*TAMOXIGANG* All the fours...44!

[GoodbyeRubyTuesday]

Apologies for the bingo reference, couldn't think of a witty title but the other thread is very nearly full.

In honour of our new thread I have piled extra apple pudding on the trolley so tuck in :)

Gigs You made me smile - loving the tumour names!

Glad Brucie's not painful, Gigs, but still wish he'd get lost.

Lily, give yourself a break. Switch off from remote working, find something to fill your head, lift your heart. I was useless at that, so very hamster on a wheel. Realise now I should have firmly switched the computer off and just gone for a walk, made jam or something similar. You've been through so much and need time. Work will keep. x

Betsy, blimey yes of course you're nervous. It's a big deal to have any op, let alone one as part of cancer treatment. Don't beat yourself up about the weight gain. All that matters is getting back to your old self. Weight can and will be sorted once you're there.

Kitkat, good that you have a date. Wonder if diet will make much difference. Sounds like they don't think so and cake's therapeutic

x-posted with Tiny. Hope the funeral goes as well as these things can. Grim day.

Betsy - I guess the steroids have been making you eat then - plus if you're like me eating stodge was neccessary to counteract the FEC nausea. (Still you'll be lighter after your Op!!)

Lily - yesterday I had a little bit of a lecture from my BCN about not going straight back to work. She said too often people go back, do too much and hit a wall a few months down the line. So it looks like I'll be at least 2 months post chemo before I had back to the office (my part-time WFH is hardly the same). She also recommends frequent holidays to start with. The trouble is I guess we all feel we have had so much time off already it is all to easy to try to do too much. And bo-hoo for the nausea - I have had nausea this week (first time on T) and it's lasted all week so it must be a cummulative effect. If you have any meds left take them .

Gigs - glad to hear you are having the opportunity to rest and great if you're not feeling ill. Make the most of it to prepare yourself for Tax next week. .

x-posts also.

Tiny - make sure you follow the Emend instructions - it's very important to take the first one 1 hour before chemo. Am sure you will be much better this time.

I agree Smee - I already wish I'd turned the laptop off more often - I'm going to try to be away from work more for the next 3 months. It's all too easy to 'just keep an eye' on things.

Quick check in from me!

Am doing ok post-op. New boob behaving so far and looks nice in a bra, but will def be looking at having the other one lifted at a later date. Not needing regular pain relief now although armpit still tender and have limited permission for stretching atm.

I walked into town with my DD today who is home from uni for a few days. It is so good to see her

Have wound check on Friday with bcn then histology results on Monday (gulp)

Thinking of you all with interventions happening or coming up or just getting through the challenges of each day. I think I'm still on a bit of a high from being the other side of my big op. Will be lurking....

for tiny - yes make sure you take the first Emend before your chemo.

kitkat - I'm also hoping some of the weight will disappear once my swollen legs/feet/hands shrink back (I'm 4kg heavier than just before last chemo and I've really not been eating that much to put on 4kg in 4 weeks!) and of course the weight gain has nothing to do with the medicinal biscuits I stuffed my face with whilst on steroids or feeling nauseous

I also got The Lecture when I last saw my BCN, she recommended staying off until after the 6 weeks post rads check up. Trouble is I'm on a FTC that ends 31/3, in theory it should be extended (I work with a Y3 child 1-2-1 who will still need support, most probably for the remaining 3 years at primary) but in practice it would be an easy point to get rid of me by not extending my contract. :( So ideally I want to be back showing them what they have been missing for at least a month before my contract ends I am probably being paranoid as the school have been very supportive so far.

Just got a letter in the post telling me they have moved me to the morning list on Monday, eek, eek, eek, definitely a wobble day today! (but better it's early, less time hanging around bet I'm last on the morning list)

Betsy - I'm still losing a bit of weight! Not eating too much as still pretty nauseous.
I'm still locked into the work remote access as they are still paying me in full! I've never even had to hand in a medical certificate so I'm not officially on sick leave. I have been waiting for my boss to suggest that I should go on official sick leave or half pay or something different, but nothing has been said.

Marshy glad you're doing ok

I've also put on weight, font know how much as I haven't dared to weigh myself but I can tell in my clothes. Think it's steroid hunger and not being so active but also thinking I've got cancer why shouldn't I have what I want to eat which is probably not the best attitude !

I've been off work since the end of May desperate to go back but at the same time can't imagine having the energy for it. I've been on full pay so far but have a funny feeling it finishes after 6 months must check that out

As I'd been there less than a year I only got one month's full pay, one month's half pay, so that ran out ages ago... (told by onc not to work on chemo due to germy children and TBH I would have struggled at least half the time, you can't have "take things easy" days with kids!)

That's very true Betsy ! I also wonder about how I'd manage going back with my wig. I'm sure it would get pulled off by accident and there's a lot of being outside in my job. For the children's sake I don't want to go back till I'm ready, I'd like to start popping in but at the moment I would just cry when I think of what I'm missing !

DH's cousin was off work last year having BC treatment. She's an infant teacher and was off for two terms (plus summer holidays). Amazingly, she went back straight after that to a new school as Head - I feel I have a lot to emulate there!
She said that there was no way, as an infant school teacher, that she could teach whilst having treatment as the infection risk was too great (and obviously her energy levels weren't up to it). Apparently, her Oncologist said that it would be less risky for secondary teachers, though I can't imagine many that could get through a school day plus prep time etc whilst undergoing treatment.
(She had surgery/chemo/rads so the full whack)

Hi all and hugs and positive thoughts to everyone.
Had first chemo today, bit of a delay as they had trouble accessing the port, it was all a bit swollen after only being put in yesterday.
The chemo itself was fine, peeing red already! Dosed up with anti-emetics so no nausea yet.

Weebarra thats great to hear! I recommend if you even feel a twinge of nausea, you pop a pill immediately. Seemingly it is much easier to keep nausea at bay than try get rid of it once you get it. Its been working for me anyway. Oh and drink LOTS and LOTS of water.

Sorry to hear you had problem with the port, mine worked a treat, but mine was in a week already.

One thing that surprised me on first chemo was that the steroids kept me awake at night. But so far this hasn't been a problem with second chemo, at least for the first two nights. Have steroids for two more days, so could happen yet - knock on wood.

Completely agree with mom about drinking lots and keeping up pill dose for nausea.

Am on my way into clinic as woke up after nap with temp of 39 - want to check me out. Feel lot better now and temp was going down but still over 38 when I left home. Hope it can be sorted quickly and I don't have to stay in. Fever is se of both drugs I had yesterday .

well done Weebarra - as mum says keep taking the meds even though you do not feel nauseous but it does seem that those of us who are going to suffer get hit fairly quickly so fingers crossed you'll continue to be OK. 1 down

Well I have had my chemo and am plesed to report that my glucose level was significantly down in yesterday's bloods so it looks like the Metformin is doing the trick. Discussed it with the nurse and the hope is that if I keep taking the metformin whilst I'm having the steroids it should stay down and then after chemo it will remain OK without the metformin.
She also suggested that I try sleeping pills (I have some that I've never used) as I'm back to getting only a few hours sleep at night - just to see if I can get back to a reasonable pattern.

oh no Gigs - that's a pain - I hope it resolves and they don't have to keep you in.

Blimey lily that's brilliant don't think I'll be trying to follow in her footsteps!

Gigs what a pain hope they can give you something to get it sorted quickly, if it was going down already that's a good sign

Kitkat good news about your glucose levels, I'm still on sleeping tablets sometimes especially when I'm on the steroids, mine are zoplicone

Weebarra glad your 1st chemo went ok and fingers crossed for few side effects

Malt - that's what I've got - how do you feel in the morning if you have taken them?

I'm fine in the morning I if think they give you a funny taste in your mouth but difficult to tell if that's the pills or the chemo, I don't feel any more tired than usual
I started on 7.5 which did knock me out after half an hour and I had a deep sleep with no dreams which is what I needed when I was 1st dx and in shock . Now I'm on 3.75 which is much gentler, just helps me to get to sleep and stay asleep

I hate chemo. Hideous sickness and vomiting last night resulting in on-call Dr coming out to stick some meds in my backside, and DH rushing off to hosp to pick up different anti-sickness pills. Have been on phone to hosp today seeking reassurance that they'll give me different anti-emetics next time as I can't handle the thought of going through that again.

Feeling vaguely human again now, just very very tired. Seems like lots of us going through it at the moment - Weebarra hope you don't experience the same x

handbags join the vomit club with me and kitkat (and may others before us), it's really grim isn't it . (I also had OOH out to jab me in the bum on cycle 1 after 5 hrs of non-stop vomiting!)

Did you get Emend this time? If not ask for it next time. If you did they will add other anti-e's into the mix. They will keep adjusting the mix until they get it under control. It will be better next time. (Cycle 2 I was sick a handful of times, which was just about ok, cycle 3 not at all)

You may well continue to feel nauseous (even with the anti-e's) for a few days, but it does lift eventually - for me it was always gone by day 8 and I think kitkat was similar. It will pass, honestly. Keep on with the prescribed anti-e's whether you feel sick or not (much easier to control this way than to try and get control again once you feel sick)

Malt - I've had a look and I have 3.75 - I'll leave it for tonight but give it a go on Thursday (as DH home on Fridays so can do the kids).

Handbags - that's not good - hope you're feeling a bit better now. Like Betsy said there is a lot they can do so hopefully next time you'll be better.

Thanks Betsy and Kikat - I hope not to have to go through that again -tiredness I can cope with, tiredness plus hanging head over toilet for hours I cannot!

Oh handbags sorry you've had such a rough time like Betsy said they will give you stronger drugs so it won't be so bad on the next cycle

Night all, hope gigs is ok and in her own bed x