**TAMOXIFEN** 4th thread

[MaryAnnSingleton]

here we go !

Camping out Haggis - sounds good fun. And nice and cool.

Smee - I shall send you another not very subliminal message, by announcing cake is great success - very yummy and moist and fruity.

Hi, yes last rads is tomorrow - can hardly believe it. They've gone very fast. Today on the way home with a friend we went to the farm shop and had coffee and scones and I bought peaches and blueberries to make that cake! Also rhubarb which I've cooked to make a crumble tomorrow.

OK, these exercises. I will check to see if they're on the hospital web-site with diagrams which would be easier, but here we go anyway;

1. Shrugging shoulder up and down as high as you can as in the post-op exercises. X10 (all of these that follow are also x10)

2.Clasp hands together, stretch arms out straight in front of you. Raise both hands, keeping elbows straight, up as high as you can.

3.Sitting in a dining room chair, with back supported, place hands behind back, elbows pointing forward. Move elbows apart and back as far as poss. then bring forward again.

1. The towel exercise as post-op exercise, but verticaslly. is hold towel above head and behind your back with your good arm. Grab bottom of towel with arm being exercised. Pull upwards brinigng lower arm up as far as poss. Hold for 10 seconds.

Then same but with arms reversed.

5.Sit with back straight and feet firmly on floor. Pull shoulder baldes forwards as far as poss then pull them back together while taking arms back as far as poss.

6.Roll shoulders in both directions.

7.Standing leaning forward and with good arm on a surface. Let other arm hand relaxed staright down. You may hold a small weight less than 6oz. Swing arm forwards and backwards, taking it quite high (to get the stretch)

1. The one above is taking arm up and down at your side. Now do similar but swinging it at your front.

I hope all this makes sense! I realise I'd forgotten the one about shoulder baldes so its a good thing I've re-read the leaflet!

I fell asleep this afternoon for a couple of hours - first time for months - rads must be having some effect.

I confess I cleaned the living room skirting boards yesterday- made quite a difference. Hadn't touched them for a few years!! MAS - you probably wouldn't feel; v. relaxed in my house! Would you like to come and clean our shower by any chance?

yay for tomorrow SR and crumble and cake and KK it does sound most delicious - did dog have a taste too ?
Hello smee and hello haggis !

cake and crumble- mmmmmmmm!

We seem to a right bunch ATM! I'm getting a bit brighter- thanks for thinking of me! I find rl very difficult so I'm concentrating on that before I jump back into forum life with both feet iyswim! It's all stemmed from my inability to accept things and spending too much time and energy putting on a 'show' for others. I find face to face contact very tiring all of a sudden incase I get asked a question I'm not expecting or don't have a pre-thought-out answer to.

Love to you all, hope the weekend brings some better weather!

Ps I have managed to grow A tomato- just the one!!!!

yay for your tomato RWU ! we haven't any yet...
hope you are feeling a bit brighter - we think of you often. I can see that it'd be very hard to deal with people's questions and feeling you have to put on a bright face- exhausting thing to do.
I should work this w/end and not think of baking any cakes ! (but i am very happy to hear all about everyone's baking :-) )

Hi to all!

I'm with smee, all this talk of cake is a bit much - I've joined the abstinence thread as well, y'know, and this just isn't helping, the cakes on here always sound fab. Hope the dog got a bit. Our Jack Russell was always big on cake (and Mars Bars, he used to have his own treat sized one )

RWU - a tomato. Yay! Is it red yet? We have a few this year (got none last time round) but none are taking the plunge and going red, despite blazing heat. Growing stuff is quite therapeutic though, I find. My sweet peas are going great guns and smell fab.

Good to hear from a camping Haggis (most brave), and all of you getting on and doing stuff.

Yay for last rads SR, don't do too much over the weekend, am sure you know it keeps getting more tender for a few days. Thanks for those esercise I am going to print them off and do them, along with the physio for my dodgy back and ankle. Sigh. What a crock.

Have the partying weekend to end all partying weekends, starting tonight, so it was possibly a bad time to sign up to the abstinence thread. I may only manage to stick to the spirit of the thing rather than the actuality for a day or two.

Whatever you do, riotous or relaxing (and that is surely the best option) - enjoy it! xx

Oh, no. 3 exercise should read put hand behind back of your head, not your back! Have just notieced.

RWU - you are one tomatoe ahead of me then!! Well done. Sorry about the struggles to deal with RL, and to deal with other people. Really hard for you. Thinking of you a lot and sending virtual hugs.

I am hoping to walk the Race for Life on Sunday - I've run it twice in the past but as I haven't walked 5k since last December I'll be pleased iof I can do it.

Enjoy the tennis this afternoon for those of you who watch! I should be back from rads in time and will be a nervous wreck - I hope AM is on top form!

Back from walk to school with a take out coffee. A symbolic gesture as my taste buds aren't ready, but it felt important!

RWU, the whole public face front must be a sod. Why not use us to growl about it a bit more? We can accept all and any you wish to throw at us am sure. The tomato made me smile. We had one teeny Strawberry earlier in the week, but DS couldn't wait, so ate it even though it was barely pink.

• thanks to SR. I have copied and pasted your exercises for when it's my turn. Intriguing how some aren't even told to exercise. Will be curious to see what I'm told when I get that far. Hope you feel elated and not strange by finishing today.

Off to sniff my coffee now.

Grumpy old Andy Murray- still,hope he does win - his mum scares me a bit...
Hope last rads is fine for you today SR and that you can celebrate, but take it easy -emotionally & physically.
Good luck too with Race for Life !
Happy partying Cakes - what are you wearing to these beanos ?
mmm,coffee - I always make real coffee in my little espresso pot -partly because it smells so wonderful...am off to meet friend at Costa shortly -other friend can't come as cat has hurt it's leg
Take care everyone x

How will staying away from coffee shop help cat's leg? [Intrigued]

SR, you put me to shame, I was meant to walk the Race for Life on Sunday as well, but have cancelled owing to too much fun stuff to do - we have paid the money and will send a donation, but I feel a bit mean about not entering into the spirit. But I feel in need of some fun.

As to clothing, not really sure. None of them are swish do's. All are raucous get togethers - we have a copule of festivals around here this weekend with bands playing in fields and on pub car parks: we are using these as the backdrop to a couple of birthday celebrations. So clothes-wise i am thinking I will go bright but casual. I have a fab new pair of bright orange trousers with batik patterns on them (go with it, they really are nice if you can handle an ethnic vibe) which will get an outing: am not sure what else.

I am quite interesting to see what happens at the pub tomorrow - last year, the teacher who MAY be dd's new one next term - was roaring drunk (and most of us weren't strictly sober, but she was in a league apart). She was happy drunk and fun, but I'll be interested to see if it happens agai. (Not in a judgey way, I just want to see how much fun she really is )

There may be war here next week - the school trip is to a fab location this summer and loads of Mums volunteered to go - far too many in faxt. I was green that I had not thought to volunteer myself - but I have now been ASKED {preening emoticon] to go, and I know some of the volunteers have been knocked back.

Enjoy the coffee date MAS, enjoy the coffee fumes, smee. Hope you all enjoy the tennis, will be working myself, but it beats starving, I suppose!

Woop.... TWO tomatoes and three strawberries (all green!!) i haven't managed to kill them off!

ooh yay, I can see a rather nice (though small) salad coming on

will go out and see if I can boast about our carrots !
Coffee was nice though I felt a bit flat - the friend is very intense. Cat friend had to find the cat to take it to the vet !
Nice new pens and inks arrived in the post- I love buying new materials - I have a new colour called Asian Lime.
Got ds a Berol handwriting fountain pen - i wonder how he'll do with it - I love proper ink for writing with.
Trousers sound cool ! And well done for being selected to go on school trip
Well done RWU !

Oh knickers - I've just written a really long post, and managed to delete it - pressed ctrl instead of shift.

haven't got the energy to rewrite it all but wishing everyone a great weekend - partying or relaxing or 5k walking, coffee sniffing or coffee drinking .

Well done on finishing rads SR, take it easy over the weekend.

RWU tomatoes and strawberries yum ! Feel for you with the RL contact, and unexpected questions, it must be very hard to deal with. Come and shout at us whenever you feel like it, loads of love and hugs coming your way xx

Hope things looking a bit brighter today pennies, and you can enjoy a relaxing WE.

Trousers sound funky Cakes go for it.

I've been to keep fit (more appropriately 'keep fat' in my case!). Going to the fete tomorrow.

DD coming back Monday or Tuesday, she's currently in Vienna - can't wait to see her

ooh exciting, well-travelled dd returning!

Congrats on keep fitting, I've just swum 60 lengths without stopping for a wheeze (that's prob only 30 in a full size pool but still v. proud). Am a bit purply now though.

Good weekend to all!

Don't want to hijack this thread, but am very proud of my DS thread here - I've come over all emotional.

wow KK - you should be extremely proud - wobbly of course- but glowing with pride - a hero

Thank you MAS

KK - very well done to your DS. That's fantastic. I feel emotional too!

RWU - am very impressed by your garden produce!! And especially after you've been so quiet on the Gardener's World front!!

Ho to everyone. Yes I am pleased I've finished rads though the 3 more months of chemo means I don't feel cel;ebratpry really. Just gald I've got the rads in now so that when chemo finishes that should be treatment over apart from the dreaded Tamoxifen of course (when I will finally be legit on this thread )

Cakes - not sure about that teacher!! (moral judgement emoticon)

Well done those of you keeping fit. Just hope I can make the 5k walk tomorrow as feel rather fat at the mo. Now rads over must get back to daily walk. I did a circuit yesterday but only 3k. Lots of friends and colleagues are running tomorrow so I have to go as I'm the star attraction apparantly . Will put one of my very bright sun-hats on and hope for the best. Hm, bright ethnic trousers would be good but haven't got any suitable. Will go for my pale pink long shorts with fuschia Race for Life t-shirt.

good luck SR !!
New freezer has just arrived - seems huge- dh adjusting it's feet and waiting for it to settle.

KK- how brave of your DS - no wonder you are proud. How is he feeling about it all now?
Long news coming up (sorry)....
I'm just back from my one night camping trip and it was fabulous. The last time I went camping was this weekend last year. I remember it well because it was the week before my diagnosis and I was awake all night worrying and listening to torrential rain and thunder (DH, as usual, having more sense and stayed at home). Anyway, I promised DS I would take him camping again as soon as I was welll enough hence last nights trip. We went to a site at Portsoy (small village on NE coast - v. beautiful) - spent most of my summer hols there at my granny's when I was a kid. The campsite is right on the beach and DS spent most of his time in the sea or the nearby burn. Weather was fab and 2 friends turned up to help me pitch on Fri night. Lovely.....

SR - so impressed you are doing the walk tomorrow and well done on finishing another stage.

RWU - great to hear from you - I think you are a secret gardener after all....

Pennies - hope you are feeling a bit brighter.

Cakes - at your social life.

MAS - agree about fountain pens. I love writing with them and use them at work (that place i haven't been for a year now ). DH bought me a really old fountain pen when DS was born. I love nice paper too just don't seem to get round to writing letters much anymore.

Anyway, hope you are all having a good weekend with lovely weather.

haggis -camping trip sounds fab !

Haggis, camping does sound fab. We're heading to the NE for a week soon, so I will note down that beach as it sounds perfect. Must have felt weird being back there a year on and reflecting. How brilliant too to be through!

Kurri, your son; wow! Am mightily impressed. Bet you're excited about DD's return tomorrow too.

MAS, your freezer settling in sounds like a maiden aunt! Hope she soon yields goodies. Ice cream's essential in a new freezer. We got one last year, and DS and I went on a special trip to find yummy things to stuff it with. Not that they lasted long

Go SR!! Says she from a very sedentary position. Am sure you'll do it, then collapse tonight. Brilliant thing to have done, you're shaming me. And fantastic that you're through another bit of the treatment slog. Bit of a big weekend for you all round.

• cakes, 60 lengths?! blimey. I could do that maybe in a paddling pool. Am inspired though, so will go swimming tomorrow now; thanks for the virtual prod.

Waving to Pennies and RWU and wishing you well.

DH is downstairs cutting DS's hair. They've set up a mini barbers salon in the living room. Am sure he could set up in business, as it's like a small boy's heaven. He gets to watch a dvd and eat snacks while DH fusses round. Gives me time to potter without interruption, so works all round.

Happy Sunday to all then.

bless your dh cutting ds's hair smee - my ds loathed it and when we braved the hairdressers it was hugely traumatic (mum says we were the same) He's fine now, but won't have clippers anywhere near his head !
Have washed my lovely mohair-y blanket by hand which was heavy and I got soaked - should dry quickly in this breeze.
Ds not interested in baking his cookies today -so I might have too though I should be working.
Maiden-aunt freezer is purring away and everything is delightfully chilled - it's so pristine in there and so much bigger...ice cream just being loaded in as dh has been out to replenish.
Have a good day everyone x

Go SR hope you have a good day, don't get too hot and enjoy your walk.

I wish your DH would cut my hair Smee he sounds as if he knows what he's doing,- its like a birds nest. My DH offered, - he cuts his own hair but I said I didn't want to look like Hitler, would prefer to go to the hairdressers.

Great the new freezer is up and running MAS.

Haggis, camping trip sounds as if it was important for you in lots of ways, I'm glad it went well and you and DS had a good time.

I went to a BC fete yesterday, and won a blingtastic watch on the tombola ! seriously think chunky gold plate bracelet and cubic zirconia. I'm going to wear it because I won it.

Going over to DS's flat for the evening, he seems fine now after his dramas of the week (but actually think he was quite shaken up by it all).

DD coming home v. early tuesday morning now. We're driving down to Dover to pick her up. She been to Prague, and is now in Dresden.

Hope everyone else had a good weekend xx