*Tamoxigang Christmas Party* - 45

[Tiny100]

Morning All!

We're nearly in December, so let's get the festivities started.

[adds mince pies to the trolley]

Boom!

I'll take your mince pie and raise you some stollen.

Ohh, foo foo, stollen, have only discovered it this year, but am loving it. Might have to leave early to get DD1 from preschool to buy some.

Hello new thread, have spent very productive 20 minutes sorting Christmas presents to realise I onLy have DH left to buy for and stocking fillers for DD1 and DS. I am recycling lots for DD2 Christmas babygros, vests and socks as well as some toys that the others have grown out of and I have hidden!!

Ooh, lidl stollen! Wee bit of a post chemo hangover today but still functioning. Open morning at DS2's nursery class today which was fun - my wig's first public outing!
Knitting - I need to get all my pressies together, I have bought too much, for which I blame both cancer and the MN xmas bargain thread!

I've never had stollen or pannetonne which seems to be on all of the Christmas adverts this year.
Have received my 1st Christmas card this morning !

if you like marzipan malt, stollen is a must :)

Pannetonne is very overrated IMVHO.

Just seen on the news that Bodie (Lewis Collins) has died, he was one of my teenage heartthrobs. :(

I gave overseas Christmas fare a wide birth after being let down by a couple of years ago by Pannetonne. Not sure if I tried a bad one, but it was just dry and tasteless.

At the end of the last thread I was asking if anyone had been offered genetic testing and what their reasons were for either accepting or declining having it done. Thanks to Gigs and Wee for sharing their stories. If anyone else has anything to add, I am all ears.

Sad about Lewis Collins
I will try stollen, I agree that pannetonne looks dry and tasteless

Tiny no family history here at all so I wasn't offered any genetic testing

I don't have family history either Malt, but was offered due to my age and triple negative status. Can't make up my mind whether to go for it or not.

Off to google who Lewis Collins is, as I haven't a clue.

Been making mincemeat here. Agree that stollen is lovely but do not see point of panettone.

Lewis Collins - he must have been no at all.

Past couple of years, DH has got a chocolate pannetone from a client. I make a pannetone bread and butter pudding with it. Probably not terribly healthy....

Marking my place

I'm slightly different as wasn't really given a choice about genetic testing, my cancer was a result of multiple colon polyps which are very rare at 21 so definitely a result of a genetic condition. There were three possibilities and they were fairly certain it was FAP, and it was. Having a definite answer means they know exactly what other types of cancer I'm at risk from and can screen for them. Also as I've not had children yet, I can now have pre implantation genetic testing (as part of IVF) to avoid passing it on - if I passed it on, any children would have to have the same surgery I've had to avoid cancer as condition always leads to cancer. Not sure this story is at all helpful but thought I'd share anyway just I'm case, also I know there was a poster on last thread whose daughter had FAP so might be useful for her too.

I hope everyone is well xxx

Ooo a party and mince pies and stollen.

Been neglecting you all, sorry.

Hello to Au, bugger that you have to wait so long for your treatment plan. 'spose they may be running further tests. Did they give you any clues at all? waiting is so horrible so a big for you tonight.

Was good with food today, but somehow a bag of misshapes fell into my basket on my way home and I've eaten too many.

Been awol, but did you say stollen?! How are you all, been reading from time to time, but life's been a bit manic.

Au, sorry you're here. Very scary at first (not this thread!), but honestly stick around. Nothing so helpful as others who have been through it all.

Hi all, I'm another one looking for a bit of comfort and support. I've been lurking on this thread for a while (lump-diagnosis-lumpectomy) but just now feel broken down by unexpectedly bad post op results. The tumour is bigger than expected but more to the point all the marginal tissue is riddled with cancerous cells - they've no idea how far it extends. Oh and one out of three sentinal nodes. So, mastectomy, node clearance, chemo are all new news for me.

Genetic testing has come up as has the question of reconstruction (same time as mx? Later? I've no idea where to start with that). Help! Too many things all at once.

Glad that there is a place to offload this stuff. Holding off from telling the kids the latest until I can do so calmly.

Wren welcome to you though sorry you have to be here
I hope you will find everyone here as helpful as I have :)
Ask anything nothing is out of bounds here. I've just finished chemo and it wasn't as bad as I feared thanks to all the tips I got from here. How old are your kids ?

Waving to ruby Amber smee and jchoc

welcome to wren Sorry you are here, but they are a great bunch and been a huge support to me.

With regards to telling the children: everyone does it different, ask for advice. I just told my oldest but hes 20, he did cry. Have not told my youngest who is just 10 - he did wonder why I hadnt been at work for so long but I just said I was working from home which was true, and what I used to do one day a week. I have been very fortunate so far not have had few side effects so life has carried on for him pretty much as usual.

As for reconstruction - I did start a spearate thread on that as it started taking over the main thread a bit, and the main thread was so busy but it does seem to have calmed down a bit. Also it didnt apply to everyone on this thread. I will bump it up for you. My head is firmly in the samd wrt to reconstrcution but must do some serious thinking in the next week or two.

Kids are 15, 14, 11 (two DSs and a DD). So GCSEs next year. And I'll be 50 half way through chemo. Hey ho.

Oh I'll happily look at the reconstruction thread - don't want to drown anything out.

I told the children the earlier news, but just haven't broken the latest line of treatment to them. My eldest finds chemo very frightening as an idea (my nephew's just in the midst if it) so ill have to do some PR on it.

Hi Wren, welcome to you and to Au too.
Sorry you're both here. But it's a good place to be for support.
Wren, yes, that's a lot to be thinking about. And a lot of treatment ahead. But the modern potions are excellent and the long term odds are very good. I won't pretend for a moment that it'll be easy. But I can tell you that it'll be do-able.
Have a cuppa. In fact cuppas all round.

Thank you for kind replies. I feel much better for them and for the advice that it will be do-able.

Is it too early to drape some fairy lights over the thread?Dh mmakes me wait until the kids break up before the ornaments come out. But surely every day needs fairy lights?

I have just got to put the edge on an Afghan I have knitted for dsis. It was supposed to be a house warming present, but they moved in in August so it will have to double as a Christmas present. It has turned out rather well though I say so myself.

Hello Wren, sorry to hear your news. I hope you get a plan in place soon.