38th tamoxifen - waiting for summer in the bus shelter

[Gigondas]

New thread.

Hi Everyone
I haven't been around much to post but have been lurking and reading all your updates. Tbh I feel like I'm intruding a little as its not me that has cancer.

I'm sorry I can't wish you all well I individually but it's impossible to keep up in my phone!

SIL is doing well thankifully. I have been visiting at every opportunity and trying to keep her busy. I don't want to ask her loads of questions but have asked some - she has grade 3 with 10 nodes. She has had a mastectomy and has had the first of 6 chemo sessions, she will then have 3 weeks of radiotherapy.

She had all her hair cut up into a pixie style - it actually really suits her! She now wears a wig which is very similar to her old style except shorter - she doesn't was her ds to see her without her usual hair.

She had a rough time mentally following chemo but this seems to have eased a great deal and after being too frightened to leave the house last week for fear of infection she ended up with an infection anyway but thankfully didn't have to stay in hospital.
This week she is doing really well and is even coming to visit ME this evening which is great.

I just want to say thank you for answering my qs and offering support to help me understand what she's going through.

I hope you are all having a nice day and good luck to everyone having treatment & scans this week x

of course you are welcome here makingdo and am glad that SIL's treatment is going well

Mas that was lovely, made me cry but in a nice way
Makingdoo I'm glad you're sil is doing ok I have been wondering how she was getting on,you're very welcome here. I think it's very hard for family and friends too not just the person with cancer.
Ruby what a fab sleep ! Strange about the strictly thing
Love to everyone else finding it hard to keep up ( aren't we all! )
I've had a good day catching up on all of the gossip with friends

On the other side now. So far no sickness yah, but as they used no opioids feel like I have been hit by a bus. Waiting for some chicken velouté now (told you it was posh!). Having lovely cup of tea some nicest nurses I have come across.
Waterproof dressing so showers and deodorant are okay. Don't know how I would have managed without the later.
Will e-mail my practice manager and tell her to destroy letters.
Good news DD found out which class she will be in next year and she has been separated from OWs poisonous little madam so life should be better for her.

Hurrah for the other side, Lonecat and enjoy the veloute! Nice nurses count for a lot.

Just a quick update from me before I head out again - nice breast surgeon said I wasn't imagining it, definitely a band of thickened boob on one side, but he thinks its just glandular tissue and nowt to worry about. On the less 'yippee' side, he thinks its worth mammo and u/s anyway - as I haven't had one for 18 months, 'no reason why not'.

So back tomorrow to radiology, then Saturday morning first thing for results.

So I shall be hanging around swiping treats for a while longer, I'm afraid!

And now I have to try and get my head and voice around a choir concert I pity the audience....

Glad it is reassuring Eli. I always find choir is good antidote to stressful day. As my choir leader says just ding it'll all be fine - no singing is worse.

Another choral singer here - one of the best therapies around. I'm hoping to manage a summer course which is fortunately towards the end of one of my chemo cycles. Consultant says it should be OK. What are you singing Elibean?

Oooh, a Tamoxifen thread chorale

It is great therapy for stress, for sure. I look forward to my Thursday evenings, no matter how tired, though am different sort of low energy today.

Lily, we're doing a Yeats poem (Cloths of Heaven) set to music, lovely thing. And Oh Happy Day (as per Sister Act!), and Ain't no Mountain High Enough. And a Scottish miner's lullaby called Coorie Doon.

I used to sing with a classical chamber choir, but have to say this is more fun - and no music, all by memory.

What will you be singing?

how brilliant about the singing - I always think how lovely it must be.
Veloute sounds very delicate and soothing lone- glad you are out the other side

I'm a big symphony chorus type of gal so go in for standard oratorio fare.
Hoping to do Elijah at the summer course - done it several times before and despite its rather Victorian feel there are some great bits. There's a bit when the basses come in about two thirds the way through the piece when the gloom is lifted and have happy memories of my bass friends/drinking companions booming this out!

Sorry it read back, just wanted to let you know I'm still here! Thanks for all the good wishes.

Chemo itself was fine, I was there about 2.5hrs, and 45mins of that was due to a leaking syringe so they had to send for anther one which took ages...

By the time I got home I felt spaced out and nauseous, so trying to lie still as moving makes to worse (straight back to memories of morning sickness feeling...) The Dr had prescribed Emend after our discussions at clinic last week, so hopefully I won't feel too bad in the coming days (they said it's most effective on days 2-5?)

1 down 5 to go :)

Repeats mantra "this too will pass"

Betsy I'm glad it went ok I've been thinking about you. Hope you can get some sleep tonight

Evening All

I love singing .
Not sure many other people love me singing though ...

Good news Eli
Hopefully follow up is as good !
Now , yet again , get yer arse back to Words !

Good for you Betsy !
Keep taking the anti sickness meds , and if it gets bad , phone the helpline !

I'm crocheting this evening .
My teacher present (baby blanket) is no where near ready .
Ah well , she's not due till November .
It's looking good though !

I'm also on the fizzy Pinot Grigio again .
Well , it's almost the weekend ...

Glad you made it to the other side Lone !
Hope your recovery goes smoothly .
And yippee for saving cats lives !

Mas it links to a song now !
I'm positive it didn't earlier
What time is your apt tomorrow ?
I shall be thinking of you .

DH is working late tonight , and pig/dog is jumping every time he hears a car pull into the street .
He misses his dad !
It was his (pig/dog) birthday yesterday . He was 6 .
He wanted to share his cake with Old Lady Dog

Right , need to pee before the flood gates open , later ladies x

Betsy you will get through - emend very good.

Lone- glad you got through.

Topsy- how was lunch or did I miss that ?

Feeling bit better but taken myself to bed to catch up with the archers. Rock and roll here.

Ruby- got question for you from a Mn/rl friend . She is too shy to post which I don't believe as we don't bite just drink and throw wigs/softies so I said I would.

Her friend just been diagnosed with bowel cancer and has 2 stoma bags. My friend wants to give her food gift (to save cooking etc). Anything she should avoid/is good or should she ask her friend directly?

lily Elijah is my fave work of all times - the last chorus of part 1 gives me goosebumps!! Must be that time of year- I've got my choir concert on Saturday. Don't know if the tenors it will all come together in time

School shit. Jobsworth line manager being a jobsworth - she was really mean about my lesson observation - nightmares about timetables for next year, and kids in end of term mode already, which is very hard work. Ready for a holiday, I think.

And I have reduced my AD dose by a third this week, which may be a bridge too far at the moment, but reluctant to put it up again. . .

Sorry - self indulgent ramble. . .

Sending lots of love to everyone in treatment - seems like lots have kicked off chemo this last week or so. Sending you all vomit-free vibes and hope that you can all be gentle to yourselves. Its a shitty time, but as Betsy says, it will pass. Tick off the treatments, as each one is one nearer the end. I found that once I had done the first one, and although it was awful (and I got pneumonia in week 2) the reality was more manageable than the dreadful sense of anticipation.

Malt might be worth asking GP for Trazadone - its an antidepressant with a sedative quality, and it sorted out my dire lack of sleep and 3am waking in a few days. I've been on it 15 months and I can't recommend it highly enough. According to lovely GP, I was on enough to knock out a rhino quite a high dose. He wasn'lt sure how I was still functioning!! Worth thinking about?

MAS Bet T will look completely fab for the prom - photos please!!

gig good, good news that nothing visible on back scan, but bugger that youre stil in much pain. Take it easy, won't you? Sending you lots of love x x

topsy I am on the tonight as well. Its nearly the weekend, as you say!

Watching "Game of thrones" here - not feeling the love for it so far, but will persevere for DHs sake. . .

Bloody love Game of Thrones !

Ned sorry about school shit it is hard at this time of year though I really miss mine. Will ask about Ads next week as I run out of sleeping tablets then, not sure how family would react as they're very much of the get on with it old fashioned mentality but don't suppose I have to tell them
Gigs hope you sleep well
Topsy hope you made it to the loo !

Prom tomorrow here too, they seem young dd is only 14, thankfully she doesn't want spray tan like some of her classmates ! Looking forward to seeing her and all of her friends in dresses rather than jeans and hoodies

Made it Malt
Have rampant case of hiccups though !
Oh dear ...

That'll be the bubbles !

gigs sorry not to be of more help but it's definitely worth asking her friend directly as her friend may have been able to reintroduce lots of foods already or might have a very restricted diet. I would've been very difficult to give a foodie gift to as I lived on potatoes, macaroni cheese and white bread toasties for weeks as in just couldn't tolerate any vegetables! Sorry not to be more helpful!

ned big hugs for you, all sounds like hard work, bring on the summer hols! xx

betsy glad chemo went alright, fingers crossed all the side effects calm down.

lone glad the op went well.

I'm doing a bit of knitting in front of the telly. I went shopping earlier and out for lunch, all well and good but then nearly threw up on the way home, spent whole walk trying not to! Had to keep stopping to take more anti sickness tablets, I bet everyone thought I was a drunk!

Waves to everyone, I hope you've all had a good day :)

I'm Gig's shy friend . Thank you Ruby, I will ask her. Was going to turn up with a surprise but realise that might be a daft thing to do now so will be direct.

While I'm here can I just say how bloody lovely you all are, according to my lovely friend Gig, and thank you for being here. .

I'm off again now. Goodnight x

DomesticCEO hello! You sound like a great friend and a surprise would be lovely in any other situation but stomas are very troublesome and your friend might be on a pretty weird diet so better to ask :) very kind of you though and I'm sure she will really appreciate it.

Waves wildly at Gigs shy friend
I am hammered so please feel free to ignore me ...