*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 :)

Weegiemum sorry to hear about your stepmum.

My DDs are similar ages, 11 & 9.

I keep my girls up to date on whats happening, as it happens. They dont have very many questions, but I think they are more relaxed about it because I've told them a lot about it. We had a 'family meeting' when I told them about the cancer first. I kept it very simple, I'm sure it was only 3 or 4 sentences, and let them know that Daddy or I would answer any question they had at any time. All subsequent updates are informal and on the fly.

At the beginning, they just knew I was having surgery to remove the lump. (I didn't even know I would be getting chemo at that stage). Then chemo became the topic. They know the possible side-effects, have seen pictures of the wig I'll get. Other than the hair, side effects only get discussed in more detail as they happen to me. I've kept it all very day to day.

weegie no advice from me either but sorry to hear about your illness and also that your step mum is going through this. Some other ladies on here have had triple negative BC I think so hopefully they will be along shortly to reassure you. I'd be honest and if they ask any questions tell them the truth but don't mention risk of death unless they ask specifically. The older ones presumably already know what cancer is and how serious it is. Could you agree in advance with your parents what you'll tell them? It's a shame to have to go against step-mum's wishes given that it is her illness, but equally they are old enough to notice that something is going on and not telling them will be much scarier than telling them I would think.

Well I got a letter about 10 minutes ago with my pre-op assessment appointment at, wait for it, 2:20pm TODAY. Grrrrrrr. If they had actually phoned me when the sent the letter out on Wednesday (second class) I could have gone...

Of course when you phone up it's just an answerphone.... Who is taking bets they will send me another appointment for whilst we are away next week? (even though I've reminded them)

Hi everyone - weegie the only thing that I have heard that makes sense to me is to keep children one step behind what you know ?

What a pain Betsy ! I had that with my 1st onc appointment before chemo, they apparently sat there wondering why no one had turned up for their appointments that morning ! Hope you get it sorted

on another note, I am delighted and very emotional to announce that after 9 months and 17 days, my reconsructed boob is totally healed !!!!!!!!!!!!!

It gets even better ... with all the tissue I lost, I was a bit disappointed with the size of my new breast and we almost said in unison about having a tissue expander put in behind the muscle to boost it to a more reasonable size. She is doing this at the same time as the reduction surgery on the left side which will not be until next year and will be going in through a bad area of scarring where I lost some skin and she can tidy this up too. She has said I need to lose weight (which I do) and I am seeing her in January to see if I have lost enough (she didn't say how much) so I can get everything done.

She gave me a big hug and I promptly burst into tears - amazingly, all the people who I have had a lot of contact with in the breast clinic were all there today and came in to see me flashing my new boob. Lots of hugs later and a skip down the outpatients corridor, I left the hospital for at least a couple of months. I am understandably giddy and will be celebrating with a few red wines tonight :)

Thanks for all your support through this and I hope you can get some rest from my leakages and that the next episode in my story will be shorter and less complicated :)

Fabulous news Hnd I'm so pleased for you ! Definitely wine time tonight

that is brilliant news HND and after 9 months a huge relief I'm sure. Sod the wine, crack open the champagne!

hnd

weeg I was a bit of your wording too. With my DD who was 8 we were very careful to understand what her existing perceptions of Cancer were, I had lost a close friend to cancer a couple of years before after a short brutal illness, and to make sure she understood there were lots of different Cancers and though the treatment wouldn't be pretty, this one was curable. She was even then a Scientist in the making and enjoyed the discussions about cells often misfiring as they reproduced but this time some had escaped my immune system and my body needed a bit of back up to get rid of them.

Just got a call from the hospital. They are going to give me a Port-a-Cath on Tuesday. I have terrible veins, and now that I'm down to one arm for all chemo/bloods, etc, they reckon I'd be in trouble after just a few chemo sessions. We already had trouble on first chemo session.

Does anybody have one? Is it as trouble free as the hospital makes out??

HND. Will raise a glass to your breast tonight too!

Oh hnd so pleased for you! I thought of raising a glass too but for first time ever have lost my taste for it!! Shocking.

I need to lose some wight before surgery so can keep you company on that.

I haven't told my 9 year old anything yet. Just don't think he needs to know and fortunately have coped with chemo well so far.

HND yippee for your super-healed boob, and plan for the future. That is fabulous news indeed.

I have also had good news. Saw my lovely consultant today and all of the lymph nodes removed last week were clear, therefore I am now cancer-free! She also said that my lump may be going on a trip to America to get analysed using the new Oncotype DX test - this will establish my prognosis and determine what type of chemo will be most effective or (whispers) if chemo is even beneficial to me. How exciting is that?! She gave me a big hug and prescribed me some champagne this evening.

So I have my first appointment with my oncologist next Friday....I have no idea what he will say or when my lump (aka Catherine Jenkins) needs to pack its suitcase.

Funny to think that I was only diagnosed with breast cancer on 25th Sept, what a month this has been.

Handbags that is great news you definitely need champagne ! Am very jealous of how quickly everything has gone for you that's amazing are you private ?

Yes Malt and I feel very, very lucky to be so. I have had such amazing care and have been dealt with super-fast, especially considering I have had 2 lots of surgery in that time.

My hosp is NHS and private and my super consultant is heading up the fundraising for a new dedicated breast care unit, and I have pledged my allegiance to her to help raise as much as possible - see here

handbags that is such fantastic news- I will be raising a glass to you tonight too !

One of the worst things is the waiting so it's great you haven't had too much. Can't taste wine properly at the moment but I have a new bottle of baileys and will raise a glass later to everyone who's had good news recently

And to everyone who's feeling down, especially gigs and really I'll have a glass for you too x

Ooh, it's nice in here!

Just popped in hoping some of you would have some advice/support for this poster

Yes Gigs - sante (with an accent over the e) to you and hope you feel better very very soon and that you are able to enjoy some croissants, and pâté and du vin and all the good thing France has to offer x oh and some sleep too.

Thanks for sante messages - very cheering to see such good news from hnd and handbags .

Had nice day despite big gig being a royal pain in the arse - muse marmottan which has loads of Monet in (real hidden gem ) then lunch out. Felt rough this afternoon so had a nap but better now. Passed on dinner out so can snuggle watching films.

Hope everyone has nice weekend plans.

Ooh, love marmottan!
Totally tmi, but DS2 was conceived in Paris.
My mum has taken DS1 & 2 as we are hosting a family "Come Dine with Me" tomorrow - 9 people for dinner. We are last to go, I say we'd better get the sympathy vote. It's the first time we've seen all of DH's family since my diagnosis.
We're doing a budget one (under £50) - menu is:
French onion soup
Pigeon wellington with bramble jus and potato rosti
Toffee apple sponge with calvados custard

Webarra your menu sounds amazing. Careful, you might get some gate-crashers

Argh bloody auto correct really doesn't like w e e b a r r a !

I'm just trying to catch up after a couple of days of dodgy internet and quickly reading posts I thought that weebarra was serving up shooting on her CDWM menu

Glad you had nice day in Paris Tesco (that would be a good name for a film) Gigs

Hiya Ruby hope you're managing to get your dissertation sorted. When my daughter needed her exams deferring I just faxed one of my scary hospital letters to her Head of Course and all of a sudden they couldn't do enough for her - I knew they served some useful purpose! I am good at the moment thanks. I am virtually side effect free now nearly two years after my bowel op though they only took about a foot and a half from me, not the whole lot! I found that things continued improving for me for about eighteen months - I guess it does take quite some time for everything to settle. I have my two year scan in December which I am slightly dreading - not the scan really, just the waiting for results.

I have just come back from a lovely afternoon tea in South Kensington with my Mum for her 80th. I feel like I#'m never going to be able to eat again though!

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

gigs glad you got to gallery and saw lovely Monet.

handbags fab news

malt I think I might be able to stomach some f that new chocolate baileys .... If I only had the energy to go out and buy some

boreofwhabyon welcome, anything we can help you with?