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

[BetsyBoop]

throws some hot cross buns on the trolley

Morning all

Really I'm glad you had a good sleep and weekend, fingers crossed you get a good week of rads being on time

Bigger buns glad you're feeling upbeat about it, it is nice to get things started. Sounds like you've got a busy day ahead. I've just been trying to eat healthily but not really changed anything about my diet

Morning ta daah did you have a good weekend ?

Looking forward to my 2nd haircut after chemo today, it's getting bushy at the back hopefully she can make it look a bit better

Hi Biggerbuns - happy last day of your boobs. I too felt quite weirdly fine about losing mine and 3 weeks in, even when I look at my odd nipple-less mounds I don't feel any regret. And in clothes they look great.
I was in 2 nights for BMX and implant recon, but no node clearance so I guess that could add a night, though maybe not. Came out with 4 drains which - as everyone else said - were horrid, but really only became a pain once I started being more mobile and my DCs are young and found them completely freaky so I was trying to (unsuccessfully) hide them under dressing gowns. Mine came out in a week.
Still sleep with V pillow. Actually my wedge was really uncomfy but lots of pillows to sleep on incline (in hosp your bed goes up so no problem) important. Snacks (not a big fan of hosp food). And yes to everyone else's suggestions of ear plugs/eye mask, button up tops, post surgery bra (this was a must at my hosp). Baby wipes as showering was beyond me for at least 5 days. Thinking of you tomorrow.
Have had my own freak out of a weekend after finding an enlarged lymph node above my collar bone. Rational brain says it must be swollen due to swelling in new foob area. Irrational middle of night brain can only think of all the horrible things you find when you google superclavicular node swelling. Glad I can call the BCN soon.
The psych who saw me pre: op said things could be harder after treatment. I've had more tears/freakouts this past week since being 'discharged'. Everyone wants to celebrate. Think I'm experiencing some post traumatic stress stuff!

bigger buns, I found that well meaning people gave me much unwanted dietary advice. This was usually along the lines of "give up all dairy", "give up all wheat". I hated it as I felt my life had fallen apart enough already, and I had no emotional space to radically overhaul my diet - and yet i was scared that there was something out there I should be doing. But there is absolutely no evidence behind this sort of radical advice, according to the nutritionist at the Haven breast cancer therapy centre. Her advice was simply to follow general healthy eating guidelines (including a big boost of vegetables - half the plate. Eek) and not to allow blood sugar crashes and surges - linked to inflammation in the gut, which is linked to some cancers (though not breast, I believe). I don't think there's evidence at the moment that once you have breast cancer that your diet can make a difference, but there's obviously quite a lot of research bubbling along trialling the impact of various food extracts (I've seen peaches, turmeric, broccoli cited).

Sorry, this is all a bit long winded, but I think it's a really interesting area because of the amount of misinformation out there making it hard to know what's real. I'm trying to eat more veg, but on chemo taste buds go topsy turvey so I am forgiving to myself for eating some really odd stuff.

harriet, cross post with you. Enlarged lymph nodes are normal after surgery. Yes they can mean something else, but given you've just had surgery, that's the likely reason.

Morning all. I hope everyone had a good weekend. I've been poorly but can't really work out the cause. Couldn't stop being sick. I wondered if it was food poisoning but the last meal I had before I was ill was at a local pub with ds and we had exactly the same food. He was fine. I wonder if it was just too rich for my newly sensitive stomach?! I ended up losing 7.5lbs in 3 days which is really odd. I've now lost 2 stone since I started treatment in February.

Good luck Biggerbuns I found it a lot easier to cope with things once treatment actually started.

Good to see you back Tadaah

Good luck biggerbuns. Hope op goes well.

really sorry to hear you have been poorly.

I am counting down until I start my first chemo in 4hours! Getting a bit anxious and have eaten a bag of maltesers in case I don't want chocolate for a while! I am trying to drink plenty and just keeping everything crossed.

speedy, I'm sure you will be fine, it's good to get started. Drinking lots is important!

Good luck, Speedy! And good luck tomorrow, Biggerbuns..

buns I had a bmx in feb and have not missed my old boobs at all, and there was 7 lbs of them. Similar to harriet I was in 2 days, and came out with 4 drains. Hope all goes well tomorrow.

speedy hope chemo going ok, late start for your first one, I was scheduled to go in at 12 but they said to come in at 9 as t was my first one.

Sorry buns, didn't realise your op was tomorrow, good luck! Mine is happening after chemo so in about a month - I will be picking your brains!

Goo luck tomorrow Buns. I'm also having a bmx on 20th May so will also be watching with interest.

Hope everyone has had a good first proper day of half term (assuming you are in England)

Am home. The process was not as bad as I was expecting but feel like I am waiting to see what happens. My lovely friend is popping back in a minute and then we will do stuff so I don't overthink what my body is doing. When does nausea kick in?

Thanks greeneyedcat I really hope the treatment works for DF, he's suffered enough now, he's craving a pork pie
Thanks for your good wishes

Speedy glad your first one is done and it wasn't too bad. You might not get nauseous, I came home and waited for it but it never came. I did feel woozy and hungover and that kicked in after a couple of days
Good luck for tomorrow buns, we'll be thinking about you x

Pleased with my haircut, impatient and want it to grow faster though !

Feel sick now :-(

Oh Speedy, hope you're not feeling too bad - make sure you take all your antisickness meds.

Poor speedy is there someone with you ? Take your meds and if they are not working call the chemo helpline as there's other things they can give you.

Yes, definitely take meds for sickness and ring unit if they aren't working. Do you have ginger beer to sip?

Hello everyone, thank you for all your good wishes and excellent advice. Bag now packed and includes all your suggestions. Still hasn't quite sunk in which is hopefully a good thing as I could do with a good night's sleep. Have to be at the hospital for 7.30 in the morning, I was hoping this would mean I was on an early list, but having read an old thread today where some of we're going through your ops with similar appointment times and late afternoon ops, I have braced myself to be patient. One very dear friend sent me an iPod shuffle preloaded with lots of upbeat songs and DD1 has done the same for my iPad. Have also been saving the last episode of Silk and some other tv progs that I will enjoy watching so shouldn't be short of entertainment. Saw the Muppet Movie today, I can thoroughly recommend as a great distraction technique. Didn't get to do most of the rest of my plans today for various reasons, I guess I need to get used to being a big flexible with how my days pan out. Anyway, will keep you all up to date with my progress. Thanks again for being there.

At my hospital they asked everyone to get there for 730 which seemed a bit daft really, I didn't go down till 3 and was starving ! So my advice if you are nil by mouth after midnight have a snack before you go to bed ! Glad you've got things to keep you busy

Hi all

Good Luck today BiggerBuns hope they don't keep you waiting around too long! Nice to find another muppets fan! I'm off to see that movie at the weekend, I hope!

I hope all the anti sickness meds help you speedy

I had a REALLY bad nights sleep! But that could be because I have a scan today, and appt with oncologist and surgeon to see IF they think they need/can remove the tumour (or what's left of it) from my liver! I hadn't really thought about it for a while, as I have been busy with all the Rads stuff! I'm not sure what I want them to say, part of me is hoping they will say it's disappeared and all is fine! But think that really would be wishful thinking! But the thought of surgery on my liver really scares me! As does the thought of more Chemo!

I've just had enough of all this and just want to get to the end of the Rads and then get back to normal life! Is that too much to ask?!

really, very best of luck with today. You must be so sick of treatment. I hope that they can offer you confident advice on the best way to go. I know it can be annoying to have other people quote anecdotes about friends and family, but my dad had secondary liver cancer (they never found the primary) which was treated with oral chemo. Not only did the oral chemo work like magic (recession of tumours that never reverted) but he felt well on it throughout.

Good luck today really, I'm hoping it will be like when we were first diagnosed and once you have a plan and know what's going to happen you feel a bit better and more in control

Speedy how are you feeling today ?

Big buns good luck again

Morning wren how are you today ?

Good luck for today really and buns!

Thanks for asking, malt! I'm in my cheerful 3rd week, having finished FEC (thank goodness) and onto my first tax on Thursday. I know that it is very very naive to think that tax might be an easier ride for me than FEC, but that's what I'm hoping for! Today my sister is visiting to help my 16 year old with biology revision (that's what she teaches), so it's a boring easter holidays for the other two, what with chemo and ds1's revision. My ambition today is to plant some plants before I'm out of action for the next chunk of time.