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!

Yes too quiet, or is that a good thing ? Hope everyone's ok
Enjoy your lunch mummy wheel and hope all of your appointments go well.
I've got DS off school today, he was sick at school yesterday but seems much better now

Sunny here too :)

Hi all,
Was back from hols yesterday and have had biopsies done today. It took ages - over an hour in contact with the equipment. I don't remember it taking so long last time.

Results Friday or Monday and then gynae appt on Thursday next week for ct scan results.

Consoling myself with a cuppa and chocolate on the sofa. Boob is throbbing a bit but I'm sure the chocolate will help

hi have not posted for a while.still ploughing through treatment .finshed chem oeight weeks ago and started with rads today nineteen to go.still struggling with chemo side effects .have physio this week as have not been able to straighten arm since second fec -t.just wondering has anyone else experienced this.
early night for me as all rads starting at eight at castle hill.

I hope the quietness is because everyone is just plodding through treatment without any hiccups and no new people have been diagnosed :)

Marshy good luck for your results. An hour of prodding and whatnot sounds not much fun at all - I hope the chocolate helped.

mildmay it all seems a bit relentless but you're on the home stretch now. Is the radiotherapy your last treatment? I've not come across the arm issues, I hope the physio is able to help.

Waving to everyone

Grr typed out a long reply and somehow lost it

Things going well here hence my quietness! Managing to do quite a lot now and can do up to an hour's gentle strolling, although I'm done in for the rest of the day afterwards. My wound is feeling pretty good now so most of the difficulty comes from needing to build up my strength and flexibility again. I'm doing quite a lot more with the children now, which everyone is loving. Miss Toddler is suddenly very mummy-centric so we do have to manage her expectations a bit.

Got a CT scan on Monday to see what's going on, how the vemurafenib is working. Going forward we'll have to make some decisions about what happens next.

One of our life insurance claims has been approved. It'll pay out a monthly income, which will enable us to pay off some debts and get some savings started again. DH wants to buy a campervan!

hi everyone, I've been away for a while thanks to my first lot of chemo SE, taking fright at the new MN mobile app and then just enjoying feeling normal and not wanting to think about cancer.

chemo number 2 later on today, not looking forward to it but have asked for stronger drugs this time to deal with the SE :-).

so despite using a cold cap last month my hair is coming out in handfuls, I darent touch it without dislodging more strands. that's a feeling I'm sure you'll all know too well. I knew it would probably happen and was prepared but it's still a shock to see it all start to go.

But on a brighter note we've just had a fantastic weekend down in Dorset. It was so lovely to get away and switch off from everything. I also found a lovely bespoke hat shop in Lyme Regis and bought two lovely handmade hats for the winter :-)

dd starts back at school tomorrow. Whilst on the one hand it means I don't have to worry about childcare I'm really not looking forward to it. I've only got the one dc but I hate the morning rush of getting everything ready.

oh one last thing. I saw the consultant yesterday in prep for today and I asked about the results of my CT scan. If I understood her correctly there is a 2mm 'something' on my left lung. she seemed surprised that it had even been mentioned and wasn't too worried about it . She said it wouldn't change my treatment plan but I will probably have to have another scan at the end of chemo. so of course now I'm worried :-(.

Anyway that's enough about me. thinking of you all packing your DC off to school, dealing with work and coping with chemo and rads

I waved the kids off this morning. They were both happy and excited to be starting school again.

My daily medication hasn't changed and I am doing well on it. My "well" is still a disability though. I do get frustrated with it. Never mind - the world is not a wish granting machine as they say. Suck it up woman.

Glad to hear that some nice things have been happening. My lot went off to first day of school today. Usual tensions, but they will settle down once they're back. Instead of doing something nice with them yesterday afternoon, I was in a lymphoedema info session. Useful, but in retrospect was the wrong priority for that day. Feels odd to be at home - I'm a bit emotional to be honest. It's the first time I've had a day to myself since finishing treatment, as rads cut into the hols, and I'm not quite sure who I am.

Minty, if your consultant says she isn't too worried, then it really isn't looking like something tricky. Of course they will follow it up - would be irresponsible not to - but try not to worry about it. Easy to say of course. I had something very similar (enlarged lymph node) that needed a follow up scan. It was fine, but I went throughh huge anxiety. The trouble is that you can be stressed about it for months in advance. And sorry about the hair. Oddly, it is easier once it's all gone and you can focus on jolly headscarves or wigs. I have a chemo friend who has just bought her 10th wig!

Becca, fantastic to hear that you are walking and that you can do things with your kids. I'm not surprised that your dd needs extra catch up time.

Marshy, fingers very much crossed for those results.

Mildmay, good luck with rads. Nearly there.. But ongoing chemo side effects are no fun. I hope the arm resolves. Worth seeing the physio?

Malt, I hope your son is better today.

Mummywheel, I hope the busy week goes smoothly. Will your ds be abie to be able to sort this courses ok?

Waves to everyone else. (Sorry that's not really a relevant image but I just want to try it)

Hi all
Am back from my hols in Ibiza and about to start packing my hospital bag for my mastectomy tomorrow. I'm going to the brand new Southmead Hospital building in Bristol where apparently 75% of the beds are in single rooms with ensuite. Keeping my fingers crossed for one of those....

I was up at 5am writing lists - DD starts at Junior School tomorrow, DS in reception on Monday. I have spoken to the teachers to explain my situation in case the children say something (we've been through the Mummy's Lump and talked a bit about what will be happening with the kids), but its all a bit full on really and I can tell I'm teetering on the edge of a full blown sobbing session. Get a grip, woman..

I've been coping rather well so far, I don't think I've grasped the enormity of the situation and tomorrow afternoon I'll be less one piece of anatomy (and the big lump, more importantly, I suppose).

Big hugs to you all
xx

thanks rah rah and wren seeing physio on thursday .i know what you mean about who we are now ,im finding it hard with not working since jan and my children are in there twenties and live in london and husband work s long hours.

good luck Angels. I'll be interested to know how you get on in the new hospital as it's on the news all the time.
It's bad timing with start of school but at least you got your holiday in.

Actually I'd forgottten but I had my mx on the Friday before school started last year - how quickly you forget!! My Op was Friday and I was home on Sunday - saw DS off to school on the Monday and DD on the Tuesday (I remember having lunch out with DD on the Monday - complete with drain!)

trice this is the place to vent if you need to. But not if that isn't helpful, of course, sometimes sucking it up and getting on with things is the best way to deal with it. It's not fair, but life isn't I suppose. Have you had lots of baby snuggles with your new niece? :)

MyAngels all the best for the surgery. I had completely different surgery but I did find it a bit weird afterwards to think I was missing an organ. However you feel is perfectly normal. Some people cry a lot, others don't. I'm no good with knowing what to say but if you do need a good sob then others here will understand what you're going through, I'm sure.

If you think you might need a cry then it might be better to get it out of the way at home with someone to comfort you if you need it rather than in hospital. Lots of people cry as a reaction to the anaesthetic, and it can make you feel quite down as can some of the drugs. Sorry, I sound terribly gloomy but thought a warning might be useful.

Did you have a good holiday? I hope the children enjoy their new schools.

minty sorry about your hair but good news about your holiday.

I have a "non-specific" on my lung. It hasn't been mentioned since my first CT so I assume it's fine. I heard a discussion on the radio years ago about whether CT scans should be used more for screening purposes. The doctor who was speaking against them said that almost everyone will have something a bit odd that will require investigation but usually is harmless. So it could be something like that? Once they've found something they can't ignore it though, just in case. I'm sure they will keep a careful eye on it.

becca it sounds like you're doing brilliantly :) I'm pleased for you and I hope the scan goes well. Good news about the insurance money, I'm sure that will be handy and gives you a bit of breathing room with the extra costs that treatment brings! A camper van sounds like a great idea.

Best of luck for your surgery Angels.

Hello all, I've been a bit quiet recently as I'm no longer having treatment and have been enjoying the end is the holidays, but this cancer thing seems to have a habit of kicking you up the backside just when you think it's settled down for a while. It's about 5or 6 weeks since rads finished, I saw the oncologist a week ago for a follow up/end of treatment appt and told him I had a lump in my armpit. He couldn't find it but said it wouldn't be a lymph node, wrong place, but arranged an ultrasound anyway.

So I had that this morning and its an enlarged lymph node. I was really shocked, thoughts of oh no here we go again. The radiologist said she didn't think it was anything to worry about, followed by she would like to take a biopsy. She wasn't exactly reassuring so now I have to wait until the end of next week for yet more results. wren I was very interested to read what you said as you're the first person I have heard mention an enlarged node. She did say its not uncommon after surgery and rads for the remaining nodes to grumble a bit, but I'm still worried and cried all over DH when we got home.

becca I'm so pleased to hear you are much improved and you sound a lot better. How refreshing that an insurance company has done the right thing.

minty I hope you get more drugs to help you through this next chemo and don't feel so wretched. Good luck.

marshy I hope the throbbing has eased today, I expect I'll be feeling like that when my anaesthetic has worn off.

mild I had the eight o clock rads appts too. Three weeks of very early mornings were quite tiring by the end, are you doing ok?

trice you sound fed up and I think we all have a right to be. I waved dd2 off to school yesterday, year 13, last year of school for our household. She's looking at universities and I'm hoping she won't go too far away, but keeping my mouth shut of course.

rah are you in the middle of rads?

Afternoon all. Been busy here and struggling with the 'tax truck' but have managed to spend some nice time with the boys. They went off to school today. Am actually missing the start of term with a new class but there's always next year.

Buns hope your mum is continuing to improve and you are doing ok.

Mummy. Hope your son enrols successfully and jealous of your sunshine. Hope you get through all your appointments ok.

Malt glad your son is feeling better.

Marshy. Am sure chocolate has been proved to be very good for sore boobs.
Fingers crossed for all your results

Becca glad you are moving around more. Camper van sounds good.

Minty hope chemo goes well and side effects are less. I felt much better when hair had actually gone.

Trice nothing wrong with wishing or 'sucking it up'. I seem to veer between both all the time. Hope the children have a good day at school and you have done something nice.

Wren hope you feel a bit better. I find it's strange being in an empty house sometimes and I think about stuff more. Do you have any plans for the rest of the week?

Mildmay. My arm did that but once I had PICC line in I tried to keep moving it. It is much better now but I can feel the pull when I try to stretch it out fully. Hopefully the physio will be able to help.

Angels. Good luck with the op.

I have my last chemo tomorrow- hurrah. As the heart tablets have helped I also get my first dose of Herceptin so will be there all day. Can't believe I have got this far. Thank you to everyone on here for the comments and support. Surgery next but will think about that in a couple of weeks. So tired I feel I could sleep for a week!

Waving to everyone.

Mrs that's rubbish that you had to have another biopsy but fingers crossed it's just a node that is complaining after op and nothing else.

Sorry, left a bit abruptly, the phone rang and I didn't want to lose it. Thanks speedy, hopefully it's just my body adjusting to its new self. I could ring my bc nurse for some reassurance, but she can't give it can she? It must feel good to be having your last chemo.

angel hope all goes well with the surgery.

If I've missed anyone, apologies, I'm also thinking of buns and her mum.

speedy good luck with last chemo and first herceptin im on number five and it has given me no problems
mrs ive got eighteen to go but so far so good and i was home by nine thirty this morning .thanks for asking.

Mrs - I had an enlarged lymph node on the side of my DCIS last year. They aspirated, biopsied and finally removed it - nothing found thank goodness. In the end they thought it was enlarged because of my underlying arthritis. BCN was saying that all along but of course I worried like mad. May be worth speaking to yours. She will have seen similar circumstances before and may be able to reassure but of course it's the results that you want. Fingers crossed for you.

I will be getting my breast results Friday or Tuesday. Hoping for Fri obvs and am planning to work from home so I can take the call in private. Ct abdomen results on Thursday next week. I've had pelvic pain today and on and off the last couple of weeks - since I was told I have a cyst funnily enough!

Was back at work today and struggled. Feeling too distracted to be very productive and hard to plan my diary as I'm not sure when or what surgery I'll be having in the next few weeks.

Good luck with the mx angel. Are you having reconstruction? It's not too bad really and I felt so much better when mine was done.

Waves to everyone else and thanks for good wishes xx

Speedy, I've got Pilates and yoga on Friday so my self improvement is well underway. Fresh start for both, so I hope I can cope... Actually what I probably need is a few coffees with friends lined up, so I'll get on to that.

Trice, I crossed posts with you earlier. Feel free to be as frustrated as you need to be. It's a bugger.

Mrs, I hope the node is just grumbling, as you say. It's by far the likeliest scenario, but the further wait is deeply painful.

So glad the heart tablets have done their job speedy I've had my fourth Herceptin and no SE's

Hope your DS was well enough for school today Malt

DS1 enrolled yesterday thankfully, instead of A levels he is doing HNC in Engineering.

My appointment went well with the Oncologist today. She asked me if I needed any counseling. I declined but now that I have thought about it I'm wondering if I should take her up on the offer. I did think I had coped well during treatment but now that the worst is done I can't stop thinking about the what if's. The future scares me and find myself longing for the life I had before diagnosis. I'm curious to know if anyone has been down this route and benefited from it.

Good luck to everyone having treatment/surgery/results x

Mummy. I have a friend who did it after she finished treatment as she was thinking about life before and she said it really helped. I am thinking about it too as at the moment am struggling to think about making plans in the future; like I am tempting fate!

Good luck with your op myangels - I hope your children enjoy their new schools.

My two have both decided that school sucks, they have both been put in classes without their friends and have had a miserable day. I hope they manage to make new friends by the end of the week!

I had counselling when I had my mx Mummy. It was very useful even though I did just cry at the poor woman. It was nice to let rip at someone without having to consider their feelings if you know what I mean. I might go again to see if it helps me out of my current slump.

I have been getting lots of lovely baby cuddles with my new niece RahRah. She is absolutely gorgeous, if a little high maintenance!

Evening all, just popping in to say Hi.

Am ploughing through Rads with no real issues: bit tired.

Had a bit of a shock this week when I realised I am no longer getting paid! So had better get back to work pronto. Can claim some sickness benefit but its not nearly enough to keep the wolf from the door.

I had not thought about counselling, I seem to cope well, but have a horrid feeling I could fall apart when treatment finishes. On the whole though I feel very lucky to have gt through treatment, and will try not to think of that 'what ifs'

Oh and am really pissed off that hair is growing back so slowly this time. It's hardly growing at all .... Last chemo was middle of July. Am trying that FAST shampoo but it doesn't seem to be working yet.