TAMOXIFEN**33**

[MaryAnnSingleton]

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

Hi all, welcome gingeroots - as everyone says the waiting is one of the worse bits, and it is very hard meeting friends and trying to pretend all is OK, but then again you often don't want to talk about things when you are still finding out what is going on.

A very good friend of mine had throat cancer, I think she had quite a few 'scrape' type ops. where they seem to remove the surface of the vocal chords. But she continued to have suspicious 'scrape' tests afterwards, so in the end she had a six week course of radiotherapy. It was tough, but seems to have done the trick - she has been clear for 18mnths now and is doing very well. She has regular camera up her nose and down her throat exams to check all is as it should be.

Do stick around - it is very hard when you don't know what they are going to say, but once you do have a treatment plan, it helps a lot- you can focus on that and you get a routine in place for tackling the bugger. We've all got experience of various types of cancer, so will do our very best to hand hold and help you

Loads of luck for your up coming appointment xx

Asho - so sorry about boyfriend, is it the cancer that has made him turn into a twerp? If so then although it is heartbreaking when you have been together for so long, when it came to the crunch, he let you down, and made it about him when it is actually about you.

yes to feeling resentful - very very normal, and it is easy to lose your sense of identity, - people sometimes seem unable to see beyond the disease, and you become a cancer patient first and a person second - I found one of the things that helped me was having some time to myself and doing things that were just about me relaxing and being myself. So I loved things like massage (although you'd have to check that is Ok while you are still having treatment, reflexology, indian head massage - may sound very woo, but they are very relaxing. Going for walks or days out where you won't meet anyone you know, so no one will cross examine you about how you are. really whatever makes you feel good about yourself, so you don't lose the old you and become bogged down in treatment and hospitals.

waving to copt - hope goondog is OK, - old lady dog start to dig in her heels about five hundred yards from the vets, and getting her over the threshold is a hellish task - last time she went, the vet offered her a doggy treat after she'd finished poking and jabbing her, I have never seen a dog look so contemptuous as she refused it

Sorry to hear about your mum's friend - that's very sad, you are right some people leave a big hole in your life. Hope your mum is OK.

Sorry this post is getting enormous - so waving and love to everyone. Snowing and freezing here. Again

Thanks for that info about your friend KK.

I'm so scared ,my swallowing has got bad so rapidly and I'm thinking the muscles are involved .

But of course anxiety doesn't help !

Aplogies for shamelessly ignoring everyone else and only focussing on ME !

ginger - focussing on you is exactly the right thing to do atm, it is a horrid scary thing and very tough to handle - but if it's any help we all understand that feeling and are here whenever you need a supportive ear. xx

Thank you KK .

Can I ask about PET scans - is it a tunnel or more of a doughnut like the CT scan I had ?

Will I have to have my arms above my head - I have frozen shoulders . One better than the other ?

And thank god for MN .

ginger We are all also very familiar with Canceritus, as in the assumption every ache, pain, rash and symptom is inevitable the worst, and indeed developing aches, pains, rashes and other symptoms that mysteriously disappear once we see a proper doctor (NOT Dr Google, he is an alarmist muckraker of out of date information and lies) and they confirm it is nothing to worry about. I know it is hard not to dwell but really there is no point worrying about what hasn't happened. And it is you that matters at the moment.

Can I just let off steam, as DD says I am just going "nerner nerner" at her. She is off to a sixth form conference in Nottingham tomorrow, has of course lost all her join up instructions (would forget her head if it were loose), has just looked up online that there are no trains to get her there on time so now I have to drive her there and won't ring the company for the details...... Hasn't packed, has just asked for a packed lunch This child cannot go to university next year, she'll be trapped in a room filled with dirty clothes and paper and be found three weeks later partially eaten by Alsatians (in spite of having watched Bridget Jones a million times) Grrr

Speaking of which KK clearly old lady dog is wiser than goondog. He absolutely loves the vets, partly the result of the puppy parties he went to and partly because all the nurses make such a fuss of him (he used to have to stay there quite often as a puppy / adolescent as a result of Collie habit of carrying on running around dementedly even when seriously injured, plus he is a tart). So he is all the more indignantly disappointed when the vet puts the gloves on to stick them where the sun don't shine

So what is the M1 going to be like at 7am

The Pet scans I have had the bed moves through a quite wide doughnut, not nice when your head goes in but at least open at each end. They sometimes have to keep going backwards and forwards over an area to build up a good picture, I don't remember having to put my arms above my head, but not entirely sure, and of course they were focused on the lymph nodes in my armpit, whereas it will be your neck. You have an injection of a radioactive drug and then have to rest for an hour for it to be taken up. Tumours like the glucose solution it is given in, and take it up more quickly than other tissue.

Ginger, success rates at the moment for your situation are 9 out of every 10 (on the latest stuff). And the other 1 in 10 still get a good chance of long term stabilising. Like the others say, stay away from Google as it's complete utter tripe on it (unless you know where to look for the science and are able to read top level research papers and trial result language).
Have a
And one for everyone else too.

Had cording appear after I'd been silly with heavy duty gardening. Grr. Thought I'd avoided that.

Waving a hello to Ginger. Can't add much, but stick around. As others have said the doubt and fear waiting for results is the worst part. Step away from Google and listen to Dr Amber's wise stats instead.

Copt, your DD sounds like lots of my friend's teenage girls. From a distance I adore them all, but am sure I'd feel similar if she was mine. might help.

Ash, (((((hugs from me)))))) twerp boyfriend sounds like he needs a good slap. Last thing you need is him being an arse.

Cold!!!! been out hurling snowballs at DS, but they were largely slush. Feet haven't thawed yet. Had one too many glasses of wine last night, so not going out tonight. DH and I have realised it's 3 years today since I was diagnosed.

Hi Smee - congrats on your 3rd anniversary! You're a bit ahead of me, so well done. I've had a bit too much to drink at a reunion of old colleagues this pm - it was very nice despite the freezing conditions! Waving to everyone elese.
x

Waving to SR, though are you sure I'm ahead of you?? I thought you were diagnosed before me! Either way we're both doing okay.

Hi Smee, well I've had 3 glasses of wine so you're probably right! I was dx in Dec 2009 - aha yes you're right!! Have just had some food so hope will sober up shortly!

For smee anniversary on her behalf.

Copthall- I have lost track of times dss has done similar.

Recovering on sofa from longest night with mini gigshe has been calpoled up now but think it will be an early one.

at SR. I don't really think of this as a big milestone, as I think they say you should count is from when you finish treatment. Still an excuse for

Gig, sounds like your house isn't much fun atm. Hope they let you sleep tonight. x

Evening All
You've been busy today !

Welcome ginger and in the nicest possible way , I hope you don't need to stick around !

Asho does twunt need a visit from the sisterhood ???
He's doing a great job of making this all about him , isn't he ?

Shift over , it must be my turn to park my considerable arse on the paranoia box

It was DDs party today .
Climbing wall .
Only problem was , we've been snowed in for 24 hours !!!
Heroic dad to the rescue though , he and 3 of our other neighbours banded together and dug the entire street out !

DD had a ball , and all but one of her friends managed to make it through the snow .

Have left over triple chocolate , with chocolate fudge frosting , marshmallows , and strawberrys cake .
Made by a friend of mine , and it is Devine !!!

Right , almost 1 am . I must try and get some sleep .
Later Ladies x

Hope gigs got a good nights sleep

Love the sound of Topsys snowclearing gang, glad the party was a success

OK off into the snow and ice, if little Copt has cleared everything off her floordrobe........alarming report from East Midlands Airport on the news just now

Yes much better night although little gig poorly but at least slept til 5 (I was asleep before 10 so wasn't too bad). Touch wood hip and back feeling better too.

And sausages for those who want them. Any cake left topsy? Glad party was ok.

I'm not up to sausages but a is nice, thanks. Sounds like quite a.lot of snow, topsy! We didn't have any more last night so it should be better sledging conditions, no fine snow.going up noses.
Hope roads ok, copt.
Good you feel better today gig I'm going to sit in bed crocheting for a bit...

so glad t\hat dd's party could go ahead topsy - sterling work by dh and neighbours ! Cake sounds fab though sadly I must decline.
Poor little gig - hope she is better today...and that hip etc aren't pesky today. No plans today,except for some work. Dh making proper ragu for our supper.

Back!! I can witness to the fact that everywhere north of London is under snow, just sad and grey back here

Students at Nottingham University get double beds

Puts Brownies not eaten on journey on trolley, and clementines that I sneaked into little Cops bag that she sneaked out again

Glad you got a night's sleep.

At a loss what to do now, feels like I have already done a day's work......

Glad you got a night's sleep Gigs I meant

Just a quick one to say thanks again for kind words. Mum had had her op and is home again. She has a softie to wear in her bra and a check up with the surgeon on weds.

Hello everyone. I'm not on here often but I've tried to keep up with how you're all doing. All ok with me as far as I know; waiting for the next round of scan & follow up appointment in April, but looking forward to Spring

Good luck to all !

waves to LadyEdith and glad that your mum's op is done tiredteddy - hope she recovers from it speedily.

Glad it went well tiredteddy. Don't be surprised if she feels quite low the first few days. Aside from the emotional reaction to losing an implant, I think it's a natural hormonal response to having surgery of any kind.
I get my drain out tomorrow - yippee! Third time around for me with one of these buggers, so really looking forward to getting rid.

Yay for drains coming out Uwaga, I hated those. I'm going to see her tomorrow while my boys are at school and I'll take tiny dd (10weeks old) as that will make her happy. she sounds quite groggy still but says she feels relieved at the moment that it's being dealt with. She has a drain in. And a Softie to keep in her bra they said it's to keep it all flat and pressed down. She's on antibiotics too. Think I'll relax once I've seen her.