**TAMOXIFEN**22 !

[MaryAnnSingleton]

yikes- here we go...

poor mouth ned and poor Nikki - hope all goes well.
Yes please to brownies and cheese straws-yum.

Hello again ladies,
I come offering all the kids easter eggs(they've had enough!!) in exchange for more advice.

Had a panic-stricken call from mil today telling me she has found a lump(7 weeks ago) and been to gp, who told her off for leaving it so long and apparently said it doesn't look good.Mil said the gp was talking like she thinks its cancer.She even said the hospital where the breast clinic is ,is not where she would have her treatment.
The lump has visibly grown since she found it and is now the size of a walnut.The doc said its 'attached'.
The clinic phoned an hour later with a time for next weds.
She has only told me as her sons (espiecally my dh) are still traumatised from their dad dying from a brain tumour last year,so I will make an excuse and take her next weds.
In a strange coincidence, I have had to cancel my follow-up appointment at my breast clinic because that was also next weds morning!

I know clinics usually work quickly but do gp's (this is a trusted gp who has known mil for years)usually tell patients if they think it's cancer and are they always right?
got to go xx

Hello all

l4k - I'm sorry to hear about your MIL, - that is worrying for you, it's good that you can manage to take her to her appointment next week. I can only tell you my own experience, - my GP did tell me he thought I had cancer, and he was right. But that doesn't mean they are always right. It's good she has a quick appointment, so she can find out what's wrong and start her treatment if she needs it. But an awful strain for you all - especially since you are having to keep it from your DH at the moment

Ned - sorry about your mouth, hope it heals up soon. Cheese straws sound good.

Sparkle - poor Nikki, it does sound a horrible operation, but I;m sure she will be fine - my dog has cataracts in both eye and is virtually blind - but it doesn't seem to make an difference to her. - She still happily flings her cuddly toys round the room (current favourite a stinky rabbit called bun bun )

Grr at nanny problems Gig. - it sounds like a toss up between dealing with the upheaval of sacking her or coping with the stress she's causing you. I hope your DH manages to get through to her.

I did history at University too, - but at Edinburgh from 1978 - 1982 . - I think I've forgotten everything I learnt though

I hope gracie is OK, and chemo went as well as possible.

topsy am sitting on the paranoia box for you, and hand holding xx

Waving Smee and MAS and everyone else

I have done book club, lunch with a friend, then art club today. I've got the piano tuner coming tomorrow so I'll have to pick everything up off the floor and fling it into the spare room tidy up a bit.

Waving to l4k. Lovely to see you, but not good news by the sound of it for your MIL. My GP was pretty confident my lump was cancer. I don't think they'd say it if they weren't pretty sure. If it is bad news, well we're testimony to how much they can do these days. Even if she has got cancer, odds are it's treatable. Not nice to have it of course and one heck of a shock, but tell her about all of us and maybe that will help.

Ned, hope your mouth recovers soon - grim when that all starts going. I found the taste change the hardest part. Somehow the mouth ulcers didn't annoy me as much as not being able to eat things. Everything just tasted wrong.

Sparkle, poor Nikki. Though I'd bet you're right and she'll be better once the op's over. Horrible to have to take her in though and worry.

Grr from me at nanny problems too, Gig. Must be v. unsettling and most definitely not what you need.

I am impressed by the brains on here. I managed to muddle through an English degree, but still can't spell and as for punctuation...

Regarded as supplemental approaches rather than alternative, in my case.

Hi Hanover - nice to see you back again. You sound like a wonderful friend I read around a lot too, as did my best friend. She became a world expert on Breast Cancer on my behalf! I would have tried alternative therapies like a shot if I'd thought they'd work. Between us though, we never found a book/ diet/ alternative that I thought I'd like to follow. Closest I've got was acupuncture, but that was more to keep myself energised than to prevent cancer recurring.

I ended up thinking that the only thing which made sense was to eat sensibly and well and to keep exercising. I'm not overweight and never have been, but if I was I think I'd try and get a few pounds off. I've stopped eating soy, but that's about it in terms of dietary changes. There's a few things such as water cress and green tea which are supposed to help prevent against recurrence, so I try to eat/ drink more of those. I cut back on drinking - was never a big drinker, but now it's just a glass of wine or two at weekends only. I came to the conclusion that you just have to trust the treatment. It's not nice, in fact it's pretty brutal, but for lots of women it works.

is it just the Tamoxifen that your friend's decided against, or did she decide not to go with other suggested treatment too? Hope she's doing okay, whatever stage she's at.

Hanovergirl - are you saying other approaches to treating cancer or other ways of complementing treatment and recovery?

In My opinion,Complementary therapy /nutrition/holistic approach( or some of it) does have something to offer as a way of coping with side effects and helping recovery but I do not think it can be taken alone nor replace complementary medicine.

I refer you to my posts yesterday for my views on alternative treatment for cancer .

Also I am sure it is not your intention but your two posts at best come across as a little brash , and at worse could be seen as some sort of attack on the more conventional aspects of cancer treatment.

I am only speaking personally but asThis thread is a much valued source of comfort and support (often at a very delicate time emotionally and physically).

I am not saying that there isn't room for a debate but maybe this thread isn't the place for it. Others on here may disagree but that's my view.

Sorry cross posts smee and amber.

And hanover all the best for your friend. It's massively to your credit that the whole emotive issue with cancer hasn't stopped you being a support .

Did I kill the thread?
smee I owe you chocolate. Too annoyed to update but no start date and hinting that may be week after next now so that means no holiday...

Oh Gig - that's really annoying, how frustrating and disappointing for you

Gig gig, kill this thread.....never!

Had busy evening, been up early this morning getting a urine sample from a blind lab...you have to laugh...and believe me you would have, seeing me at 6.30 on the terrace in my slippers, trying to slide a tupperware container under the dog's squatting rear end. When I got the sample, I think I woke the dc by shouting "Yes"

Dh has gone to the funeral of our young friend who died couple of weeks ago, with dc and dog I can't go, so will light a candle for Jason later. RIP you lovely man.

Hope everyone is all right, and has a good day. The sun is shining here, may not last, but I am enjoying it streaming in through the filthy windows whilst I can. Sandwich, school and vet run to do now, be back later.

waving to 14k - horrid news about your MIL - am sure the GP wouldn't say he thought it was cancer unless he was pretty sure- really hope the news isn't too daunting -will be thinking of her, and as we know,treatment is very good and doable.
sparkle well done for dog wee collecting and lots of love to Nikki today and will be sending kind thoughts to Jason, RIP.
Gig it'd take an awful lot to kill this thread I do agree with you though. I think that complementary medicine is fine if it is just that - eating well is just common sense but anything you can do to make yourself feel better and to ease the passage of conventional treatment is good in my book. I remember Lalaa cutting out dairy and making dietary changes after her diagnosis - i remember looking for some special tea for her and being horrified at the price ! Before my dx I religiously drank green tea,took selenium and ate watercress - still developed cancer,but I do genuinely love green tea and watercress.Gave up on the selenium. Hanover though sounds a lovely friend -supporting a friend through this is wonderful.

My degree is in graphic design,so I guess that seems a bit flimsy. Dh did ancient history at Birmingham.

sparkle rip Jason. Also well done on urine collection and hope nikki doing ok.

i4k your poor mil- I do hope that can move quickly and catch whatever it is (I had reverse experience of its probably nothing and basically treated like a neurotic pregnant woman then it was cancer ...).

Quite nice weather here too. Grandma still here so midi gig not bothering us

Dh stroppy email may have worked as say they are trying to fit my start next week bit will find out Monday/Tuesday. I don't know why so long to do this ...

fingers crossed gig

Morning All

14k so sorry to hear about your mil . I hope her journey is as smooth as possible .

Sparkle sorry about DHs friend .
You did make me laugh about collecting dog wee , hope the vets appointment goes well today for poor blind doggy .

Pig/dog is in big trouble .
DS had dished up a plate of my left over lasagne for dinner last night . He left it on the work top whilst he came upstairs to me to ask how long he should microwave it for .
When he got back down pig/dog had stolen it off the work top !

I can't help feeling its a reflection on how good my lasagne is

Gig I hope you get some good news today , will keep my fingers crossed for you .

Hanover you sound like you are being a great and very supportive friend .
But please do make sure your friend is following her oncologists advice too .
Alternative therapies can be fantastic , but she must inform her oncologist as some therapies can interfere with the regime prescribed by mainstream doctors .

thanks to all, I can't quite believe we as a family have got to go through all this again.
So if it is very likely to be bad ,do I tell her sons about the appointment? she is usually very bossy and decisive but she said she wants me to be the grown -up this time. She doesn't want them at the hospital though,and I can understand that.She can't be worrying about them at that ttime.

Thanks for telling me how it was for you two,Kurri and Smee.You are both examples of how well this can end up,as you all are.
waving to everyone, will let you know how she gets on.

ps,and Gig- thereis no good time to get cancer,but I've read your story before and thought 'that is not bloody fair".You are coping so well but then we do as mothers,don't we?

leaving choc covered brasils for topsy when she pops in.

Ooh nuts !

That is very efficient of pig dog as he can't have had long to clear the plate .

i4k it must be very hard as a family potentially to go through this again but as stories on here (or even better ambers stats) , there is lots that can be done. But massive generalisation here, I found male members of my family can find it harder than women to deal with this.

Will grab some brazil nuts and go investigate the suspicious noises coming from midi gig's bedroom...

And i4k you are right there is no good time but you do cope. In some ways I think easier as diagnosis (when made) was quick and mini gig small so doesn't have issues on separation anxiety, have to chase a crawling/cruising baby when recuperating . Friend with tongue cancer (now recovered) had 3 yr old and 9m old so double toddler fix .

Am in Disco Heaven !
Am watching last nights Disco Special episode of Glee .
Bliss .

Oh and watched the first in a new series of Grandmas House too .
I luffs Simon Amstell (I know he won't luff me back but still ...)