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**tamoxifen the 13th**

988 replies

MaryAnnSingleton · 07/09/2011 14:03

here we are- anticipating halloween

OP posts:
cakesandale · 15/09/2011 14:12

Sounds like the kind of friend you'd want to go into battle with Grin

smee · 15/09/2011 15:51

Crumpets all gone? Shock Suppose I'll settle for a tea cake. Pass one over Topsy. Hope the driver's doing its stuff. Have you noticed any difference on the lower dose yet?

MAS, told you so! We called our spider Scarlet and strangely grew to love her. Grin

Heck Earth, that sounds scary. Glad they sorted you promptly.

  • Figgy, poor, poor you. Message for both you and Pink though, as you've reminded me how I had both cracking headaches, and incredible rib pain. Was convinced both were sinister, and anxted so much that they gave me a second CT scan to shut me up reassure me. Was clear and Onc said women get a hell of a lot of aches after chemo as your body's had such a battering.

Hope Amber's okay. Can't believe she'll be out today! Apart from anything else, she'll never get through those biscuits you all packed for her. Smile

Cakes, guitar sounds like an okay choice. DS is angling to learn the drums. I am hoping it's a phase..Grin

Sparkle, I wish you well with the violin. Is DS better today? Did you get to shout at talk to the consultant okay?

janemacer · 15/09/2011 16:20

just had my pathology results two weeks after my lumpectomy and snb and starting tamoxifen today. Googled beer and tamoxifen and hit this page. (beer 'cos I'm out tonight celebrating lymph nodes being clear). funny thing is, I used to go past the Westley Arms every day going to school in the early 1980's. Anyway - Is it a good idea to combine beer and tamoxifen?

MaryAnnSingleton · 15/09/2011 16:29

hello janemacer - hooray for clear nodes !! (and beer is fine with tamoxifen - wine too,as far as I'm concerned !) Are you having rads next ?

OP posts:
smee · 15/09/2011 16:58

Yeay for janemacer!! Another brummie. Beer and Tamoxifen work for me. Smile

pinkstarlight · 15/09/2011 17:11

smee...tell me about it so far today ive thought im having a heart attack,pleurisy,secondries and heartbone (why do i tell everyone else not to google)i had a ct scan and heart tests in hospital as i came down with a chest infection and both were clear.is that it now am i going to turn into a raving looney who always thinks the worst.will add rib pain to my list to bombard the gp with tomorrow.

janemacer..hi sorry i dont know much about tamoxifen as its something that wont work in my case,but theres lots of ladies here that do know. great news your nodes are clear.

still got this stupid rib ache feels very tight so annoying ,dd is on way home again after going back to her uni town for a few days so really looking forward to having her back home again not sure if i dare mention i need to go bra shopping again poor girl has been dragged all over town on a few occasions while she tries hard to offer support lol.

pinkstarlight · 15/09/2011 17:17

im seriously gurgling so could be either indigestion or seroma pressure,someone needs to tell me to shut up.

janemacer · 15/09/2011 17:22

Great - that is 2 votes for the beer and tamoxifen. cheers ;) I haven't started the rads yet but that is the plan - have appointment next week for planning - involving a small tatoo for positioning I think. Never had a tatoo before, but do have one dd learning violin and ds just off to uni ...

KurriKurri · 15/09/2011 18:17

Hi janemacer, - great you have clear nodes, and good luck with your rads. I second (third, fourth, fifth????) beer and tamoxifen. I wouldn't recommend getting guttering drunk every night, but the odd glass or two won't harm Grin) The only thing you need to avoid is grapefruit, in fruit or juice form, because it decreases the effectiveness of the drug.

Earth you poor thing, I hope that seroma gets sorted out soon, its all been a bit of a nightmare hasn't it? Sad have you put out any feelers yet about seeing your notes?

Figgy, also hope you are feeling better and the ab's kick in soon, what rotten luck to get an infection.

amber, here's hoping everything went very smoothly and you are sitting up in bed enjoying toast and tea. You'll be doing pretty well if you get home today, take it very gently whenever you do get out.

Hope chemo s/e's not too horrid today topsy. Do not run about like mad thing tidying for the district nurse, seriously they will not care,and you'll wear yourself out. Sit and eat crumpets instead, its much more healthy Smile

Good luck to DD with guitar lessons cakes, Smee avoid drums at all costs, DD has drums, I can stand the noise, but they take up the whole of what used to be my nice breakfast room. Plus we have a piano, a set of tabla, guitar, uke, banjo and trumpet. It is instrument central here, no room to move! Plus shelves full of music books.

waving to everyone else, hope you've all had a good day,

Went to yoga this morning, and fell asleep this afternoon Blush

smee · 15/09/2011 18:28

Sleep's better than fainting, Kurri. How are you feeling? + I didn't know the grapefruit thing. Shock Fortunately I don't eat/ drink the juice very often, but still..

janemacer, am guessing clear nodes means you avoided chemo? You must celebrate!! Brilliant result. Beer at the very least. Smile

smee · 15/09/2011 18:41

Pink, don't shut up, moan away - sounds grim. Hope GP is helpful, but honestly I reckon it's just your body heaving a huge sigh of relief that chemo's finished. Sort of good in a bad sort of way. Confused

MaryAnnSingleton · 15/09/2011 19:30

whaaat ? but I have grapefruit always at weekends and grapefruit juice !!
janemacer- there should be three teeny tattoos to mark your position for rads- just little dots - flowers would be prettier !

OP posts:
amberlight · 15/09/2011 20:17

Anyone for a biscuit? Smile
sorry that i'm as much use as an inflatable dartboard for focusing on what everyone's saying right now but hope the [biscuits] and Brew will make up for it.
Out. Home. Fine! I bounce back from anaesthetic really fast. Family keeping a close eye on me though.

What a palaver ! Because it had to be a wire guided WLE and the marker for the tumour was hiding last time, it took 1.5 hrs of ultrasound/local anaesthetic, wire feeding and mammogram before I was ready for the actual surgery. That's gone ok, but Mr Surgeon has now confessed that the lump was right at the back next to the chest wall Shock so no wonder they looked worried sick at the start of all this process in February. Grade 3 next to chest wall is not so good for calculating early odds.

Results Thurs next week to find out if they got the rest of the margins. There'lll def be a need for that radiotherapy and herceptin.

topsyturner · 15/09/2011 20:39

Crikey amber , I am gobsmacked that you are home so quickly ! You go woman !

janemacer - I am sure you are a gibbering mess in a gutter somewhere by now Grin but my advice would be , go forth and celebrate lady . You have earned it !

kk - sounds like a much better day today . Make sure you look after yourself .

I was fine this morning , but this afternoon I went a little wobbly .
DD took one look at me when I picked her up from school and said "you don't look well mummy" .
So I lay down on the sofa for the afternoon .

Have terrible heartburn . Got it on my last chemo too .
Have just taken another zantac and nearly a pint of milk !

DH just home from work and he has brought a chinese takeaway .
Not sure if I am ready for that , but nice thought .

Hope you are all having a good evening , and all those who aren't feeling well , I send you healing vibes . And also crumpets (DH picked up some more on the way home)

smee · 15/09/2011 20:48

Blimey Amber, am impressed!! Must have been a bit of an ordeal though, them fishing around for that long. Chest wall news is a sod, but they're onto it and it's 'close', which means not a lot if they've got it. Glad you're back home and feeling okay. Smile

Topsy, wobbly's not that surprising the day after chemo. You're doing well to do the school pick up at all. Take it easy. x

pinkstarlight · 15/09/2011 20:59

amber...wow amazing that your home already,make sure you take it easy.

topsy..i had that burning acid they can give you something much stronger,gaviscon etc didnt even touch it.

amberlight · 15/09/2011 21:02

I bounce back v fast from anaesthetics and it was always supposed to be day surgery as a WLE wire guided thingy. Was chatting away to the other recovering patients 10 mins after getting out of surgery, and dressed and out by 6pmish. It's also why filling me with sedatives does nothing at all - I'm always wide awake for sedated procedures. I'm just a very odd person (no comments Grin )

smee · 15/09/2011 21:08

Wish I was as odd as you. Grin

KurriKurri · 15/09/2011 22:03

Well done amber, or should call you superwoman? Grin So pleased its all done and you are home , take things easy, eat plenty of biscuits, they are very good for you (trust me I'm a fatperson model Grin).

topsy, wobbly is to be expected, the heartburn is horrible, hope it feels better tomorrow. Is there anyone who can do the school pick up for you tomorrow?

Hope you are feeling better tomorrow too pink, its totally normal to panic about every ache and pain, especially while its still relatively early days, it does get a little bit better with time.
It'll be great to have your DD home tomorrow Smile

cupcaked · 15/09/2011 22:32

Lovely to see lots of familiar faces, still dispensing the same kindness and support that got me through my chemo and rads last summer and autumn! So sorry to all you new ladies that you have had to join this little (not so little..) club. I know where many of you are at the minute, having been there last year. Now pretty much my only reminders of those dark days are short hair and lack of stamina. Otherwise I am pretty much the same as I was prior to BC (and on reflection never thought I would be able to say that). I am back at work, though still part time for now. Sons keeping me busy, with issues ranging from UCAS forms and ex-girlfriends to marioKart.
Someone asked about herceptin: I had my 3rd last herceptin yesterday, generally you get a year of it and mine started last November. It is wee buns, no side effects to speak of. Still hot flushing on the blasted tamoxifen however :/
I will look in on you all once a week to find out how many packs of giant buttons MAS has managed to pack away! SR and Smee, my chemo running mates, have you managed to leave it all behind you yet?? Or should I read through those threads 7-13 to find out? (13 wow, didn't think I had been awol that long..)
Much love to you all. You kept me sane last year, when no-one else seemed to understand how it was, someone on here always did xxx

smee · 15/09/2011 22:50

Waving enthusiastically to cupcaked. Smile Am just shutting down for the night, but will post more tomorrow.

MAS watch out for Gully..

MaryAnnSingleton · 15/09/2011 23:02

me too (off to bed) but fab to see you cupcaked Grin ! Giant buttons are 99p in Sainsbury's - bargain !
Amber- I had the wire guide thing which was a kerfuffle,most alarming then to have a mammo with a wire stuck in. Then the nuclear tracer thing which took ages. Am so glad you are up and about - try not to fret about anything and relax if you can.

OP posts:
cakesandale · 16/09/2011 09:31

Much enthusiastic waving to cupcaked! Great to see you back and fighting fit (or getting there)!

And amber, it is very good going to be up and out and posting so quickly. Don't forget to milk all the sympathy and rest out if it that you can. I have custard creams if anyone is interested?

Janemacer, another brummie, I imagine I have missed you but if you come back, I am offering another vote for beer and tamoxifen. It's fine - better than fine in fact, a sanity saver. Welcome to the thread, pull up a chair and dive in, if you'd like to. And it's terrific news about the nodes.

KK, I am gutted about the grapefruit. I love grapefruit. And it is so good if you are fat dieting. Sad Bugger, bugger, bugger.

smee · 16/09/2011 09:50

cupcaked, you sound a lot like me, shorter hair and all. Is yours insanely curly? Mine is - looks like a dodgy perm. I'm pretty good apart from that. Hot flushes a constant annoyance, but I've kind of got used to them now. My only real problem is dodgy feet. They ache constantly and if I don't use them for a while I can barely walk. Not sure what that is - Onc said chemo could still be leaving my system, but my money's on Tamoxifen. Glad to hear the boys are still keeping you busy. I think I'd have slumped far more without mine.

This morning's domestic trauma was spelling. They have 10 words to learn for Friday and nice new teacher decided to start with easy peasy words, but still DS couldn't get them right over toast this morning. Apparently 'what' doesn't have a 'h' and 'come' has a 'u'. Hmm

Giant chocolate buttons for 99p?! [smee rushes for the door]

amberlight · 16/09/2011 09:54

Smee, he has a point. Many of our words aren't said as they are spelled so it's no wonder so many children wonder why we bothered to make them unspellable Grin

Hi Cupcaked and Janemacer!

Slept ok. No pain at all. Jolly good. Bit tired but I think that's to be expected. DH is keeping me under supervision.

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