**Tamoxigang heading towards hearts and valentines - thread 47**

[BetsyBoop]

roses are red
violets are blue
sugar is sweet
but cakes are better

weebarra sorry to hear you don't feel well. I hope you can stay tucked up in bed and recover today.

It is a dull grey day here in South of Ireland. Makes it even harder to get out oft bed...

Morning all.

weebarra hope you feel better soon, and sorry your son is worrying about you. My son was crying at school the other day which made me sad but the teacher said the other children were lovely .... Which then ade me cry

Nothing planned today so currently listening to the radio and about to do some reading.

Trice, glad I'm not alone with that feeling.
CT scan showed no sign of something beginning with 'm' (surgeon rattled it off so can't remember) but said there are things that are prob scar tissue from old chest infections etc. but need a repeat ct to check that they don't grow. ?!??

Hope you feel better weebarra
Bless the little ones who are worried :(

Goodness no idea what that is but fingers crossed they are just being cautious

Getting ready to go out tonight, hate my hair I know I should be grateful it's growing back so sorry for being insensitive to those of you still waiting but it does look like I've had a bad granny perm ! Will forget about it once I've had a few glasses of wine I'm sure

Afternoon all. Just popped in to put some chocloate brownies on the trolley - can't eat them myself so may as well offer them round (am enjoying using my new oven!!).

Brownies, mmmm... I like the thought of virtual brownies better than I could cope with the real thing right now. Day 2 after FEC 2. So much better than first time round, thanks to Emend, but still very woozy and a very very picky eater.

Handbagsatdawn all went great thanks.glad to be home .hope everyone had a suuny day .

I'll have a brownie to soak up the alcohol

Mildmay glad it went ok rest up now do you know when you get your results ?

Morning all. Been having quite a rough few days. In fact I reckon the last ten days have been difficult. I could do with feeling better and I'm hoping today will be the start of that. Lots of chemo side effects and blood and platelet transfusions appear to be having little effect. I'd hoped to be going home next Friday but at the moment I'm a long way off that. Consultant originally warned me I'd be here for 6 weeks and now 19 days in I think that may be accurate.

All I'm hoping today is that I can avoid another blood transfusion (I've had 7 so far, 4 since I've been here) so ds can visit. I haven't seen him since last Sunday so I'm keen to see how he's doing now he's back at school (he won't speak to me on the phone for more than about 15 secs).

Hope everyone enjoys there Sunday. It looks like a lovely sunny day here.

Their not there!

pickle that's tough not seeing your boy. Understand about the phone thing, with my boy you have to give him time to share info .... It can't be forced out of him.

Six weeks sounds such a long time, but look at it this way, if you have done 19 days you are over half way.

How is the head today malt?

Hey pickle, sorry things are so rough. Hard for you and hard for your boy. It's very tough when you're simply not well enough to ride the emotional stuff. I really hope you feel better very soon, even if stuck in hospital for longer than you'd hoped.

I'm lying in bed, watching the sunny day vanish into clouds and wind, just as the rest of the family has headed out for a walk. Feel a bit crap, to be honest, but that's what chemo does and it will have to ease at some point. I can't make it all magically ok for my children. They are all processing this stuff in their own way, mostly very privately, and details of what they are thinking, and are frightened of, come out in small ways from time to time. I think the processing will go on for a long time, as well. I remember my nephew's greatest reaction to his father's cancer came after all the treatment was over.

Foo foo not too bad thanks, had a great night and have only just made it out of bed !

Pickle it must be so hard, I hope you get to see your son soon. Keep counting the days off

Wren it's very hard missing family things when you don't feel well. I was quite depressed on chemo, it just felt like it would never get any better. But it does and I feel so much better now and you will too :)

Thanks, malt

Malt ten days to wait,feel a bit down today but went for a walk which helped abit.hope everyone having a relaxing sunday .
Dificult pickle hope you got to see your son .

I think the GA can make you feel a bit down Mildmay good idea to go for a walk

I've done nothing today and am shattered now. Rads or because I went out last night ?!

More fun to blame it on the night out? Certainly I'm enjoying the idea of someone else getting out and enjoying themselves; a nice thing to anticipate for a little down the line.

Morning all. Rads done, sitting having a coffee, then into dd2's school this afternoon to help with some scenery painting (me and a bunch of 6 years olds - love it)!

Have to start tamoxifen this week, why is this the part I've been dreading most? Can someone advise what is the best time of day to take them re the hot flushes? I'm getting hot flushes anyway pretty much 24/7, but worst in the evening/ night so not sure I want to add to that.....any advice greatly appreciated!

Hi Handbags - I am taking mine about 6pm (based on an earlier suggestion from Betsy). It definitly makes the flushes worst in the evening but is no longer having a significant impact on my sleep or whilst I am at work. Have done about 7 weeks now and no other SEs to report (and like you I had the hot flushes anyway).
How did you get on with your accupuncture?

I made Blondies yesterday so can put them on the trolley (I have a new oven - hence all the baking!!).

Hi everyone
Just come back from DF's first Rad session, all went well, everyone is so kind, he hated the mask as he's claustrophobic but says he can cope if he doesn't think about it too much!
DM and I went to the Macmillan centre while he was being 'done' and had a cuppa with a lovely man, (volunteer I assume)
So that's day 1 done, 32 to go
Can anyone say how long before DF starts to feel the effects of the Rad? I know everyone's different, but they are warning of dry throat,skin, tiredness etc, TIA

Hi All. Not been around so catching up on posts. Everyone seems to be doing well. Mum had lumpectomy last Monday. We had been told that normal course is for discharge same day but did not have great reaction to anaesthetic and we did not come out until late Wednesday. No pain though. We are due for follow up appointment later this week when we should get told next steps. Is there anything such as "standard" radiation? I read of it varying between 3 and 5 weeks. Can anyone explain what boost radiation is please?

Hello worried glad your mum is home and pain free, my dad was told 6 weeks radiotherapy and a lot of the people we've spoken to at the hospital are having the same, one lady is having 12 weeks, and another 4, so I guess there isn't really a 'standard' time
I understand boost comes right at the end of the sessions and is a larger dose, but I may be totally wrong! One of the wise ladies may know more x

Worried sick I've had 3 weeks of rads and am just about to start a week of boosts. The first lot has been over the whole area, boob, lymph nodes and neck nodes whereas the boost just concentrates on where the tumour was. I've had to have more planning today so they can pinpoint the right spot

Honey I've not noticed any more tiredness than usual with rads and my skin was fine for the first 2 weeks, only now it's quite red and they think it might break down. Doesn't hurt at all though.

Handbags hope the painting went well !

Waited 80 mins at hospital today for my boost rads planning which took 5 mins grrr ! Only 5 more left now though :)

Thanks maltz fingers crossed dad won't have too many side effects, I was reading about a cream Australian oncologists are recommending, it was first created for cows udders but has been found to be a very good healing cream for people having radiotherapy, I will get the web address if anyone is interested