**Tamoxifen** 27

[Gigondas]

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Someone offering wine ?

Just had to comment on topsys bloody amazing news, Fantastic !!!!!
haven't heard such good news for ages, so pleased for you.
Waving to everyone else.

Thank you 14k

Evening greetings from a male Canoe Sprinter. Excellent - sprinting you can do sitting down!

Dearest Ned I had black peely bits too - under arm and under boob. Was not too sore actually - they gave me some non-stick dressings which I held in place with tape (armpit) or bra strap (under boob). Like Smee says, insist on some. Had to go back for an additional check after a week or so but healed well. The 'come down' after treatment, however, was another story....felt like falling off a cliff. Found it very hard with friends saying how fantastic it was I was finished treatment, and so that was it then, I had the all-clear? Or assuming I would be having regular scans on demand or what have you, when in fact I walked out of my last appointment at rads with no appointments to 'look forward to' and feeling quite, well, abandoned. So yes my love, feeling wobbly (to say the least) is quite 'normal'. It has taken me since last October to start feeling approaching my normal self again, and that's with some alternative therapies (Reiki), counselling and starting ADs again. And still very up and down days and quite 'shaky' in the mornings. I must add that lots of people do better and more quickly though! So hope you are feeling better soon, just wanted to reassure you it's very common. I had my chemo and radio privately, so there was no follow-up plan in place. Have gone back to NHS and feel much better now knowing I have 3-monthly appointments in place for now.

Waving to l4k, very nice to see you.

Hope Ned's black bits aren't too yuk today and Gig has a chance of coming home??

I have a huge pot of coffee on the go and pain au chocolat a plenty left over from latest Olympic lodgers. Even DS has had his fill. Come save me from eating them all.

Nope still in til Sunday - infection seems to be gone but keeping me in to check- chemo tomorrow til Sunday .

Will be back later but got the little gigs coming to visit

Waves madly !

I'm here .
Although I shouldn't be .
My sister , bil and nephew arrive tomorrow morning , and I am meant to be cleaning the house .

The weather is blardy awful here .
Wind and rain .
I just love the summer !

Gig is the swimming squad still there ?
Where do you hide them when DH and the little gigs visit ?

Gig! Blimey for Sunday. That's a haul of a way ahead. Have fun with the little gigs. Hope the swim squad are good with kids.

not that there's any here either.

Fanks Smee

So how long will that mean you have been in hospital Gigs , if they throw you out on Sunday ?

Shall I organise the platoon to come and break you out ?

Have fun with tiny gigs today. Just send the swimmers my way and they can mop my chemoed brow. I will send them back to you when you have had your chemo. This is your 3rd gigs isn't it? How many more to go? I have 2 more to go (which I'm sure I am boring you with).

Nice to see 14k and lime again. Can I ask lime why do you not get reviews privately? I am having my care privately. I have seen my surgeon once after my op and due to see him again in September when my chemo finishes. I assumed I would be seeing him and the onc on regular basis. Will I need to switch back to NHS too?

Enjoy your visits with your family topsy. You can party all weekend..

Hope your black bits are healing ned. Don't think much of your useless helpful nurse.

Think yours was 2 weeks but will only be 8 days...

The swimmers go in my closet (where judging by look of them some of
Them spend some time) .

hello all, - hope you enjoyed the visit from the little Gigs, Gig

topsy - have fun with the rellies.

Waving to LimeJelly and l4k - lovely to see you both

Any pain au chocolat left Smee?

I am pleased with myself because I did quite a long night drive last night on the duel carriageway, and managed to handle a couple of roundabaouts without my usual fluster and panic. I did stall at a junction today, but that was because DH shouted 'you've overshot, you've overshot' when I slowed down to turn, - total rubbish - I had left myself plenty of room to turn - he may need a huge angle, - I don't!

Oh, by the way there is a competition for olympic name changes and I have made the short list - the voting is here - not that I would dream of telling you who to vote for, - just making you aware of the thread

Ooh, Kurri you're in the lead. Naturally you'll share the prize.

Still some pain au chocolate left, so they're all yours Am daintily nibbling a couscous and broad bean sale.

Ned, I think Lime explains it all well. I've been like a roller coaster with emotions since finishing. Some days it's as though the world's so extraordinary and wondrous I'm skipping, others I'm in the pits of despair. Had a bit of a dark wobble last night. poor dh tried his best, but in the end what can he say. I think it was triggered by my gynae appt being on Friday, though so am hoping if that's okay I might be okay again.

Gig, surely the swimmers aren't paying one another more attention than they are you??

meant to ask, but Kurri when's the driving test then??

Hello ladies,

I apologise in advance for not having read all gazillion threads and just giving straight in here but please can I ask for some advice?

My mum had breast cancer 13 yrs ago - lumpectomy and radiotherapy. Last month another tumour, smaller but on the same side was discovered and she had a mastectomy with reconstruction a couple of weeks ago, which went really well. Today she got the path report which has rocked her thoroughly - it transpires they found two further tumours in there, very small, too small to show on a mammogram. It doesn't really matter I suppose as the breast has gone now and there is no spread or worry on that score. Just shocking and unsettling to know they were growing in there.

Anyway..... I will get to my point! The only treatment is going to be Tamoxifen for 5 yrs. Now, 13 yrs ago she was prescribed Arimidex and found it ok, no side-effects, very happy to be on it. So why are they not giving her that again? She was so shaken by the earlier news that she didn't ask, just accepted it. My concern is that it might be cost-related. I have just read that Arimidex is ten times more expensive than Tamoxifen. AIBU - what do you think?

Sorry to hijack your thread but I thought you would be the experts

Hello PuffPants. Sorry to hear your mum's been hit again. I doubt it's cost related, as the NHS (from all I've seen), is spot on with Breast Cancer. If she's going to be put on Tamoxifen, the tumours must have been hormone positive. What's confusing me though is the same's true of Arimedix, but that's given to hormone positive women who are post menopausal (I think!). So she needs to ask her team why Tamoxifen this time. Still good though, as it's an extra layer of attack against recurrence. I'm sure once the shock subsides, she'll have a chance to ask all those questions.

Before next meeting with her Onc, it might be worth reading up on Letrozole. That's the new wonder drug apparently. I think Figgy's on it. (?) I might be transferred over to it in November, as another thing they seem to be trialling is mixed therapy, so with me they're suggesting 2 years on Tamoxifen, then moving me over to Letrozole for a further 3 years. Ramble, ramble, but stick around. Others will have a view am sure. Amber's the expert. Are you out there, Amber??

Hi puffpants. I'm not really an expert, y'know - just take a keen interest in these things. Not least 'cos I'm trying to get to old age meself.
I've not a clue why it's Tamoxifen not Arimedix. Definitely a good question for the Onc, alas. I thought Arimedix was the top choice too.

Hi puffpants - very sorry to hear your mum has had a recurrance, - but good news that it has stayed localised. I don't think I can add much to what others have said, - my understanding is that arimedex is only used if you are post menopausal (which obviously your mum is if she's had it before), tamoxifen is a good drug too, I think some of it might be down to consultant preference, - in my experience certain consultants champion certain treatments, so if she has a different consultant this time - maybe that could be a possibility.

But as other have said, - definitely ask at the next appointment, - and if she is really keen to go bakc on the arimedex, then I don't actually think there would be any problem with that.

One other consideration might be the oteoparosis risk with arimedex, - although your mum was fine on it last time (and presumably she had all the usual bone density checks), perhaps because she's older now the risk is slightly higher?

I'm groping about in the dark guessing here really - but definitely a good discussion with her onc. is in order, or if she wants to discuss it sooner, she could talk to her breast care nurse .

hello amber - how are you today?

Smee- I'm thinking of going for my test in about october, - I'm not ready yet, and I want to have a few formal lessons as well as the practice I'm getting with DH and my friend, - I want to be confident that I'm well able to drive and pass the test, so that when if I fail I can just re apply straight away.

Bit tired so going to take it easy and have sent swimmers to fbs trolley. Nice visit from mini gigs but bit sad not to see them for a while.

Will catch up tomorrow when chemo starts. gracie were you doing it today or is it tomorrow?

I have no idea how I am
Having to work flat-out at the moment 6 days a week 12 hrs a day at the office then do all the other stuff round it, and I'm not sure I'm coping. But with staff away on hol and us needing the money, I'm just keeping going and trying not to think about it too much, I think.
At least all the side effects from herceptin have finally gone and I'm no longer plagued with all the extra joint pain and muscle weakness etc.

Hospital had booked me into a first year after surgery mammogram appointment that didn't exist I rang up to check the details, and they said there's no such time and no record of me having one booked yet (this is in mid Sep). So I've no clue what's going on there!

Amber - you work so hard, I know there's no point in saying don't overdo it, but I'll say it anyway Its good that you've got rid of the herceptin from your system and aren't having to deal with all those s/e's any more.

I've found my hospital to be pretty hopeless over mammogram appointments, I'm due one any time now, but I haven't heard from them, so yet again I shall have to chase them up

Gig, - hope you got really good cuddles from your lovely little girls, to last you for a few days xx

gigs had my chemo this morning so feeling yuck. I could sleep on a clothes line so think I will head off to bed really soon . good luck with yours, another one done and dusted. They think my blood clot was in my old picc line so keep an eye on your arm just in case.

amber sorry you are having such a hard time. Easy for me to say but really try not to overdue it.

puffpants I agree with Kurri that it may be due to the osteoporosis aspect that the consultant wants to try Tamoxifen. I am definitely no expert though but I would make sure I had a list of questions ready at the next appointment.

I have had a couple of nice surprises recently. Today a neighbour of mine who moved out about 8 months ago called around with her new address and phone number, a homemade steak pie for dinner, roses for me and sweets for the kids. We were never very close but her husband died of lung cancer a few years ago and DH had gone to the funeral, etc. Then last week a lady who lives behind us. Her house overlooks our garden. Spotted me hanging washing with my scarf (she is a retired nurse, her husband a retired minister) so she asked if I needed her to do anything just give here a shout, fast forward to this week when she appeared to offer us her summer house at the seaside, free of charge. It is funny who the people you think will support you are the ones you don't see for dust. One of my best friends I haven't seen since diagnosis.

Ah Gracie, those are both lovely stories. Hope you get some sleep. Best way to get round the side effects is to sleep through them from what I remember. Not easy to do on the steroids, but worth a try. x

Gracie I think PHI policies vary, but basically it seems it's up to you to make the appointments, which I didn't understand, so went off waiting for a summons letter which never would have come, and getting increasingly anxious in the meantime! Doh! Also the amount of follow-up care they are prepared to pay for can vary. To be honest I was in no fit state to be organising and enquiring about cover and appointments, and I love the feeling of being in our lovely NHS's 'system' (even if it does go a bit haywire now and again) with the cameraderie of the waiting room and access to BCNs. Private rooms are lovely but it's also nice to chat with fellow 'travellers'. Also, with our policy, they charge a £200 excess in each policy year when you use it. My initial op fell right at the end of one year and my chemo in the next, so that was two years' excess payments, grrr. Followup appts would take me into a third policy year and another excess payment. Oops, I've written an essay!

PuffPants Hello! Having had quite a lengthy discussion last summer with my Oncologist re menopause (did I count as pre- or post-) and osteoporosis (lots of family history).....it would be very useful if I could remember it, but I can't But I think the others are right, and whether Arimidex or Tamoxifen is most suitable is down to these two factors, but definitely ask about it, they should be happy to explain the choice.

Morning All

Hope Gigs and Gracie had a good night
And that Mas is still having a wonderful holiday .

I am going to be sporadic in my board attendance till Monday as my sister , bil and nephew arrive here from London in about an hour !

Will try to get on as often as poss though , so if Gigs could keep posting linkies to Male Olympians it would be most appreciated ...