weather, though am a bit jealous - even sideways it looks fantastic. Sorry to hear about your friend though. I'd bet there's some comfort for her in the fact that you're through it all. Bet you'll be able to help her loads.

Kurri, Endocrinologist sounds like a sensible person to see and it's good they're on it. Hope the Beta Blockers do their stuff for now.

Framey, so pleased to hear your mum's on her feet again. you must be relieved the op's over.

Marion that's a shame that you didn't make it to the caravan. Will keep my fingers crossed for Thursday going smoothly. How many more does she have to get through?

Topsy, I was dizzy with anaemia, so I'd say it's possibly that. Call the unit and see what they make of it. How's the lack of hair feeling now? Are you wearing the wig or a scarf?

MAS, have a good time at SIL's. Hope you feel calmer once you've got there.

Too many of you to keep up with, so waving to all others. Hope everyone's alright tonight. I had a hell of a time getting to my meeting. Four hours to do a one hour journey, as they cancelled all the trains due to a landslide. Failed to get to the meeting, but the upside was a lovely evening with very old friends. Didn't get to bed until 3am, so feel a bit ropey tonight, but v.much worth it.

sorry to hear about missed meeting smee- was it the rain ? I think an fb friend was trying to get somewhere too and was held up for ages...anyway,it sounds as though you had a very good time with friends !
Take care all of you -will check in when I can xxxx

btw am packing bran flakes and dried prunes as MIL doesn't do much roughage

Morning ladies. It's me Figgyroll, back from the wilderness.

I've purposely been AWOL for a while in an attempt to get my head together. The last three FEC chemo sessions knocked me for six. The sickness was terrible and brought me right down, especially as I thought they weren't doing their job and shrinking the darn thing. The last session was especially bad as the canula leaked and has damaged the veins in my hand and arms. It has left me with pains and phlebitis. But the oncologist and surgeon are pleased that the lumps have shrunk and I am having my mx and node clearance on Friday. Eeekk!!!!!!! I'm as ready as I'll ever be, have had a couple of meetings with the BC nurse so know what to expect and just want it over with.

I don't think I will be able to catch up on everyone's news as it's been weeks since I last popped in and there are hundreds of posts to read, but I really hope that you're all well, coping with your treatments and enjoying the nice weather we're finally having.

Figgy xxx

Enjoy your trip (and the roughage) MAS

Sorry about the abortive business trip Smee, at least you salvaged the best bit

Topsy - Jura is truly stunning. Put it to the top of your list. it is supposed to always rain but we saw it with not a cloud on it, in hot, hot sun. We spent the day on the beach, with white sand and a green sea, and seals splashing noisily about 20 feet out. Then had a lovely meal in the hotel. Bliss. We spent most of the week on Islay which is golden eagle central. i can really, really, recommend it all. Bugger to get to, though. It'll be different for you of course, but i was chatting to a guy on MN about it and he recommended the best hotel stops en route etc, which made it all a bit easier.

On the giddiness front - what Smee said.

KK, I am so glad you are off to get that sorted out. It sounds horrid and has gone on long enough.

Cross post figgy. Blimey, you have been through the mill I am so pleased the shrinkage news is good, and that you are on to the next round.

Most of all I am pleased to see you back, we've really missed you.

I will be thinking of you and rooting for you. Let us know how it goes when you can - that's a rhetorical question, by the way, I am confident it will go just fine

Great to see you back Figgy, but it does sound as if you've had a rough time - lots of luck for Friday, let us know how you are getting on and don't worry about catching up - just jump back in

MAS have a lovely break, good planning to take roughage, - I have the opposite problem at my mother's, - everything is roughage - I have to pack immodium

Cakes - I am beyond jealous of your holiday it sounds wonderful, Golden Eagles - wow! I bet they are an impressive sight.

topsy,- I had some dizziness on chemo, - on a precautionary note do be careful, I had a couple of tumbles just doing things like tying my shoelaces, - so take things gently. And def. worth mentioning to the unit in case it is something like anaemia. Hope you're feeling better today.

Smee - it sounds as if you had an eventful trip, sorry you missed your meeting, but catching up with friends sounds much more fun

I've been to yoga this morning - the teacher is going to make me a relaxation tape which will be nice. - I actually managed to get some sleep last night, I think the pills are kicking in - on the other hand I do feel a bit spaced out - which isn't necessarily a bad thing

Yay for sleep, KK. Relaxation tape sounds good, too. DH has trouble sleepng - he listens to a little wind up radio with ear phones in - he says that something called 'Up all Night, with Dalton Adabayou (sp?) ' is a sure fire cert to get you back to the land of nod.

I must say, though, it can be a bit disconcerting waking up in the middle of the night to a strange glow in the bed, because he has left it on and drifted back off to sleep

Heck Figgy, was wondering if you were okay and suspected you weren't. Fantastic you got to the end of chemo though and HOO-FLAMIN'-RAY for shrinkage. I had mx and node clearance before chemo, so it's a distant memory now, but ask any questions you want. It honestly was nowhere near as bad as I'd feared though. So glad you're vaguely in one piece.

about Jura and Islay, Cakes. Bet you didn't want to return. Did you see lots of eagles then? Am guessing so.

MAS, I take roughage when we visit my mum. I thought I was the only person who'd go to such lengths.

Kurri, yoga sleeping sounds good. Maybe it is the beta blockers kicking in.

DS at a holiday camp for today and tomorrow with one of his best friends, so I have time to work. Better get on, as have to pick him up in an hour..

Wish I'd booked dd into one of those, she's bored rigid already, only 24 hours after getting back

Yup, we saw eagles left, right and centre. Lots of buzzards too of course, but we have those round here so not quite so interesting. Certainly 7 or 8 encounters with eagles (albeit briefish, they can't half move), plus our first hen harrier, a brace of puffins, and brilliant red deer with huge antlers around every second rock. Even a little walk along a track to a wood was full of frogs and lizards. Even people who crash noisily through the undergrowth like us can't fail to see stuff up there.

Sounds wonderful, Cakes. Where did you stay? Did you rent a cottage or something? DS is only doing two days at the holiday play thing. First year he's been happy to do it, and am hugely relieved as he loved it. Tomorrow they're going on a trip. Ice Skating I think, though he said they might be going to a Builders' Merchants. Not sure he's got that quite right.

Anything's possible, but ice skating sounds more fun for my money. But you never can tell, of course

We rented a cottage in Port Ellen. It was little but great for what we wanted, and it was right by the Singing Sands which I have wanted to visit for ever. Sounds so romantic. The sand is really, really full of silica there so it is supposed to squeak underfoot, and sort of sigh in the wind. Not a peep when we went, but it is very, very beautiful all the same. it has little tiny wild goats on it, and sometimes great big horned highland cattle as well

I could wax on all day but you'll be relieved to hear I won't

Hi everyone, bit worried about my Mum. She came home from hospitalb this afternoon and has been feeling very sick, she doesn't want anything to eat. I'm staying at her house tonight to look after her. Not sure if I should ring doctors or anything? Or the ward. Is this normal? Her op was on Monday so I don't know. Not sure what to do.

Ring the ward Framey and ask them, - it may very well be a normal reaction to the anaesthetic, but IME they would always rather you phone and it turned out to be nothing, than sit and worry.

Hope she feels better soon.

Hi Framey, sorry to hear your Mum is not feeling very good. I don't think it is that surprising, there is still anaesthetic in her system and it is mighty hot, which doesn't help. Both can make you a bit sick.

But I would just check with the ward. They should know if she has eaten and drunk OK between the op and now, and also should be able to give you things to look out for. Just in case it is an infection, or something (which I doubt, but best to be sure). Try to keep her drinking plenty though, to flush the anaesthetic through and keep her hydrated. She may just be too tired to bother, she's been through a lot. She's lucky to have you there, but i'm sure she knows that.

Framey, hope you've called them. I think it's pretty normal after a GA, but best to check. She is v.lucky to have you. You take care of both of you. x

Cakes, feel free to keep going on. You've quite transported me. So daftly hot here. Kurri, I've solved the sweaty knickers problem. Got so fed up with feeling yuk that I took them off.

Smee - there has been a certain amount of commandoing in this house also I have constructed a fan tower (fan balanced on top of bucket) in my bedroom so cool air is directed onto my back while I fail to sleep.

We've just had a big thunder storm which has helped slightly, DH is in a state of panic because the PC isn't working, and being unable to do his competitions (current obsession) has got him worked up, - I wouldn't change him for the world but having a partner it Asperger's can be tiring occasionally!

Haven't phoned them yet as she feels a bit better. She's just had a little bit to eat now so I'll see how she goes over the next few hours. Thanks everyone

Framey, do you think maybe she's just overwhelmed? I remember having a massive dip when I came out of hospital after mastectomy. I was incredibly relieved to be home, but once I'd curled up all safe, the shock of what I'd been through hit me - by which I mean diagnosis as well as the op.

Kurri, hope computer works again soon then. And no knickers only works with a skirt for me and if I'm walking around. What do we do to sit, etc?! I do like the sound of your fan tower. DS has commandeered ours, but I will snaffle it back once he's asleep.

Hi I have been lurking around here for the past year. Had a mastectomy, 6 doses of FEC, 20 radiotherapy doses and now, since April, Tamoxifen. I have had the most terrible flushes, very embarrassing at work ( secondary teacher) so 3 weeks ago my GP put me on Dixarit. It has been like a miracle! I have not had even one for the past week but the two people I spoke to who have been on Tamoxifen for 3+ years were both shocked I was on it and muttered darkly about side effects. My GP told me to come back if I felt dizzy and says he wants to see me monthly to monitor my BP but I am so much happier and positive since I have taken it. Does anyone know what the problem is with this drug and why my friends were so negative? Thanks

Hello IloveGC. Nice to see you here, though sorry you are too iyswim. I was given Clonidine by my GP recently, which is also known as Dixarit (I think!). Side effects are Headaches, Tiredness, Depression, Low Blood Pressure, Insomnia amongst other things. I had gone to my GP about dizziness/ an ear infection rather than menopause, so I was already dizzy! I also have quite low BP already, so was loathed to take it. I'd actually only mentioned my hot flushes in passing, but the GP prescribed it anyway. Haven't taken it though, so it's interesting to hear it works!