Tamoxigang thread 50 with summer sun, sangria and maybe even some sand

[foofooyeah]

Welcome to thread 50 .... Yes FIFTY.
Lots of us are rising 50 so rather apt!

Briteside, I'm liking your thinking! Where are you off to, anywhere nice ;-)?. I think I'm going to head for my favourite Caribbean beach and lie back listening to 'Kingston Town' on the radio with the local bushwhacker cocktail in my hand. And this time there's going to be no mozzies! !

Really glad to hear I'll be going through it all with someone else, someone who gets equally excited about being given the day they're going to be poisoned.

Curious, I can't really comment on what might be wrong with you but as someone recently diagnosed and about to start treatment I know how hard it is waiting for appointments not knowing the outcome. It takes over your whole life day and night. I hope you hear something soon and you get answers be they good or bad.

Mrs have a fantastic holiday. Cover up, chill out and look after yourself.

Oh smee, I haven't had any cards but would be equally unimpressed with the funeral type ones. I have had several female friends/family and colleagues go very misty eyed on me and I've ended up comforting them!

Hi curious xx

I've had a couple of get well soon / sorry you're dying type cards. It's all kindly meant of course.

Hi curiousgeorge, I'm so sorry that you find yourself here, but it's a good place to be for support and information. Sending you [hugs], as it's horrible waiting until you find out just what is going on. I hope you get a date soon and some answers soon. But do avoid googling. As others on this thread know much better than me, breast cancer treatments have progressed so dramatically in recent years that the information and research you find from googling is mostly very out of date. Sites such as Cancer Research/ Macmillans/ Breast Cancer Care are much better, but still won't tell you about your particular circumstances.

Glad you had a good time in Mexico, Malt. It sounds wonderful!

Mrs, have a lovely (covered up) holiday...

I quite liked the headscarves you tie - more of a faff but they looked much better. But I dropped all head coverings as soon as I could after it all finished even though I still had almost no hair. It was just good for morale (and coolth). How on earth have you managed 6cm, Wine? Impressive..

I drove to rads; was easier than using public transport and was perfectly doable by that time.

You can also drive yourself to and from chemo. But just don't think of driving a couple of days later when the chemo hits and your brain goes all woozie. It was very annoying for me as I had bought a new car which was delivered just as I started chemo. I felt I had wasted my money as I would never get to drive it!

Such helpful info on Rads - thank you! Good to know I can possibly drive to Chemo, DH does not drive and I was concerned about the logistics of getting there & back.

Minty - I love it. I think I will be on a particular little beach near Cape Town, famous for its penguins and the place of very special memories for me. I shall be sipping an Excellent local South African Sav Blanc (Chilled of course)

I had my MRI scan this morning, no results yet. Tonight I went to a family planning center to have my Mirena removed, at my Surgeon's instructions. When I was filling in my registration form and it asked about health, I had a real wobble. I actually wrote 'Breast Cancer' without thinking but then stood frozen for ages just thinking: 'F* - that is ME'. So feeling rather fragile at the moment. The strength of the last two days seems to have slipped a little. I am hoping that a good nights sleep will help.

Who am I kidding...it doesn't have to be good or a whole night. Just ANY sleep would be good for a change...

Re driving and chemo, I would have been fine driving after the FEC (SE's didn't kick in till later) but couldn't after the taxol, not cos of the chemo but from the huge dose of piriton to counter the side effects and so was really dozy and away with the fairies for a couple of hours afterwards.

Briteside, just quickly, if you are having trouble sleeping I would hugely recommend going to your GP & demanding pills. My nurse called my GP & he prescribed without having to see me. Getting a solid 10 hours of much needed was just amazing and really helped me deal better with the following day. Testing & waiting is a killer, get all the help you can - just as long as you don't wash it down with that chilled sauvignon blanc!

Re: sobbing friends & relations, I had the other end of the spectrum last night: my FIL telling me how extremely LUCKY I am to have been diagnosed & have surgery so fast Yes, yes I know he is right, BUT FFS I don't feel that lucky to have lost a boob a week ago thanks very much! 3 weeks ago I was pottering along as normal, so excuse me for not being grateful for my huge good fortune.

Malt, glad to hear Mexico was good, hope the feeling of restfulness continues for a good long while.

I keep hearing about being lucky too elporto. Lucky that there's treatments available. "Ten years ago you'd have been planning your funeral by now but you're lucky because there's drugs in the pipeline and you got years to go yet."

I don't feel very lucky.

briteside - I recognise that ' F - it's ME' moment; I had to go to a different hospital for something, and the oncology centre was full of people with cancer (no surprise) - I hadn't really thought of myself as a Person with Cancer before.

No, not me; it is happening to someone else.

I think this is known as 'dissociation', a very powerful protective trick that the mind plays in response to stress.

Off to hospital today. Scan in the morning (so have choice of economy orange or blackcurrant to flavour the lovely litre of liquid). Then up to Oncology for blood tests (may try to wangle a lunch as well). Light relief in the afternoon with a Clinique makeup session in John Lewis, followed by going back to hospital (joined by DH) for results.
Will I be up to do the supermarket shop after that?

I've never had any side effects from scans. I guess it depends what the results are as to whether you feel able to do the shop. Best of luck.

Busy day lily. I hope the scan goes well and results are good. The squash is gross. I always take my own. But I don't have to drink the contrast, just a litre of water, contrast is injected during the scan. Enjoy your make up session. Good luck with supermarket shopping too. Can you order online if not feeling up to it?

Waving to everyone

Good luck with the scan, Lily.

I'm also a believer in the occasional sleeping pill, Briteside. A proper sleep makes it easier to cope.

Elporto, what a thing to say! Statements like that tend to be about someone minimising their own discomfort. Not about you and where you are..

Just thought I would say that I could not have driven myself back from chemo safely. First session of each drug it might be worth having a different means of transport just to see what it's like.

Good luck lily, a very busy day, but glad to hear a trip to the Clinique counter is in there too.

I am back at hospital today too - getting my drain removed (whoop) and then another MRI on the top of my spine. My surgeon is very relaxed about this so I don't think they expect to find anything, and tbh I wonder if I'll even be able to do it with the stitches from the op? I am not able to lie with hands above my head for 40 mins that's for sure...

Good luck with scan Lilly and hope you have a nice makeover session.

I can't drive from having chemo. Too not with it and with FEC was usually carrying a sick bowl ( but that was me not reacting well and most people are a lot better).

Much less achy today and looking forward to having children back tomorrow, although that will curtail my commonwealth games watching!

Morning all, I've just got up but jet lag or just being lazy in not sure !

Good luck with the scan Lily I'm glad you have some nice things planned in too

Elporto it will be great to get the drain out, hope the MRI goes well if they manage to do it

Curious did you get an appointment ? Most lumps turn out to be harmless but we will hold your hand while you wait

Hi, the doctor didn't call me back, and when I phoned this morning they said he isn't in today. I guess I just wait?

I called the Marsden, I have an appointment booked in already apparently, they're sending me a pack.

Curious, I'm pleased you've got an appt even though you don't know when it is. I know you won't relax until you know the date but I hope you can try and enjoy the weekend. Take care

Glad you have an appointment in the pipeline curious. Thinking go you.

Hi all, just a quickie as chemo 3 SEs have kicked in, although have to say, so far, not the normal pain just woozy and exhausted. I am have to date been very lucky with nausea, although my bowels are another story entirely. Having to dose up on All Bran almost makes no taste buds okay! Welcome curious, shocking no-one got back to you but at least you know you are in the system. My lumps which were much smaller, weren't painful, but I was aware of them IYSWIM. The advice I was given about driving to chemo was, not to for the first one to see how you react. I have been fine - SEs don't really kick in until day 3 (today) and so have driven myself for other cycles. I have also had to drive out of necessity during chemo fog (days 3-5 for me) and have been fine but find myself driving at 20 miles an hour like the little old lady I feel. mrs have a lovely holiday. malt glad you had a good time. Loving your attitude briteside but here is the place to vent when you need it.
No change with my mum but now in the rehabilitation unit which is much nicer and getting the therapy she needs. I am enjoying the excuse to hand over responsibility to siblings for a couple if days while I wait for chemo truck to reverse back over me and bugger off in it's way.

Hi everyone, I hope you don't mind if I post here just for a bit of moral support and maybe some questions answered. You seem like a lovely bunch

I am 53. I had my first mammogram 3 years ago and was recalled to the breast clinic. Tests found cluster of microcalcifications and they were benign.

I've had my second routine mammogram and have been recalled again. I've an appointment next Thursday. Now I half expected it for some reason, but I am getting anxious on and off - I do suffer depression and anxiety!

I guess my main question is, is it usual that once something has been flagged up once, that's it - I can expect a recall every time but doesn't neccesarily mean it's sinister? Or has the mammogram picked up something else - either change in the original cluster or another area?

Good news for me from my latest CT scan. Bones are healing and everything is more under control. So I am going to be on tamoxifen instead of oral chemo whilst all is going well. This means I can have my teeth fixed and go abroad more easily. The soles of my feet should get back to normal and I may even get rid of the nasty taste in my mouth and be able to enjoy wine again!
wahtawah Welcome. I can't answer your question except to say the odds are that it is something benign. Meanwhile, keep posting!
Elporto hope that the MRI went OK - I found it very uncomfortable. Although I've never suffered from claustrophobia, I did think I could do when in the machine!

Lily - that's excellent news. Are you stopping chemo and going onto Tamoxifen straightaway?
Whe I finished chemo I when to the dentist as soon as possible as I missed have my teeth cleaned!!

KitKat I am off oral chemo when I finish the current course on Tuesday. But I could go back on to it (or worse) if Tamoxifen doesn't control the tumour. When I was on Letrozole (which is similar to Tamoxifen) I felt tired and my bones ached, so am hoping that this won't happen again.
Clinique makeover was good - got 1 hr 20 mins of beautician time and some free samples though I spent over £100 stocking up!
Now looking forward to my (ahem) three holidays in the next five weeks!