*** TAMOXIFEN * 12 ***

[KurriKurri]

Tada! A shiney new thread - get me with my fancy asterisks

ILGC, you are an inspiration! Well done to ILGC junior, she did brilliantly

And well done to your school kids

Just had a phonecall from my dsister, her ds with whom my dc played yesterday has just come down with chicken pox. I already suspected it, dx confirmed by gp this afternoon, when I looked at him yesterday afternoon and dx CP myself. Ds has had it, but both dds haven't, so dd1 will get it just in time for the start of her new school in a couple of weeks, if she does come down with it. Better now than when she is 18, like her mum! What fun, as Patricia Hidge would say

Is it wine o'clock yet, even if dh isn't home?

Good post Kurri, you wrote exactly what I meant

Thanks Kurri, I agree about grief, and I don't feel the same today, it was just that I had actually forgotten what it was like to feel happy! And when I felt it it was weird but nice to know I still have the capacity for such a positive feeling. Of course today I am paying the price, after the celebratory wine I foolishly agreed to all sorts of rewards for DD, allegedly!!!

"allegedly"

ILCG, well done to your DD on her fab results. No wonder you are a proud mama. And great news about your students' results too. I'm glad yesterday made you feel happy again after your terrible loss in January.

MAS, I was looking in a charity shop last year for some books and spotted a brand-new looking pair of walking shoes - Merrells. They fit perfectly so I bought them for £5. They're over £60 in all the walking shops so I was thrilled with my bargain. A couple of my friends were horrified when I told them but I don't care. . Glad to hear you've got a few commissions to do. Good luck with them. I recommend a pasta type dish with garlic bread, salad and maybe potato wedges if you're a greedy lot followed by some lovely fresh fruit salad.

KK, when is DH back? Can your leak wait till then? It's not looking good, rain-wise over the weekend. I hope you've got enough buckets. The book club sounds right up my street. It's something I'd like to do. I think there is one in our village - I will have to put out feelers.

Cakes, I think I might make a note of that book. It'll make a nice change from the usual boring stuff I read.

DS1 is at the Reading Festival this weekend - he's phoned to say his tent has leaked and he's bunking with some friends, using his tent as a 'beer tent'. He sent me a photo of some guys mud wrestling. I thought one of them was him at first but he assures me it wasn't. DS1 was sick (only once) and needed the loo a lot again today, but I must take him to the doctors next week for a check up. It's not a bug but he gets all hot and clammy just before, then it passes. It's like an IBS type thing but usually only happens once or twice a month but has happened a lot this last week or so.

hello - back after a nice day with dh and ds- lunch out at the same place we went for anniversary dinner and then drove to Midhurst to potter about there -nice town.
ILGC - brilliant results for dd -what a star ! and so happy that your pupils have done so well.. What you said about feeling happy was very touching
Hope ds isn't too damp at Reading figgy - ds 2 is poorly ? poor lamb, hope it passes quickly.
Chicken pox is a bugger when you're an adult- dh caught it -he was covered everywhere in spots and was really very ill.

Thanks for advice about lunch - am just panicking in a foolish way- generally a little panicky because of trying to get work done and thinking of lunch- silly,but I like to feel I'm in control.
Thanks KK for cake link- will think of that,or else I could do my orange polenta cake which is easy and would be nice with creme fraiche...maybe I could do some antipasti type things,salad & nice bread ,then cake ?

Fingers crossed that RS results come tomorrow-anbd that they're ok !

btw- like the sound of the Caitlin Moran book - my bookgroup are quite up for that kind of thing !
Also- have been invited to a party by nice friends -the theme is Punk- live music- all from our era I guess- but obv. we have to dress up. Dh wont be keen and I would find it quite hard- part of me think,oh yes,fun- because I like the hosts v much, but I think I'd find it all really stressful- would it be bad not to go ?

I can't do fancy dress at all, I get very stressed and feel so uncomfortable that I get no pleasure out of the party, so I always, always decline such dos. I am sure your friends would understand.

yep,think you're right sparkle !

Morning all. Kettles on for or two.

You're not alone, MAS, about fancy dress parties. I try to avoid them too, if I can. Far too stressful. I've been to a couple but felt uncomfortable all night long. I wish I could enter into the spirit of things like all my other friends. I used to hate Book Days when the boys were at school too. I thought I'd escaped them now they are older but, as DS1 teaches in a primary school, it's happening all over again.

I spent some time last night reading about letrozole (Femara) which I will start taking once the blood tests confirm that I am indeed post-menopausal. I am keeping fingers and everything crossed that I don't get the side-effects. I'm already suffering from v.v. painful arches on my feet (the oncologist says it's a SE from chemo) so I could do without any extra aches and pains. I can't even take Neurofen Plus at the moment - they've all been withdrawn. I'm a bit about why I'm not starting rads till the end of September which will be over 8 weeks from my op. It seems a long time. Do you think that's a normal wait or should I ring my BC nurse next week?

Poor you Sparkle - I think you are in for two little girls with chicken pox, - I hope they don't get it too badly (my DD escaped with just a few spots, but DS poor thing was covered in them) and what a pain if DD1 has to miss the start of school.

Figgy - I hope DS2 is better soon, and the doc. can give him something for his stomach.
Reading festival will be fun, - but muddy I imagine!

I hope the RS results arrive today MAS.

I don't mind fancy dress parties, but I can imagine they are hell if they are not you sort of thing. If you are going to be uncomfortable, I'd give it a miss - you want to enjoy yourself if you go to a party. The only other suggestion I can think of, is that you do a very token fancy dress (a couple of safety pins in your trousers? ). I'm sure your friends won't care to much if you don't dress up much, - they'd want you to have fun.

DH is back next Thursday. I can't find the flight info. to tell me he's landed safely (they've only got today's arrivals up), and he hasn't e-mailed me, - so will just have to assume all is well.

x-posted Figgy, - that's longer than I had to wait (mine was 3 weeks after I finished chemo), but I had op. before chemo. so it was actually about 10 months after my op.

I suspect it may be to do with making sure everything is healed up - rads. can make your skin very sore, so they'll want everything to have settled down. But if you are concerned ring your BC nurse - (I had to chivvy then to bring my herceptin dates forward because they were faffing around, so its always best to check)

Hi figgy like others I had chemo before radio but I remember that a woman who had her op the same day as mine was told she would have to wait 6 to 8 weeks for radio to start for her wound to heal. But I would check, I have found that everyone is really helpful always!
MAS hope your DS gets his results today. Fancy dress is one of those things like marmite that you either love or hate, personally I hate it!
Hope everyone else has a good Bank Holiday weekend!

think my rads were about a month or so after op so that it could heal - the skin can become really sore and burned so that seems sensible !

postie has been - no results- I've a feeling we'll have to wait until beginning of term- never mind,will stop thinking about it now.

Personally I don't mind wearing the fancy dress, it's trying to find inspiration as to what to wear that i find a bit I'm sure it would be fine to not go, or to go and not wear fancy dress. Punk would be quite easy to do just a bit though - coloured hairspray from Boots, a lot of scruffy back combing, and black eyeliner, and you're there! You'd look a total state, of course, and probably bugger up your hair

ILGC - bloody well done to your dd and your schoolkids. I am glad it put a smile back on your face. That year of firsts after someone very dear dies is terribly hard. Your dh would have been so proud of your dd.

KK - I am sure your dh is fine - no news is always good news at times like this. I hope the rain has stopped and your roof isn't leaking now.

I'm spending this morning writing a magazine for one of DH's clients, while he and dd go and clear out his Mum's shed, which has stuff in it that hasn't seen daylight for about 30 years, so I am home alone until tomorrow. Bliss This afternoon I am off for a spot of NLP - this session is about stress management. DH thinks it's a waste of time as I rarely seem to get stressed, but I think it must just be well hidden because I grind my teeth appallingly. So I thought I'd give this group session a go, and see what's what. If nothing else it's an excuse to just sit and listen to someone for a couple of hours.

yay cakes - have a lovely peaceful time- I wonder whether they'll find any heirlooms ?? Hope you enjoy your NLP this afternoon
Ds is off to cousin's this afternoon until tomorrow- we're going to the cinema !

ILGC - that's fantastic news about your DC's results - I'm glad you could feel so happy and quite right too. Brilliant.

I remember after my father and sister died (within 3 months of each other, a long time ago) thinking I would never really laugh again. I can't remember how long afterwards it was, but quite a long time. We were on holiday with friends and I got the giggles about Tellytubbies (new at the time) and realised I hadn't laughed so much and so unreservedly for about 18 months.

Extremely wet here - will go and harvest my tomatoes and cucmbers.

Figgy- really important to get your wound well healed before starting rads as you're likely to get a minor skin infection during rads even with a well healed wound, so I think this is why one has to wait.

What are you going to see, MAS?

The Inbetweeners !

Brilliant! I LOVE The Inbetweeners - the programme I mean, haven't seen the film but it looks great

will report back...

btw- we need to start thinking of our book in Sept. - my agent was asking us to send her stuff we're working on for the Frankfurt Book Fair,but that's obv. children's book things, but it reminded me

Oh yes I haven't forgotten at all. In fact that's partly why I'm reading the Caitlin Moran book (that makes more sense in my head than it does out loud )

Have fun at the pics MAS

Do you think Dh and DD will come home with a lot of rubbish treasure, that granny has handed over? (I speak has one who always comes home with souvenirs when cleaning out my mums house, - last time it was my dad's old briefcase, with a broken strap!)

Is the book the breast cancer related one? - sounds exciting and fun that you will be working together.

DH has still not e-mailed [grrr], I guess he was pretty tired last night, and today I think there was trip planned up a mountain (remember this is "work" ), so he's probably not had time.

I see the rain has stopped for a minute, so I must dash down to the shop.