Tamoxigang thread 49 when Sumer is y cumen in and we get out the Pimms

[Lilymaid]

New thread!

[foofooyeah]

Oh my days, I've only gone and done it!

[foofooyeah]

New thread

[foofooyeah]

Ok might have worked the link thing ..... Standby caller

[ljny]

Nelson, so nice you got to see your horse and even bath and groom him.

Mrs, glad you enjoyed a lovely dinner-for-two with wine (I'm still amazed that oncologist don't seem to forbid alcohol for us!)

Elporto, your BCN sounds lovely, hope the meeting with your children goes well.

The talk of 50th birthdays makes me feel old, I'm a few years past my 60th! Most of the other patients where I am are younger - I sometimes feel a bit guilty in the waiting room.

[elportodelgato]

Nelson how lovely you got to see your horse yesterday! And enjoy being outside in the glorious weather. It feels wrong to be dealing with this stuff when there is a beautiful British summer outside.

Mrs, I take it from your garden napping plans that you are not visiting any medical professionals today? yay!

I have no such luck, although today is just a reconstruction consultation so not painful, although still have to whip my top off as per normal. I'll get used to this I'm sure! Also the kids are going to meet my nurse after school - bless them, they have written her a letter completely on their own initiative. No idea what it says as it was all done and sealed by the time I got up this morning. Cuddles with my lovely DDs are one of huge things keeping me going at the moment.

[Nelsonwasonce]

Morning elporto and mrs. Sorry to read you had a restless night,even if it was for self inflicted reasons.
elporto the waiting time is awful,totally took it out of me.People commented on how much better I looked the day after my op (even with blue/grey tan all over) than I had before while I was in the midst of the waiting game... Allow yourself a little powernap whenever you can,if the nights are tricky.
I had a great day yesterday.Decided to divert my thoughts away from waiting for lymph node results and make full use of the fact I was allowed to drive again (insurance wouldn't cover for 2 weeks after the op) and visit my much missed horse.
I managed to fetch him in,bath and groom him eventhough I had to ask my friend to pick his hoofs out for me.It was so good to be in my beloved environment,it really lifted my spirits.
Hope everyone has a peaceful calm day without too much pricking and prodding.

[mrsrhodgilbert]

Morning elporto. I can't link either. Had a restless night, too much good food and wine just before bed, totally self inflicted but worth it. Have you got a day off hospitals today? If its a nice day I think I may have a snooze in the garden later. Hopefully there'll be a new link when I get ack.

[elportodelgato]

Mummy and mrs, good luck for today's rads!

I can't do the thread linky thing on my tablet so am going to squeeze at her post on here. Was up again at 3.15am (arrrgh) and then at 5.30 - my brain just will not give up with the worst case scenarios.

Hope everyone else is doing well, just counting the days til full diagnosis here

[foofooyeah]

Oh! We need a new thread, this one is nearly full.

I don't know how to do the linky thing so can someone please start one and do the link

[mrsrhodgilbert]

Just back from a lovely birthday meal with DH, his second 50th celebration this week, but just the two of us this time. We shared a bottle of wine which we haven't done since my op really. Anything I read seems to link alcohol and breast cancer so I've hardly touched a drop in two months. It was a bit hard at first, I'm partial to a g&t but I'm used to it now. Feel a bit guilty for drinking tonight but I've cut back hugely.

In a perverse way it reassuring to hear how many of you will be 50 next year. I was in April, a month before diagnosis and I'm by far the youngest in the rads waiting room every morning. I feel almost jealous of the older patients, thinking the have lived much longer before having to deal with this. I don't know that at all really, they could have been patients for years. But I feel out of place.

[Wren48]

Impressive number of 50th birthdays next year! I was 50 this year while on chemo. Thought I would celebrate but in the end couldn't summon the will beyond what was necessary to make the children feel we'd done something. So I reckon that 51 is the big year to celebrate.

Glad you've been signed out till September, Mom. My lovely GP, unbidden, signed me off until October. I'm so grateful.

Elporto, I'm glad to hear about the bone scan, and I really really hope that the liver thing is nothing. Scans are the pits for stress.

Minty, please don't beat yourself up about not noticing your lump. You're not alone (I didn't notice mine). The important thing is that you are now in the right place and will be getting the right treatment. And treatment is very good nowadays. Really.

Rads over now. Still a bit tender. Can't wait to wear a bra again - have had to stop for now, which is nice in the heat but less fun over speed bumps. I'm getting a little bit of hair back and I've entirely stopped the headscarves even though I am still more bald than not.

[weebarra]

That's lovely elporto, good to get the little uns involved. I had to take baby barra with me to get my pre chemo bloods done and the nurses looked after her. They were great.

[elportodelgato]

Minty, any way to share the fear is good I reckon, glad you have such an awesome friend to do it with.

My DC are 6 and 3 - my nurse is the same age as me (37) and very smiley and cuddly so I think they will love her, and hopefully feel reassured. She is going to teach them the exercises I need to do post-op so they can help me with them.

[mintyneb]

It didn't bother me letting my friend see/feel (you'll all be thinking I'm a bit weird now!). In a way it allowed me to share some of the fear I am going through with someone else. DH is not one for talking so we've not really said too much to each other yet.

Glad I'm not the only one who didn't know they had a lump. All I can tell myself is that I went to the gp as soon as I found it.

Amazing how many folks are turning 50 next year, I'm not quite there yet but at 46 am nearer my half century than 40!

[MomOfTwoGirls2]

elporto, how old are your DC? Great idea for them to meet the nurse.
Mine are 10 and 12 and got a tour of Radiotherapy room/machine. They found it interesting and liked being able to visualise what I was doing.

[MomOfTwoGirls2]

Wow, so at least 4 of us 50 in 2015!

My lovely Onc rang me today. She had received paperwork from insurance co asking when I will be fit for work. She is signing me out until at least Sept. Yay, I was going to use vacation time to stay out,
I have appointment with surgical team mid Aug to discuss my genetics results. I expect a recommendation to have preventative mx and reconstruction. I don't see any point in going back to work and then coming out again if I need that.

[elportodelgato]

Nice to hear everyone is getting through the rads OK this week.

Minty, no one has yet asked to prod my breast! was it OK having her touch it? I am getting ready to bid my left one farewell next week which I am finding very emotional now it is potentially so close. I am thinking of you as Friday looms - big meeting and then away for the weekend too, I am sure your DH will be doing some serious hand holding that day and you'll be in my thoughts.

Yes, I am very pleased about the bone scan. The woman at the hospital told me straight away that it was all fine, so it's not an official result IYSWIM but it will do for me. To be honest, I am most worried about liver MRI which is Friday. They have clearly found something small in the liver on the CT scan and need to check it out further so this is my big area of concern at the moment, and the focus of all my 'imaginary' (or otherwise) symptoms. But I am listening to the wise words of amber about all the fab things they can do for liver secondaries nowadays and trying to stay as positive as I can.

Tomorrow is a meeting with my nurse about reconstruction options, then she is going to meet my DC which I think will be very reassuring for them.

[foofooyeah]

Wrt lump spotting, mine was 9cm, and even the consultant didn't spot it all initially, was found on MRI as right in the middle behind nipple. (But dd have big boobs for it ti hide in);

I'm 50 next year too!

[ConsiderablyBiggerBuns]

To answer mom's question I am 50 in September 2015, which means that is a joint 150th next Summer for me, mom and wine unless there are any other 1965 vintage babies out there.
elporto that is fantastic if your bone scan is clear. That was the one I was really worried about and had developed all sorts of 'symptoms' all of which miraculously disappeared when I got the all clear. Did you have the NHS elastic band around the ankles, hated that. I have to say I am very envious of your speedy access to results, I never seem to hear anything for weeks and only after I chase them up, perhaps that is the West Country for you.
wee I'm not sure holidays with babies are ever very relaxing, without all your extra stresses, but I am sure it was great for the family unit to get away together.
minty I'm sure a lot of people on here have been surprised that they didn't spot a lump sooner, for my shame, I did spot mine really early and didn't do anything about it for 6 weeks - now that is really shameful. Have to say no one (including my husband) asked to feel my lump, but that is actually a really good public service!

[mintyneb]

weebarra, sounds like you had a good holiday although sorry to hear you had the wobble on the beach. I am only a newbie here so have no idea what its like to be in your shoes, but I would imagine that sights of bikini clad women could provoke a strong response.

elporto, so glad your bone scan has come up clear, that must be a huge weight off your mind

So, have I have definitely benefitted from not going to work today. I had a lazy morning and then lunch with my best friend at her house. It was good to chat about my impending full diagnosis and just about everything else. The only downside was she asked if she could see/feel the lump. A valid question and I was quite happy to show her (it always bothered me whether I would ever know what a breast lump would feel like). I wasn't expecting the fleeting look of horror that swept across her face when she felt just how big it was and the realisation that I hadn't known it was there until 3 weeks ago :(.

How can I have not known it was there?

anyway, it will be Friday before I know it and I will get to hear the treatment plan. I'm really starting to find the waiting for results hard

[mrsrhodgilbert]

elporto I've just read on your other thread that your bone scan was clear. What a relief for you, I hope your heart is beating a little more slowly now.

[Mummywheel]

Welcome Minty you've come to the right place for advice and hand holding.

Glad you had a nice holiday wee

I've completed 12/15 rads mrs and my skin is also a little pink. I have a day off today as I have my second herceptin injection at 2pm.

Love your post Trav very well written

[mrsrhodgilbert]

Rads all over for another day, that was 8/15, 7 more to go. I think I'm beginning to get slightly pink but nothing significant. I'll keep slapping on the moogoo. My treatment will end Friday of next week. I guess it will go quiet then for a few weeks before I see the surgeon again for a check up.

Are you due to finish this week wine ?. How is your skin doing?

I haven't heard from dd2 since 1.30 yesterday but I haven't heard of any ferries sinking overnight so I guess she's got to Belgium. Glad your son got back safe and sound.

Hi weebarra glad you had a nice holiday, if not too restful. But it was never going to be with such little ones. Fortunately mine are happy to lie still now and toast. I'm still surprised at the different advice we've been given re skin care in the sun, yours seems to be much stricter. I will be very careful though.

[weebarra]

Morning all! Hope everyone has a good day with rads etc today.
I had a good time in Spain but not hugely relaxing with 3 DCs, esp as baby barra was sharing a room with us and decided that sleeping through wasn't for her!
The villa has lots of shade so was ok keeping out of the sun. Big floppy hat was handy. The hardest part was keeping the sun off the supra-clavicle bits but I either used a shawl or one of the Seasalt Handybands which I'd previously used as bandanas. Might have looked a bit daft but I didn't care.
I did have a serious wobble on the beach one day when I saw all the other women with their breasts and playing in the sea with their DCs while I was covering up under a parasol. Never thought I'd be envious of old lady boobs!
Anyway part of that was due to not being able to be in the sun due to rads so next time will be easier!
Like Porto, it's a while til I'm 50 but will be happy to have a virtual party with those of you who are celebrating. My next biggie is 40, but that's a few years yet!
Taking all three DCs to DS1's eye hospital appt today, wish me luck.

[elportodelgato]

Wine, glad your DS survived the wilds of the English countryside now brilliant to have him home.

Minty, hope you have a lovely lunch with your best friend today

And I would definitely come to a tamoxigang 50th party if I am still standing next May! I am nowhere near 50 yet, but I hope one day I will be