Tamoxigang New Year, New Thread, *46*

[BetsyBoop]

Hands round a for everyone.

I'm sure mine is growing back curly and I always wanted curly hair but not when it's this short !
Can anyone link or tell me the name of a vegetable dye that will cover grey please

Malt - having seen recommendations for this:

www.danielfield.com/template/catalog/index.php/natural-colours-reds-c-

I have emailed them to ask if it is suitable - I'll let you know if i hear back.

Now this may be a stupid question but with hair this short am I going to mainly end up dying my head???

Depsite all the recomendations for purple I can't do that as I am so pale I know that I would look awful and ill - I do however agree that it needs to be funky so I'm looking at a bright blonde or a gold. For a previously mid-brown like me even that is brave .

Waiting for my op.
3 days (Tuesday evening)
Just waiting
And waiting
And waiting
It's been 6 weeks of waiting
Then histology on the bugger
And more waiting
Aaaaaaaaaaaargh!

The waiting is crap goodness we all sympathise, always waiting for something or other have you got anything nice planned in the next few days to take your mind off it a bit ?

Kitkat that does look good let me know if they get back to you and I'll ask my hairdresser on wed too

Blonde or gold sounds good I wouldn't be brave enough for purple either ! I guess we need to use less dye as we have less hair but not sure really

Goodness waiting is crap isn't it? I've had to wait until I got so ill that I am eligible for treatment. With the form of blood disorder I have it isn't a given that it will progress to cancer so I've had a 'watch and wait' for several months. Now it has progressed I am down for treatment but then I need to be well enough to have it. Such a fine line. I did wonder why I haven't had treatment sooner but it was pointed out that I have quite a high chance of being killed by the treatment (stem cell transplant) that there is no way they would do it unless it was a life or death situation.

I hope the op goes well. Do you know yet whether you will need other treatement - chemo/rads - or will they only decide once the op is done?

malt - that hair website I linked on FB a few weeks ago had links to sites for natural dyes - can't search at the mo as on phone with dodgy connection - will post later if you can't find it

Oh pickle - so saddened to hear what a push-pull torturous wait you're going through. Do you have a date or plan now?
They'd thought tumour (in sacrum) was benign but biopsy under general inconclusive. I will have to wait til after op (a week after) to know whether it was benign, please gd.
They're going in to sever nerves. They're hoping to preserve as much nerve function as they can.
It's a bit scary. But I'm in good hands: RNOH, spinal unit, Sarcoma Service

Going dry slope skiing tonight. If I break a leg... I'd be in right place
Lol

I find out dates and confirm plans on Monday when I'm back at Kings in London. At least I know now where I will have chemo and I'm happy with that decision. Especially if I will be in hospital for 6 weeks to start with. I don't have a choice for where I have the transplant and I don't want family and friends having to trek up to London if I can possibly avoid it.

If they are severing nerves what will happen? Do they expect you to have normal functions afterwards? I do think the waiting is horrible as it is impossible not to think about things and imagine the worst, particularly in the middle of the night (when I do all my worrying!). Everyone I know says that they are amazed how well I am coping. I figure if I get through all of this I deserve an Oscar for best actress

Enjoy the skiing tonight. That's one of the things I miss and on my list for 'well' treats if I get through all of this rubbish

Oh, I like the idea of a list for 'well' treats, pickle. I find it so hard to think of plans. Gardens, for one, for me. I'll miss a New York trip in May to do with dh's work but would love to get there next year.

Wren I think it is important to have something to focus on and look forward to. We were supposed to be going to NY for Easter so that's off the cards now. I'm planning we will do that Easter 2015. Along with just resuming a normal life, travelling around the world as I would do for work and pleasure. Even going on a bike ride will be a treat.

I don't want to think that how I am at the moment is all there will be in my life as it isn't enough. Much as I love MN I want to be out doing 'stuff'. Ds's hamster escaped in his bedroom this morning and I didn't have the physical strength to pull out his bed and move things around to try and find it (I'm still looking!).

Good luck with the hamster, pickle. And I'll see you in NY next Easter.. Mind you, I feel right off international travel at the moment and have very UK focused holiday fantasies.

Hi ladies happy weekend to you all.

I've been trying to find some online sites to get more information on this in advance of meeting with surgeon next week but to be fair cannot find much over the very basic. I did find a discussion group but thought I would ask your opinion first as to whether it was a quack group or not as several things have immediately jumped out at me. www.breastcancerchoices.org

There is a lot of literature on site about the benefits of iodine before treatment. Does anyone know much about this?

There is advice to consider the benefits of sentinel lymph node biopsy or sentinel lymph node dissection to see the cancer spread. In their opinion there can be serious downside to this (nerve severing etc) and according to their information removal of the nodes makes no difference to survival rates and they seem to be advising against this. Does this sound like claptrap?

They also talk about the dangers of radiation and the fact that although radiation may improve prognosis for the BC itself it can cause other illnesses and damage that outweigh any rad benefit and again appear to be advising against this.

As a complete novice to this all this I am confused. Do you think this is a quack site?

worried - a lot of sites out there are out of date/not based on solid evidence from clinical trials.

I would personally stick to known reputable sites for information such as breast cancer care and read the NICE treatment guidelines

I should add, as much as people moan about NICE for being a bit slow sometimes, all their recommendations have solid evidence behind them, (which is listed in the full guidance I think).

I sympathise with the broken plans - it's like adding insult to injury. I was supposed to be in Miami next week and I want to brain the two work colleagues who keep texting me to tell me how good it is. Aargh!!!! We've also had to cancel our ski holiday which the whole family was looking forward to and it makes me feel really miserable. I'm trying to avoid the whole subject of skiing. Difficult here as so many people drive down to the slopes.

Anyway, good luck with the hair colouring, Kitkat and malt!

Anybody experience trouble getting to sleep on Tax - still a problem for me 2 weeks after chemo. I have taken sleeping tablets for 2 weeks now. Past 3 nights, I tried to fall asleep myself, but resorted to sleeping tablet after 1 hour.

Tonight, I had one (large) glass of red wine, hopefully that will help me. Will just have to tuff it out tonight, as I don't want to mix wine and sleeping tablets.

Updating also nice to plan 'well' treats for when you feel well during your treatment. I do a lovely lunch with friends every week 3, before new cycle of chemo. And did a lovely posh hotel break over New Year with DH. Will also plan something nice for mid-term and Easter.

Should also add, in addition to having trouble sleeping, I feel quite hyper.

I am whizzing around during the day, tidied out loads of cupboards during the week, as well as walking and baking.

I do feel tired at night, but still have that hyper feeling. Haven't taken steroids since a week Thursday.

Even now, after a nice glass of wine, I still have that 'wound up' feeling.

Upside is that if this last much longer, I'll have the house super organized...

Mom, if you have any energy left over, can you do my house? I remember I had sleep issues with tax, but I put it down to stress. Hope you are sleeping now.

I have terrible sleep habits at the moment, I am virtually nocturnal. I blame the lack of sunshine.

Sorry about Miami and skiing, updating. The one upside to my miserable diagnosis was missing a week in Brazil for work. Sounds fun, and would have been really interesting, but very arduous and I was glad to stay home.

Right after diagnosis and tests we got permission to carry on with a long planned family holiday to Japan. I was glad to go for the children's sake, but it was really tough being far from home when the bad news was so fresh and I still had so many questions. It's rather a dark memory, in fact. Kids enjoyed it though...

I like the nice plans, mom. Perhaps the trick is to have things in the diary in advance rather than wait and see how I feel....

But as you might notice from the time, I'm not sleeping either! Annoying brain, picking at stuff. And the house is still a tip.

mom I'm with you on the not sleeping. I have managed a block of 4hrs sleep over the last 2 nights. Haven't slept properly in over 12days! Although unlike you my energy levels are at an all time low! (possibly connected to not eating much)

I'm thinking at some point my body will just give up and I'll sleep for days but until then, I'll keep going to bed as normal and hopefully get some sleep! Xxxxx

I'm starting to panic. Like water is coming in, near the top of a room I can't escape - can't breathe.
Tuesday is only two days away

Morning all
Goodness deep breaths, you can do it
Sympathise with all the cancelled holidays, dh trying to sort out what we are doing this year I can't face booking something only to cancel it again

Worried I haven't looked at the site but it's all a balancing act. I had all my nodes removed but they were clear so really I didn't need it done but there was no way of knowing that before. I do trust that all the medical staff looking after me have my interests at heart and know what they're doing

I don't sleep well either,it's hard

Had a great night out last night though started badly when we arrived at the restaurant to find it had closed down even though we had booked !