**TAMOXIFEN** 4th thread

[MaryAnnSingleton]

here we go !

Ooh mas, you will have a teenager on your hands- hope he doesn't do the Kevin and Perry thing lol!

Smee- glad you had a good weekend, you get used to people not knowing what to say, and especially as it's all new to your family. I find being blunt helps to get the message across

sr- hope the picc line helps, my hickman is looking a bit weepy again- wish I hadn't had the damn thing now!

Chemo tomorrow, yay!! Kids go back to school though so I should get some peace.

Sil no.2 was diagnosed with BC on Friday, we aren't close though so I don't want to stick my nose in. Dh rang her earlier and she is seeing someone on Friday and should know more. Her daughter is currently on a round the world trip but is flying home wed to be with her. It's a shame to have to cut it short but thankfully due to MIL's inheritance she will be able to resume it one day. I have a feeling the phone may start ringing soon as I am the one-stop information centre for the family when it comes to cancer sounds like it was caught early, but obv we'll know more later in the week.

Hope everyone else is fine..... And doing lots of gardening

Smee, your poor brother! I have 7 siblings, all mighty concerned, but v different ways of showing it. Some not at all! But I know them, and know can't speak when hurting. Your bro transmitting his pain via platitudes, by which he is prob trying to reassure himself so indulge him! Good on ya for going to party with head up, will have helped them all hugely.

SR, I have just inspected my great fat vein and noticed that it has collapsed since chemo 2 on Tuesday! Might be joining you with a picc tho would love to wait till after Italy holiday end of June if possible. But my pain threshold has been dropping a lot lately ( not helped by scalpels and nipple injections) so I don't intend to let them have 4 goes every time, bring on picc if that's what's needed.

Also back to gcses this wk, tho DS seems to have forgotten. Just had lovely Sunday evening with himself, DH and other DS watching final 24 episodes with pile of chocolate

All the best all of u this wk. Who needs sun anyway??

Smee, Zofran / odansetron is 1000 times better than metoclopramide, but lot more expensive- ask if u can have it next time, tell them metoclopramide didn't work at all and maybe made worse. Seriously, I have one left over this time, v happy to post it to you to try!I have not been sick at all with it.

RWU, hope chemo ok tomorrow, sounds like been on this road long enough that u know what to expect anyway, us newbies still a bit agog with it all, but getting there..

lots of luck with chemo tomorrow RWU - will be thinking of you...
and v sorry about sil - hope you aren't too burdened by being cancer expert

Hi, RWU I'm sorry to hear about yr SIL and hope she'll be OK. Sorry also about yr Hickman weeping - tell it to pull itself together

Smee - well done on the family w/e, its great that you were able to go. I think it jelps other people to see you too.

CC - yes, its a long time since I saw any big fat veins on my chemo hand! The only one that is fat is uselss as it is very valvy. I have to insist on people not using it now as they are always tempted and it never works!

I was a bit puzzled as the onc on Friday was looking at the underside of my wrist/arm and saying some of them looked OK but the nurses do not seem to consider those. Anyway, I'm off in a few mins for the PICC.

I am given odansetron after chemo too, if its useful to know. Thought it was standard.

Ah teenagers! I have been lucky with mine. DD was not at all challenging till 16 then we had a few issues for a couple of years but nothing serious. DS is still lovely - he has a lot of freedon I guess, but he seems civilised and other adults always express surprise at how nice he is! I think teenagers get a very bad press and people who don't have them expect the worst! My DS and his friends are talkative and speak to us and are very funny- its great! he was trickier at about 10-11 actually, which I realised later was due to boredom at school - too much prep for SATS int he last year of primary etc - he was much better once started at High School.

cupcaked's-drugs-by-post service: could catch on that!! I think I'm okay thanks for offer though. I will demand an upgrade for next time then. Spent all last night feeling sick, and haven't slept much, so am most definitely not exaggerating the need.

• yes, my brother I know. I gave him a huge hug and he was trying very hard not to burst into tears. I think that's where the platitudes came in. Sort of like a buffer. Am sure it'll get easier in time for him/me. Bluntness is fun too though. Am getting good at that one rwu.

rwu, that's sad about your SIL. Hope it is early and she's doing okay. She's lucky to have your wisdom and experience, though not lucky you've had to go through so much so she can have it.

Happy Birthday to DS MAS. 13, wow. That's an exciting age. I remember thinking the world would suddenly spin faster and get more far more glam when I got there. Still waiting...

Hi all!

been away for the weekend but you all seem to be doing pretty well! Well done smee for getting the first one under your belt and feeling up to going to the party. Pennies - you are nearly there now.

Good luck to RWU and SR for treatment today.

The 'trial' I am doing does not give us any advice on diet and weight loss/exercise. It is a five year thing trying to find out of diet and lifestyle have any effect on long term recovery rates - so we basically just have to keep food diaries and deliver up blood and wee samples periodically. So they can see if any patterns emerge. If I remember rightly they are especially interested in plant oestrogens, as it seems that, while they can be quite good and even protective for people who have not had BC, they may well be not at all good for those who have had it. And apparently they are not that easy to avoid.

Hi all - very good luck today for chemo RWU, - and very sorry to hear about your SIL, hoping she gets her treatment plan sorted soon.

Good luck with the line SR. Interesting what you say about under wrist veins, - I've had most of my herceptin in an underwrist one - (all my hand and upper wrist veins were completely wrecked by chemo/ intravenous AB's etc.) Its worked OKish, although rather painful. But Herc. doesn't mess your veins like chemo does, and you're only having it for an hour - so possible to keep your arm in an uncomfortable position. Don't know how suitable those veins would be for chemo.

Smee - I'm glad you got to your party and had a good time. Once people get over the first meeting after DX and the 'not sure what to say factor', they will be more relaxed.

Definitely ask for different anti sickness if yours aren't working. I had ondansetron - worked reasonably, but can make you constipated (which with steroids too, you need to be prepared for - I was given movicol as well) I found cyclizine was the only thing that really worked for me - but different drugs work better for diff. people - they act in different ways, some on your brain and some on your stomach IIRC, and people vary in which ones work.

Good luck to the GCSE boys SR and CC, its quite a marathon isn't it?, they seem to go on for ever. I think parents get more stressed though - I had one who was completely blase about it and seemed to do no work, and one who worried and stressed and worked her socks off. Strangely they both did fine in the end.

MAS - goodness a teenager, they are not all stroppy (not all the time anyway). I really enjoyed mine's teenage years - they are very funny, and an endearing combination of grown up but still childish. Happy birthday to your DS.

I'm going to a talk at the Big'C' centre this afternoon.And maybe swimming afterwards if I finish in time. i still have little bits of cement coming out of my crown - that can't be good surely?

love to all.

Er, no. Bits of cement coming out is just nasty. Could be worth (another) visit to the dentist, I fear.

eek about crown...
Hope treatment has been tolerable today for those having it.
Am doing a card for someone having a reconstruction this week, commissioned by my brother - I think flowers,birds and cats would be nice- what do you think I should put greetings wise ? am going to put her name on it so it's personalised...

Ds is still cute and loves soft toys and animals -am hoping he won;'t turn into a Kevin tonight !
This time 13 years ago I'd been in hospital for 3 days and feeling mightily exhausted- he wasn't born until 7.20 ish on 8th

MAS, sorry but when you said 'commissioned by your brother' I thought he'd ordered the reconstruction himself. [shock ] I know it's not funny.... Am not sure what you should put, but based on recent experience avoid platitudes or could you not leave it blank for them to write their own message in?? Maybe be a cop out, but easier for you.

Thanks all for drugs advice. Next time I'll definitely ask for something else, as still feeling yuk. I had cyclizine after my spine op, Kurri - in fact I still have some. Now there's a thought..

• Kurri, poor you with tooth. If it makes you feel a bit better, a friend of mine had three goes at a crown recently, but it's sound again now. Hope you got a swim in after the talk.

arf ! do you think 'thinking of you' ? or just have her name on the front ? or nothing ?

Her name's nice. 'thinking of you' is okay, but maybe a bit catch all. I'd just stick with her name and let them do their own message maybe?

ok -thanks !

Yes I think name on front would be nice and your brother can write the message.

Just letting you know I am now the proud owner of a PICC line. It was a bit of a palaver but not as bad as I'd feared, at all. They had to have 3 goes at finding a vein as they are a bit wrecked up my arm. I asked for more local aneasthetic at one point an then was fine.

They hit a nerve at one stage and I almost jumped off the table! It didn't hurt but very weird feeling! The 2 nurses nearly jumped onto the table . Anyway, after a while the fully trained one took over from the partially trained one which was a relief.

She got the vein, got the guide wire in (all pretty painless) the put the line in. Only trouble was that instead of going into my chest, it had gone up my neck . Well I've never been much good at navigation...

So - this was after an hour - we all went to x-ray to find pout where exactly it had gone! I was a bit but they said this sometimes happens.

So under xray, they took it out and had to put it in again with me holding my chin down as hard as I possibly could, to stop it going up my neck - so weird!! It wasn't going very well, but then at last the nurse put my arm in a completely position and bingo! the wire turned towards my chest, I could relax my chin and we were done. It had taken about 2 hours but we were all in good cheer. Poor nurses were hoping next patient would be straightforward though.

Have been watching Vicar of Dibley DVDs to recover!

I think I had a crown which took a few days to slough off various bits of cement etc. so it might be OK.

That was a bit of an experience SR but at least its done now. Enjoy your DVD's.

MAS - the card sounds lovely, what a nice idea. I should think she'd be really pleased that it is personalised on the front, and then your Db could put his own message inside. Your DS sounds so sweet - I have a 12 yr old nephew, and he is still such a little boy in many ways, which is just how it should be at that age IMO, - you have so much of your life as a grown up, I like children to be children as long as possible.

Smee - always good to have a little stash of drugs to cover every eventuality (disclaimer - I am not a qualified medical practitioner ).

I'll give the tooth a couple of days, if its still shedding bits, I'll go back. There's no pain though so hopefully just some loose stuff.
The talk was interestng, and afterwards I walked over the playing fields to the university for a swim. Only had my card - not enough cash, but when I tried to pay, the chap said no cards for less than £5 - so I ended up buying a shuttlecock to make up the amount - now I just need a raquet and I'm all set for badminton.

SR, that sounds. At least it's in though. Never has one woman earned her DVD's so well.

Kurri, I have a huge stash of drugs from back trauma days. could open my own pharmacy me. Am liking the shuttlecock. Very life enhancing. I'd bet most women would have sloped off to the cafe instead.

rwu, hope today went as well as it could and that the SE are staying well away.

SR, I meant at least it's 'through'.

Chemo ok, hickman apparently ok as well feeling very tired so I'm off to bed.

Glad picc line went well SR

well done SR and well done RWU - hope you can both rest and relax a bit. card is drawn (he needs it by Friday,well before rreally) and nearly painted - will finish it tomorrow.

@ KK's shuttlecock !

Grrrrrrrr, am sooooooo tired but sleep isn't happening, I've spent the last two hours playing games, listening to an audiobook (Richard Hammond- yum yum, wouldn't kick him out of bed ) playing white noise through my pillow (newfangled iPod pillow!) and shopping for a pelvic floor exerciser now feeling the urge to get up and DO something- but I must resist! Might get dh to whack me round the head with something heavy!
Am not allowed to take any drugs- grrrrrrrrr!

RWU - hope you got decent nights sleep in the end.

SR - glad the picc line is sorted but what a palava getting there. I'd have list my patience after 30 mins!

Smee - how are you feeling? Not too bad I hope.

I had to have yet another blood tansfusion yesterday. I got there early to try and avoid delay but despite that because I was borderline anaemic it took them 4 hours to decide if I needed it or not. I didn't leave until 8pm and got stuck behind a bus on the way home that wouldn't move because there was a passenger with a can of cider and the driver wouldn't move until he got off but he was refusing. Gah!!

KK - hope the crown is ok. Sometimes I think there's so much dentist chat on this thread that it's almost a dental support thread. Shall we rename it the Fluoride thread?

grr about hold up - hope the transfusion perks you up (I have a blood transfusion tale of my own, but it's a bit yucky) Hope the weather improves for gardening - very wet here.