**Tamoxigang counting down to Easter eggs- thread 48**

[BetsyBoop]

throws some hot cross buns on the trolley

Mom Totally get where you're coming from. My lumpectomy scar feels all lumpy. I was moaning to DP about how I would know if it came back there as it just feels like there are loads of lumps. I try not to let my mind run away too much.

I spent most of last Tuesday with an excruciating headache which felt like someone had put an needle through my left eye. Worried all day about whether it was a brain tumour or some serious side effect i should be ringing the hospital about. Been fine since though. Just can't stop obsessing about every ache and pain though which really is new territory for me.

Very worried about my youngest through (9yrs). He had another day off on Friday with 'tummy ache'. Second in two weeks. He's never been off ill and usually loves school so worrying that he's worrying about me.

Also today my hair started falling out. 15 days after 1st chemo but all the same. DP being incredibly supportive. He said I shouldn't be upset as I look great in my 'beautiful' wig so I've just ordered some hair accesories and new scarves to cheer me up.

Also just eaten a whole box of Mother's Day Ferrero chocolates and feel a bit sick. Going to go to the gym which always makes me feel better. I may end up bald but I would rather be thin and bald than fat and bald (especially after over indulgence of chocolate!!)

Really impressed with the gym, feline! Don't think I'm up to that on chemo, tho' I do try and walk lots. The hair thing is no fun; it just gets everywhere, I find. Sorry about your ds; worrying about the children is the hardest thing. Roll on the Easter hols when they can all have some down time (other than ds1 who has got to revise for GCSEs oh I wish he would just buckle down to it).

Feline hair falling out is horrible and tedious and like Wren said it gets everywhere. It's good you've got a wig. I'm practically bald but haven't managed to sort out a wig yet (hoping to collect it tomorrow). I'm sure your ds is worrying about you. I just did my best to encourage my ds to go to school even when he didn't feel like it but I wasn't too hard on him when he didn't want to go. At least it isn't long to the Easter holidays and hopefully that may help.

Visit to local school went very well. Head was lovely and ds said he would be happy to go there despite them not teaching Latin (!). Ds could cycle to school (a journey of approx 30 seconds, it only took 2.5 minutes to walk there!) and have lot more freedom during the week than he does now. The homework is less too - reading every day plus English and Maths homework once a week. Ds currently has two subjects a day. The pressure would be far less and the environment appears to be far more nurturing. I bumped into a mum I know with children at the school and she said how happy she is with it.

Ds also already knows children in his year there so it wouldn't be such a difficult move. Without the need to pay school fees I would have funds available to supplement whatever he couldn't do at school. Having said that I was impressed at how much they do there.

Sounds really positive, pickle. Taking the pressure off him sounds so attractive.

I think he will appreciate it although the downside means cramming 11+ tuition over the holidays. At least that would only be for a few weeks and the exam is early Sept. He would then have an easy year 6. I asked about Sats (which would be new to us) and they don't seem to put any pressure on the pupils, which is reassuring. The one thing I have no idea is what level he is in terms of national curriculum. His old school would tell us and he was level 3 in year 2 but I have no idea how that translates for year 5 expectations. I'm sure it wouldn't take the school long to work out what ds can do.

Pickle the new school sounds lovely :)

Feline the hair falling out is a shock even though you know it's going to happen. Just remember it will only be for a few months and people won't even realise you are wearing a wig

Pickle - I'm so glad the school is nice and your DS is positive about it.
Back from our wee weekend away and pils have gone home so just me and DCs. Am getting huge amounts of support but sometimes its nice to have the house to yourself!

Thanks for the tips on constipation everyone! I will get DF some prune juice, it seems worse at the weekend when he hasn't got to get up and go for Rads session, it seems like everything slows down!
I keep telling him, only 2 and a bit weeks to go but I guess when your in the fog of tiredness, pain, not being able to eat and then not being able to taste it, 2 weeks seems an eternity!
Still, trying to stay positve for him
Thanks for your kind words greeneyed

honey my chemo nurse recommended sennokot at night and Lactose in the morning. And he may need to take for a few days before they work fully.

Thanks mom

Thanks to all for support earlier. I was back on an even keel again today. I guess I just needed time to process the fright the nightmare gave me.
Looking forward to seeing my Onc tomorrow for my follow up after completing chemo. She is lovely, and very practical.

Morning all. I hope everyone is okay today. I'm off to collect my wig this morning. Taking ds (Easter holidays already started here) so he can help me choose which one out of the three I've selected.

We will spend the afternoon sewing. Ds's new sewing machine arrived yesterday. A real bargain as I only had to pay the difference between his old one that stopped working (mini one) and new one (full size) £34. He loves it, which is great, but he requires help cutting out material, sorting out the thread and bobbin. I'd forgotten quite how active he is and he's leaving me feeling exhausted. Thankfully he's booked on a holiday course all of next week

Morning :)

Mom glad you feel a bit better and hope the onc is reassuring

Pickle your Easter holidays are early, we break up a week on Friday. The sewing sounds like it's going well and hope you're happy with the wig you choose

Just been on a walk around the village with my class which was lovely, need to plan some follow up work for tomorrow now

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a god day, the sun is shining here
DF is seeing dr after his rad session tomorrow to ask about the constipation caused by morphine so hopefully they will give him something to help,
On a happier note, the radiographer mentioned how good his skin is looking, after 21 sessions it's just a little bit red, like mild sunburn. One poor lady has a broken, red raw patch on her neck. DF's soreness is inside!!
I like to think it's the 'udder cream' I bought him online that's keeping his skin nice!

Saw my lovely Onc today. Lump is scar related, nothing to worry about.
And I've got my first prescription for Tamoxifen...

That's good news mom

That's great mom, I've been on tamoxifen for 3 weeks now and haven't noticed any side effects.

Hi everyone - I had some really kind replies on here when I was going through various tests recently for BC. Thankfully I have now been given the all clear but I just wanted to leave a note about the vacuum biopsy I had done after a core biopsy was inconclusive in case anyone does a search in future. (I found it difficult to get info about it.)
Basically the team had concerns about my lump and the core biopsy results were not clear so they decided to take the lump out at the same time as doing a vacuum biopsy.
It is a slightly more invasive procedure than core biospy so I needed to sign a permission sheet and the consultant said that they used approximately 3 times more local anaesthetic than with a core biospy.
It took approx 45 mins (awake throughout). No pain but a little bit of discomfort.
(It literally sounds like a vacuum sucking.)
The consultant used ultrasound to guide at the same time to ensure that all of the lump as removed.
Quite heavy bruising afterwards and I've got a haematoma where the lump was but this will apparently just be re-absorbed into my body. might take a few weeks.
Results took a week to come through.
Anyway - i hope thats useful if anyone finds themself having the same procedure.
And wishing everyone on this thread well - I was overwhelmed by all your strength when I was reading all your stories

That's great you've had the all clear choco :)

Good news choco and thanks for the info about the vacuum biopsy which I am sure will be useful to someone on here in the future or even a lurker now!

Thanks pickle. Hope the new school works out. I did actually take Ds to school on Friday even though he was complaining of tummy ache but he refused to get out of the car when we got there . He's been quite weepy this week but has gone in. He's off on a school trip on Thursday fro 5 days which he's really been looking forward to so hope that will help. His teacher is going who is lovely and her sister had BC so she does understand.

Hope the wig choosing went well. I went to pick it up on Saturday after having had it shaped. However having tested it out for a couple of hours I need to get some more taken of the front so I can actually see. The hair shedding is a pain. Thinking I may get hair cut short in near future but does that not make the bald bits more obvious??? feel really pathetic worrying about something so superficial when some of youhave really more pressing issues.

Feline, I was much happier after getting my hair cut short. It took quite a lot of thinning before looking odd. So sorry your ds is having a rough time. My 14 yr old ds had a 2 day school trip which he loved, although he's been noticeably anxious about me since coming back.

Feline not pathetic at all, mine has grown back and I'm still moaning about it especially as no one recognises me which is horrid