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.

Also RWU, I meant to ask - how does the new onc. seem? Completely baffling, obviously, they all are, but is he a man you can do business with, as they say? It always helps if you have people you like on your side.....

i have had a fab night's sleep dh on the other hand slept for about two hours in between boy-puking events lol! bless him, two of them were at it and he just left me in bed (i was dead to the world mind!) shut the bedroom door and dealt with it i love him!

the onc was so difficult to understand that i'm not entirely sure (it was accent difficulty, possibly nigerian- very strange ways of prounouncing certain things iyswim) tbh he scared me because he wittered on in something that almost resembled english but could easily have been welsh, or swaheli for all i understood! therefore i didn't try to ask too many questions because i wouldn't have understood the answers anyway he is only a locum though until a permenant position is filled by hopefully one of the ones i know and understand. i do miss Mr Axford, he was very well respected all over Wales and if he said something, everyone agreed and did it immediatly he's a bit inconsiderate for retiring really

I am off to Tescos a mate is coming with me as she's had a bad (and sudden ) marriage break up recently so also deserves some retail therapy lol! dh is staying at home with the boys and doing the school runs!

Your dh is a star.

It is hard when the language barrier gets in the way, isn't it? Just when you need to understand things properly!

Hopefully you'll get someone permanent (and comprehensible) soon!

Enjoy the shopping! Don't go mad with the two for the price of one bargains!

Oh he is a star RWU ! enjoy your shopping !

Had my pre-op assessment today, and another chat with the consultant and one of the breast care nurses about my surgery, which is scheduled for 15 February.

I'm having a bi-lateral mastectomy. Not looking forward to waking up with a completely flat chest.

It's all starting to feel a bit real now.

Hi Burning Bright

Yes, that would make things start to seem pretty real.

Try to remember that nothing has really changed today, you have only got a step further towards a solution to the problem you already had, and that's a positive thing.

I have not had a mastectomy but some of the others on here have, they'll be along with positive coping tips.

This waiting bit really is the worst, you know. Once you get on the road you'll just deal with stuff as it crops up. It won't always be nice, but it will be concrete things that you have to deal with, and you will do it. And you'll get out the other side, as well.

Your family and RL friends will help you - and so will we.

have a rest and a decent sized treat - it's been a bugger of a day for you. xx

hi BurningBright - I think the pre-op thing does make it seem more real - I confess to feeling very wobbly going to that (and seeing the ward I'd go into after -it seemed horribly dismal -fortunately in the event I was sent to the lovely,quiet and sparkly gynae ward). Was the BCN helpful ? they are usually fab.
When I was lying in the comfy gynae bed I was listening to rather gruesome details of lady part operations and was quite heartened to hear an elderly lady who'd gone in for bladder stretching (eek) ask a nurse when it'd be ok to have sex again ...

Yikes!

What a nice DH, RWU have a good time shopping.

BurningBright, as others have said it does suddenly start getting a bit 'real' with the pre-op. Try to take things as they come, and deal with each bit at a time (I know- easier said than done).

I had a right side mastectomy, so very happy to share experiences, or answer any questions if I can. I think you need to allow yourself plenty of time for both physical and emotional recovery. To adjust to the changes in your body. Your Breast Care Nurse, should be helpful in talking to you about this. I haven't had the same as you are having but, if there's anything I can help with do just ask.

Cakes - no not a product user I'm afraid. Not sure the product has been invented that could make it lie flat. I didn't wear a wig (partly because the hospital forgot to offer me one) but don't think I'd have bothered. My sister sent me several scarves with a note saying 'rumour has it, your hair has gone missing' . I think the general cheek runs in my family!

Have been having my treatment this morning, so a bit tired. Have spent the afternoon so far watching 'North and South' with DD - she got the DVD for Christmas. We are still working our way through the mud cake

MAS bless!!

burningbright- it does suddenly make it real, best wishes!

Must dash but the latest chapter of the MIL calamities:
we got a phone call about 11.30am confirming that she was booked in for surgery next week i went into town to get some bits and bobs and fill the car up for tomorrow, dh rang me, "get to the hosp, mums on her way in and i'm just getting in the car!", so off i wandered ran, anyway she's fallen over and broken her femur which will most likely require surgery [grr] then SIL (who lives a few doors away from MIL- the one who has just had a jaunt off to Kenya) arrived, World War 3 started, as SIL hadn't checked in on Nanna since 6pm last night, therefore nanna has probably been lying there most of the night- the ambulance guys said that she'd pulled the rug over herself so SIL was sitting at home on her day off work and hadn't checked in /popped over/ gone to check she had brekkie and tablets it was the flipping home help that found her at lunch time! to make matters worse- SIL had tried to phone Nanna to let her know about the op, but "didn't think it was odd" that she didn't answer the phone, fgs she hasn't been able to leave the house since she got out of hospital- she's hardly going to have gone to a WI meeting is she!!!!!!!!!

Anyhows, i'm just getting some bits together for her and the Boys are at friends houses until 6 so i've got a bit of peace with dd!

RWU - no !! poor,poor MIL ...whatever next ? SIL sounds a bit of a daft one.

mas- delete 'daft one' and replace with 'selfish'! on the up side i've just scratched her car she asked me to move it and she knows i can't drive small cars i think it'll polish out

You'll have to give it a deeper bash next time, then!

Bloody hell, it all happens round your way, doesn't it?

just had news from dh- they are operating asap to repair the break!

fingers crossed for her

Yes, fingers crossed RWU.

Me too. What a worry!

Sounds like you are having a tough time RWU - everything happening at once - but what a star DH you have. Good luck tomorrow and hope your MIL got on OK with the op.
Don't think I will be on line for a while now as I am off to get no.4 chemo tomorrow and will be out for the count. Just glad they are letting me get the treatment as they were dithering as to whether or not they would. Also mentioned a blood transfusion. Anyone been down that route??
Re face cream - bad/good news. Someone at work sent me a whole box of Molton Brown goodies last year after my op. I remembered that they had a small vial of something in there for mositurising - some sort of fancy oil, Tried it last night and it is great (that is the good news) so looked at the website - £35 a hit!! (very very bad news.
Off to raid the back of the sofa/DS's piggy bank etc.....

Good luck tomorrow HD. I had a blood transfusion while on chemo, you may well find it helps and gives you a bit more strength. Are you half way through yet?
Hope you don't feel too knocked out, but at least you'll have one more under your belt

Sandripples - how are you? hope you are feeling a bit less exhausted now.

x for tomorrow RWU

i've had blood transfusions Haggis- felt a lot better afetrwards if thats any help, my cell counts were really low and i started bruising just from getting dressed in the morning so they gave me 2 units twice i think- certainly helped! Good luck with the Chemo, no.4 means you are getting closer to the end

right, i've cancelled tomorrow- there is no way i can drive the 60 odd miles there and enjoy a spot of shopping on the way back knowing that dh is fretting about his mum (and the bugger would lie to me all day and say everyting was fine even if it wasn't iyswim) so i have discussed it with my mac nurse and she's re-arranged it for tuesday so that i can stay here and support dh if needed (she's in her eighties and we have been told there are significant risks )

Also have a carpenter coming to fit the new kitchen door and door-frame so will finally be able to lock the cats up at night because they have been doing my head in climbing over my head and purring in my ear

hi from hospital bed and tiny keyboard! haveen back 4 nights due to (gory detail) wound abcess which required GA to clean. won;t type much as it tugs wound! But its great 2 be able 2 use internet from here.
Courage and good luck.

sandripples- sounds awful, hope you are the road to recovery now love and best wishes and an un-mn ((((hug))))

SandRipples I was wondering where you were. No wonder you were feeling rotten. Hope its on the mend now and you'll be home soon. xx

oh sandripples -you poor love...hope it's healing up now and you aren't feeling too awful.
RWU - so sorry you'll miss your shopping...thinking of you all,poor dh and MIL.
I had a blood transfusion when I was six - I needed my blood boosting as I was very anaemic and was either about to have my spleen out or had already had it out -can't remember. I struggled like a mad thing to avoid the needle -horrible. Am sure haggis will be much more restrained and it'll perk you up.

Crikey, turn away for an evening and look what happens.

RWU - very best wishes for MIL, and for you for Tuesday. You and dh are so supportive of one another - good on you.The cats sound like little buggers. We used to have a big dog who liked to get down our duvet, that used to drive me demented, much as I loved him. Don't think I could deal with purring in ears.

Poor sandripples! That sounds awful! Have a good rest and hopefully you'll soon be feeling on the up.

Haggisdoodle - no experience of chemo related blood transfusions myself, although I saw a few people having them. Sounds like a good plan if it going to give you a bit more zing. And unfortunately, nice skin cream is ALWAYS ruinously expensive, I think it must be the law or something.

MAS and KK, at the moment it sounds like it is just you and me with uncomplicated lives. Long may it continue - boring is good!!