TAMOXIFEN THREAD HERE ***

[MaryAnnSingleton]

Am sick of my messages never getting through - I have had 7 attempts to reply to Cakes' last post- am starting a new thread ....
this is what I wrote anyway.....

righto, this i my 7th attempt to reply on this thread - everything keeps disappearing !
My assessment is on 25th,and am told to allow two hours for it,crikey !!
Saw a lady in town yesterday who was having rads and finished at about the same time as me and she's just seen the onc. for her follow up - they are running very behind I know- so I emailed to ask about mine - I tie myself in knots in trying to be assertive yet not too needy or a nuisance - I suppose I just like to feel that everything is done in order. Am not worrying about my health -am sure breast is fine and dandy, it's more my emotional state which troubles me.
Anyway, they have made me an appointment but it's at the same time as my assessment so have emailed back and left a phone message...arghh !
Special thoughts for RWU today and of course KurriKurri - hope all ok..and of course you Cakes and Morph.

i see i've had a slap on the wrist for calling names can we just forget TT now, i think if we just put the whole episode to bed and move on we'll soon forget it ever happened!

Big news of the day: DH IS HOME!!!!!!!! [phew], dd had her barium meal [yak], and i am babysitting next door's beautiful bundle of pink 7wo loveliness for the evening i am educating her in the ways of mumsnet and facebook

Yay! DH home at last. But I have missed this - why is dd having a barium meal? Nothing too horrible I hope. They are yuk, and also (I warn you) it is impossible to flush the poo away effectviely for DAYS. You may need a plumber

Had my check-up yesterday. Consultant was lovely, told me to try and forget about it all. I said I would if he could tell me that the statistic that had scared me on TT's website was not true - he said it was total crap, so no surprise there then! But him telling me that has def. made me feel better.

Hello. I'm new here. Diagnosed with breast cancer last week. I'll probably mostly lurk for the time being. My treatment doesn't start for a few weeks. But no doubt I'll have lots of questions at some point in the near future...

Hello and welcome BurningBright! Sorry to hear about your diagnosis - you are probably feeling very shocked at present, I know I was, when diagnosed in December. I had my lumpectomy on Tuesday (this had been delayed due tot eh snow!) so have just got back home yesterday and am feeling v tired.

Take care of yourself - I have found this thread very helpful, so do feel free to ask anything you wish. The first weeks are so awful with the range of emotions you go through...

Cakes - glad to hear the views of your consulant.

All - I agree with eating a range. I don't eat much meat as my family is veggie. I am going to try to lose a bit of weight by exercising more regularly, and eating loads of vegetables and less carbs. As I've said before, I do eat healthily on the whole, but too big porions, and have a weakness for home made cakes!! I found it easy in hospital to tick the healthy options and not miss other things. Having a cupboard full of stuff for the family means I am easily led into temptation.

Burningbright- sorry to hear of your dx, feel free to ask questions when you are ready. we are a friendly bunch really!

cakes- she's had reflux since she was born! it has all been solved though and the reason she has had problems is that i carried too much water when i was pregnant (polyhydramnious sp?) and when she was born they put a tube down into her stomach to check that everything was connected etc (as that can be a cause of the ph) when the tube was put down the valve was slightly damaged but it is slowly getting better and with time she will grow out of it! She was a star yesterday!

I slept so well last night with my big protective dh at my side [soppy]!

Hi Burning Bright, glad to see you found us.

Lurk away. And ask whatever you like. RWU has very little ones, like you - I have a dd who is six, so not much older.

This waiting part is the worst bit. You'll probably find the treatment not nearly as bad as you think.

I was diagnosed in March last year, finished chemo in October and rads in November. So it is still all quite fresh in my mind, but i am here to tell the tale, and feeling pretty fine (but very unfit!)

Oncologist said to me yesterday "Have you put on weight?"

Me: "I have NOT! You don't care, do you?"
Nurse "He's been like this all day, sorry"
Onc: "I have you down in my mind as a very thin person"
Me: "That wasn't me"
Onc "Oh, sorry"

Oh I see you have all typed a lot faster than me!

Welcome back sandripples. Yay! Tiredness is an excuse to be looked after so make sure you are! It'll pass, but don't let on too soon. Milk it for all it's worth.

RWU - that sounds positive about your dd. Glad to hear it is a thing that is on the up. They can be so brave, can't they? Well, my dd can't she is scared of being in a room on her own, but most of them can. Glad she is OK.

she's fine now apart from the horrific nappies she's producing! [yak]

wish me luck i am entering the playroom........... to tidy it up ........... i may be some time! haven't been in there since christmas

take cake SR- take all the help offered!

welcome from me too BurningBright - do lurk and when you feel like it join in - so sorry to hear of your dx- you must be feeling in a whirl at the moment.
Was the onc. visit your post rads thing Cakes ?
poor RWU dd with reflux -sounds horrid. Am glad though that your dh is back !

Hi MAS

Yes it was the post rads thing - a bit late becuase I pujt it off so I could go on holiday in the New Year. It was fine. Onc said "You have very good cosmesis" (sp?) Apparently this means it looks alright.

Welcome BurningBright, so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Its a lot to take in at first isn't it? I'm glad you found the thread you'll get loads of support when you do feel like joining in. (speaks as a long time lurker)

Hi SR, sorry your feeling so tired, I think lots of pampering and spoiling is probably in order!

Lovely your DH is home now RWU, and that your little one coped so well at the hospital, nice to hear she's on the mend.

Your oncologist sounds very cheeky Cakes! Good that he was able to reassure you about everything though.

I've had a bit of a morning.Mum phoned to say my Dad's been taken into hospital. He had a kind of dizzy turn yesterday, and couldn't stand up. Ended up falling and my mum couldn't lift him up. Anyway he's been taken into hospital and is having tests. They suspect either a mini-stroke (he's had one before) or a urine infection (he's got a kidney problem). So we're waiting to hear.
He's in the main hospital at the moment, but likely to be transferred in a couple of days to the cottage hospital close to my mum.
Apparently he's being very dificult (refusing to wee in a bottle, and he's taken off his name band and thrown it away.) Mind you he's always hated hospitals, so I think its not just the alzheimers making him difficult.
Anyway just sort of waiting for mum to get in touch and see if she wants me to go down. She says not at the moment, as one of my sisters is close by.

ooh KK what a worry. Alzheimers does make them very difficult to manage, doesn't it, I bet your Mum struggles a bit with him. DH's great uncle, always a very sunny, jolly person, has Alzheimers and he has got very bad tempered and hard to manage.

My granddad (years ago) also rediscovered an interest in sex. poor nurses, he chased a few around his room.

I hope your Dad gets back on an even keel soon. And don't forget to look after yourself as well as your Dad and your poor Mum.

Thanks for all the welcomes. I'm still getting my head around things at the moment. Glad to have found this thread, so thanks for the pointer, Cakes.

My pleasure. Take good care of yourself. xx

SR just want to say dont forget to do the exercises every day to ward off lymphodoema.
Welcome BurningBright lurk away I am very new to this thread though not to bc[dx 2006]I usually go on BCC and bcpals but this thread is great.

Welcome BurningBright - sorry to hear of your DX. It is such a difficult time waiting for surgery and then waiting for results. I saw your thread about stopping BFing and I also have got a young DD (she was 4 last month).

SR - you are sensible taking it easy. I just couldn't resist the lure of snow and took the DDs sledging the day after I got back. I'm a rubbish patient though and just won't do as I'm told.

RWU - glad DH is back OK and that the barium meal for your DD wasn't too awful. Very of you getting to borrow a 7 week old for the evening.

KurriKurri - sorry to hear your dad is poorly - I hope it is just a UTI and not a stroke or anything nasty. Alzheimers is a shocking disease isn't it.

Cakes - sorry but the mental image I have of your grandad is Benny Hill. Hope you don't mind! It certainly made me smile on this rather horrible grey day.

MAS - "dark choc is v. good for you". Now this had also brought some brightness into the day, esp as a very kind neighbour dropped some dark choc covered brazil nuts round so they are positively brimming with healthy stuff. So much so I'm going to scoff a few now.

Off on a skiing hol tomorrow for a week. We decided to just go for it and get one in before this rigmarole of surgery and chemo starts. However packing for a skiing holiday with just 36 hours notice is a tad stressful!

Thanks Pennies. Have a lovely time on your holiday.

Pennies - was definitely a very Benny Hill moment! The nurses weren't quite as glamorous though.

What a fab idea to go ski-ing. It will do you the world of good and also - I like your spirit. Have a blast!

have a wonderful time Pennies !!
so sorry to hear about your dad KK -hope he is moved near to your mum soon and that he is soon much better -what a worry for you all.
Pranma is right about the exercises - dh used to nag me- I was very bad at doing them-I hate following instructions- I did lots of reaching up to clean things like the bathroom tiles and shower screen - it is important to stretch your arms,even if a bit sore so that you don't seize up.

I second that. The more it hurts, or feels tight, the more you need to do it, I'm afraid. You are aiming for the full range of movement, as soon as possible. And then maintaining it. (Groan)

Hi, sorry about your dad KK. I may be a bit unusual in that both my parents died some time ago but I do remember how very difficult it was dealing with my mum as she had numerous strokes over 10 years which steadily increased her dementia. The way it affects people's personality can be horrid- such bad temper and critical comment on the family.

I have been doing the exercises, but by 4pm today had to go back to bed was so tired, and slight raised temp. Have got up for a couple of hours then will revert to bed - absolutely no chance I could have taken anyone sledging! But my son is 16 so he didn't want my company on recent sledging outings anyway!

Have a great holiday Pennies - how great to have a trip before the treatment starts.

Am not totally up to remembering what you are all doing but hope you are all enjoying the moment, chocs and all. I've had a lovely bowl of custard tonight - a favourite of mine...

Hi everyone,
I posted a message on the general site and several people suggested I try this thread. I have had a quick browse from the start of the thread - made me laugh and cry - it is such a relief to hear other folks experiences. I have tried some of the other BC sites btbh they scared the living daylights out of me. I guess I am a bit in denial about it all.
I read some of the messages a page or two back where you were saying where you were at with your treatments so here I go with mine:
Dx July last year and then had core biopsy followed by a sentinel node biopsy, lump removal and breast reshaping by fabulous oncoplastic surgeon. (Can't believe how good the boob looks - almost like it was before - that man is a genius!). SNB showed cancer cells in one of the nodes so had to go back for full node clearance (all of which turned out to be clear). I have had 3 FECs and am about to start 3 x Taxotere. Have had a rough time with FEC. which I really didn't expect since a lot of people have told me that they only had a few rough days at the start of the cycle. Rads and hormone therapy lined up for afterwards. I am really looking forward to getting the treatment over with - just frustated that chemo sessions keep getting postponed because I am not well enough.

I found the emotional stuff the hardest to deal with - especially explaining to DS (6 years old).

Thanks for reading.

haggisdoodle.

Welcome Haggisdoodle, so glad you've found us, I've always found this thread very supportive, lovely people and always a sympathetic ear if you just need to have a moan.

I had to have some of my chemo. postponed, because I was unwell - so I know how frustrating that can be. Hope you are back on track soon.

Don't over-do it SR - take it a day at a time. Custard sounds good

Thanks for everyone's good wishes about my Dad. Fortunately his alzheimer's hasn't made him bad tempered or aggressive, but he does get very anxious, and obviously pretty confused at the moment about where he is, because he can't remember anything he's told about what's going on. He can be stubborn though!

Welcome haggisdoodle. Blimey two new people in one day. It just goes to show just how often this thing strikes!

This isn't a scary thread at all. I've been here a few weeks now and haven't been bogwashed yet! I've never been back to the BCS website because it just freaked me out - I'm finding what the mums here have to offer suits me just fine!

Sorry the FEC has been hard work - you never know you might find the other stuff OK.

Telling the DCs and the potential for bringing such worry into their little lives is a great concern of mine too - I told mine last weekend and they seem to be so accepting but I think they are too young to have even the remotest grasp of the gravity of it all. The way I look at it is that putting a brave face on it for them helps me to feel stronger because it's case of the more you repeat something to yourself the more you believe it.

Off to finish packing now (god how I hate it!), but what I hate more is flying and right now I'm not sure which I'm more scared of, the cancer or being in an aeroplane!

Have a great week ladies.

Am sure you 'll have a fab time Pennies and the flight'll be fine too !
Lovely to see you over here haggisdoodle -I hope we aren't scary - this thread has expanded since I first posted in summer about my tamoxifen qualms and I'm so pleased it has been helpful and gathered such lovely people to it.