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

[MaryAnnSingleton]

new thread here !

Sausage sandwiches for lunch Chez topsy .
Tomato sauce or mustard ?

And I found telling my DC the hardest part too shoormal
But don't they amaze you with how well they cope ?

Hi Shoormal. Arrgh re joining this merry club, but splendid people aplenty here. Hope you get further good news when you next see the consultant. Me, I'm 47, one 18 yr old ds, live in the central South, dx in early Feb this year and most of the way through chemo with surgery and possible radiotherapy still ahead of me. Nothing in the nodes but mine's an aggressive rude sort so they're hitting it with everything in the cabinet. Doesn't stop me getting into all sorts of mischief though

Depends what sort you have re the HRT, I think. Mine wasn't hormone-related in that way, some others might be. No doubt there'll be more detail if you need it.

aplenty and a nice slice of cake of exactly the right sort....any takers?

Me, please, amber. I am not even too fussed about the kind of cake - it's all good and much needed because......

I am pressing ahead with learning about all things technological and social media related. just had an intro to blogging and it is making my head hurt. I am booked onto a seminar on Thursday night too, but I have to go on Twitter to find out the location. WTF??? Why couldn't they just tell me when I paid the money? It's some kind of test, right?

mmm cake..... and sandwiches..... and tea, count me in.

the thunder has just started here at last (phew)

Oh yes cakes - its a test, twitter (squeaks nervously - no idea how you do that).

Think I'd better unplug the computer now (rumble rumble)

ah,shoormal you're here -welcome !
Ds home soon so must crack on- but my resume - I was dx 2 years ago with grade 2 invasive ductal carcinoma and dcis, had some nodes removed but they were clear,and a WLE - followed by radiotherapy and tamoxifen -so BC lite as Cakes says-I am a few years older than you and that seems to make the difference between being offered chemo or not (similarly diagnosed people who are younger have been offered it is what I mean !)
Your dx so far sounds promising and good so let's hope you get good news !

I wonder about Pennies,LJ and LGF and haggis - hope they are doing well - if they're lurking then help yourselves to some cake !

I do twitter -it's an odd thing but actually have built up interesting contacts and many other illustrators -so it seems to be a good thing.
KK my friends on facebook can see the card - but my settings are for friends only (so that'll include tamoxifen pals !)
shoormal -are you on fb ? we have a Tamoxifen group there too.

I have also been known to give the odd tweet (some odder than others). And I did blog for a while but then decided against it. Running the website is enough hassle, and moderating elsewhere.

I used to tweet , but started running out of hours in my day . What with Facebook , mumsnet etc !
Have to spend some time with the kids I suppose

Another stupid question for the chemo gurus .
Will I get pushed into menopause by chemo ?
Not wanting any more dc (shudders at the thought of sleepless nights again) , but was just wondering what to expect ?

I have been pushed into the menopause by it. It's great!! Well, it is for me, because I used to have Terrible Trouble, IYSWIM. Now, nothing. Hurrah! But that's a very individual response. Some people have very good reasons to feel about the prospect.

PS my hair is growing back on Tax chemo. That's not supposed to happen

Not sure about the chemo, but definitely the tamoxifen does push you into menopause. And strangely, I am not remotely bothered. The hot flushes are a bit of a git, but if your BC is very hormone receptor positive (as mine was) the thought of oestrogen levels falling is really quite a comfort. Especially of you don't want more dc.

I'm going to have to address this tweeting lark. I know I am. Sigh. I'll look into it tomorrow.

In other news, my attempts to declutter carry on apace. I have just (well, half an hour ago) hauled dh off his pooter to clear out the cupboard where we keep all the Boxes Of Computer Stuff. Now all the bins are full but we have more cupboard space. it's kind of like when you are constipated,and then you take a dose of lactulose and the floodgates start to open. What a relief.

PS - amber - hooray for hair returning!

Is it just lulling me into a false sense of security, though? Will I wake up after Tax 3 and find it's all sneaked off again? Oh well, it'll regrow properly eventually

Tweeting's fine. As long as you don't use more than 140 characters per post.

amber - yay for returning hair !

cakes - I'm non hormone receptor . So I won't be put on Tamoxifen . Still waiting for my Herceptin markers to come back to see if I am positive for that .

S'not fair !
I want a menopause

PS - my computer cupboard is a bit scarey . Reminds me of that phrase from ColdComfort Farm (I think that's what it was !)
"There's something nasty in the woodshed"

That's my computer cupboard . We don't go in there ...........

Topsy, it was tamoxifen that set off my menopausal symptoms too. (At least hot flushes aplenty, and aches and pains, - I'd had a hysterectomy several years before so no periods anyway). A friend of mine who has non-hormone receptive BC didn't get menopausal after her chemo, but has since had a hysterectomy (which she was booked in to have when they found her lump) and she now has the menopause. Play it by ear, I think is the not very helpful answer from me

Amber -good that your hair is growing back, some of the drugs don't affect hair quite as much as others, ( I don't know about tax, I didn't have that), but anyway, I think you will hang on to it now its returning, I hope so

The storm has just about stopped now, electricity went off, but it's much cooler now thank goodness and the garden has had a good water. And the dog has gone back to sleep - she's not scared of thunder, but she feels she has to bark at it

Oh Cold Comfort Farm- a big favourite of mine ! Aunt Ada Doom and all...
Early tea tonight as it's concert at school -ds has made a huge pasta thing instead of paella -yay ! so no rice conundrums -though he does have prawns in it.

Good luck to DS for his concert MAS, hope you enjoy it and its not too hot.

thanks KK - I might take my paper fan to waft the air around

good plan

And good luck with the DS cooked prawns !
If we don't "see" you for a few days , we will know the score

Blimey shoormal, what with separation and breast cancer, am guessing 2011 will never be your favourite year. Stick with us and let us distract you. Your DD sounds fantastic. I'd bet all of this will only bring you closer.

I miss the others too - I messaged LJ the other day, as it's been a while and she must be coming to the end of chemo. She hasn't e'd me back yet.

Topsy, my periods stopped the minute chemo started. Like Amber though, I really don't miss them. I don't think it's the same with everyone though and for a lot of women they come back once chemo's finished. My Onc said just because they've stopped it doesn't mean you're menopausal. I think I must be though, as hot flushes are v.much a fixture. Like Cakes though, am quite comforted by it.

Amber, my hair started growing again on Tax too. Completely freaked me, as I thought it meant it wasn't working, but apparently it's not uncommon. Hooray for hair.

Have a lovely celebration tonight, Kurri. Thunder a plenty here. Am wafting some to MAS for a chilled concert.

Cakes, I don't Twitter. You'll have to fill me in. Any vegetable rage tonight? DS has just reminded me that 'courgettes are wrong.' Ever so tempting to tell him that his favourite pasta sauce is full of them.

Also having problems today with my softee !
I think I must have had a lot of my swelling go down over the last 24 hours , as its all of a sudden not "sitting" right
It keeps appearing at the neck line of the top I am wearing , nearly had to issue an APB in Tesco this evening as I thought it was going to make a run for it

Would it be wrong of me to weight it down with the pastry beads I use for blind baking the quiche cases ???
(I have a strong feeling I may be drinking tonight !)

sounds essential, Topsy. Am imagining the tannoy call in Tescos.