TAMOXIFEN**33**

[MaryAnnSingleton]

new thread - bring the trolley over here....

Gig - also eye rolling here Would be more inclined to send money if she promised not to sing for the next five years.

At kurri- I don't particularly mind her til this. Although I was always a bit about her on the voice being held out as some great expert. Yes she is successful but she hasn't exactly had a long career.

at promise not to sing for 5 years.

Its the weekend. :) Dd2 has a sleepover tomorrow. Aargh. This calls for

Just woken and eaten. Feeling a bit better. Will do night shift on the box so as not to share germs !! Just had lovely news, Bil and Sil having a baby!! ( no 3). Wasn't expecting that so this is a good day!! We like good news.
Thank you all for hand holding again. Much appreciated. X

Evening all you lovely ladies

am properly knackered today - 16 very bouncy 5 and 6 year olds in red and white clothes getting very excited about red nose stuff today!

kurri since my arse is clearly the most ample here I will most happily take my shift on the paranoia box for you, my love. Worth talking to doctors if not better by Monday, I reckon.

14k cracking news from the hospital, lovely. Sorry about grotty throat tho. Once you feel better you need to have a proper celebration!

smee you back from sunny Cardiff? Hope trip went well x x x

MAS sorry you're still feeling rough. How'ls things this evening? You having some nice and waitrose delicacies this evening?

gig how's things with you? what news with big gig? Is she any more settled at school? Hope she's doing well x x

amber thinking of you. Hope you're not working too hard x x

waves to pen, gracie, sparkle, jchoc and anyone else around.Sending you all big love and hugs x x x x x xx x x

Nice round up ned

I had no signal in the living room - its fine in the bedroom, but I must try to get some sleep. Sweet dreams everyone

Pen, you are being so brave! I know I hate hearing that because what else can you do? but still, there it is.

I start chemo next week. They fit a picc line thurs then start proper on friday. Anything essential I need to know before then? How on earth will I avoid all the school infections with 3&6 year olds? Can anyone reassure me the kids won't just knock the line out? It's a bit intimidating to have direct tubing to my heart, but I'm terrible with needles. They blew 2 canula spots before actually getting one in on Tues, and I almost fainted when they took the line for my CT scan.

For all?

Sparkle - ct scan lines are notorious Ime for being the worst ever at putting them in so that experience shouldn't be typical. The picc line will be put in by a specialist and you will be under local anaesthetic so won't feel anything. You lie there while they do it (will have an ultrasound to check where it goes). They then check by x ray it is in place. They measure you so line won't go near your heart.

Kids won't knock it as it is only a bit out your arm at top of your arm- I wore a crepe bandage over mine so didn't rub.

Infections - I have 4 and 1 year old and didn't pick up anything. There is a particular point in cycle (day 7-11 I think in 21 day cycle) where you are lowest so I avoided going out to crowded places. If you have to do school run, can you drop at door or ask someone to pop out to get them (school will understand). Otherwise usual precautions about hand washing etc apply. A fair few of us have done chemo with little ones and I don't think we had any more bad luck with infection than anyone else.

Hi ned love - I am ok although shoulder bit sore again as I have overdone it so need to be careful. Big gig doing loads better as have been reminding her and rewarding her about concentration at school.

thanks gig.
Up bright and early? I can't Lie in bed much longer ignoring the cat but at least he isn't in here stomping on my head...
sparkle hope you got some sleep. Good you have a date for starting chemo.

14k lovely news about your bil and sil expecting dc3 how exciting :)

I have much same issue as kids are up- am staying in bed with until they demand breakfast tho.

I am working too hard, but we have to (thanks to the many games that banks like to play with small businesses, including but not limited to "Not Paying Us for Work They Ask Us to Do for Them", and "Charging Us Lots of Money for Going Overdrawn Because They Haven't Paid Us"). Not that I'm about it at all. Just how I imagined life to be after 14 mths of cancer treatment. Not.
Grr
But anyway, we'll get through it.
I didn't have a Picc line. I had a portacath implanted under the skin at the top of my chest. Brilliant thingy. But rare.

Morning amber grr at the bank.

Dh brought me a after I'd got up fed cat and come back to bed. Really have to get up and go now or I'll be late for parkrun...

am up and waving - grr about bank too amber and lots of love to sparkle for forthcoming treatment.
Am sad today as we say goodbye to our car - getting new one today, but I get very attached to them and he's been brilliant for the past 5 or so years -no trouble at all. New car is very exciting too but...
Have cancelled dinner at friends house this evening because wasn't sure whether I'd feel up to socialising and being out late- will take it easy but would like to have a walk or something in the fresh air as I get restless after much lying around.
love to all xxx

Sparkle - I was freaked out by the concept of the Picc and for the first week I felt uncomfortable, but that was more the psychological issues than actual physical pain.

The insertion was painless, I have has no problems with it, only had to tell my daughter to be careful when she grabbed my arm near where it is inserted. They covered it with breathable dressing, it doesn't snag on clothes. A nurse comes once a week to check it and flush the line, takes about an hour.

Very lucky so far, halfway through six cycles. No infection, no illness, although my daughter has been off school for three days with some bug. I was told it is the bacterial infections that are dangerous so just washing your hands more often can be very effective.

That cat has a lot to answer for. We have a touch lamp by the bed and he appears to know how to turn it on . Given him his breakfast and put the kettle on. Girls are quiet in the front room. They managed to break my pyrex mixing bowl last night full of doritos at the time.

at the cat jchoc I was up similarly early with the human alarm clock that is DS. . .

topsy candy crush is my new obsession, and its all your fault . . . I've had some people gift me lives (including our lovely pen) but I don't know how to do that, to return the favour. Any ideas?

What's anyone got planned today? Nice things I hope. It's sleeting here, so inside jobs and ironing on the cards for me. May have to bundle up and take DS out for a brisk walk later, or he'll b bouncing off the walls like some overgrown puppy. . .

Have a good day all

It's more addictive than chocolate ned. Click on the names of people (I think it's a pink envelope).

Resting up again as still sore from carrying shopping and fat babies (favouring one side isn't good). Also got to take bug gig to a party.

clever kitty jane !
I daren't go near that candy crush game as i know I'd be sucked in irretrievably.
Poor shoulder gig try to rest up.
Am feeling better today- lots of sleep has helped.

Hello everyone,

Glad the doctor wasn't worried l4k, hopefully you can celebrate more when you are feeling better.

sparkle I was told I might need a PICC line too, and I felt exactly the same way. Even though it doesn't actually go into the heart, it's near enough to be a bit scary! I don't need one yet so I can offer any comforting words but a couple of the ladies in my chemo session had them and it was definitely easier than fumbling around with cannulas, being stabbed repeatedly. Plus it will protect your veins from damage. After the comments from the lovely ladies here I was actually thinking of requesting one for my next infusion :)

gig hope you feel more comfortable soon and hope big gig enjoys the party!

mas what's the new car like?

amber sorry to hear about the bank problems, I hope they get sorted soon.

kurri I'll join you in sponsoring Jessie J to stop singing! Perhaps One Direction as well?

jane what a clever cat! Although also very annoying I'm sure.

ned enjoy your walk if you do venture out, I was about to say it's nice and bright here but just looked out again and it is now raining heavily.

I've had quite a busy week.

Dr W thinks we've found my tolerance level so one more cycle of just tablets, reduced dose this time, if I make it to day ten or more then I can have infusion next cycle.

Things are brilliant with the boyfriend, we are having "space" at the moment. It's actually done me a lot good though, and I'm hopeful that we will be able to sort things out :) it is our seven year anniversary tomorrow, we are going out for dinner but only on the agreement that it doesn't mean things are fixed!

Work continue to be difficult about paperwork but hopefully the GP has found a solution and it'll be sorted on Monday...

I've started doing a yogalates DVD as well as walking for thirty minutes every day (not always in one go, I include any errands I run). I feel very well and can't really believe I'm having cancer treatment at all, or that any of it ever happened to me apart from the bowel surgery which makes itself known at about 2am every night

I keep tearing up when I see baby clothes or pregnant people or babies in the street or anything, hopefully that will stop soon...

Sorry for the long ramble, I hope everyone is well and sorry if I've missed anyone out, there have been lots of posts since I was last on!

Have a lovely day everyone :)

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a good day.
Still feeling unwell with bad throat but getting a bit better each day now.
Thinking back to the ultrasound on friday, I did ask if she could do a biopsy anyway but she said that if she can't see it she will not do one.She said the consultant would have to do a free hand biopsy from what he could feel, but she wouldn't be suggesting that.Also, I asked about MRI and she said that would be something to ask the consultant about , but then implied that I'd be wanting one every 5 mins as screening. She then said that as my mum had tested negative for the braca genes I was less high risk, but the genetic team told me that it was almost certain that my mum had gene involvement in developing breast cancer so early from the crazy family history, it's just that they haven't discovered her faulty gene to check for. Hope that makes sense.
I felt too ill to bother explaining all that to her as she was quite condesending. The nurse was lovely though, very kind.
So shall I just leave it and have the next mammogram in may like they said, or should I push for a mri instead? apparently fibrocystic breast tissue is hard to see through on a mammo. I do have private insurance but have never used it for breast problems.

Sorry to bother you all with this when you are dealing with your own stuff. the trials of chemo sounds like a full time job on it's own without adding in children , work , and actually having a life. I'm amazeingly impressed by you all.

And I'm really sorry I have lost the ability to spell.

14k am not sure what might be best to do- would having an MRI stop you fretting do you think ?

Car is very smart- a Citroen C4 - more grown up than the Picasso we had before dh says !
ashokan hope anniversary meal is lovely
Am feeling better today - hooray -am pretty sure it might've been an infection from the tooth as certainly had a temperature.

This is doing the rounds on FB, and wanted to share it with all here, in case not on FB. It applies to all of you here

"WONDERFUL LADY AND WARRIOR AWARD! The game is as follows ... Once selected, you have to choose 10 women on Facebook you believe deserve the award, copy and paste this on their wall. You must be honest, it is a way to show your respect and admiration for women who sometimes forget their worth! If you receive it over three times, consider yourself really a beautiful woman and warrior. If you break the game nothing will happen, but it's nice to know that someone appreciates and admires you ... and you're a beautiful person inside and out! ♥ ♥ ♥"

Lots of love to you all this chilly afternoon x x x x x x

gig and MAS can't get it post on your FB timeline, but consider yourselves well and truly loved. Will persevere. . .