Tamoxifen - advice please !

[MargaretMountford]

Am going to be starting Tamoxifen shortly, was just wondering whether anyone else is on it and can tell me what it's like ! thanks !

Just realised I didn;t answer your questions reallwoundup.

I have a veinous (spelling? no idea!)line, but they are having a bit of trouble finding any these days. They seem to want to try the other arm mext time but i am not going for that without a fight, I am pretty keen to avoid lymphoedema (Damn it! All these hard spellings!) if possible - was told this could happen if i keep getting scratches etc on that arm, and my dd's rabbits seem determined to ensure I get it, so I can do without the nurses getting in on the act too.

Can't wait for the end of it all.

I hope you are still feeling positive, I know you won't want to be bothering with us for a few days, but I will be rooting for you and hoping you don't feel too rubbish.

On the Hedrin front - I was on another thread the other day - they reckon vodka is the best thing you can use. Official!! Apparently you rub it through liberally (bit of a waste of good booze, admittedly) and leave overnight, then wash out. Reapeat a week later as with !?( Hedrin. And I have been working it out - it is going to be cheaper dose for dose than any of the chemicals, and very much easier to wash out. Result!

Mind you it might be embarrassing for dd if i start sucking her hair....

at the vodka headlice treatment- knowing my luck i'd not wash it out properly and have social services called in by the school

Yes, you'd need to make sure they didn't smell like a drunk old tramp, wouldn't you. Especially as several of dd's teachers go to the same drinking establishment as us on a Friday night - so they know we are old soaks already........

at vodka treatments !
Is it very rainy where you are ? it's dismal,ds in a bad mood,bit of roof leaking too. Had a tiny minor op on a bump on my head this morning (my gp did it) which I was a bit nervous about -all ok until it starting bleeding badly which I think unnerved him and shocked me - nice nurse came to mop up and distract me (am very squeamish and given to fainting at the mere description of bleeding). Ok now but I look as though I've been in a cat fight.
Hope you are both feeling ok - sending lots of positive thoughts your way xxx

been almost tropical here for the last few days (which for wales is unheard of!) but certainly getting chilly at night- but i LURVE winter- the excuse to snuggle down on the sofa wrapped in a duvet

sounds like an interesting minor procedure- poor doctor probably put him off ever doing it again lol! Hope you are ok now!

i have had a list of do's and don'ts from the new onc- some very strange ones- like do not bathe with salt or milk in the water wtf and my favourite- beware of any strong magnetic fields on a daily basis counts me out of the home experimentation with large electromagnets in the basement then then they state the blindingly obvious- do not visit hospital wards with known infection risks, and ensure you protect yourself from the elements but wearing layers and waterproof clothing if nescessary to be fair there is 6 pages of stupid ideas- i'd rather they rang me, told me to use my common sense and then sent me a small tree to plant in the garden instead of the small tree's worth of shite i got through the post this morning

Cakes have you asked if they could site it anywhere else? i've had venous lines in groin and ankle before now as my network of blood vessels are shot to s**t! may not be possible but its worth asking rather than risk lymphoedema if at all possible!

Maybe they think you bathe in asses milk every day! Name change to Cleopatra could be worth considering...

The loads of notes on what to do just lead to worry (as well as global warming, obv), don't you think? Suppose they have to cover themselves. I gave dd my notes to colour on the back of, in the interests of recycling, but had to take them back as she is a bit too good a reader now. She struggled with "chemotherapy" but read me a lot of the rest of it, so had to remove. obviously didn't understand it, but still..

I did ask about other injection sites but they said they weren't allowed (eh?) And now the breast care nurse has phoned and stuck her oar in - said that one chemo cycle on the other arm would be OK, lots of people have it and it will be OK as there is currently no lymphoedema there. I think I will have to cause a ruckus in the department and see who backs down first. Will probably be me though, I am sickeningly compliant with doctors, don't know what causes it, DH says I am like a piranha in RL.

Gulping at the thought of one in the groin. Abandon dignity all those on the oncology ward!

maryAnn - the operation sounds horrible! Fancy having that done at the GPs! laughing a bit (sorry) at the thought of you at the school gate (do Mums of 12 year old boys do the school gate? Prob not) - they'll think a fight has broken out amongst the football MUms.

It does sound unpleasant, hope it settles down quickly and does not hurt too much. Don't forget the anaesthetic, even if local, will have a bit of an effect on you, as will the shock of the injury inflicted - so take it easy.

Love to you both

xx

a milk bath - arf !! perhaps people do actually bath in milk ?! Groin and ankle injections sound hurty to me - am so sorry you girls have to go through these indignities and pain.
Washed my hair this morning,ignoring the pink tinge to the water -I really don't think my doc will want to see me again with another after that. I did think 'what if it never stops bleeding ??" He removed one a few years ago which was fine and as I was getting up to go home he pointed out that it was 'oozing' which did it for me - I asked if I could lie down again for a bit - believe me, you can still faint when horizontal !!
Have been to hospital this morning to see my bcn and it was such a good,helpful,comforting meeting - she is so great,completely understanding my ocd fretfulness and taking the time to really listen -I hadn't spoken about it so much in years and we also talked about my younger brother who died of cancer when he was ten -relevant to my ocd beginnings I think...anyway - she reckons my aching limbs aren't likely to be tamoxifen induced so I'm probably just tired,but to let her know if it continues.She has suggested a top up of CBT and will approach my gp if I prefer.Will have a think.
Cakes - no school gates for me any more (ds hates seeing me in the streets if I happen to be out when he's coming home from school

• I do pick up a friends dcs sometimes and today have been asked to go into ds's old junior school to present the prizes for a craft competition (ha !) but fortunately managed to make my hair look a bit less matted !

Anyway, lots of love to you two

dignity- what was that? i left that at the entrance to the maternity ward 6 years ago !! Glad the head is better- take it easy- head wound and everything- you need to point out to dh that you need to rest and he should provide cake and wine

I've developed the headache from hell- i'm guessing it is stress/anxiety, came on as i was getting dd ready for a toddler group we go to. I think i was getting myself in a tizz about people asking questions as the mums at the group are good friends but not the type i would ring up and say "guess what, looks like i'm terminally ill" so its kind of awkward as they don't have a clue really. Still worrying about nothing- no-one asked a thing despite me looking like something the cat threw up obviously i quite often look this rough

On a more tedious note- anyone any clues on how to get a 6 year old to eat school diners? he will happily eat marmite sandwiches but not much else, cries and makes himself sick if he is forced to eat anything else- have tried threats, bribes, being nice , starving him- all to no avail

No, no ideas at all on the eating thing, sorry.

I have always given dd sandwiches for that very reason, she just would worry herself sick about food she did not like, and come home starving. But obviously you need to be doing without all that hassle.

But a friend of mine has a daughter at one of those creepy Steiner schools, and they just keep serving homemade veg soup every day (barf!)and passing no remark until eventually the kids try it. Not ideal I know, but maybe if there is a little something they will eat so they don't die of starvation - eg fruit, a pudding or something, they will eventually get bored and start trying stuff? Especially if their mates do? You know what littlies ar elike, they only need a few mouthfuls to stop them from keeling over, and if they are having fruit, biscuits etc at break time that may be enough until they get more adventurous?

You never know! Worth a try!

By the way - bet you don't look nearly as bad as you think you do. And take heart - i took dd to a restaurant a couple of weeks ago, and there were two old ladies there. I heard one say to the other - "oh how sweet, she is out for tea with her Gran". [blush} and

MaryAnn - so sorry, have been meaning to ask for days - how is your Mother in Law and her poor leg?

And I am envious that your ds has reached the self-conscious stage: I can't wait until I can embarrass my dd (even more than looking like her Gran, which I have clearly already achieved )

Actually on consideration, have changed my mind about school dinners - our dinner ladies are like the SS and would prob make your poor ds gnaw on something disgusting until the poor mite threw up.

I'll have a think though. But sad to say I am not the most inspired of parents.......

On a lighter note - took dd to have her eyes tested yesterday - said she couldn't see the whiteboard at school, but i suspected something wasn't quite adding up as she said she wanted glasses so she could look "serious and cunning" (eh?? where the hell did that come from?). Turns out she has 20/20 vision. She is gutted

dh gets it a lot as he is an 'older' dad- "ah bless grandad taking you to the swings" cue a dh and children dragged back home

On the looking bad thing- think frankenstein with a baaaad hangover

have a lovely relaxing evening ladies- i am going to have a long soak in the bath once the kid are locked in the cupboard in bed.

Sounds fab. Enjoy!

xx

hmm, no sensible ideas about school dinners here either - ds eats pretty much anything and has always had school meals,though I make packed lunches sometimes if his singing lessons or other things encroach on lunchtime - his school has a very hectic canteen,a very short lunch break and it's all a bit of a whirl. I bet Steiner schools eat a wholesome home made soup !!
I think that children will not starve,even though they appear to eat little, but I know the awful anxiety about whether they are getting the right nutrition.
'Serious and Cunning' made me ! I think children do think specs are quite cool these days
The toddler group thing must be awkward reallywoundup - I guess it's not the place to be able to open up and say how things really are.
Cakes - MIL is doing really well - thanks for asking ! - and is being taken home tomorrow to assess what she needs to do when living back there -or rather what her needs will be-all very positive news from her nursing home and SIL has found her a good cleaner (her SILs sister in fact)..with any luck she should be home properly very soon.
Head is fine, I told my bcn about it today as she thinks I should ask my GP for more CBT - I said I'm too embarrassed to see him after causing him trauma yesterday ! Actually she said she could speak to him about it as she feels it would be helpful and her saying so might lend more weight rather than just me saying I would like to try some more - what do you think.. ?just to take the edge off the ocd that still troubles me.
Tamox. wise we are both happy I'm taking it,more for the fact that I was able to make the decision and start it,because I feel a whole lot better having the should I ? question rattling about in my head. She is absolutely wonderful by the way and I feel very privileged to have her- am sure bcns are generally fab from what I've heard.
Btw - she reckons aches aren't tamox related so I think I'm just tired/old !!
Sorry to go on about my stuff all the time..I do go on.

argh..silly typing - I mean't it is a relief not having the Should I ? question rattling around in my head - sorry

and where did the apostrophe come from ?

I can't believe it - I had already told you about the cbt in a previous post - I'm so sorry - I think I need to lie down...

i can mn in the bath from my phone! how cool is that on second thought maybe thats not something people want to know right i'm off!!

aren't phones a bit magnetic ? hope there's no salt or milk ! have a lovely soak

well i'm a rebel- i have just had a milk bath, rubbed down with a salt exfoliator, i am now playing with an industrial electromagnet in the garden, scantily dressed and dh is just about to turn on the hose to simulate rain

!

So glad your MIL is on the mend MaryAnn - she sounds like a game bird.

And glad to see the BCN is giving the support you need. They are great, aren't they? Do see the doc and get some more CBT if you think it'll help, no point at all in struggling on with things being harder than they need to be.

Must say am loving the idea of MN-ing from the bath (must make sure the camera on my phone is turned off though, that would be a horror story).
On the school lunches front, I reckon you are right MaryAnn, they don't starve so I'd just suggest going for it - and maybe having a word with the school to make sure the dinner ladies don't stress him and try to make him eat. If he can just eat or not eat, without anyone passing a remark, he'll probably be just fine.

I will most probably go for more CBT I think - but might ask bcn to intervene as I find the asking tricky !
MIL is pretty amazing,considering she is 85 (I think,or 84) anyway, old but a game bird as you say Cakes !
Be sure not to drop your phone in the bath RWU !
Hope you both are having good days so far.

wicked mummy reporting for duty have sent said small boy off to school with a breakfast of 1 banana and 2 pieces of toast (rather than his usual 4/6 however many he can con out of me and dh!) on the basis that he will be more hungry at lunchtime.

Had words with the dinner ladies- who are going to keep an eye on him, and also his old reception teacher is going to sit on his table and try to coax him to eat- if he doesn't, he will get hungry as i am not doing tea until 7pm! [cackle]

Glad everyone seems fine, had an appointment through for my hickman line- can't wait

MAS- glad the bcn is happy to help without you having to traipse off to the gp's hopefully- i hate it when they tell you that this is what you need but you'll have to go to the gp and ask for it. I always feel a bit presumptuous going to docs and saying- "oh i was talking to my mac nurse and she says i need....." not entirely sure why though!

I am also a pushover when it comes to medical opinions- i get myself psyched up to tell 'em how i want things done, go in, sit down and agree with everything they say

Cakes- stil lol about the glasses thing, sounds like something my lot would come up with after watching ben 10

Have a lovely day ladies- the sun is shining here so hope it is with you as well!

Good luck to ds - sure he will be ok, reception teachers are always LOVELY.

The glasses thing is a howler, isn't it? I think she finds herself cool generally at the moment. We took her to PIzza Hut the other day (oh, yes, we are bigtime into healthy eating hereabouts )and she returned from the salad cart (OK ice cream thing) bopping across the floor to some 80s dirge or other (I think it was Deacon Blue - remember them? No nor me really).

MaryAnn what was the lump you had scalpelled off (don't faint). Was it one of those Morgan de campell blood filled things that you get (ahem) after 40? I have a great big one in the middle of my forehead, it looks like a third eye. I have had about 4 appointments to get it off, but they all coincided with bloody onc appointments so had to cancel, and now of course can't have done til after chemo. I thought it was going to be painless but bloody, but your experience sounds a bit barbaric. Going off it now.

eek..no!! it was a small cyst,nothing very dramatic - am now feeling queasy again at the thought of a blood filled thing (despite it's rather glam name) !
RWU - am sure your ds will be fine and not starving - you are taking the right approach !
When will hickman line appointment be ?