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

[BetsyBoop]

throws some hot cross buns on the trolley

weebarra great news about your tumour shrinkage!

I'm on chemo for colon cancer - 1st cycle completed last week - and I too have the horrible taste in my mouth, sore mouth and throat and drastically reduced appetite. I'm at the lower end of the normal weight range for my height so don't want to lose much weight. I already feel feeble (this time last year I was a gym bunny and heavy weight lifter - very fit!).

Had a lovely day out today - a (very slow) stroll along London's Southbank then we popped into the Matisse show at the Tate Modern. I sat down alot in the galleries as DH whizzed round with DD so I paced muself well. We went to Borough Market too - very crowded and I was so nervous about being knocked into as my body feels so fragile and broken somehow.

Came home and napped for 2 hours.

DH made a lovely dinner which I could hardly eat because my throat felt like razorblades.

Oh well, this is life for now. A mixture of lovely and yucky!

yotty what is the ratio of salt to water for your mouthwash please? And do you use it once or twice a day?

Bishb - I can recommend a smoothie made with protein powder and good fats of your choice (nut butter or cream or coconut milk) and a handful of frozen berries. The cold is soothing on your sore mouth.

I have trouble with mouth ulcers. The NHS website suggested changing toothpaste to one without sodium lauryl sulphate. I didn't think it would make any difference but it seems to have really helped.

BishB sorry you're feeling so rotten but impressed you managed a day out :) did the hospital give you Difflam for your mouth and throat? I found that really helped. It is a bit tingly and minty but better than the pain.

Don't know about yotty's recipe but for sore throat I usually dissolve a couple of teaspoons of salt in about half a mug of hot water. I use boiling and then let it cool to suitable temperature and gargle. The warmth is quite soothing in itself.

updating sounds unpleasant, perhaps they mean fungal infection? It's icky but quite easily fixed. I used Corsodyl for mine, helped with mouth ulcers too. I don't know if you have something similar where you are. It is minty and I haven't found the taste at all unpleasant. The active ingredient is chlorhexidine digluconate if that helps. But hopefully you'll be able to get some advice on Monday.

weebarra that's fabulous news :) shame about the op date though.

Waving to everyone, hope all those who feel rough soon start to feel better

BishB, I dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a mug of boiling water and then let it cool down so it is just tepid. Gargle and spit out. I did it 3 times a day. The rest of the time I use corsodyl daily mouthwash, the one without the alcohol in it. I read somewhere that was an over the counter mouthwash you could buy. I think I got it in the supermarket. I do dilute it just in case it is too strong.
Hope you get the mouth sorted, it is really miserable having a sore mouth.
I seem to be doing ok, compared to last time. I have been given Emend and they changed my steroids to a dexamethasone which seems to suit me better. So although I'm not feeling 100%, I'm feeling loads better than this time 3 weeks ago.

Great tips for sore mouths from everyone. I just had a bit of a sore tongue but haven't got to the 'T' part yet.

Glad you are feeling better than last time Yotty. Am hoping that will be me later in the week. They have said I will get different drugs.

Bish, glad you had a nice day out.

Weebara, super news on the shrinkage.

Happy Sunday all. We are heading out to do the st George's day parade later so hoping rain keeps off.

Thanks for the mouthwash & salt wash tips.

Woke up this morning feeling really nauseous and have been in bed all morning. But feel a bit better now so will go out with DH & DD to our local farmer's market to pick up some provisions and get some fresh air.

Have a lovely Sunday all. Here in London the sun is actually peeping out through the rain clouds so I have to make the most of it :)

BishB I was feeling a bit nauseous earlier too. It was mind over matter to keep all my drugs down! Have had a few sips of elderflower cordial which seems yo have helped.

It's a bit grey here, I'm also off to a st George's day parade so hope it picks up a bit. Kids back at school tomorrow and I'm back at work on Wednesday though only 4 weeks till the next school holiday ! I've got a meeting to go to on wed pm which is stressing me out a bit, feel like I've forgotten everything with having 10 months off :(

Hope everyone has a good day

yotty I love elderflower cordial. I'll pick some up.

Does anyone have any experience of build up drinks? I weighed myself this morning and and losing weight I can't afford to lose. I tried a high calorie Complan shake the other day which was quite nice and kept me full despite no appetite but I know the hospital can prescribe high cal/high nutrition drinks too. Just wondering which ones are good (well, as good as such drinks can be!!).

My hospital gave me lots of the drinks before my surgery. I was meant to drink them for a week or so I think they might have been called Ensure, but not completely certain. There were milkshake ones and juice ones, they gave me lots of different flavours to try. I didn't like any of them so I refused to drink them, but if you liked the Complan shake I expect the Ensure ones are probably similar, there's vanilla and chocolate, possibly strawberry. The juice ones were lime and a berry one I think. I'm not sure if it was an official prescription, or they had just raided the hospital supply I was handed a massive carrier bag of them after my pre-op assessment.

Do you have a specialist nurse you can speak to? I don't know if they usually do them on prescription but worth asking! :) otherwise she might refer you to the dietician as they might be able to advise.

Thanks RahRah. I'm seeing both my oncologist and CNS week after next so will ask them about Ensure.

Hi all, survived the teenage 'stay awake over' but was absolutely wiped out yesterday. wee great news on shrinkage, the op date is a bit pants, even I would say that 5 days post op wouldn't be a sensible idea and I am the one who popped open her drain wound by driving too early (still don't regret it). Hopefully it will be on tv for you to cheer on.
Friends from work sent me a really funny comic book titled cancer made me a smaller person. It is very clever and insightful, written and illustrated by someone living with secondary breast cancer. What is particularly great about if is that it makes you feel it is okay to be scared, angry and all the other variety of emotions. It especially made me think of you really and I would happily send it on to you, if you would like it, PM me.

Ill try the book, bigger buns. I'm always a bit nervous of reading about cancer, as I often end up feeling worse, not better, but the reviews that I've just looked at are excellent.

Anyone heard from pickle?

No haven't heard anything hope pickle is ok

BishB my DF saw a dietician during his radiotherapy and she gave him fortisip and ensure protein drinks, they were very thick and milky but only in small bottles so doable. He wasn't keen but there was a coffee flavour he could stomache! The dietician said one bottle had the same calories as a mars bar
He also is still having nestles build up soups which are the same sort of thing. Hope you find something you like

Back to Rads for me Been up since 2am worrying about it! I'm not even sure what I am worried about! It's not like it's difficult, or painful. So why am I struggling so much?!

Anyway I should stop moaning, it's the last thing, those of you going through Chemo need to hear!

malt hope you enjoy your last few days off! Don't stress too much about your meeting, I'm sure you will remember all you need to. Xx

Hope everyone has a good day xx

Meant to say Thanks BiggerBuns for the book offer. I already have it, and you are right it is funny! I really appreciate you thinking of me xx

Morning all. Hope the rads are ok really. I have my first planning appt on Thursday.

reallyreally please keep on moaning whenever you feel like it cause it also gives the rest of us permission to moan too!

Today's my first day alone at home since diagnosis. And I admit I'm nervous. I have to start learning how to structure my day in between the bouts of fatigue & pain. I hate feeling rudderless.

Thanks really I hope rads go ok today with no delays

Bish have you got something nice to watch on tv,I watched the downton abbey box set through chemo

Bit of a shock to be up at this time but the kids are back at school today

Morning all,

really hope everything goes ok today.

bish hope you do ok on your own today .... Is there anyone who can pop round fir a cuppa?

I am waiting for calls today to start next bit if treatment, I haven't told my family about the extra chemo yet, will wait until dates all sorted.

Oh and I watched old series of ER and Greys Anatomy during last chemo .... Not sure where the his pal fixation came from

Morning foo foo, is it tax you're having next ? You'll be fine bet you just want to get it started and over with

Rads done! In on time!! Have an added issue now of feeling sick as soon as I see the ABC machine not sure how I will overcome that one! Thanks for all the words of encouragement.

wee good luck with your planning appt. PLEASE don't let my moaning put you off or scare you! The treatment itself is easy, honestly! For me it's more the fact it seems so never-ending. Xx