**TAMOXIFEN**22 !

[MaryAnnSingleton]

yikes- here we go...

MAS move over and I will sit next to you on the boxes!

Gig I am thinking of you, hope you are keeping yourself busy, it is a late appt.

I have just been looking at Anne MacAffrey dragon books for ds....didn't buy them, but might try them from the library for him. Did buy him The Swiss Family Robinson for his birthday tomorrow though....9, I mean 9 how did that happen.

Smee - Nikki is home, she came home at the weekend. They normal keep enucleation at the vets for a few days, but as Nikki is completely blind even in her good eye, they were concerned about her getting too stressed not knowing where she was, then blood pressure goes up and causes severe bleeding. So I have been caring for her at home....including sleeping next to her on sitting room floor although last night I slept in my bed as she seemed better and I am too soft for my own good knackered. She wagged her tail today, so think she is starting to feel better. Thank you pet plan, oh yes she is insured, bill currently approaching £1000 (relieved emoticon needed)

Poor Nikki and poor you. I'd have slept with her while she was poorly too. And a waggy tail is most definitely a positive sign

Swiss Family Robinson sounds a good idea!

Sometimes....you are just as soft as me then...nice to know I am in such good company.

at the way your dd chooses her books.....I saw the wimpy kids books in the bookshop this morning, but decided there wasn't enough peril for ds....he needs to keep his peril levels up.

Smee - The Beaver Towers series (by Nigel Hinton) www.amazon.co.uk/Beaver-Towers-Nigel-Hinton/dp/0140370609 is super for world saving super hero boys. I started reading it to ds when he was hospitalised for a long time when he was 6. It was that series and of course Enid Blyton which made him fly as a reader.

Ooh ta, Sparkle. I don't know those, but they look just up his street. Peril levels made me smile. Swiss Family Robinson sounds like a v.good idea. ( tomorrow, yikes! DS is still aching to be 8.

And yes you're right, I didn't realise Nikki was at home. How sweet you sleeping next to her. I'd have been as daft am sure. Hooray for insurance though. £1000.

Sometimes, I'd bet your DD's an excellent reader. She must be if she can read 'The Secret Garden'. DS gets to self choose too, but they pick from a range dependent on what their ability level's like. Once selected though, they have to read the whole book, so he told me he checks v.carefully and only goes for v.big print.

at very big print....he has so got life sussed!

I haven't given him the secret garden I thought it might be a bit girly for him....what do you think, bearing in mind this is the boy who also reads The Lord of the Rings

Treasure island is on my list for him too, he has already read Swallows and Amazons...that is another good series.

I think probably Secret Garden is going to be a bit bit girly for juniors Sparkle and Smee. I do think the classics are great for kinds. I think dd might like Treasure Island and possibly also Swallows and Amazons. Hmm.....

He has already read Lord of the Rings?

Dd's current obsession bookwise is her Usborne Teach Yourself German book she bought on holiday. if you thought German lessons were bad enough first time round, try doing them when you could be sunbathing on the beach with an 8 year old!

Have to share this, I found Dd1, who is 6, writing yesterday. I asked her what she was doing and she said she was writing words for a song, but she didn't have the tune yet.... I read it later, this is what she wrote

"You Know who I am, I am life,
You want to know how I love you?
I can feel the air in my face,
And I want you to see that I'm here again in the world of life.
I love you so stay close to me all the time."

Has she got this from somewhere other than her imagination...she certainly had nothing with her at the time, other than paper and a felt tip pen.....I was really moved by this, reading too much into it I know, but I though it was beautiful.

Perhaps I should get teach yourself german for my ds, then he could talk to my MIL.....Nah she would like that too much!

Yep, Lord of the Rings, book one only so far, I persuaded him to take a break from the next book, as he looked very rad faced after reading it....

red faced...red RED not rad!

Well I am very impressed that his head didn't explode, whatever colour it was! He must be a smart little cookie.

And dd too! That is really a very beautiful song.

How proud-making.

I am always proud...doesn't take much you know! He is a smart cookie, they all are...get their brains from their dad! Get their emotional intelligence, and a nice grandmother from me! wicked

Well they sound set for life, then!

I was quite proud of dd's emotional intelligence yesterday. She'd spent Sunday night with her aunt and Granny playing Bingo in a working men's club (how the other half lives, eh?) and when they brought her back yesterday afternoon they were full of a story about a very drunk guy who had been making a pest of himself to auntie. I was rather on auntie's side the way she told it but, when dd and i were left alone, she was very upset about it. She said they had been unnecessarily mean, you could see he was lonely and just wanted a chat, and she had tried to stop everyone being unpleasant but, as she couldn't, she had gone to sit with someone else so he would at least know she didn't approve of what was going on. The way she told it gave the story a completely different complexion and I was rather sorry she had been there at all (and the poor guy, to be honest).

I have to say, she showed quite a lot of judgment and integrity for a little 'un. More, possibly, than I would have done myself.

Bless. They can make you very proud, can't they?

v.smart little cookies most definitely. No way could DS read 'Lord of the Rings' - I know he's a year younger, but still that's a heck of a leap. That poem's lovely too. Never heard it before, so unless it's a song lyric, she's got a real gift there.

Arf at little Sometimes learning German. How sweet and lovely that story about the lonely drunk is. She'll go far that one, you should definitely be proud.

Treasure Island's brill btw. We've done that one and DS got totally into it, though v.scared!

sometimes what a lovely, caring daughter you have.

mas and jchoc hugs to you both. Life does full circle - our mums worry about us and then it gets to the stage where we do more worrying about them.

I'm here gigs to do my fair share on paranoia box. Good luck with your scan I will be thinking of you and praying for a good outcome. 6pm is such a late appointment but good that DH can go with you.

amber antisickness meds I had this time around was Emend, Aloxi and Lanasopam (sp). Emend is seemingly quite new, in fact chemo nurse said she hadn't given it before. Don't know whether they will change it as I was just retching and not actually sick.

oneineight did you get your chemo today? Hope your white cells behaved and it went ahead as planned. Think I would have to get DH to do the jabs as I'm a total woose not very brave.

I really need to catch up more to save me becoming queen of mega posts. I'm feeling much better today - washing and ironing is done, sun is shining and I persuaded DH, who was on a half day today, to take me out for a egg and sausage bap (classy). I am totally craving all the foods I wouldn't dream of eating before.

Good luck to ned for her oncologist apt tomorrow hope all goes well.

Good to see you heading back into the sunlight, Gracie! Egg and sausage bap - ooh, yum. Food cravings are a weird old side effect - mine was usually salad (good) and red wine (not so much). But I definitely think you owe it to yourself to indulge.

Washing and ironing? Hisht woman, what are you thinking?

Liking the clever dc stories - we are still on pre school type stuff here.

Gracie I would go with whatever you feel
Like eating (and protein is good). I have my nutrionist book (she has been on mn - Jane clarke) and she has some nice ideas on eating while doing chemo. I can try to
Scan pages If anyone wants them.

Good news - rad start tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks for sitting on the box and good thoughts -much needed. I do hope it's not a long wait.

Washing and ironing?! Blimey no! Have a ! And for everyone with medical things/eek today.

God news about the rads then, Gig. Soon be over.

Fantastic news about your rads gigs, one step closer. I would love if you could send me some scanned pages. I really would like to get some ideas of healthier eating, trust me I would be mortified if anyone knew what I ate pre-chemo .

Oh sometimes didn't know you could have wine when having chemo. I thought my nurse told me to avoid alcohol . I haven't felt like wine yet but could probably be persuaded at the weekend.

topsy have a fab night out at the Opera House at the weekend sounds lovely.

Had a chat with my boss yesterday about possibly working a few days from home but he said he would rather me forget about work and get well and only come back when I'm ready, which was lovely of him but having a bit of a panic as I think I'm only entitled to about 13 weeks pay although I should be entitled to sickness benefit shouldn't I?

Gracie, the breast cancer centre often has someone who can talk you through entitlement to benefits. Well worth a chat with them. www.macmillan.org.uk/HowWeCanHelp/FinancialSupport/BenefitsAdvisers/MacmillanLocalBenefitsAdvisers.aspx is a useful link too

Yes, a bit of wine is often allowed. Some say all alcohol is of the very devil himself, but I have the view that a little bit of what you fancy does you good.

Lots of posts - I'm trying to catch up, - but have to be quick as I have to take old lady dog to the vet - she's got a horrid looking ear infection which came on suddenly yesterday, - poor thing is shaking her head from side to side.

I had my appointment with the plastic surgeon - mixed news. She can do a tummy flap op for me, and thinks I would have a good result. Bad news - she won't do anything until I've lost a load of weight, so I have to go back in nine months having lost the weight (or she'll discharge me ) and then she'll put me on the waiting list (another six months) so I'm feeling a bit disappointed, - I thought they'd say lose weight but didn't realise it would be such a long process. And what with the buggering about over getting the appointment (which also took six months) it feels like a very long wait. Oh well - don't put anything on the FBS trolley for me

Gig good news about your rads, and good luck with the appointment this evening.

Lots of love to everyone, will catch up properly later

Thanks amber will have a look at that.

kurri sorry you are disappointed about your appointment especially as you waited so long for your appointment. Nine months will fly by but having been a serial dieter, I know how difficult it is to lose weight. Slimming World always worked for me, mind you as soon as I stopped the weight piled on again. A friend of mine is doing Lipotrim and has lost a LOT of weight in a really short time, which in my opinion isn't very healthy but it is her choice. I know I'm going off on a tangent but she is on the contraceptive pill and hadn't had a period in years and has had a continuous one since she has been on the diet - the reason, according to the diet company is it has raised her oestrogen level. I am so not medical so don't know if this is correct but surely this would be an awful diet for someone who had previously had a hormone sensitive bc. amber you are sure to know the answer for that one, what do you think?

Hope old lady dog gets her ear infection sorted.

Gracie, yes, my understanding is that any hormone-positive cancers need a diet that doesn't raise oestrogen levels.