TAMOXIFEN**33**

[MaryAnnSingleton]

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

Ooh dance classes sound fun! And good news about the free time. Maybe they can use it for wedding planning?! :) how exciting! It does sound like the relative has been absolutely ghastly. I really can't understand it. But hopefully they will manage to get a lovely place instead :)

I've now realised that it is indeed nearly lunchtime and yet again I'm still in bed I don't know how I ever got up in time to catch the 7.10 train!

It definitely seems that the more time I have, the less I get done.

Asho - duvet days are definitely allowable on chemo - how are you feeling at the moment, not too tired and yukky I hope. When is your next cycle? And when do you next see good old Dr Wanker?

Ashok, I used mouthwash a bit during chemo during the bits when ulcers started to appear - but they soon went on it. Other than that, just Macleans Total toothpaste twice a day, ordinary brush, nothing unusual.

Ahhh - those sheep are cute, at Knitivity!

Great news about your teeth amber (mine were wrecked - although rubbish to start with), but you have been brilliant with all your supplements etc. so maybe that is the answer.

how do you take your ginger? - do you use fresh and make a tea or something, or is powder any good? ( i have made fresh ginger and lemon tea in the past and it is very refreshing - would that be a good thing to take up again?)

Oil arrived !
Getting toasty as I type .

I want a knitivity !!!!

Asho my skin ( and my general health) was brilliant on chemo .
I have psoarisis , and the chemo got rid of it totally .
Have actually asked for a small maintaining dose through out the year

ash love your knitted sheep. Very sweet. I can just about knit nothing so am mightily impressed with all your creative people. Hope you are ok with the split from your boyfriend.

amber I am at your strong teeth. I am off to the dentist on Thursday as I now have 2 broken teeth. Not looking forward to the bill I'm going to have.

Glad you are nice and toasty topsy love your blanket.

kurri what a shame about the house. I'm sure they are gutted. Hopefully something better is out there for them.

A good friend's dad has just been diagnosed with liver cancer. That's not good is it? Another friend is off to the clinic today as she has found another lump. She had tnbc about a year ago. I hate this disease

gracie sorry about your friend, fingers crossed the lump is harmless, and your friend's dad :(

It seems like more and more people are getting cancer nowadays - is that actually true or just how it seems, does anyone know?

KK I'm very well, that you for asking, mildly nauseated but nothing major. I'm having a (very minor) surgical procedure next week when I was meant to be seeing Dr Wanker :) but that does rather confuse things as he was meant to be deciding at that appointment whether I'm having an infusion in the next cycle, which starts two weeks on Wednesday, all being well. I think I will just see him on the day.

topsy good news about your skin too! I wonder why the chemo does it. It's good that there is one nice side effect though. I wonder if there are any others. And yay for the oil!

Knitivity although mine doesn't look quite the same, and we haven't got many characters yet! It was a present to keep me occupied after my surgery but I wasn't able to concentrate enough so hopefully it'll be ready for next Christmas :)

Ashokan I love the sheep! and Topsys blanket (you could also do a matching cushion cover?)

Ashokan The Chemo Spa treatment definitely has some benefits, clear skin, you can lose weight, hair grows back curly and luscious......still wouldn't recommend it though, if only there were an alternative . Amber I had none of suggested problems with teeth, gums or eyesight either.

I buy turmeric raw, have some lovely recipes for South Asian curries with black pepper and coconut milk so unconsciously taking it the right way plus the garlic, ginger and other good things. You end up with yellow fingers and nails though, like you smoke 60 a day! Planning to grow lots of new herbs and spices this year, a lot have medicinal uses; I have all the packets already BUT IT IS STILL DEEP MID WINTER

gigs glad DH is there and keeping you laughing And you have help on the home front, if there is anything I can do, just ask, now I am out from being undercover.

KK at DDILs relatives, so basically they got their house done up for them as you say, hopefully when one door closes, another opens. This generation are having to work so hard for everything.

I have big Copt home now upstairs am spoiling her venturing into the icy blast for Reuben's bread and brownies ,throws some on the trolley

Hello back again- have had various major wobbles(reminded myself that this is always worse part when dx with something -will be better when have plan). Not seen surgeon yet but have had ct scan and ultrasound my leg. That apparently is either an infection or a small tumour but they don't know which til biopsy.

Now waiting on dh- feeling very wobbly and scared . Have had lovely friend here to hold my hand and cry on which has helped.

Kurri - about the house. That is especially horrid that it was a family member too.

Oooh Reuben's-that has raised a smile.

Am raising a virtual to all those who are waiting on dx and tests too as had forgotten the particular brand of shitty this is.

gigs We are all holding your hand too.

gracie Liver Cancer is not necessarily bad, the liver is the only organ that can regenerate, even from 25%. They can laser as well as remove tumours and even transplant. When my friend had secondaries they were confidant they could keep zapping as long she could, as it were.

Gig - it is all kinds of shitty - you are bound to feel wobbly, glad you have had a friend with you, and hope DH gets there soon. Am holding your hand

Copt - that is it exactly - relative has had thousands of pounds of free labour from DS (DS was even buying them both sandwiches and Maccy D's etc for lunch while they were working on house ) then has reneged on the agreement. DS has said he is telling himself that he has had a years building/plastering/plumbing etc course. which will always be useful knowledge. They are planning to have a good old redecorate and tart up of their current house to make it feel like new

gracie - sorry about your friend, hope it turns out to be nothing bad. And for your friends Dad.

Asho - I don't know whether there is more cancer about, or whether when you have it you are kind of fine tuned to hear about it more! (a bit of both I suspect)

I love that knitivity book

I copied a pattern for some chunky knitted slipper sock things from t'internet this morning (our printing has broken) and was getting very confused knitting them trying work the pattern out, have just had another look online and realised I missed a huge chunk of the instructions out when I was copying

Your ds sounds very sensible to think like that. Have spoken to girls on FaceTime which cheered me. Am starting to feel more resolute as amber and copthall reminded me while I am fit enough can still do something.

Also when I am done with whatever treatment is needed we should have a Mn piss up. Will send to those who can't make it easily so they can join in from a distance. Am assuming those localish to London would join in. That will be one nice thing to keep me going they the stress to come

Budge over, am bringing a bag of yummy teenie eggs from M&S. Bought for DS, but have just scoffed most of them. . MAS avert your eyes..!

Gig, when are they doing the biopsy on your leg? Hope soon. You've every right to wobble. Wish we could help more. Glad you've got a friend with you and DH on his way. xx

Grr, at those relatives Kurri. Must be so upsetting for your DS and his gf.

Gracie, I have a friend who had secondaries on her liver, but they cut them away - must have been on surface - she was told good chance they'd gone completely and so far so good for her. Think a lot depends where on liver they find it.

Am tidying my little work room - long overdue and a bit of a huge task, so listening to 'The Farm' to distract myself from the tedium. Have been dancing amidst the dust. Cat's looking me as though he wants to disown me.

Oh gig, i'm sorry. Hope things are falling into place now and the op goes well, when it happens.

Thanks for the supplement ideas amber. Do you mind if I ask where you get your info? I was also thinking about getting probiotics and co-10, any thoughts?

Good luck Ginger, my auntie had throat cancer (pretty advanced) 8 years ago, and she's still kicking around.

So far so good on the chemo. I felt completely fine after the first dose (e of ec) and a bit fuzzy headed with the second, then queasy for the day then mostly fine. I feel incredibly lucky, I was really worried. Long long may it last, since I've got a ton to do before we move 15 April!

That's good news you are bearing up sparkle. I was told no prebiotic when on chemo but aloe Vera is excellent as minimised the gut issues.

Gets and squidges onto bed if there is room. Seen surgeon who was very nice, competent and upbeat.

The bad news is that I think they may have missed the pesky tumour in earlier tests( I am now naming it Katherine in honour of Katherine Jenkins) which isn't ideal and need biopsy on leg bump as may be a tumour (but this is minor).

Just like her namesake,Catherine is overbearing and gets where you don't want her so is wrapped one of my neck vertebrae pressing on nerve and near blood supply. Unchecked would obviously cause more pain and paralyse me.

That's the bad news... The good news is should remove it. But is complex (amber please pay attention as may need you to help me understand). First I have to have an angioplast to freeze neck artery so doesn't get damaged. They are doing more scans to prepre for this tomorrow . Next week will do angioplast which means putting little inflatable in to stop blood supply (bit like a line in my groin to neck).

Then after 10 days when happy that blood supply died off, do op to take out Katherine and put plastic support on bone. Then may need another op a week later to put more support in back of neck (Katherine being what she is is pushing round the front of my neck).

Then may do some mop up radio.

Yes it's a big deal but I will get through this.

Oh and maybe will do some op on spine mets tho they aren't an issue (just surgeon suggested it - I know onc will roll her eyes at this and probably veto it unless necessary. I shall remind her that they didn't do much about Katherine til it was too late).

Should get allowed home this weekend and between ops subject to wearing a fetching neck brace and looking after myself.

Gig - that sounds like a plan to me - upbeat surgeon sounds nice, bugger and fuck that you have to go through this, but you will get through it sweetie. xx

Bloody hell, Gig. All sounds very high tech and extraordinary. Fab that it's operable though, so phew and hooray for competent, upbeat surgeon and am guessing once done you lose neck pain?? Good that you have a plan then. Here's to killing off Katherine. Will drink a toast to that later! xx

I bloody hate Katherine bloody Jenkins so can focus my ire on her in gig's neck - am glad there are plans afoot though it all sounds very complicated. Well done gig !
I spoke to my friend in Derbyshire -so glad I did,and talked about her situation =she doesn't want/couldn't cope with surgery, but Doc says they will treat it hormonally- but am not sure whether this is realistic. Anyway, it's best to wait for biopsy I think.

Had a v nice lunch out with Aunt - we had wine which seems v decadent during the day
Let's have a MN piss up when gig has finished her treatment - sounds a tip top idea.
Btw- since having chemo my face is as smooth as a baby's (but my nails are awful)

Did someone say piss-up? Excellent idea!

Yes, I had the chemo skin facial too, though nails were woeful - lost a few, ridges on the rest.

Piss up? I'm in !
Gigs, wow!!! That's a very nifty set of ideas they're having. I like it.
Yup, on standby for extra info when you want it. Here or fb or email or whatever else works.

Gig I'm glad you've got a plan, but sorry you've got to have more surgery. At least the pain should be sorted! :) will be thinking of you lots. It all sound complicated but yay for surgeon! I'm glad you've got real life support and we are all thinking of you :)

sparkle I'm glad the chemo is going alright so far. You definitely need to check with your oncologist before taking probiotics. I'm taking them at the moment with my tablets but will need to stop when I start my infusions again. Do you have an agreement about the move now?

MAS fingers crossed for your friend, no idea about the treatment but hopefully things will be clearer after the biopsy.

KK oops! I hope you've managed to rescue the socks?

copt brownies sound fab. Did she enjoy the conference?

That's gonna be one heck of a journey Gigs , but I'm fully confident that you will manage it !
And as for a London piss up , I may just have to jump on a plane and join in !
My big sis lives in Fulham , so that will be staggering distance from where ever we end up ....

itches to get hands on gigs shexy collar to bedazzle it with glitter and sequins and marabou

Piss up ? Did I hear piss up ? I am within piss up range of the big smoke for sure would be positively rude not to come wouldn't it ?

I hate Katherine Jenkins with a passion but the actual name Katherine is not too bad ........

I once named a pet rat Judith after a love rival - completley irrelevant fact there.

The plan sounds well complex but they would not do it if it were not sure to get rid. We are all here to ride it out with you and plan the piss up.

I went to the park today with one of the hounds ( the easy one to walk) I coul d Not walk far at all and had to sit to throw the ball. Luckily she drops the ball right at your feet so no reaching for it required. I felt there is light at the end of the tunnel for the first time for ages. Just want a temperature above freezing now.