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

[NedSchneebly]

You all out there? Pop this way!

[BetsyBoop]

[amberlight]

Betsy, yup, this is the place. So sorry that you're joining us. But good to meet you. Remember that eek feeling very well. But these days the 'starting odds' are 9 out of 10 being very treatable. And most of the other ruder sort are manageable as a long term nuisance. Have a seat, cuppa or glass of something.

[BetsyBoop]

thanks amber

forgot to mention the good news that the slightly dodgy looking area in the other breast is just two small cysts... :)

I feel sick to the pit of my stomach and can't eat anything. Don't know how I'll get through the next two and a half days until 2pm Friday.

Desperately trying to find someone to look after the kids (5 and 7) so DH can come with me on Friday, as I was on my own today, not good (DH was at home with kids) Everyone is either away or working...aargh

[trice]

Betsy, sorry you look like you are joining us. Be kind to yourself.

[topsyturner]

Hi Betsy and welcome .
Sorry you have to be here though .
We will hold your hand on Friday , and any questions you have , please feel free to ask .
There are no stupid or embarrassing questions here !

Trice what are they like ?
I'm a bit at the thought of them just "guessing" !
I was weighed unfortunately before every chemo dose .

I made a spaghetti Bol , prob not as passable as Ambers though ...

There's a local meet up on Friday morning in Belfast that I have decided to go to .
I'm a bit nervous , can I talk to people who don't have cancer ?


Apprentice time !
Lets see who makes me cringe the most this week ...

[malteserzz]

Betsy sorry to hear your news but you never know it might be ok. Shame you have to wait till Friday I had my biopsy results on the day but then had to wait a week for more detailed ones
Anyway you've come to the right place as everyone here is lovely and supportive fingers crossed for you. If I can give you a bit of advice don't google !

Loved the apprentice tonight think it was obvious who was going (not saying in case someone's recorded it !) and getting the flag size mixed up, muppets !

[topsyturner]

Well my line of the night was "I'm from Wales , I don't need any of that stuff" , when the Eyebrow King was offered Viagra in the souk

[Gigondas]

Betsy - hand hold from me too . Welcome


I can't believe I missed the apprentice - I am staying away til I watch it .

Had lovely evening and yum meal- offering vanilla Mille feuille and champagneto those who want it. It's purgatory tomorrow as its Disney...

[GoodbyeRubyTuesday]

Mmm mille feuille, yum yum.

Blood transfusion went very well and I'm feeling a lot better :) it was a community hospital building I'd not been in before, felt more like a village hall and various other activities going on at the same time. Parents were out tonight so took advantage and had a wild evening of... knitting

Betsy welcome and sorry you've had to join us. Hand holding from me as well :) things will hopefully feel a lot more do-able once you have your results and the plan.

Waves to everyone else!

[malteserzz]

Topsy you sound lovely go to the meet up you don't have to stay long if you feel uncomfortable
Gigs jealous of Disney I will go instead of you
Ruby I'm glad you're feeling a bit better
Last night at the inlaws tonight were going home tomorrow night it's been nice not cooking and having them to entertain the kids though I think they may be ready to get back to their quiet life now
Night night everyone sleep tight ( am I the only one who relies on pills for this ?? ) x

[MaryAnnSingleton]

well done ruby - yes,the ceiling looked friendly at your community hospital
betsy rotten to have to wait I know- it's always the worst bit really...let's hope that the results are good,but if not then as amber says the odds are v much in your favour.
Anyway, stay here with us for hand holding and ask any questions you like.
gig oh yum @mille feuille - yum, my mum used to make us that...hope Disney is tolerable..will you go on It's a Small World a million times ? T insisted on many visits to it, and even more to the 2,000 leagues under the sea thing..
I think I must've taken him to the same aquarium -I wanted to escape Disneyland for an afternoon so we got a taxi and spent a jolly time among the fishes..is it nr an outlet shopping place ?
Apprentice was crackingly good - am mesmerised by the piles of make up on the girls.

[MaryAnnSingleton]

topsy what kind of group ? take a looksee and you can always leave...

[malteserzz]

Agree about the apprentice girls, wonder how much make up they wear when they go out !
Ah Disney, it's a small world, dumbo, Peter pan, the parades love it all!

[MaryAnnSingleton]

Gah about them forgetting to weigh you trice - hopeless ! Unfortunately I seem to get weighed every time ( but ask them not to tell me)

[KurriKurri]

Evening all - just popping in to say night night - I've been out for the evening (to a talk on felting and making felt hats - the woman brought her hats in to show us and they were seriously funky)

trice - what a pain you had to trek to the hospital - fancy forgetting to weigh you and

Welcome Betsy, so sorry you find yourself here, and it's horrid waiting for results, but hang around and we will hold your hand. I know its hard because the anxiety makes completely lose your appetite, but try to eat a bit if you can - even if it's not proper meals but just snacks. xx

topsy - go to the meet up - you will have fun - I went to a local one once and they were all lovely - we ate a lot of cake IIRC

Ruby - I'm glad the blood trans. has helped, - hope the wild evening of knitting has gone well too - my niece lives in Edinburgh and she was telling me that some people there have wrapped loads of things in knitting (things like trees and railings and statues etc etc) - I think it called yarn bombing - sounds bonkers! - your wild knitting suddenly reminded me of it

night all x

[Copthallresident]

betsy sorry you are here but as others have said many of us have been in the position you find yourself and there is still a chance it will prove relatively inoffensive. We have many different variations so whatever question you want to ask one of us should have an answer. The uncertainty is very hard to cope with.

gigs Big Copt also had to go on it's a small world a million times....... I occasionally sing it to her for sweet revenge. However I do not think you have had the full purgatory experience when you are staying In a lovely flat in Paris. You have to stay in a caravan on "Davy Crockett's Ranch" with a TV that plays only the Little Mermaid on loop......

Can you not play the Cancer card? Imagine the avalanche of head tilting and schmaltz that would ensue

Also can you not get big gigs into Madeleine, that worked a treat with Big Copt, she was happy to be dragged around the sites convinced she was going to see her everywhere helped by lovely chic ladyin the cafe in the Musee d'Orsey saying Ah Madeleine! Oh la la! Elle etait ici il ya quelques minutes! The early cartoons are really charming.

Trice that measurement of height * weight to determine the dose is really crude anyway, which is why they almost always end up shifting the dose according to side effects, so not trusting your scales is a bit

topsy go for it! And report back.

Apprentice was brilliant! Looking very promising for Your Fired on Monday!

[Copthallresident]

NIght kk

ruby I noticed that your transfusion appeared to be in a hut but since it is a "community" hospital all explained.... Hope it works it magic and you don't have any unfortunate side effects come sunrise......

[BetsyBoop]

Thank you all for the warm welcome it means a lot :)

Not slept much either, but I guess that's to be expected :(

Sorry my posts are all me me me ATM my poor brain only seems capable of one train of thought right now. I'm not normally like this :)

[EarthMotherImNot]

Good morning all managed a couple of naps and a 2 hours uninterrupted sleep I would be in a happy place if the back pain would kindly leave the building.

Welcome Betsy, thats normal I'm afraid, it will pass

EMIN has been BAD. I'm almost (wibble) confident I can take on chemo if they suggest it will give me enough. I went and had a minor google Just to get a rough idea of how it was for different age groups etc.

Then, ping, light bulb moment!!!

Could any of you write out what actually happened, who did what. Pain score and both immediate and afterwards changes.Were the staff honest/Brutally honest with you.

Any help at all ladies
I

[jchocchip]

Morning all! We've got dentist this morning just a checkup but hope no one needs treatment, its expensive as it is. Hi to betsy fingers crossed for results Friday.
I made it home - the long way, wales to mums then home and didn't enjoy the drive after Welshpool.
earth - I can't help with chemo, but someone will be along in a minute.
Time for a anyone?

[malteserzz]

Morning all just saying hi while dh gets up for work, when he goes I'm hoping to go back to sleep !
Betsy of course your mind can't think of anything else, I'm still like that and it's been 4 weeks for me. Waiting for lumpectomy next Tuesday. Second trying to eat a little and when it gets too much talk to someone or make a cup of tea which sounds daft but there is something comforting about tea
Earth I can't help as not been through it yet but you do sound a bit more positive which is good
Copt we used to love Madeleine when mine were smaller. I'm quite tempted to you tube it and watch it again

[malteserzz]

Morning Jchoc glad you made it home ok

[coorong]

Hi emin sorry can't help but as not been through - hopefully you'll get advice soon
Hello betty - sorry to hear you're a potential member, but everything will be clearer on Friday. Sometimes they have to take more biopsies to be sure, but they should be able to give you an indicative result. The one thing to remember is that you are now in the care process which has successfully dealt with millions of women. It's not much fun, but you as a person should be fine.
Greetings to everyone - and poor you gigs Disneyland is I'm afraid, my idea of hell!

[amberlight]

Emin, chemo? If you mean how was chemo for me, I could give you a weird answer; it was fine. I am not a Usual Case (in so many ways, yikes) but I worked all the way through chemo. And I had the maximum chemo they can do, as my Onc was experimenting with it a bit. 4 x FEC and 4 x Docetaxel. It may be different chemo for your stage of course.
Staff were mostly fab. No pain when it went in. I had IV infusions so got an under-skin portacath fitted to save mucking about with finding veins (mine hide) (who can blame them...). Took all the anti nausea stuff and steroids as needed and those worked. The diarrhoea and gastric pain on day X after the infusion Was Not Fun but I got used to it and took megapainkillers and stayed near a loo and took medication for that too.
By dose 8 I was ready to kill anyone and anything that moved as I was very tired and fed up, but it really was doable.
Hair - who needs it, eh. Pah. Bought wigs. Not all chemo causes hair loss anyway.
Difficulties with sensory loss/toenails/fingernails on docetaxel - I took in frozen veg for my feet (!!)and used their coolmits for my hands. Stops the infusion blood supply getting into the fingers and toes, and minimises the damage. Didn't lose any fingernails or toenails.
Was very achey in the joints for a while.
Was it fun? Nope. Did the job, though, it seems.

[notJenkins]

Good morning from me, throwing chocolate breakfast cereal on the trolley as we have some in for a holiday treat.

Sorry you are here betsy and the waiting for appointments is hideous.

I had a horrible few days of miserableness and paranoia but now know it was pmt fuelled. My hormones are all over the place now I am on a higher dose of meds and I can't sleep well either.

We are off for a day out in the New Forest today until it starts raining. I have visions of the hooligan puppy jumping all over a wild pony, getting wounded, causing a stampede and making a big scene so wish us luck.