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

[MaryAnnSingleton]

new thread here !

oh that's sad about giving up tapdancing- it always looks such brilliant fun..
I agree- it's just a case of getting on with it- you have no choice. There;s a local BC support group in my town called 'Bravefront' which always makes me feel a bit
Cakes- have replied !

Our local group is called Bosom Pals, bleargh!

at Bravefront and Bosom Pals. - the 'battle' thing always gets me too, - as MAS says you have no choice in the matter.

It's a shame and must be very frustrating that you've had to give up your tap dancing Columbia, but great that you are enjoying your amdram exploits - you must be a good singer too if you are in musicals. My DS is very involved in theatre, he gets loads of fun out of it.

DD has decided to cull her belongings since she got back from uni. she's realised she doesn't need loads of stuff, so is planning a car boot sale I think. She found some old diaries and notebooks from when she was much younger. We have been laughing over some appalling spelling, angst ridden 'poetry' and several grumpy entries starting 'mum wouldn't let me......'

My mum is finally getting an x ray for her knee. She's been fobbed off so much by the GP, and she's in a lot of pain. It stems from when she was blown over by the wind a while ago and landed on concrete. He's finally given her some stronger pain relief, and organised the x-ray, but it makes me cross that she's had to go in several times and its not easy for her to get there. He knows she's a full time carer and that its not really possible for her to rest it. She's hobbling around with a stick at the moment. Grrr.

cakes - I always get the man/woman in the shop to do all the grunt work for me . I have long since accepted my technical weaknesses

No little texts from DH yet today . He would normally text me throughout the day . I guess I should consider myself punished eh

I have a mad craving for a big salad tonight .
Spinach , pine nuts , baby toms , parmesan , and balsamic vinegar .
Maybe with one of those lovely Greek spinach pies , the ones made with feta and filo pastry .
I just know you suggestable lot will be hitting Waitrose shortly hunting for ready made filo

Maybe I could have a new career (post chemo) in product placement ???

I too am getting worried about pink - yoohoo , are you out there pinky ?

columbia - my fave ever film was My Fair Lady . I'm going to be singing "Oh Wouldn't it be Lovverly" all afternoon now

kk - glad your mum is getting looked at finally .

I too get the "aren't being so brave" thing all the time .
What do people expect me to do ?
Take to my fainting couch with my smelling salts ?
We have all been dealt a crappy hand , but we are dealing with it all the best way we can . With our usual grace and good humour .
Oh and wine and cake !

Your poor mum KK, the medics are very good at fobbing people off for what they see as trivial things, aren't they? I fell really badly in September 2008 and landed heavily on my right (lymphedema) side; messed up my intercostal muscles and could never sleep on my right side from then on. I lost the grip in my right hand so went to the walk-in centre; they were concerned so sent me to A&E for an X-ray. I sat there for four and a half hours, only to be told by the nurse that I didn't need an X-ray. She put a sling on my arm, gawd knows why, and sent me home without even any pain relief.
The pain in my shoulder and neck lingered on and on, but nobody cottoned on to anything. I had a really bad nerve pain all down my right arm, which was referred pain from my neck, and they sent me to the physio, who messed about with it for three months and then gave up. I finally went to an osteopath, paying dearly for the privilege, to try to get some relief. It was him that found the lump behind my armpit and advised me to get it checked out. This was early 2010. After finally getting some scans and proper investigations done, they found what was wrong. Oh and the small matter of only having about one working vertebra in my neck; if it had collapsed, I could be paralysed by now.
Two years of agonising pain before they found out what was really going on, when if that stupid nurse had just sent me for an X-ray, they might have found it all sooner. The neurosurgeons said that it had been in my bones for quite a long time. Blimey, I'm really rambling now, but in a nutshell: don't be fobbed off. We have had our bodies a long time and we know when something isn't right.
Just thought of another excruciating group name, the Wakefield BC group is called Breast of Friends!!!

That is appalling Columbia, - and for you, and I totally agree - we are the experts when it comes to our own bodies.

at Breast of Friends, - just remembered that we have a 'Keeping Abreast' reconstruction group.

Columbia- that is terrible
and yes,we know our own bods pretty well,having been in them all our lives.
Poor mum KK - she has so much on her plate too -grrr

The staff choir sang the Ascot gavotte thing from My Fair Lady at the concert -they are really good too- the art teacher has a very good voice- two boys with a cut-out camel galloped past at the racing bit.
They (school) are also staging Les Miserables next week- the boy playing the lead is quite charismatic- very tall yr 10 or 11 -he sang in the first recital ds did and was quite cocky and laid back.

Breast of Friends is awful as is Keeping Abreast. I couldn't bring myself to join Bravefront

We should have a competition to see who can come up with the best BC group name; or rather two, so we can see the worst ones and come up with some better ones!

good idea !

Columbia heck!

Is there a fainting couch? Can I have a quick lie down on it with the smelling salts - have just done a bit of a record speed back from a meeting .

Did someone say cake, by the way??

More available to go with it...

am breaking out the digestives shortly...

Hello! Thought I'd pop in. just had a brief read through of everyone's gossip and am delighted that what with hi-jinks and drama on camping hols, arrogant authors, cheese scones, hair regrowth and softees making a bid for freedom then all seems to generally normal on here. The whole page is peppered with smilies which is what I was hoping to see!

I'm still on MN but in disguise.

just wanted to let you know that I'm doing OK. Really hating tamoxifen but sticking with it. Herceptin no. 16 due tomorrow. Looking into recon options.

Today's an exciting day chez Pennies. I'm going to Take That tonight and I got offered a job. it's a TA role at my children's school so I'm thrilled to bits with it. I had my interview this week and I didn't really do as well as I hoped but it seems they liked me. I think a lot of new employers would have chucked my application out when they saw the C word but I am incredibly fortunate in that they have gone beyond that and given me a great opportunity. Hurrah!

(whispers) hi Pennies and well done on new job- brilliant !! so glad you're doing ok -we miss you,but quite understand you wanting to get on
take care xxx

Ha! So much for my disguise. I really am a muppet aren't I! Don't tell anyone tho!

Hello Pennies MonkeyJungleConga. Brilliant to hear about the new job, and that you're nearly at the end of herceptin - good going and well done

of the Take That concert - have fun, I'm sure you will.

It's great to hear from you, and that you sound so cheerful, - good luck with the job, and lots of love xx

Hi Monkeyjungle! I told them all you were OK. It is good to see you back - and see, as usual, you have a couple of really, really top things going on!

Enjoy Take That and congratulations on the job!

I have spiralled into a quick depression over my problems with email on the BlackBerry. I HATE the fact that technology always defeats me. I am going to a seminar on Blogging tonight - God knows why, I expect it'll be all greek to me. Honestly I feel like weeping over it. Mad, isn't it? Don't indulge me though, I'll sort myself out in a bit.

Loving the new name, Monkey. And hooray for the new job. Take That's an excellent way to celebrate. Apparently I was drunkenly dancing to them in some Edinburgh gay club a few weeks ago.

Cakes, virtual slap. Get to the shop and let some techno geeky young person sort it. You'll make them feel good about themselves, so think of it as a service to youth.

Columbia that's shocking the way you were treated. You'd have thought with your history of BC someone would have clicked. Even without that it's absurd not to get a simple diagnostic x-ray. G'ah to them. And top comments on the 'You're so brave' guff. This is definitely the right thread for you. I can tell you speak our language.

Too many posts on here to keep up - DS's school closed due to strike, so we've been hiding out at the park. Quite fun, but am a bit stressed about work, so had better get on as I have a whole hour to try and make sense of things.

Hi Columbia, You have had a shocking time. I am so sorry to read all that you have gone through. You are in a good place being here, with these fab women!

Topsy I hope you are feeling better about dh and he has come out of fuckwitted zone and back to being reasonable. Men really can be plonkers sometimes can't they....

Can I just have a rant too. I got a letter from Hospital Emergency department in response to my complaint about how they handled ds on his last emergency admission. How is it that in a letter which they admit they and the ambulance crew did not complete necessary examinations of ds, they can still make it read that I have made a big fuss about nothing. Checking ds for neurological symptoms is vital given his spinal instablity.....I could scream at them. And on another rant......I got the referral appt for the spinal specialist, promised for over 18months for ds. The hospital rheumatlogists now wants me to explain why ds will be attending this appt to the local ortho surgeon in case the local mans "feelings are hurt".....I am thinking about saying we are going to this appt becuase this specialist has been recommended for ds's rare condition send everything you have to him now! Like I give a flying......about his "feelings", and why should I be the one to do this.....Or AIBU?

Sorry rant over, been a long day, and no for days now....hand shaking will be setting in soon.

Sorry big congrats "monkey" on the new job.....

Ooh I think I'm going to like it here! I belong to a BC group on Facebook that was transplanted when MSN closed all its groups, but it's very American and way too Goddy for me. They are really nice women but I don't get all the thanking god for everything, when I felt like doing a Basil Fawlty fist-shaking to the skies "Oh thank you God, thank you so bloody much!" when I got the first and second diagnosis. I'd probably get excommunicated if I said that though

Nah, on that basis I've been trying to get excommunicated for years and it's not happened yet. God likes a bit of honesty, I reckon.

sparkle, nope, you are not unreasonable at all.

sparkle - grrrrrr to hospital people . Don't get me started on how they think we are all sitting around waiting for them to crook their finger at us !

columbia - have you not been told about our evening prayer group ? We join hands at 10pm every evening and sing Nearer My God To Thee
(Took me a heck of a long time to think of a hymn that wasn't a Christmas carol emoticon !!!)

Dh now home from work . His mood seems to have improved dramatically .
I shall allow him his blip . But if he does it again I shall set the squirrels on him !

Have appointment at the hospital tomorrow at 1.30pm for a CT scan .
And so it all starts

Flying in to say good luck with scan tomorrow Topsy. Remember my wee tip - if nothing else it might make you smile amidst it all.

Sparkle, both your moans completely valid. Have a . Not surprised you're ranting.

According to Topsy it's evening prayer in 2 minutes. Think I'll watch the news instead.

@Topsy: Oh dear, what a shame, I appear to have arrived too late for evening prayer!