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 !

How are we all doing ladies?

I am doing OK on the FEC, adminstered Wednesday, no sickness or anything horrible so far. My consultant gives a lot more antisickness stuff than some of the others - and at this point I could kiss him for that!Scalp a bit sore, boobs a bit sore, muscles slightly achey, but much better than i thought so far.

Having a party for daughter's 6th birthday tomorrow - poor timing I know, but should be OK. Mainly family, so if it all goes tits up I can retire to bed and let them sort it out!

Have a good weekend all!

Love

Cakes
x

hey,that sounds good progress Cakes, wishing you well with it all. Radiotherapy now delayed by a day,so start on Tuesday. Will you be having it after chemotherapy ?

Oh, yes MaryAnn, I am having the lot!

Hope it goes well on Tuesday, quite sure it will - have the best weekend you can beforehand so that you are in a good frame of mind for it!

I must admit I am quite pleasantly surprised, I am sure I will get my bad days, but we can only take each day as it comes and so far, all is fine. The district nurse is due in a bit so that is my next hurdle - because of the infection I had before, I am having special injections each day for seven days after each chemo treatment, they are designed to boost my white blood cell count and stop that infection from reasserting itself. And I am going to learn how to do it myself, so i don't have to sit around waiting for nurses. They did it yesterday, but today is the day I try and stick myself.

Let me know how you get on with your first session, really interested to see what it is like and, of course, even more interested to see how you feel about it. Remember, one day at a time, don't bite off more than you can chew by thinking too far ahead and worrying!

oh Cakes, injecting yourself !! good luck with that..I once did my cousin's insulin injection for her...am a bit about needles, blood tests are the worst - I had dozens as a child and I still feel wibbly about them - I took ds for a blood test when he was about 6 (he goes every year and is very nervous but getting much better at it!) (we have a hereditary blood thing and I have no spleen) and fainted,to my great shame. I also fainted while lying down after having a very minor op a few years ago !! Will certainly report back on radio. - am sure it'll be fine and dandy.
Sad news today from SIL (a fellow mnetter who had breast cancer, nearly 4 years clear now,which is brilliant bearing in mind she had a very poor prognosis) - a friend has just been diagnosed with bc - is bringing it all back to her.

Good luck for tomorrow maryAnn! You'll do great, really.

Sad news indeed for your SIL, I read some of her posts on the other thread, it must be really, really hard for her when she hears that about a friend.

The needle thing is OK actually, it goes into a wedge of fat, not a vein, and I have plenty of that, so can genuinely not feel a thing. I would NOT like to be doing someone's insulin for them, far too much responsibility. DD's face is a picture while she watches tho' - mixed fascination and horror. Then she gets me a sticker for being brave

Hope Abermum is doing OK, haven't seen sight or sound for a few days after her Taxol. If you are lurking about Aber, just let us know if you are OK.

yes, hope all is well abermum. Am full of admiration anyway for self injection Cakes
Radiotherapy is delayed by one day -so starts tomorrow - got a confusing message from hospital at end of last week - as far as I can gather they aren't quite ready for me yet !

ladies- i am fine- just feeling a bit crap!

Hi Aber

Sorry to hear you are feeling rubbish, but thanks for letting us know you are basically OK.

We had a family party for dd on Saturday. Thought it would be OK as the family could always take dd off and leave me alone if I got tired. Anyway, it was fine- Dh's Mum gets a bit over-excited, though, and decided to give me a present. I think she wanted to be doing something for me, which is very sweet - but not sure why she felt the need to shove a very prickly £20 note forcefully down my bra. Just missed the scar! OOch! Dh couldn't believe his eyes!

eek !

good luck for tomorrow MAS!!

I went away for a few days at the end of last week and it turned into a nightmare- took dd (16 mo) she screamed the whole time- teeth and general yuckness- which meant no sleep for either of us, not a great start when i was still feeling spaced out

As far as post chemo, i'm ok, apart from the irritatingly warm and itchy scalp starting to get a few hairs on my pillow but hoping that major loss will wait for at least another batch of chemo

thanks abermum...hope you feel perkier soon and that hair stays put for a bit longer

Ooh, Aber - don't kids have a habit of kicking off just when you need it least?

Itchy and tingly scalp here too. Was driving in the car yesterday with all the windows down enjoying the feel - then decided to put them up quick in case some of my hair blew off! I know it sounds a bit stupid, but I had been talking to a friend whose wife (on chemo) had gone up for a shower with a full head of hair, and come down virtually hair-free.

And then I got a fit of the giggles (about me and the window, not poor friend). I think it's what they call trench humour!

Chins up girls, this too shall pass!

Thinking of you for today MaryAnn.

have to say the power shower got rid of most of my hair last time- it had started to come out in chunks and was extremely itchy- we shaved it off and then i had a power shower which dh said would 'soothe' my scalp it blew all the hair off but it was a relief in the end as it was sooo annoying! and all the stray hairs killed my hoover

hope all goes well today MAS- i find radio ok, tiring but at least it is a routine!

I think a bit of humour is essential !
thinking of you guys too xxx

am back..a bit of s long haul...hospital transport picked me up at 11.30 and went to pick someone up in another town but they were having a day off, so back past my town and on to the hospital,which is about 50 mins away..then a bit of a wait, got positioned and marked and zapped from both sides and back home again...got in at about 2.45...ds went to my parents from school as they finished at lunch time today..have told him to come home and if I'm bot back to nip round to grandma's...very fortunately they moved to a house backing on to ours about 6 months ago...a huge help. Same again tomorrow ! Am hoping to get some work done in the late afternoon/evening each day...I can't settle in the mornings if I'm waiting to go. I can do domestic stuff of course,so that's quite useful !

Well you have got the worst one over with!

Sounds a bit long winded, all in all - but it's all an easier ride after the first one!

can you have a glass of wine to ease you back ti civilisation? Sure you could. I had a couple on Saturday at our party, and I'll have one tonight (taking dd out to dinner as today is her actual birthday). it does help you to feel human again.

Well done for getting on with it. Only 14 more to go.

I am certainly having several glasses of wine as it's book group (and it's my choice of book too - Notes from an Exhibition) - it was to be here but owing to a book groupee not having a baby sitter it's at her house...I shall have lots of crisps too ! It seems to depend,the time taken,on how busy the machine is..everyone today had been waiting quite a long time. I think the man from today needs picking up tomorrow too - I shall know the Hampshire countryside pretty damn well by the end of this ! Am hugely grateful not to be having to make my own way there - God bless the volunteer drivers.

MAS- just quickly have you asked about drinking and radio? I found small amounts (a glass in my case ) fine, but any more and my radio burns got worse. Don't want to worry you- just thought i would check, then again, different treatments- different advice, different hospitals- different advice

Glad it went well- i was lucky to have mine the in local hospital as part of a research project, would have been a 180 odd mile round trip otherwise

Aloe vera gel- good qualify stuff makes all the difference, use it liberally, oh and prunes just incase

Hope tomorrow goes as well as today

prunes ? !
I'll ask about wine and aloe vera - thanks abermum..the lady going in after me yesterday was brandishing a big tube of the stuff and obv. asking the radiographer about it.
I drank a few glasses which was really nice and relaxing but will bear it in mind - I don't usually drink anything during the weekdays and dh and I have a bottle of wine between us at the weekends.
I've just been rung and told I have the day off as my machine is unwell..so I can do some work instead !

Blimey it's good to have someone who can offer some 'been there, done that' kind of advice, isn't it?

I should think the aloe vera will be a great boon (though not speaking from experience yet, but I know it's fab for sunburn). Would never have thought about the wine thing. What a bummer! I also had a few glasses last night - didn't agree with me, either. Gave me palpitations. Rats.

Didn't stop me though

Enjoy your day off MAS.

everyone ok??

yes thanks abermum - how are you ? and Cakes ?
Am very tired but put this down to the round trips and trying to meet my deadline,plus having a trying 12 year old ! (he isn't always, just at the moment !)

i hate this heat its making my head fuzzy and weird!

Hi both

Glad to hear you are both OK. I am also fine, thanks, though the scalp remains suspiciously sensitive, and my hair feels oddly crunchy and not quite mine - but no drop yet!

We bought baby rabbits for dd last week, not a great idea in the circumstances, I know, but I am being careful, and the joy she is getting from them is priceless. (Just as well, as the hutch ought to be encrusted with jewels, the amount it cost).

Do you get dosed up again next week, Abermum? Wednesday next week for me, so I plan to spend this week getting as much done as possible. That probably won't be much, as the tiredness is an absolute GIT

yes i'm being dosed next monday- but thankfully i am having an overnighter this time- so should sleep off the weirdness that i usually get whilst having the infusion. then just have to deal with being dog-tired

hope you are both ok (or as ok as the situation premits ) i am hating this heat, i have tried everything to cool down the house, but the sweaty muggyness isn't shifting (damn modern eco insulation)