***Tamoxigang - thread number 40!***

[GoodbyeRubyTuesday]

Hello all! New thread as we have almost filled the last one. Help yourself to chocolate chip muffins from the trolley! :)

Bonjour smee I hope you're having a fabulous time!

foofoo sorry you've had to join us but welcome :)

jchoc hope all the repairs and sorting and packing and moving go well! :)

gigs thinking of you lots and lots. I hope you've got lots of lovely things packed. Hospitals aren't ideal but I'm sure if you tell them about previous problems they can be more careful this time!

topsy thinking of you for your results too. How many different things have you diagnosed yourself with during the run-up?! enjoy shopping!

malt that's fabulous, have fun with your friends! And don't worry about the hair too much, looooads of mine fell out each cycle. I had a big panic and thought I was going bald but it was fine :)

shooting have fun on your outing! :)

sparklesunshine yay! Lovely to hear from you have been wondering where you'd got to. That's absolutely brilliant news about the shrinkage. I hope the move isn't too stressful :)

Hi kk thank you, I'm feeling so much better

reallyworried hope your BCN can help you talk it all through :)

Waving to betsy how are you? And to everyone else I've missed!

I went for a half hour walk yesterday and by the time I got home I was all shakey like I'd run a marathon or something so I think it will be a while before I'm able to run. My plan is to keep doing 30 minute walks until I can manage that fairly easily then start doing a tiny bit of running during my walks, I've got a couch to 5k app so might use that! It took no effort to get so unfit but it's going to take a lot of time and effort to get fit again, still it's nice to have a bit of a challenge :)

I've been watching Sex and the City as my cousin lent me the box set. I'm absolutely loving it and it's helping me feel better. I'm now secretly dreaming of running away to New York after uni! Unfortunately our DVD player has broken with one of the discs inside

foofoo andreally - welcome foofoo and really-yes,def. talk to bcn- they are usually gems and will help guide you through the options.
Sorry to dash in and out-we're off out today-but wanted to wish dear gig well and and fingers very crossed for topsy's scan results. Love to all...xxxxxx

Aaaaaaaarrrrgh !!!!!
After not sleeping all night (Cancer Of The Sleep Organ ???) I fell asleep at dawn , and then didn't wake up till nearly midday !!!!

Apt not till 2.40 , thank goodness ...

Big squeezes to Gigs , hope you've had all your pre op poking done and are now enjoying the sun and butler service on the balcony ...

Really def speak to your breast care nurse . You can't be expected to make decisions based on one meeting (when you have just been told you have cancer !!!)

Foo welcome to you , sorry you're here though .
Do you know what type and stage of cancer you are yet ? Any treatment plans ?

Jane was it your birthday ?
Happy belated birthday if it was x
And good luck sorting your mum out , I shudder to think of the mountains of crap that would come out if this house should I ever move ...

Amber special hugs to you . Hope your recent decision brings you and yours the peace you deserve xxx

Right , hugs to everyone else .
Cos I've really gotta get my arse in gear .
See you on the flip side ...

Morning all.

Ruby - it does take a little while to get your strength back after chemo, - so don't be hard on yourself if you have to take it slowly. I found a notebook to record what you manage each day was encouraging - because you can actually see yourself making some progress from week to week (I have to confess my exercise diary early entries were things like 'pottered to the post office' walked upstairs' but I gradually built it up. Are you allowed to go swimming? - I found that was by far the best exercise for me to build up my fitness again.

Loads of love to Gigs and topsy today xx

Morning malt - good luck with round 2 later this week.

Shooting - are you a certain resident in a cunning disguise? what is all this tour guide stuff? (sorry I have lost track a bit of what people are doing)

waving to everyone, - has Ned posted lately - can't find any posts, maybe she is on holiday - Lovely to see you sparkle (s) and glad everything is going well for you, also waving to sparkle (r) and everyone else.

Managed to get DH to come for a walk with me at the weekend - quite an achievement given his recent reluctance to do anything at all. Unfortunately he managed to get stung by a wasp while we walked through a field - so hoping that won't put him off coming out again!

I bloody hate topsys results day ...... That is all !!!!

Sending topsy hugs from hospital.
It's not too bad in here but not as palatial as other hospital so you will have to squat on floor.

Had MRI done- now waiting to answer 3 million questions on health etc. probably wont find out exactly when , what type of lego, how long op is etc til tomorrow but am thinking I won't be on til late as it is a fairly long op.

Just looking forward to going out to dinner with mr gig later.

Hello sparkle- nice to see you back. Welcome foo.

Copt don't over do the tour bit- am sure I saw you lurking in bushes outside. I would quite like to get shot of nosey drs and take my book to read in square outside for a bit. Not going to be able to get out for while after tomorrow .

Have just caught up on the last few days and woul dalso like to say hello to foofoo and really

I had a mastectomy and reconstruction by the LD flap method (boob made from back muscle) during the same operation really .... I have large boobs and the amount of boob they would have had to take away would have made me oddly shaped ..... I am now a C ish cup on one side and an E cup on the other !!! I have a silicone prosthetic boob until they do a reduction on my large side - I have decided to leave this til next year. I am happy to share experiences and thoughts on reconstruction to anyone if you want to know. I didn't have to have chemo or radiotherapy though as my cancer was DCIS and hadn't spread outside of the milk duct .....however, definitely speak to your breast care nurse.

Can't remember if I mentioned my new role as ambassador to the charity that did my inital mammogram ??

unmumsnetty hugs to you gigs I hope you get some peace for a while after this operation x

Serious good luck to Topsy and Gigs today plus welcome to foofoo and really.

How long since you finished chemo Ruby? I'm in the same boat in that walking or puttering in the garden or even climbing stairs feels like I've really put myself out there. I'm trying to build up too, especially since the medical people here keep telling me that 150 minutes of exercise each week reduces my (triple negative) chances of recurrence as much as taking tamoxifen would if my cancer had been estrogen responsive. I've never been consistent with exercise, but that seems like a pretty good reason to start.

Boo on the stuck DVD. Sex and the city was fun, that was one of my maternity leave series, along with Buffy.

Shooting it's good to hear that you're happy without reconstruction. It's so often presented as a given you'll want it, but I feel the way you do. As little surgery as possible, please!

jchoc happy birthday if that was the day! Sounds like you have lots of moving in store too. This move will be about a bazillion times easier for me, except I'm now well into chemo fatigue and I'll actually have to sort out and set up furniture. Luckily lots of people have offered to help, and I am planning to take them all up. They have a website here called lotsa helping hands where you can put up an online schedule and people can sign themselves up. It's actually worked pretty well so far. And I feel grateful people do want to help.

Waves to everyone else.

wow what a lovely welcome - yes breast cancer for me. Grade 2 invasive lobular. Prob just WLE but more things spotted on mri which will be investigated on Thursday

good luck to Topsy and Gigs today.

Gah, went shopping and started to feel sick, I've taken three different types of anti sickness and still feel grim, am curled up on the sofa with my bucket! :) it's been a problem for a while but not usually this bad, hopefully this will wear off soon as it's been a month today since I took my last capecitabine and even longer since last infusion

gigs hope you've managed to escape the pesky doctors for a while!

kurri I've got a lovely Macmillan exercise diary with stickers it'll be good to look back in a few weeks and see how far I've (hopefully!) come :) plus it's nice to get a sticker for my efforts!!

foofoo will be thinking of you on Thursday :)

Ooh stickers - they definitely help
Bugger that you feel sick though, have you got stuff to take for it?

Good luck for thursday Foofoo, - I know all these appointments are nerve wracking, but once you know exactly what is going on, they can give you a treatment plan and you can move forward. My Aunty had a WLE followed by radiotherapy about 18months ago, and she's doing very well

Think WLE and lumpectomy are the same thing ?
Ruby sorry you still feel sick that doesn't seem fair :( hope it passes

Been out for lovely cuppa and slice of coffee cake with friends this afternoon see I am getting better at this going out lark ! Was good to catch up

I want stickers - want to get active Again post op much quicker than last time . Lovely specialist nurse agree that is best. Also had hour long pre op with much poking and prodding - I don't like being monkey in a zoo medically interesting.

Sorry you are feeling so yuck ruby - it's pretty grim being like that. Can you take anything Else?

Kurri what's happening about your mums house sale (sparkle reminded me with her move chat).

Don't actually find out if they do cage (longer op with back and front Lego) or rod (shorter op) til tomorrow . Either way op will be tomorrow pm and will be in recovery likely overnight tomorrow.

Enjoying rare peace as I block out how disturbing hospital is (you Defo need earplugs / earphone and entertainment when you go in foo and really).

Jchoc you done travelling?

Gig - the house sale has all come to a bit of a standstill. Mum thought she had exchanged contracts last week and had everything set up to move last Friday (she'd booked removal men, cancelled utilities and phone etc) turns out there is a glitch somewhere further back in the chain (one buyer seems not to have paid their deposit, so none of the subsequent buyers can pay theirs). Anyway - lawyers, banks and estate agents seem to be trying to sort it all out, - but all very stressful for my Mum, - she's also having to have her hand dressed every other day atm (she cut it badly in a fall) and had arranged too see the nurse at her new place, now has had to reschedule appointments etc.

So we shall see what transpires this week - hopefully they can get it all sorted without too much more hassle.

Loads of luck with the op, and hope it does the trick and you feel much more comfortable after it has healed and settled. Have they finished with the poking and prodding now (I am imagining large group of 'I think I am very important' medical types standing around striking their beards and saying 'hmmmm' ) - maybe less beardy if they are women.

Hello All

Mixed bag at results apt .
Node (to the left of my hilum) has grown since last scan (was 12mm , is now 18mm)
So they think its definitely cancer , rather than an infection .

But , a, they class that as slow growing . And , b , it's no where else .
So the plan is - do nothing again !
Rescan in 2/3 months , save chemo for when I really need it .

But just confirmed that I WILL need it again at some point .

Hugs to All x

"Maybe less beardy if women"
You have so not met my masculine Lady Surgeon

hugs and squeezes to topsy- slow growing and one place is good. I know will need chemo too at some point but let's just shove it in paranoia box for now. Definitely needed for you .

At beard stroking - that's about size of it. Am looking forward to surgeon tomorrow as they always come in a pack. What is collective noun for beardy medical types? Surgeon himself is bit like dumbledore without a beard.

Hugs topsy let's hope it's very very slow growing x

fingers crossed very very very very slow growing topsy

Topsy, that's rude of it. But not very rude. You are sleeping in a room darker than the inside of a coal miner's trouserlegs, and taking lactoferrin, aren't you?

Gigs, keeping everything crossed.
Hello all. Surfacing from brain crash and getting life together again bit by bit. There's been strawberries and arctic roll here. Can't go wrong with a plate of strawberries, I always say. And for that matter.

Am sleeping in a dark room now Amber
Just been reading up on lactoferrin .
But don't know what dosage I should be taking ?
Could you help me with that ?

Arctic Roll !!!! love it- and am jealous of ruby's stickers.
topsy that's good that very slow growing,and in one place. Probably good idea to keep chemo in reserve (am guessing it might be lovely capecitabine ?) let's hope you won't need it for ages and ages.
Had a jolly day out walking around Mottisfont (NT loveliness in Romsey).Tomorrow that London.
Thinking of you lots gig - that Bellini looks extremely delish.
My best friend has just revealed that she has the all clear after tests on a polyp in her oesophagus - she chose not to tell me in case it added to all my stuff- bless her,but wish I'd known so I could have supported her -she's been so lovely and encouraging to me...she said it was really hard not to have said anything. Anyway,am thrilled that it isn't anything nasty.
Hope dh behaves and is out walking with you kk and lots of good vibes for your mum's house move.
amber you are having a rough old time lovely xxx

Oh bum topsy sorry it wasn't better news but slowing growing is good. You also have Herceptin in reserve as well. I was chatting with my nurse last Friday about Herceptin and she was saying they have one lady in particular who has been on it for years as it is keeping everything stable. Hasn't gone away but definitely stable.

More gentle hugs for you gigs. Hope you have a lovely dinner.

amber hope you are looking after yourself.

Good luck for chemo this week malt hope side effects are minimal.

kurri poor mum. Hope she gets the house move sorted out soon.

Welcome to new folk. Sorry you had to join.

Don't want to miss anyone out so waving to all.

Waves to amber - how are you my lovely? hope all is well with you.

topsy - grrr to node growing from last time, but good that it is slow growing.

Would also be interested in lactoferrin dosage info amber if you have time.

I am trying to think of a collective noun for a group of beardy medical types, - an arrogance? a pontification? a hirsuteness? - will keep thinking