**TAMOXIFEN 17 **

[MaryAnnSingleton]

blimey- we're almost up to our limit...so brand new shiny,sparkling thread.

Yes he has turned up thanks Smee, - just got bogged down at work.

glad you enjoyed x-factor amber

Phew. Glad he's home safe.

I think I'd better not offer or or hugs in case it's not appropriate. I have a brain that's nearer Williams syndrome in its design, which means it's a bit childlike in enthusiasm for trying to cheer people up, and it's not always appropriate. But it takes me a longer time than it should to realise it.

I finish rads after three big booster doses next week, so free by the 22nd.

I like you cheering us up amber - and hooray for rads being nearly done.
Am glad that Mr KK is home safely - it is terribly windy here,quite scary- Celeste is a bit disturbed as it's whistling down the chimneys.
Hope the baby comes soon and safely jane

I like you cheering us up too amber Hooray for finishing rads in time for Christmas!

It's terribly windy here too MAS - howling away out there, - I hope it doesn't take any branches off the trees. Luckily old lady dog is quite deaf, so she's not bothered by it

baby has arrived :) phew. emcs but all seems well now.

Congrats Jane to sil on baby - love baby news. Am very smug here too that my twins were good sleepers much to the annoyance of my sil. Suspect it had a lot to do with the inertia of dh and I in getting out of bed in the early hours. They also are very heavy sleepers - I guess if you can sleep through your brother screaming beside you you can sleep through anything. Kurri - hope you had a better night & Amber and Topsy hope your rads appointments go without delay today. Still a bit sore under my arm - can't work out whether exercise is helping or aggravating the fluid build-up. Mum has gone home so will have to buy myself jammy donuts this week.!

ooh congratulations Auntie jane !! brilliant news.
I think on the whole exercise is a good thing to keep up but very gently -sorry it's sore though 1in8 - general soreness also to be expected for a while as I recall.
Scarily stormy last night

Sitting on my hands till later - want to phone/text my brother again, but know that sil will be exhausted after long labour and the cs.

Been wearing a bra for a coupleN of days and seem a bit more swollen. Didn't swim yesterday though. Skin is excellent. Not at all red or scaly any more so I've started putting bio oil on the scars again.

Hope your rads are on time today Topsy and try and be easy on yourself Amber - the end of rads is very tiring.

Hooray for safely arrived baby, Jane.We'll need a few details later.

OneinEight - just over sleepy twins.

Morning All

Congratulations to Aunty Jane . Tell us more when you find out !

Rads all accomplished with minimum of fuss this morning . I am on the bus on the way home now .

When I was dropping DS at bus stop and DD at breakfast club , there was a smattering of snow ! And our weather forecasters can't make their minds up as to whether we are going to have rain or snow later ! Eek !

What's for brekkie today ? I have some bacon and some wholemeal baps that need using up ...

Congratulations Auntie Jane - how lovely - hope your SIL is having a good rest now, - it sounds as if she had a bit of a tough time, - but the baby at the end makes it all worth it

Hello OneInEight hope you're recover well, and that the fluid build up settles soon. If you can manage some of the exercises I think they will help, - but take it very gently, and stock up on those donuts!

You are doing well with all these early mornings topsy, glad todays zapping is out of the way. Snow? - no wonder you felt so cold yesterday.

Its my birthday today - 52 (but don't look a day over 25 ), DH got me some lovely ear rings, and in his usual brilliantly random way, some Kendal Mint Cake , my sister got me some fab slippers - I'll see if I can find a picture of them on t'internet, and I got lots of lovely smellies. So very spoilt.

Old lady dog, for some reason decided one of the presents was hers, and stood over it growling, but it turned out she only wanted the paper to play with

Love to all for a good day.

these are my slippers - they are really cosy.

Its OK to feel nervous cat - I think just going to the hospital brings it all home a bit, and first treatment is a step into the unknown. But once you've had the first one you'll feel calmer I'm sure. When I had mine, a radiographer came out and talked me through it all while I was waiting, - they are all very kind.

And take up the offer of company if it will make you feel more relaxed - why not? - anything that makes it easier is my motto.

Be prepared for waiting though, take a good book - delays unfortunately are quite common, but fingers crossed yours will be on time and over quickly

Happy Birthday kk, Mmmm kendal mint cake.

Baby is a niece. :) waiting for more news but the induction was Sunday and don't want to interupt as sil has had a really hard time. Rang my Mum just now, but they have not rung her yet, oops. Didn't tell her name or weight - so she has something to be news when brother rings her!

Good luck with your rads Cat. Hope you don't have to wait too long.

Wish brother didn't live so far away, it will be ages before I can see them :(

Happy Birthday kk , hope the rest of your day is a good un !

cat64 Rads are easy peasy , you will float through it all ! (is it working yet ?) Honestly , the worst part is getting over been nude from the waist up . Once you have got over that , it's alright .

Am now home and wrapped in my fluffy pjs and blanky .
Am watching last nights Buzzcocks . Don't think Donny Osmond thought much of Rhod Gilbert calling his religion "the moomins"

Happy Birthday dear kk - have a lovely day in your cosy slippers- mint cake is a great favourite of mine- reminds me of my grandpa.
cat it is quite ok and normal to be nervous- I was-it's a new thing,the getting there on time/waiting -even being in a new place (mine was ominously called the Southampton oncology centre which is obvious but also a reminder) Plus maybe people underestimate the emotional not to say physical aspect of rads -obviously it's easier than chemotherapy but actually a lot of people here have been quite emotionally challenged by it and also by the ending of rads-to be kind and gentle to yourself.

Lovely slippers KK

Hope rads go well, CAT. As MAS says, it isn't always the walk in the park that people make it out to be - i found it emotionally tricky so if some support would help, just take it.

Meant to say that my sister sent me a very pretty top as well. She was wearing a top recently which I admired, so she's sent it too me, with a note saying 'tried to get one the same because I know you liked it, but they'd sold out, so you can have mine' - bless her

I don't think any of this stuff is a walk in the park, - for me the hardest thing to deal with was the emotional stuff, and everyone has that to deal with whatever treatment they have.

I have a good friend who had BC soon after me, she had an op. and rads. - She's always apologising for not having had chemo - so I tell her off, I'm pleased she didn't have chemo, because it's means they caught it earlier, but I don't for a minute think she's been through any less than me. She's still living with Miss paranoia - and we all know about her!

Cat - rads is doable but don't be surprised if you have a weepy day, I know I did. The radiographers were all lovely and once I'd done a few sessions, I was surprised at how quickly the 20 sessions went by! My skin was also not half as bad as I feared - I finished 3 weeks ago and it is almost healed. It did make me tired towards the end. Hope it goes well for you.

Cat, I might have missed you, but am sure you'll feel okay once Rads have started. Totally understandable to be nervous. I seem to remember being terrified, but it was honestly okay once I'd done a few.

Every time one of us goes to a new stage of treatment it makes me wonder what we'd all do without this thread. Be far more scary if we didn't have others who'd been there to ask.

Amber, don't ever stop cheering us up. I like it too. Excellent that you'll be finished on the 22nd.

Happy Birthday to Kurri. Are you doing anything later to celebrate, or is it not allowed due to the radiation? Lovely cosy slippers. Made me realise I need some. My old ones have holes in the toes...

Jane, a new niece is exciting news. Is it their first?

OneinEight, even sleeping twins are exhausting, so am applauding from a distance. I think exercise in moderation's the way forward. As MAS says, it does take a while.

Stars, are you eavesdropping. Hope you're not feeling too grim today. Let us know how you are when you can.

I have just been out buying Santa's sack for the Christmas Fair and all manner of other nonsense, amongst it all is a big packet of Haribo. I think I might need to try a few, to see if they've gone off or not..

well said kk though I know well the feeling of' not having been through enough' which gnaws away at me. The emotional thing is all pretty big,isn't it.
What a lovely,kind sister kk -awww
Am off out to get food for the boy between choir and carol service- he'll have had barely any time for lunch as there are rehearsals then too-we'll have supper afterwards.

Cat, fingers crossed for radiotherapy this afternoon. Many people do find it much easier than chemo. For me it's been harder because of my other disabilities, so please don't be put off by me being in a state over radiotherapy.

Actually off work today. Achey because of herceptin, tired because of radiotherapy, and got to be fit and well for London tomorrow so I'm trying to relax a bit.

try to enjoy your rest amber
I felt that I had to just get on with rads because my dad said it was easy and you don't feel tired or anything (he'd had it for prostate cancer) and SIL had always said it was a walk in the park compared to chemo, so I think I felt I had to do it without a fuss..it was ok for me but that's because I couldn't allow it not to be - it was the weeks afterwards that were crushingly emotionally charged -but please don't think it might be awful for you cat - I had a whole load of other stuff to sort through on top of the whole cancer thing- and the cancer thing really hadn't been acknowledged. If I look back at my emails to friends they just make it sound like nothing much,because I felt I had to be like that. Sorry,this is all a bit heavy.