******The 36th TAMOXIFEN thread******

[NedSchneebly]

You all out there? Pop this way!

KK x posted. I think you are allowed to say something stronger about shingles. It must really wear you down, coming and going.

I would come on box for Topsy but if I try to talk or laugh it sets coughing and weeing off and I am not good company. But I have EVERYTHING crossed for Monday

Yes smee I think the only thing that could win it for us would be the Hoff though that would be unfair www.metrolyrics.com/2011-the-hoff-i-wont-be-entering-the-eurovision-song-contest-news.html

I agree Copt - Bonnie's only hope is to whip of her tight leather trousers, - it is a very poor song - but as you say Smee, - it wouldn't matter who we put in we'd still come last. The only tension in the voting is to see by how far we come last

Good thought to the exam girl Copt. - hope she is bit calmer today. My D has dyslexia so I have been there with the exam stuff - it sucks (actually exam time sucks even if your DC doesn't have dyslexia it is v.stressful) Hope your DD can find a way to manage and go on to University, my DS decided not to go to University (although he had the grades) as he had had enough of being in a system where he constantly felt like a failure, because he couldn't write things down and had to deal with ignorant teachers telling him he was either dim or lazy (despite having a statement) . Hopefully things have improved a bit since then.

Smee - I have acyclovir (Massive horse pills), amytriptiline and high strength co codomol, with instructions to ring him if that doesn't do the trick and he'll up the dosage of everything (clearly he is in a panic that I may come in and cry all over him again - he was doctor 'Nice but slightly thrown by crying old bat in his surgery' )

I may have consumed a large number of Thorntons 'special offer in Sainsbo's' chocolates with my friend - and v.nice they were too (all soft centres so I still have my fillings intact!)

I am making a broccoli risotto tonight, with extreme quantities of parmesan and garlic!

The fall was scary as all hell not least because of the broken hip which meant a pin down the femur operation and which I had no recollection of hurting. Apparently my osteo-porosis is very severe which means my bones are super dooper fragile anyway.

There is also something cartoonish about about falling over in the loo which makes people snigger, well my grandson was the only one who sniggered but still.

My consultant is away at conferences next week so i won't know anything until the 24th, a week Friday, a lifetime away.

Everything seems to be based on waiting around before we can begin getting better (hopefully)

On a massive plus, actually its the only plus but with DD2 planning her wedding for next June the simple pleasures of googling wedding favours and invites is keeping me sane.

Vampires trembling near you then, Kurri. Glad you've got horse pills. How long does it usually take for shingles to die down?? Seems massively unfair that you keep getting them.

Copt, how many more exams has DD got to go? Is it just the start?

And MAS, how's DS getting on? Hope okay. I'm sure he's got wondrous snacks to fuel his brain. You're so very good at all of that.

Just wondering if anyone knows anything about hormone switching? My team have changed their mind on changing me from Tamoxifen to Letrozole. Surgeon thought Letrozole made more sense now I'm post menopausal, but Onc says it's better to have Tamoxifen for the full 5 years, then switch onto an AI drug after that. That way I get up to 10 years of hormone therapy, whereas switching now would reduce that. Also as I'm apparently still a young woman (ha!), it delays the potential bone thinning effects of the AI drugs. Has anyone else explored all of this? Seems to make sense and Surgeon's now agreeing with Onc, but both they admit they're working in the dark as it's all quite new.

I have been out to lunch with a good friend who is four days overdue with her first baby. It was lovely to talk about cracked nipples and infacol for a change.

She is a long term anxiety sufferer, so she was able to recommend some meditation apps on the phone. I am going to have a go and see if any of them suit me.

I have bought myself a treat in the form of an adult colouring book (not rude!) and a set of posh art pens. I may let my dd colour it in with me if she continues to be lovely.

Poo to shingles, bad falls, poorly dogs, sore hands and crappy exes. Yay to macmillan nurses, decent drugs and wedding frippery.

sounds sensible smee to do the full course of tamoxifen,then switch over - and yes, you are a young woman !!
T seem to be fine and dandy - no exams until Monday now- but he's still having his snacks ! He has made inroads into the new loaf of chollah anyway.

Off to inject Smog...

actually that makes me sound like a drug addict...

at mas smoghead

smee She has had three now, five to go, next one Friday, three next week, last one 6 June. At least there aren't as many as GCSE, and it is all subjects she is good at. I just wish I had lined up some more hypnotherapy sessions beforehand as they really helped last time. I was a bit sceptical, but it seems to be mainly mindfulness and coping strategies rather than actually hypnotising her and making her take her clothes off in the exam or whatever (now that would be a coping strategy ) but she feels she hasn't time now, so it is just me left to try and keep things calm.....

KK It did seem to have changed. Little Copt has had a lot of support from teachers and has confidence she is clever, and really loves history , literature etc. and really wants to go to university, as she says I love studying, I just hate learning. It is just that so often it all goes wrong in the exam, but as you say it affects anyone who is likely to be anxious. She has however had to cope with some of the nasty pieces of work in her very bitchy year saying she was stupid and now it seems Gove is determined to join in the same sort of ignorant treatment of people with learning difficulties

Mas How is T getting on, and any other DCs sitting exams? Loved your advice on Facebook and friend who is teacher with GCSE pupils has shared it (she should probably pay you )

smee Dr Geek did go through the statistics with me and the trial was based on following on from Tamoxifen which was what he proposed as my treatment plan until it was ambushed by my creaky hips. Obviously, especially as we are tumour twinnies I think you should consider the affect on bone density. I don't know when mine passed into the risky category, but it must be a good thing that Tamoxifen staved it off for five years

www.ejcancer.com/article/S0959-8049(13)00003-8/abstract Smee, that might be interesting to read.

'Evening all. Waving at everyone. Reading through.

Evening all not sure I can keep up with everyone's posts though I have read. First afternoon back at work since dx and all went ok though I had moments of can I do this and is this really happening to me? But children lovely and nice to be back. Then straight to ds football tournament so knackered now I think it's tiring putting the brave face on sometimes
Hope everyone has a good evening, bath and apprentice for me

Loads of luck to junior copt !
T seems to be coping ok,I think (I hope !) he certainly seems quite cheery.

Copt you as always hit the nail on the head it seems OW's alcoholism is infectious and ExH is now regularly drinking to excess and drink driving with DD in the car. I'm probably going to have restrict his contact under the Children's Act so this is going to get really messy and end up in court. I have wanted to avoid the messiness and court, but I have to protect DD.
My op is on 27th June, I do have a couple of non-head tilting friends. In is booked for day surgery so if I come home that day I need another adult with me for the next 18 hours. I say if as I am a profuse vomiter post op and have several supposed day surgeries never yet been discharged the same day the worst one I was in for 4 days post op. the surgeon is very blasé oh the anaesthetist will fix that, but I know I have had every anaesthetic, premed combination out there and the only thing that prevented the vomiting was 36 hours straight on high dose morphine. I am the lady who only just missed vomiting over her new born baby so not even a spinal block helps.

Loads of good luck to copt dd - hope everything goes well exam- wise- my boy is ok I think
Apprentice night !!! Am very happy about that.

Sorry- repeated myself as am on iPad and couldn't see if I'd sent first one - Grr
The prospect of vomiting must be horrid lone

Lone, I so get that about being vomitty. I'm seem to defy the anaesthetist's magic drugs too. What a sod about your ex. Must be very tough to deal with all that as well as an op.

MAS, glad DS's doing okay. Love the idea of you as a drug dealer.

Hope little Copt sleeps well tonight. Least she gets a day to revise before the next one.

Malt, bet the time flew by at school, but yes very tiring to wear brave face. Hope you sleep well x

Amber, that's a v.interesting article. There's quite a lot of evidence that AI's have better performance, but I hadn't read that one. V.recent! might send Onc your link and ask for her take. She's good at talking it through so will see what she says.

Kurri, how are you on the horse pills? Hopefully functioning or if not blissfully asleep.

- I'm taking the horse pills, but a second rash has appeared to go with the one on my face/head, I've now got a lovely crop of painful blisters on my side. - I've got double shingles - I didn't even know that was possible but apparently it is. Bugger.

Smee - the sticking with tamox for five years seems like a sensible option - you may as well get the maximum amount of therapy you can, but I am very ignorant about it all and probably talking out of the top of my head. I will read your article amber when I'm feeling less fuzzy!

Lone - vomitty after anaesthesia is horrible (I get it to a mild degree - no where near what you are describing, and that is bad enough, so massive sympathies.

trice - enjoy your colouring books, DD got me some of those after I had my mastectomy - I loved them, and they really helped with getting back fine motor control after the op. And very relaxing - what are yours pictures of? - I think had some sort of art deco design ones, and some celtic designs.

Malt - well done on getting through frist day back at work, - it is hard to keep up the cheerful face, but I think you are sensible to go back - it will help the time until your op pass a bit more quickly.

Copt = Gove is a loathsome individual, - I'm sorry your Dd has had probs with nasty students at school though - that is mean, bit good luck to her, she sounds determined, and I'm sure she'll get there

good luck to T for his exams too MAS and any other exam DC.

Anyway - am going to watch the apprentice which i recorded earlier and then go to bed. Am feeling very sore and sorry for myself. Whiiiiiiiiiiinge.

Whiiiiinge away, Kurri. My-oh-my that sounds grim. Gentle hugs from me. Hope the horse pills let you sleep. xx

Night all. Am off to switch summer duvet to winter. DH not here. Am feeling March not May.

Kurri sounds painful hope you got some sleep ?
I slept ok still tablet induced though.
Got a whole day at work today which will hopefully stop me dwelling too much but bloody hard still.
Sun is shining hope everyone has a good day x

sunny here too- hope you have a good day malt and that *kk8 gets some relief from shingle effects

Am off to have my Smog fix in a sec

Morning All

KK you poor thing . You must feel rotten ? Hope the tabs kick in soon and work well for you x

HND and I are off to a funeral this morning . A friends mum died .

Hope everyone has a good day x

Good morning all,

malt have a good day at work :)

KK bloody shingles indeed, you poor thing. I hope you got some sleep and relief from the pain :(

lonecat I was very vomitty after my first surgery (morphine rather than GA) but now they give me ondansetron with morphine and that works - is that what they give you? If not you could suggest it. They can be reluctant to use it as it's quite powerful. It's no fun at all so hopefully they can get a handle on it. Ex and OW sound like a nightmare, so irresponsible to drink drive with your DD!

topsy and HND :( I hope the funeral goes well

smee hope you were warm enough in the night, tis rather chilly

MAS good luck with Smog

I slept a bit better last night but still awake for a few hours then woke up early. I tried listening to my yoga sleep thing but it made me unbearably tingly all over and I think is partly what stopped me sleeping for so long.

Hopefully going out for a bit this afternoon to nice town nearby as it's my aunt's last full day with us. It will include a visit to Lakeland

Have a lovely day everyone :)

Sun is shining. Sky is blue. I'm full of tramadol which is why I can't poo.

Sorry to bring down the tone.

Trice