********The 37th Tamoxifen Thread, Fun and Tears in "Cancerland" *****

[Copthallresident]

Trolley Rolled over and "Its a small small world" playing on the ipod on repeat.

Ha! - well they'd better give her a title to make up for the mistake then

Ohh baroness amber .. We are not worthy .

I hope we are back in bus shelter as could do with that as leg/hip killing me and some rum would work a treat I may have found last week that wine helped painkillers am trying not to worry that it's more cancer and just want them to fix pain as told my specialist nurse.

Topsy- what is Bacardi gold as sounds lovely. I find rum gives me odd dreams. Old fave book is Balkan trilogy (and levant trilogy) by Olivia manning. Was on tv years ago with Kenneth Branagh in . Used to like it for the different countries set in, now like it for characters . Unusually highbrow for me

Yes the lions would help - i was pervingadmiring the photos when I saw one of players who is cousin of someone I work with and also looks dead similar. This put me off a bit as no desire to think what work bloke looks like in his shorts. Personally Sam warburton should stay injured and come back to do drinks duty in the bus shelter.

Up early as allowed early breakfast pre ga.

Copt- annoying for little Copt that missed this but sounds like new dx explains a lot.

Morning gig hope it is all straightforward today.

Quick and get ready for work.
Hope your pc can be fixed kk.

Morning all
Just a quickie to say I'm still here lol. Got home last night about 930 they said I'd have to stay in but only because the doctor had gone to sign the papers but when I looked sad she found another one to do it
Sat with dh and the 2 friends I knew who were also there so had a mixture of chatting tears and laughter to get through the day-long wait got there at 7 and op was at 3
The GA was a bit scary but I just thought I've got to do this and they were very kind
Woke up a bit groggy and feeling sick so they gave me something for that and I was fine
Then had to wait ages for someone to collect me from recovery and take me back to the ward think they rang 3 times and in the end said look theres someone coming in after a big op and it's not going to be nice for me to see can you please collect her ! Staff were all lovely though
I didn't see the consultant he spoke to dh while I was in recovery said lump was a good shape to come out and the op was boring he thinks he got it all and were no surprises obviously won't know till the results. He'd did say my node was enlarged but that was normal and could be from the biopsy but I'm freaking out about that, dh is cross with me for freaking out and cross with himself for telling me. Will just have to wait and see
Still didn't sleep well last night despite being knackered but nothing hurts yet, when will the pain killers from the op wear off ? I've got paracetamol and something else if I need it
Gosh that wasn't a quickie was it!
Gigs thinking of you and I haven't read all other posts so love to everyone else going to get up and see the kids before they go to school then chill

Glad it all got done malt and you are home. The ga ( and stress) can disrupt your sleep so maybe that. Depends on what drugs gave you but think 12 hours max for painkillers to work. You may be ok tho as some ops don't hurt that much- do take painkillers as directed tho as better to stay ahead of pain.

Thanks for good wishes - op not til late morning.

What are you lot like!!
Though it was a bit eek when I found that apparently I was under investigation for cash-for-questions, due to having been issued with a disability pass Slight complete ba**s-up there by someone who hadn't realised the main list has disability passes as well as staff passes. V apologetic MP rushed over to me to explain, which is good. But yes, it totally throws people that I'm wandering round in the Peers Only bit. It's the only bit that's accessible for me!

Gigs, everything crossed.

Malt, hurrah for you being back and the lump being a boring shape! And no asteroid strike either! Lymph being larger is indeed fairly normal, but the biopsy will give you reassurance/more info, definitely. Even if it's in the lymph nodes the long term odds are better than 85% now.

excellent to see you back malt and lots of love to gig for today's proceedure- hope it's done quickly and not too ouchy.
kk glad DDIL is out of op too anmd home again - speedy recoveries to all
Baronessamber you certainly lead an adventurous life !

Morning all. Glad you had a good op Malt. Hope you managed a bit of sleep Gig, good luck with your op.

I have a busy day today. My sister is coming over for a coffee (she thinks, I have plans to make her do my laundry - Dh is efficient but not to be trusted with delicates). Then I am going to a 40th birthday party.

I don't know what to wear. I am terribly skinny and look ill and I haven't been able to dye my hair as strong smells set my cough off. Big sunglasses and a big sun hat might work, with a big maxi dress. I am not usually so vain. I shall hide behind a gin and tonic!

Glad to hear things went well malt. You are bound to feel a bit wobbly today with combined effects of GA, stress of yesterday and having naff all to eat, so take things easy and be kind to yourself today :)

Don't wait for it to start to hurt before you take pks - much easier to keep on top of it than to make it go away once it's really hurting!

Waves hello to everyone else, off to take kids to school and then work and then to have my implanon implant out this aft.

Forgot to add good luck with your op gigs

Trice - enjoy the party hiding behind a g+t sounds like my sort of plan :)
Betsy ouch to getting implant removed. I think you can have copper coil just not hormonal ones.
Late to work here saw dd2 off to her gcse maths, bit of housework and mn and time flies. Will work late tonight to put the hours in.

Malt no surprises is good - when do you get the path results?

Hooray for home, Malt. The pain might be less than you think. I remember being a bit amazed how little pain I was in after mastectomy. Drugs are good to help you sleep and get comfy though, so take them, don't be stoic.

Trice, maxi dress and gin sound like a good combination. Have fun.

BetsyB, hope implant removal's not a hassle later.

Just heard trailer on R4 saying Womens' Hour is covering the thing in the news on Tamoxifen and using it for 10 years, so listen up anyone who's on it.

Am in the bus shelter for you passing my usual classy lager top, Gigs. Is Baroness Amber too posh to join us?

They said 2 weeks for the results and will send an appointment
Just starting to eat again I didn't want to take too many tablets on an empty stomach but having a bit of paracetamol, just resting today dh is working at home
Still tired and just not myself yet but that's normal ?
Trice have a lovely day maxi dress sounds a good idea you might need a cardi no sun here yet

v.interesting on WH. Apparently they now think those able to take Tamoxifen should take for 10 years, as it reduces your chance of recurrence by 25%.

Sun's come out. Yay!

I am sure Baroness Amber could do immersion exercise in manner of royals and politicians and spend a night with us in the bus shelter to find out the issues that affect "ordinary" people. Bacardi Gold in the bus shelter though, way too posh and modern!

Gigs read the Balkan trilogy years ago and hated the TV version as it messed with how I imagined the characters. I actually read it in Greece when staying and travelling with friend who lived there and spoke Greek. Tim Winton Dirt Music another favourite because I read it in Queensland on trip that Cancer tried to derail, but got there in end. Think I should read both again, not sure body is going to make it out of the country this summer but mind can!!!

It sounds as if you have a good plan to get the leg sorted out, paranoia understandable but infections very common.

malt glad to hear from you and that all very boring! Remember enlarged is normal and even if involved lots of us here had lymph nodes involved. Breast surgery not as painful as other surgery as no muscle involved, even with a mastectomy I didn't have any painkillers after first 24 hours and pain more a stinging sensation than actual pain. I do have quite a high pain threshold though.

trice enjoy the party sounds like you will look mysterious / pale and interesting, after enough G&T you won't care about hiding......

Topsy How's the head? Honestly on a Tuesday night? Wasn't even a Mad Men night - when the occasional Martini may just have to be poured....

I have to say my pain after op was minimal,though underarm from SNB unbelievably sore !

Listened to WH -interesting. I was told to stop taking tamox. after secondaries as they obviously weren't working
Also thing about child bereavement (for loss of parent or siblings) How I wish these things had been thought of when I was 13 - the years of awful ungrieving would have been spared. Still,brilliant that people are more aware now. Dang though, have forgotten the name of the organisation.

I remember the Balken Trilogy too - tv version was a bit tame. Books are fab though.

MAS, I heard that too. Didn't get the name either. Was good though. With you and Tamoxifen, I suppose if it helps 25% get no recurrence well 75% of us it doesn't. Makes you sadly more normal than not. Have you noticed much difference now you're not taking it?

Good morning everyone,

I gave up on my bowel nurse following up my blood results and phoned up myself, my white count is fine and red count improved so nothing to worry about there, thankfully.

Hope the op goes well today gigs and that they get the pain sorted.

malt glad you got out, normal to feel a bit funny after the op given how many different drugs they will have given you and all the prodding and poking plus not eating for ages. I hope you are feeling a bit better now :) do you have tramadol for pain? That might help you sleep, makes me a bit woozy but I do sometimes "hear" things while on it so beware :)

trice I've been knitting more forget-me-nots, they're quite cute if I say so myself. Shawl sounds lovely if a little hot in this weather!

Talking of knitting I took my knitting to the surgery t'other day and got it out while waiting for my blood test, lady nearby commented to man with her that it's nice to see someone with knitting needles to which he said something about how "they" are bringing it back now as people are bored of all these phones and computers and video games and then immediately into how online shopping had ruined the high street, self service checkouts were the deveil's handiwork... by the time I'd been in and out for my blood test my dad said they'd run the full gauntlet of Daily Mail headlines including benefit scrounging and things that cause cancer!!

Is WH women's hour? Must start listening to that. My parents both love R4 so I avoid on principle, more of a R2 girl although not so much since Terry's departure :(

Anyway I'm rambling on and meant to be having my shower so waving to everyone and I shall be back soon I'm sure :) hope you're all enjoying the sunshine x

If it is in the sentinel node what will they do next ? Take the other nodes ? Check for spread ? Scary. Asking here to save me from google !
In the ward with me was a lovely older lady having a mx who just wanted to get to her caravan in Skegness at the weekend and another lady who looked like she'd been through chemo and looked very frail she was being really sick as I left last night bless her

X posted with ruby glad you're results were ok :)
Definitely a DM reader that man ! Bet he gives the same talk wherever he goes ! Jealous of shower I can't have one till tomorrow

malt I've found medical situations seem to bring them out of the woodwork, nearly every time I've waited for a blood test at the hospital there have been a few of them moaning about how they pay their taxes and this, that or the other. Me and my dad play DM bingo in our heads

I have no idea about the sentinel node stuff I'm afraid.

Malt if it's found in your nodes, they'll have to operate again to do a nodal clearance. Fingers crossed they won't find anything, but if they do don't despair. Lots of us have had that and we're all still here. xx

Ruby, yes R4 Women's Hour. V.good and interesting as Jenni Murray one of their presenters has had BC treatment, so any new news is always on there I'm sure heavily influenced by her. Good news on your bloods.

what smee said malt
I have periods back to normal (as in timing) since stopping tamoxifen(though they were behaving normally a little before I did stop anyway) and no hotness !

Well I suppose at least no hotness is something, MAS. How are your hands and feet atm? Is the warmer weather helping?