**TAMOXIFEN** 4th thread

[MaryAnnSingleton]

here we go !

V wet for gardening here too - but if you can get them done, they'll get a lovely watering in

My garden still a mess. Sigh. Maybe next year.

SR - line sounds like a trial, glad it's over. at least your veins can be left in peace now.

The card for db's friend sounds lovely: glad it's nearly finished as I have no words of wisdom as to what to put, db will prob. know best what he wants to say/she will find acceptable. It's so hard sometimes not to open your mouth and put your foot straight in. I can remember at my Dad's funeral (not the same I know, but go with me a sec) my MIL saying something completely crap to me, when I know she meant well (she doesn't, always, but on this occasion I think she did). Someone I had never met before, on the other hand, said something totally wonderful.

RWU - hope you got some sleep.

Love to all!

rwu, am sending you waves of sleep. Why can't you take anything to knock you out? Hope you're soundly zonked out and not reading this 'til later though. But Richard Hammond?! I so don't get that man. He's all yours as far as I'm concerned.

Pennies big Gah for Cider man. Are you feeling better now - am not sure how soon the transfusion benefits kick in? Good you had it, even if it did take an age. Hope it's stopped raining. Was pouring here earlier, but it's okay again now. Managed to do the walk to school and back without getting soaked.

MAS you have to share all gory stories. Go on, you know you want to.

Just called Onc ward to see if they have any ideas as to how to stop nausea. Very nice they were, but no they don't. Nurse said the drugs I had were to stop vomiting, but won't stop nausea. She recommended Ginger Tea, which makes me gag even to smell. Ah well.... If any of you tell me it will pass within a day or so I may just have to kiss you.

mint tea - would that help Smee ?
Hope you are sound asleep now RWU - also don't get Richard Hammond - his hair !! his necklace !! the Morrisons adverts !
My transfusion tale was when I was 6 and very anaemic - I'd had many blood tests and was awful about needles and blood and was terrified of this big needle and bottle of blood - I'm sure it was a bottle and not a plastic pouch in those days- they had to hold me down and the nurse warned me sternly about not moving too much otherwise the bottle would fall. Which it did - they left me in my bloodied bed too -am sure they were very cross with me.

Hope you're getting some sleep now RWU, the pillow sounds interesting - never heard of one of those.

Smee - one or two more recommendations I was given for nausea. If you don't like ginger tea - could you stomach lemon or peppermint (add a little sugar if taste is unpalatable) also alternate them so you don't become used to one. Also I was recommended those acupuncture point wrist bands you get for sea sickness (Available in Boots etc.) I'm not completely convinced - they didn't do much for me, but presumably they help some people.

Pennies - sounds like an exhausting day yesterday - hope you're feeling a bit better this morning, and the blood transfusion has helped. Good luck with the gardening - its pouring here, which means slugs in our garden - DH and I went out last night and hand picked about 40 off my bedding plants.

I've somehow managed to get a splinter in the back of my arm (above elbow) on my bad arm. I can't reach it, DH couldn't find his glasses so can't see it. So think it will just have to work its way out - not sure I want him digging around with a needle anyway (amateur doctor emoticon).

Tooth seems to be holding up - no more cement since yesterday.
(Sorry - you did say you wanted to hear all about my minor ailments didn't you?)

Forgot to say - someone was asking on this thread for gift suggestions for a friend having chemo. I said I'd mention her thread on here.

Ooh I get Richard Hammond. Everything you say about the hair etc is true, I know, but there is something....

Smee if ginger tea doesn't do it for you (and I can see why), could you drink ginger beer? Anything at all that is gingery might work - even a gingerbread man!

As to whether it passes - yes, it does, it should be going pretty soon now.

No sleep, think I dozed for a while at about 5am but was doing the washing at 6.15am!

Can't take anything not involved in the trial, they have given me a bagful of stuff but I forgot to ask which one is for what iyswim! They are ringing me back soon to talk me through it.

You'll have a mighty clean house rwu.. hope they call soon, though am still concerned about your Richard Hammond fetish.

I will try some herbals then. Thanks all for advice. Kurri, I haven't tried travel bands yet. Never work for me on Ferries, but hey it's worth a go I guess.

Hi all,

I'm back from chemo (First CMF) and ok so far.

KK I've added a suggestion to that nice thread about presents. BTW I think its v. thoughtless of you to start talking about hand-picking slugs to this group of nauseous ladies !!

However I take my hat off to you as I cannot bear the though of hand slug control - yuk x10! I use the organic pellets myself - oops. sorry RWU - slipping into Gardeners' World again.

Anyway, moving on, my PICC is fine so far and I've named it Lenny (the line) unless anyone comes up with better suggestions - ideas welcome. It certainly eased chemo today.

MAS - your story made me think (again) how awful it must be for children who have to have a lot of medical intervention. And for their parents too. I felt this before but all current treatment really brings it home.

Hm, Richard Hammond - I think he's gone off slightly recently - yes it could be the Morrisons ad. Still , if he cheers you up RWU, that's fine isn't it. Hope you get some sleep very soon. I'm glad your Hickman is OK.

Nausea - I found on Epirubicin it was lasting for about 10 days but it went from actually being sick on day 1 to nausea for a day or 2, to more of a heartburn for about 8 days. I also like mint tea. I think I was lucky though as didn't need to take many tablets at all after day 1 or 2. I'm building up a stock-pile of them like others! Same with some pain-killers. It is prob worse on your regime Smee, and I suspect could be worse now on the CMF for me.

Pennies - I hope you feel better soon as your energy rises. Not long to go for your chemo now! Very wet here so not sure you'll get 100 seedlings out today? My salad is growing a treat though - we've had 3 lovely bowlsful - all from free seeds. Other stuff a bit slow.

I love the idea of Neal's Yard spritzers so am going to browse now. In case you don't have time to view the other thread, can I also suggest a pretty candle in the corner of the bath - I love having a long bath looking at the flame beside a nice sea-shell. Very calming and heartening. If you can make a non-cluttered corner and arrange it so the flame reflects on the tiles, even better!

GCSEs going well , we think, so far. Roll on Saturday. Thank-you for all messages of support.

Good luck to all having treatment this week.

oww about splinter KK - best to leave it be I think. Glad tooth is behaving.
SR - glad to hear that Lenny is fine so far and GCSEs nearly done

MAS, that story about your transfusion really is awful. How mean were they?! And how terrifying for a six year old to be put through that.

• welcome to Lenny. He sounds rather a good addition SR. Hope SE are leaving you alone still. Thanks for letting me know your nausea eased after a while. I'd begun to wonder if maybe I was stuck until chemo was done, which seeing as that's September was proving a mite bleak. Takes me back to morning sickness, though at least then I had the promise of a baby at the end of it all.

KK, hope the splinter goes of its own accord. I seem to remember you can put something on which draws them out. Magnesium Sulphate maybe (?). Better than having myopic DH dig around I'd bet.

a warm compress might draw it out...
Am sure my memory has probably embellished the transfusion story, but it is pretty much stuck in my mind - my dad came in to find me in the bloodied bed - it probably was changed I'm sure but I do remember the cannula hurting as it moved- no wonder I am so wibbly about head bump surgery !! I do also remember being taken down to surgery on my own - no mum or dad - it just wasn't done then- no play specialist. I thought I would have a scar up my tummy like the boy in the next room (we were in little rooms separated by glass -this was The Hammersmith Hospital circa 1964) but no one told me what would happen (it's round my middle like a tin opener- really neat though) They also paraded me in front of medical students in a lecture theatre !
Hope RWU has rested a bit and that everyone has had a good day. Celebrating ds's birthday with a take away Thai and prosecco x

Oh MAS - what an awful story, poor you. Its amazing to think how clueless people were about children in hospital, not so very long ago.

Sorry to mention the 's' word SR (I mostly leave the slugs to DH, and do the snails). I'm glad Lenny the line is proving successful. Great that DS's exams are going well, - he'll be glad to finish them (Your DS too Cupcaked.)

Thanks for splinter advice I may have some (rather ancient) mag. sulphate somewhere - so will try that.

I went shopping this afternoon, and my shopping trolley was greatly admired by a very old lady - I'm not sure whether that's a good or bad thing.

Cakes - you have given me a sudden craving for ginger beer!

Hi, I wonder Cupcakes if your DS did History GCS today? Mine did and he feels he'd revised the right topics thank goodness.

Hope your splite is not going nasty KK.

I read the latest magazine from Great Ormond St today. Perhaps you should send them your story MAS as a 'before and nowadays' type of account? No wonder you get the heeby-jeebies sometimes.

I am waiting in for a friend who is borrowing our tralier tent - think they must be having a family argument discussion about camping as they're rather late! (Husband keen, wife not so very!)

Have started the chemo tablets today - OK so far except heartburn. Have to drink 2.5-3 litres a day with these! Lenny seems fine too, so the week is going quite well really, .

I hope teeth, side effects, splinters and blood counts and nausea are all under control. Bit cold for gardening today.

that's a lot of water SR ! good luck with the tablets.
Whenever we watch hospital things with kids goiing down to surgery with weeping mothers I bore everyone by telling them my sorry tale !

MAS - no wonder you're filled with dread at the sight of blood. What a horrible story. My experiences was very boring and uneventful, thank goodness.

SR - what kind of chemo is given via tablet. I didn't know that could happen. I wish it was all like that.

RWU - hope you're OK on this chemo and it's not making you feel too rough.

Smee - how's it going? Ditto to RWU on it not hitting you too hard.

Not much going on here except more gardening. Did 6 hours yesterday and still had to go back today to finish. I was shattered last night and went to bed at 9.08pm and was asleep by 9.09pm. Trouble is I woke up fresh as a daisy at 5am! I was watching Eastenders on Sky+ at 5.30am! But the 100 little blighters are in at the mercy of slugs and the biblical donwpour we've just had here in Herts.

Off out to dinner with DH tonight. We generally do this the night before chemo but DH is going to see Crowded House tomorrow so I got bumped. So by my reckoning that means I get to choose the restaurant.

Until tomorrow.

Slugs here too. DS brought one in tonight to show me. yuk..

I'm celebrating as nausea's so much better. Still there a bit, but life feels a lot easier now it's waning. DS and I cycled through the rain to his favourite park after school and ate an ice cream with the ducks. Lovely thing to do and very life affirming, so I feel almost normal. If I could get rid of the icky taste in my mouth I'd have a large glass of wine to mark the moment, but maybe that's for the weekend.

Pennies hope the restaurant served you well. Great idea to have a treat before chemo. And a chance for time just for you. Might try and do that here too. DH needs a bit of cheer. His colleague at work's wife has just found out she's got BC too, so it's all a bit doom and gloom. At least he can help his friend through though.

RWU, hoping you're still okay. + SR keep drinking the water. Am wishing you both no side effects.

bloody Nora.... I feel rough! Managed to get out to toddler group earlier but fell asleep on the big squishy lion

good luck for chemo for those due, I am going to be asleep for a few more days I think!

Poor RWU At leasy it got you out of toddler games

Good luck for all those with treatment looming - Pennies, SR (no exepreince here of chemo tablets but hope they stay OK)

Still reeling in horror from MAS's blood story

Back bad again here today - bloody yoga! Usually it helps, but yesterday we were doing this thing where I could feel something crunching at the base of my spine every time I waved my left leg about. And now we are off again! Aaargh!! I think I really do need to phone for that physio clinic, don't I, while I can pinpoint the seat of the pain so accurately

Hi, the chemo by tablet is the 'c' in 'cmf' and I think its cyclophosphamide but can't check on the box right now as a nice lady is ironing for me and I can't get past! I feel a bit icky but not as bad as on Epirubicin. Trouble is I gather the ickiness lasts for quite a long time as you take the tablets for 14 days each cycle.

Lenny line seems ok still.

Have got 2 gardeners in today - hooray - they are savagely pruning everything which has needed doing for about 5 years.

Hope meal is/ was nice Pennies - sorry , can't remember when it was/is

Will slope off and have quiet day while all these people tidy up my house and garden! Took DS to school after he'd had a lie in to recover from History GCS yesterday which went well but seemed to wear him out! Left arm not brill for changing gear due to Lenny.

rwu, poor you. Hope you're safe in your bed and feeling as comfortable as you can. How long does it usually last for you, or does the trial make it unknown?? Am sending you sleep -through-it-all-to-the-other-side vibes.

Cakes, was going to ask you about your back. Stop dithering woman and go get it sorted. Horrible to be in pain, and not good to worry that everything you do will set it off either.

SR hope the ickiness goes rather than builds. Glad Lenny's behaving though. I like the sound of your Gardeners. Ours isn't very big, but is absurdly in need of a haircut. Looks wild out there, though the cat loves it.

Pennies how you doing? Was the meal divine? Has the transfusion made a massive difference?

I just had a cup of coffee. I know that's teeny, but haven't had one since a few days pre-chemo. felt not quite right due to strange tasting mouth, but still makes me feel normal. Hooray for small things.

Hooray indeed. Sometimes they make all the difference. It's great when you are able to do something you enjoy again.

You are quite right, I shall make the appt now.

I spent yesterday pm at a photoshoot in a very rough part of Birmingham. To say it was intimidating is an understatement. Our photographer had a very expensive load of equipment and I was trying to stand near it sort of protectively, then turned round to see a couple of yoofs trying to intimidate poor snapper, who was holding a rather smart camera. Two of us dashed over to try and look like a crowd (I am not sure we were that convincing )nd we were just about holding our own, until the snapper called them 'lowlifes'. Boy was I glad when it started to rain and we could leave.

Where was it Cakes? I am from a v.rough part of Birmingham. Sounds scary though.

6 hours of gardening Pennies - wow ! hope your dinner was good. Hope dh enjoys Crowded House too What restaurant did you choose ?
smee - glad to hear that the nausea is better- hope it continues to be
Have a really good sleep RWU !
Cakes - what a pain about your back - definitely off to the physio for you.
SR - glad that Lenny is behaving and that you have help in ! poor ds -the exams must be very tiring. Apparently ds is doing yr 8 exams but hadn't bothered to tell me (probably because I'd've nagged about revision - I am not like my friend S who constantly checks the school's website for info- I should i suppose)
Hooray for coffee smee !
Book group yesterday (the White Woman on a Green bicycle) -very good book-recommended - though it took me a while to get into. Ate many crisps and drank wine.
Feeling really nervy and churned up -think it's anxiety -have been having anxiety dreams every night- partly the strawberry tea which is coming up -am very nervous about that !

I'm pleased the nausea is easing a bit Smee, nice you were able to have a coffee - you are right its the little things that make you feel 'normal' again. Trip to the park with DS sounds fun.

Poor you RWU - I hope you feel a little bit less knocked for six today. Am smiling at the vision of you asleep on the big lion at toddlers though

Cakes OW to the back, get that physio onto it, and see if it helps, do you have any kind of support belt type thing meanwhile, that might help, - or is it too high up?
Photography session sounds very scary.

SR of your ironing lady, having her and the gardeners will be a real help for you. I had CMF - but mine was two lots of intravenous (I think others on my trial were getting it in tablet form though). Hope you don't feel icky for too long.

Hope the meal was good Pennies, sounds like you are really pushing on with the gardening - don't knock yourself out too much. Do you have a compost bin at you allotment? I'm getting quite into composting at the moment - it's very satisfying.

DS looked at flats yesterday, and found a really nice one overlooking the sea So he and his friend are hoping they will get it.

In case anyone is interested, DS has his new website up and sort of running (not many of the links work yet, but will soon be fully operational) I'll put it up if you want to have a look. He owns the company, which he's been building up over the last few years and if you click on company members then directors, you will see DS - he is Richard.