the 16th ***TAMOXIFEN***thread

[MaryAnnSingleton]

...here we go again

Waves back to jane
Thinks keeping the knitting inside the bag for the rush hour train journey is a very good idea . Imagines commuters being impaled , then thinks well it's one way to make sure you get a seat ... ?

The seats are too narrow for average sized people as it is. The side where there are groups of six seats are hardly ever fully occupied because you don't want to sit that close to people you are not intimately related to!

Hello everyone and thanks for the messages! DeeScent I was told yesterday that the surgeon will be writing to my GP by the end of the week and for me to see him for Tamoxifen next week, so bascially I'm starting Tamox asap. I will have an appointment to see a rads specialist "who will explain the benefits", then the planning appointment. I don't think rads would be this side of Christmas do you, having had the op last week? I've got a seroma under my arm where they took the 3 snb and it's sore but bearable. It's not red just swollen and I'm keen just to wait and see if my body will deal with it. bcn said to call them if it becomes too much. Anyone had this without having it drained and if so had long before it went? I first noticed it on Friday and it has not gotten any worse since Sunday. Summatontoast, as others have said, you can express anything safely here, repeat yourself constantly and that has been such a help to me. I slept quite well last night but remember part of a dream, we were all colourful tropical fish swimming freely in the ocean, we all had handbags and mobile phones!!

Oh to be a fish, though have never got on with handbags.

triplets, so sad to hear you lost your son. Can't imagine how you cope with that. Your triplets look a lively lot. Bet they keep you busy.

Have a vision of Jane stabbing commuters with her knitting needles now.

Fuse blown here and it won't flick back (tech term ). Am determined not to phone DH, but it's the circuit the fridge is on, so I need to get it sorted somehow.

Smee, do you know what other appliances have been used today? Try unplugging all the small electricals starting with toaster and kettle and see if it flicks then.

Morning everyone, lots going on already this morning on here, what with knitting needles, designer fish and potential electrocutions! :)

I wondered if any of you had breast pain prior to diagnosis. I have been told many times over the past year or so and again by BC nurse yesterday that the pain I have been experiencing in breasts & underarms is NOT related to my BC, it is worse in the breast that is clear on mammogram, but am driving myself nuts thinking it has been missed and worse than I have been told.
I know nothing is for certain until post op - that just feels like ages away.

Drift - lovin' the fish chic

My seroma lasted maybe 10 days - 2 weeks. Was encouraged not to have it drained if poss so I'm glad I stuck with it. As you know, you just have to be really carefully to act immmediately if you think it's infected.

My rads start on the 5th Dec (and last right through Christmas - luverly) so that would be just under 7 weeks from the op. I wouldn't have wanted it sooner as it's nice to be virtually pain-free now and to have had time to mentally process a few things before the next step.

Topsy - hope you have a refreshing nap today. I slept pretty well but had some unwelcome vivid dreams about having terminal cancer (which actually I don't have). I think this has come out of trawling the breastcancercare forums which I felt brave enough to venture into and which have given me lots of useful insight into many things - so no regrets about reading it. But there is a lot of emotional pain on there so I think it just affected my dreams.

More Christmas shopping today and a whole pile of laundry to wash and iron.

Smee triumphs !! I think one of DS's 'experiments' is to blame. I unplugged everything, re-tripped fuse, then plugged back in one-by-one. A lamp blew up (!) and there's a small puddle of water by the side of the plug.

Summat, welcome to the paranoid world of BC. Sorry if that sounds flippant, but honestly it's not. Little Miss Paranoia is often around on here and goes hand in hand with diagnosis. Being bluntly honest, until you've had your op/ any scans/ pathology results, etc you're bound to worry. I had pain in my rib under the affected breast and was convinced it was Bone mets. Wasn't, but it was a real pain and I was terrified. BCN is right, as BC is rarely painful, so for now best try and trust what she says. Once you know full results you'll feel so much better. Paranoia's never too far away, but at least once you've some definites, it's easier to rationalise her away.

Drift, meant to say that you might find Rads do start before Christmas. Mine were 3 weeks after mastectomy and that seems to be a quite normal gap in most places.

thank goodness you weren't electrocuted (I am terrified of electricity though I'm the one who sorts out domestic crises) what was the pool of water by the lamp ?
Am off to post office then back to draw I hope until piano time for ds. Dh will be home at lunch time as he is off to the podiatrist !!Ds due home any minute after his pupil review meeting, so must persuade him to practice piano and do his singing.
Hope all is going well with amber
smee I meant to say how much I loved the image of ds in his swimming trunks under his trousers- they must've still been wet ! (thinks how to incorporate it into your picture along with string and capes)

Oh smee was he experimenting with water and electricity....I have leactured my ds about not doing something like that sooooo many times. Thank goodness for modern trip switches!

I have been lurking a bit, but also ds is still not on top form, and he had clinical pysc appt yesterday too, so it has all been a bit frantic.

I wanted to say hi to Triplets and fantastic news for drift. Love to all.

Summatontoast I had a ductal mass, which was removed with clear margins in Jan this year, I have not had to have anything else as mine was precanerous...I forget how they described it as I was a bit of a walking zombie at the time. I am glad you have found us, these wonder ladies are a fantastic support, and a mine of information, as well as living as normal a life as we can all manage

summatontoast did they say Ductal carcinoma in situ at all ?

ds home from pupil review- very despondent as his grades aren't brilliant- his main problem is that he is so quiet in class,doesn't ask for help or put his hand up to answer/join in- a long standing difficulty of his- his attitude and homework are all good-it's just the being noticed bit that is hard. Frustrating as he is clever but too shy to push himself forwards and compete with others. Poor love.

Oh MAS poor ds, do his teachers recognise his shyness, and are they doing anything to help make him feel more comfortable? I hope he feels a bit better soon. Needs a bit of comfort and sympathy from his lovely mum.

Oh I am still only scanning, sorry, but I have spotted truly terrific news for Drift (YIPPEE!!!!), and a new arrival Welcome Summat. I am usually a much too regular poster but have been a bit absent for the past month owing to holiday and a bit of a work blip. I am sorry to find you here, but you will get lots of support and distraction. You asked about breast pain - i too had a lot of breast pain for years that was always dismissed as a minor inconvenience. Even after diagnosis the BCN denied it was connected as BC is usually painless. But in my case, the pain has gone now the lump has gone. However, that really doesn't mean you have undetected BC in the other breast. They will have looked at it with a very suspicious eye, and will continue to do so, now, so you really shouldn't worry yourself if you can avoid it. I know that's a big ask, but the paranoia does get better.

MAS - poor him, how dispiriting. I can't help thinking his teachers ought to have noticed his shyness and be providing support and encouragement Does he have a tutor who is particularly responsible for his welfare etc??

Here's a big laugh for those of you who remember my problems with technology and social media. I have just signed up for Twitter It was all in the line of duty, I don't actually plan to tweet. My life is too dull to tweet about

Flushed with success from my encounter with Twitter I have also just had a video conference!!! Absolutely brilliant for a slattern like me, what a time saver. I only had to spruce up the top half. On the bottom half I have trackie bottoms and thick turquoise socks

drift...fantastic news

summet..hi and welcome to the thread.i had breast pain in my effected boob was the first sign for me that something was wrong(i kept reading that bc doesnt hurt) well thats rubbish because i had constant stinging throbbing pain pain and my arm also ached.the early days are very hard as you always think the worse.i also feared it had spread to the bone in my arm but it turned out my nodes were clear it seems to me that we are all individual and just cant compare yourself to anyone else.

triplets...just wanted to say hi and welcome and how sorry i am about your ds.

dd has gone back to school today shes not feeling brilliant but she has a 5 1/2 hour art exam today.

ds is still off school woke to him having a bad nose bleed but it turned out he had misjudged the door and walked in to it,hes dyspraxic and his judgment is really off when hes not well.

he wasnt impressed at having a babysitter but i had to go to his annual review which went brilliantly compared to last year where they was threatening to chuck him out of the school. but since his witch of a TA has left hes really settled down.met his new TA for the first time and she seems lovely and his statement is not going to be changed so pleased theres no more battles there.phew

came home ds had his 2nd nosebleed of the day this time a very bad bleed,dont know why he thinks its funny might be because of me running backwards and foward with tissue trying to keep up with the blood flow while the dog chases me frantic with worry.finally stops and then sneezes starts all over again finally get it to stop again and remind him when he gets like that hes going to have to sit still for the rest of the day so what does he do runs to the loo and starts bleeding again...ahhhh just warned him if he dont sit still im going to sit on him.

just nipping by- had to go to post office and bank -the town is full of teens in huge swathes because they effectively have the day off- grrr.
Ds does have his tutor group tutor but it seems to be that you are pretty much on your own in secondary school - in a way a bit of a shake up might be good for him-spur him on - he didn't want to talk about it at first but then did and we had a good long talk - I will remind him every day to speak up. He is happy at school and said it's just really the contributing in class that is his difficulty.
I was very similar but had sorted myself out in primary school,discovering I was good at science made me want to answer questions and it went on from there. I am very shy still but I make myself interact and sometimes think maybe I'm yabbering on too much :-)
Well done amber for getting through planning- hope dh's eye appointment goes weell

And those last two posts really make a Mum's heart ache for older kids. They are forced to deal with things that they just aren't equipped for, yet

Hello all, - summat - similarly to Cakes, I had had some breast pain on and off for a few years prior to DX, which went after I had op and treatment. I don't think it was necessarily connected to BC, but I think it might have been hormonal in origin, and the drugs changed hormone levels.

Smee is right, - it is very hard in the early days, while you are still waiting for tests and results, you're brain goes into over drive and you think and rethink round and round every scenario. It's a normal human reaction to a difficult situation I would say. It does get better as you get more information about what you are dealing with, and a treatment plan. Meanwhile hang on in there, and treat yourself kindly and with care

MAS - that's a shame for DS, my DD was a quiet one who tended to get over looked as well. It is difficult, especially as there will be some children who are just the opposite and that makes it harder for the quieter children to get a word in. I think its all very well teachers saying he needs to join in more, but he's just a young lad, they should be making sure they give him encouragement and opportunities to join in. I hope he's feeling a bit happier now after your chat, - I'm sure he's is

Pink - hope the children feel better soon, and that you don't get the virus! Good riddance to that horrible TA, I'm, glad your DS is more settled now.

Smee - eek at electricity and water combo. But I'm sure we will see your DS inventing something world changing in the future (probably in a partnership with Sparkle's DS )

Cakes - get you and your techno brilliance, you old show off. Loving the smart on top trackies on the bottom idea - that's how I imagine news readers to be

jane - am I right in thinking you go running? How does a rather old rather fat person who's never done any running go about starting? Is it even feasible or will my knees fall apart? I'm thinking more of a slow jog rather than actual running, but I'd have to build up slowly even to that level.

Er, well, I'm back. I've had my radiotherapy planning. That was an experience.

Will catch up with people soon...

Well.

Well well.

Er, yes, that was an interesting experience, that radiotherapy planning. Jolly cold in those rooms, y'know. I've been x-rayed, drawn upon, taped, tattooed (no flowers allowed - gah!) and variously poked and prodded by half the medical staff in the UK (I exaggerate only slightly).

Had to laugh:

Radiographer: "Oh no, we have to draw a circle on this one - anyone seen the circle-drawing tool?"

Radiographer two: "It's gone! What shall we do? We have a compass?"

Consultant: "No, the patients aren't keen on the sharp pointy bit. I know how to draw a circle!"

He begins to mark out a circle, by reference to measured straight lines and angles thereof. Completing it, he stands back to admire his handywork.

So there we have it. £20 million of technology, a whole host of highly specialised staff, and really it comes down to one Consultant knowing how to use a ruler and pen. Jolly good.

talking of children and electricity when my son was younger i had just got my brand new henry hoover out of the box and my ds asked if he could have first go,i turned my back for a second and he had a quick go and i didnt think anything else about it.bit later i started the hoover up and it started leaking water i couldnt work it out eventually my ds admitted he had sucked up a pint of water with i didnt know weather to laugh or cry when i asked why he had done it he reminded me i had told him henry would suck up anything.luckily 4 years later henry is still going strong.

@ ds pink !!
I think the pen and geometry tools handiwork is kind of reassuring amber !

and yes, the air con was on full blast so I was always chilly...

Can I ask a silly question of anyone who's had radiotherapy on their boob? They say no deodorant...do we really just get smelly every day for the several-weeks??

Thankyou Amber for making me laugh! I guess it wasn't so funny at the time though.