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

998 replies

BetsyBoop · 21/03/2014 20:05

throws some hot cross buns on the trolley

OP posts:
BishB · 25/04/2014 15:19

Hugs to you too speedy.

MomOfTwoGirls2 · 25/04/2014 16:07

biggerbuns good luck with the sleepover! My DDs had 4 friends (ages 10-12) for their first group sleepover on Mon night. We are still recovering from the lack of sleep 4 days later!!
I can't imagine having 12 over night !! But how fun for your DD.

honeybeeridiculous · 25/04/2014 16:52

really Thanks and ((((hugs)))) for you, DF was the same, had a blip in the middle of his treatment, felt really low, then got to almost the end (had 6.5 weeks) and only had 3 more to go and literally just couldn't bear to go, even for just 3 more. Of course he was persuaded to finish the course and completed the whole course. The Macmillan nurse was brilliant, gave him a cuppa, well water! and a chat and booked him in for reflexology session.
I was only driving him there every day and it was tiring so goodness knows how he must of felt! I really hope you find the strength to continue the last few weeks, I have no helpful advice but have nice warm hands to hold Smile
malts we did the volcano trip! Last Friday, DS and DH went on the camel, I thought I best not kill the beast with my ample behind so I took photos Grin was it the grand south tour??

Speedypenguin · 25/04/2014 17:10

Have bought myself a big umbrella and now just need some nice weather. It was a lovely gift.

biggerbuns I now remember reading that about your lump so why couldn't I this morning!! I couldn't understand why it was getting more painful to move my arm, not less! good luck with the sleepover tonight!

Definitely agree wren with the letters. Perhaps I should get someone to screen my mail.

Need to clean the house as a few people from work are coming over tonight and bringing all the tea with them so that should cheer me up.

Mummywheel · 25/04/2014 17:28

Company and food sounds lovely Speedy hope you have a lovely evening.

My friend constantly tells me how brave I am, don't see myself as being brave however the company, support and encouragement from friends and you ladies gives me so much more strength than you can ever imagine Thanks

malteserzz · 25/04/2014 17:34

Honey I felt sorry for the poor camel who carried me ! Had dd on the other side who is much lighter so felt I was tipping down the whole time. The volcano was amazing, the experiments and the tour through on the coach, then we went to a wine tasting place, lunch and a lagoon. It was a really good day. We were meant to go on Saturday but they forgot to pick us up so we went on Monday. How funny that you did the same tour !

Dis wants another sleepover for his 11th birthday in June. After last year we said never again but he really wants it so we will see.

Speedy glad you got an umbrella and enjoy your evening sounds like you have lovely work friends

malteserzz · 25/04/2014 17:37

Meant to say a lot of us who have been here a while are also friends on FB if anyone wants to be friends ( I sound about 5 don't I ) then message me. It's nice to put faces to names :)

ConsiderablyBiggerBuns · 25/04/2014 19:34

Hello All, hope you are having a fun Friday evening. I am indoors escaping from the female teenage shrieking outdoors, thankfully the rain has held off and we have put up some gazebos and made a party place away from the neighbours, they are currently cooking their own tea on the BBQ. Hoping they stay there until they are ready to crash out.
I had my results from my right breast today which I had elected to have removed as my tumours were in LHS. Transpires that I had very early tumour 2mm in situ in right breast. I am feeling quite smug that I had been proved right about the possibility of cancer in both breasts (caused by radiotherapy across whole of chest 30 years ago). Won't affect my treatment and because it is so early hasn't had any chance of spreading but if I hadn't made the decision for elective BMX against my surgeon's advice I would have been going through the whole thing in a few month's time on the other side - if it was picked up amongst all the other crap going on. I hope this might help anybody lurking on this thread in the same circumstances and also hope the consultant has made note for future reference. This is very particular to my history and I do know that routine BC only targets one breast, so no need for any of you worry if you have only had a single MX.
malt I've never got around to joining Facebook. I did think about it when I was diagnosed as a way of keeping in touch, and am tempted by your offer, will let you know if I make the leap.

Wren48 · 25/04/2014 19:40

Peripheral neuropathy is not helping my ipad skills in negotiating mumsnet. Just found myself in the ovulation calculator by mistake. Which is so far from my life right now...

reallyreallyworried · 25/04/2014 20:02

Thanks for all the hugs and support. Just got back from today's Rads! I cried Blush but it was contained crying, NOT like yesterday's major meltdown!! Then once I had been in the Radiographer gave me Mondays appt time! Just Mondays! She said we would take it a day at a time. Probably sounds stupid but just having the one appt seems less daunting, even though I know I have more appts to come.

Anyway it's the weekend and I have 2 days to feel 'normal'.

I hope everyone has a good weekend. Xx

Handbagsatdawn · 25/04/2014 21:50

Adding hugs for Really - totally understandable that you are pissed off with the tedium and inconvenience of trudging to hosp every day for weeks and weeks. You will get to the end of this.

Speedy I have hated receiving letters from my various consultants too. I recall one in particular caused me to have a major meltdown resulting in 2 friends having to come round to calm me down.

I saw my consultant today for my first post-treatment check up. She told me they are now routinely checking BC patients for their vitamin D levels as low levels of vit D may be a risk factor giving an increased likelihood of BC. So I had bloods taken so they can check my levels. They'll also check for any cancer indicators in my blood - cue me starting to worry about the next letter that comes through the letterbox from her.......
If my vit D levels are found to be low I shall be prescribed high dose vit D supplements. Not sure if anyone else has come across this possible risk factor, I don't think I recall it being mentioned on here (Amber?).

She also said I should do something funky to my hair like bleach it - when I said I didn't think I was allowed she said I could do whatever I fancied with it. So that's it, I've had it from an expert, I can go blond again ha ha!

Updatingmywill · 26/04/2014 09:10

Hi Handbags, I've been lurking mainly for the past few weeks. Too tired after work to do much other than nap, cook dinner and go back to bed!

Anyway, here in Belgium, they routinely test for vit D levels. Obviously (for an office worker in northern europe) my vit D levels were too low so I've been on supplements since the start of chemo. All of which reminds me that I asked for a check up on the vit D levels at my last blood scan, but then forgot to ask for the results. Oh well, next time I'm in!

I've just had my first tax (docetaxel) and I'm not doing too badly. I'm saving the painkiller for later in the morning, before we go to the school fete. The worst SE is the bad taste in my mouth. It's not just that food tastes bad, my mouth tastes bad all by itself, all the time!! Does anyone have any tips? I've been scrubbing my tongue and sucking mint tic tacs one at a time, but I'm getting seriously fed up of this! My tongue seems to be swollen as well. Gaargh.

Wren hope the peripheral neuropathy gets better quickly. I was given cold mitts to wear during delivery of the tax. It was painful to the point of tears- swollen red fingers with white finger nails - but so far, 4 days on, only my thumbs are a bit tender. Oh and I also got silicon nail varnish to paint on to strengthen the nails. I don't know if it's the silicon or my poor technique but it's proving difficult to put on smoothly! If only that was my only problem!! Grin

malteserzz · 26/04/2014 09:27

I didn't know about the vitamin d at all

Updating the taste thing is horrid with tax,do you have mouthwash ? I was given some from the chemo unit which helped, if you buy it you're meant to have alcohol free, not sure why as I had plenty of wine too Grin
I did get oral thrush with tax which made taste worse so keep an eye on your tongue and if it goes white get checked out, can be easily treated
Fresh pineapple is meant to be good too

yotty · 26/04/2014 09:40

Uppingmywill, I haven't started my tax yet, but I've just had my second FEC. Last time I also had a horrible taste in my mouth, it felt very claggy and had a white tongue. I started off using a mouthwash whilst I was still feeling nauseous, but no where near as effective as a homemade salty mouthwash was. I just couldn't make myself do a salty mouthwash whilst I was feeling sick. I only did the mouthwash 2/3 times and it seemed to work.

weebarra · 26/04/2014 09:40

Updating - on paclitaxel, one of the worst side effects was the mouth thing and I couldn't find anything that helped, sorry!
So onc and surgeon on thursday, almost no malignancy left which is amazing as one of the lumps was 6cm.
Surgeon has pencilled in my surgery for w/c 12th may, cup final on 17th, so have accepted that I won't nake it Sad.

Updatingmywill · 26/04/2014 10:10

Definitely have a white tongue - had never heard of oral thrush, thanks malt. I may have to make a quick run to the pharmacy before they close at 12.

Lilymaid · 26/04/2014 10:24

Updating I had 6 doses of Tax and the mouth/taste problem is horrid. What I did to make it more tolerable was:
Drink loads of water ... Good for getting the nasty stuff out of the system generally
Pieces of mango and pineapple - supposed to help but they are my favourite fruit and they still tasted nice when other fruit no longer did
The odd (hundred) Haribo
Sensitive mouthwash and I gently cleaned my teeth far more frequently.
I'm now taking Capecitabine - oral chemo and again have mouth/taste problems though this time it hasn't made all food taste odd.
There has been a real benefit for me out of the nastiness as I have lost more than 2 stones excess weight and now eat much smaller portions!

Updatingmywill · 26/04/2014 10:44

Well the pharmacienne assured me that it was "champignons, sans doute" and gave me a mouthwash to tide me over till I can speak to the hospital on Monday. The mouthwash is iso-betadine which tastes almost as foul as my mouth did!

Updatingmywill · 26/04/2014 10:46

Now I want to throw up. Sad

malteserzz · 26/04/2014 12:12

Champignons ? Mushrooms ? Hope it gets less foul tasting soon

malteserzz · 26/04/2014 12:36

Lily I reckon you have give your 2 stone to me Hmm

foofooyeah · 26/04/2014 14:41

No malt, I have Lily's 2 stone!!

foofooyeah · 26/04/2014 14:44

God bit impatient waiting for booking in appt for my next chemo so I just pitched up to the chemo unit and lovely nurse sorted me out. She. Will call me on Monday with appt for PICC line ( my veins are crap now). New chemo unit is very swish ....

mildmay · 26/04/2014 15:41

Afternoon all seems everyone having lots of ups and downs this week.But just keeping up with all your news helps.i a have no friends or family with any cancer so mostly people just say how great im looking ,not so sure.Had second fec-t yesterday so understand those suffering with mouth problems .i feel like im sucking on a magnet but have found brown sauce helps and cheesy puffs.
Not getting on with wig have worn in twice and had a funny incident second time just had to take it off just as i was about to start cardiac scan .think staff a bit surprised by my skinhead but said it looked funky.
Hope everyone is feeling bit better today.

Lilymaid · 26/04/2014 15:58

Happy to donate more excess weight to a few more people if I can. I'm a very generous person Grin