Love it ( and big Willy ) 
I also busted open a mince pie today! Love them.
Thought Iād make the most of being able to taste it, I can feel my chemo tongue coming back this evening so taste is going to go out the window.
Iām hoping to get mine up at the end of the month. Iāve my girlfriends visiting from Bath and Cambridge on the 1st Dec and was thinking I might just cook a Christmas dinner too, go the full works lol
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Providing thereās no more delays, my last treatment should be Boxing Day, although I spoke to the nurse today and theyāre only open for blood tests that day, so Iām guessing my last treatment will be 27 December. It should have been 12 December but Iāve had two delays 
Iāve got an appointment to meet the oncologist who will be taking charge of radiotherapy at the end of this month. Iām guessing itāll start mid to late Jan?
Itās really good your work have been supportive with sick pay. Iāve been doing a bit of work over the past couple of weeks but just little bits and pieces. I think my proper phased return will be mid to late Feb. Bit apprehensive about already it as my brain is mush 
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Haha I did my MA on Shakespeare and my sisters got me the big Willy pic thinking it was funny, but I love it
Oh no not mince pies, Iām not a fan 
Our local baker does Christmas pies, literally pies filled with turkey, stuffing, pigs in blankets, carrots and roast potato! So good but so, so bad
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Iāll do a phased return too. I go onto half pay 6th Dec for 3 weeks then im supposed to return to work for 14 days to qualify for my next full pay starting in Jan, but they have said they will forgo it so thats very kind of them and im very grateful. Ive been off since mid june so thatāll be 7 months by the time I return which is slightly terrifying 
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Omg they sound lush!!!
Just catching up with everything! Love the Christmas tree @sharlou ! Itās so great that some of you are thinking about the end of chemo being in sight. I was a (late) Sept starter but Iāve had one delay already and Iām due for 6 cycles 3-weekly, so currently my last cycle is due mid Jan. Not sure how long theyāll wait to start the radiotherapy but I do know Iām getting 15 fractions so thatās another 3 weeks. My sister had radiotherapy in July and she wasnāt really for to return to work til 3-4 weeks afterwards due to fatigue, which may have been partly due to getting used to the Tamoxifen. Iām not sure if Iāll start Tamoxifen before or after the radiotherapy. At this stage I canāt see me being back at work til at least mid March. Iāll be on to half pay mid Jan, but I might see if I can resume work but use my leave to get more time off but fully paid. Iām sure Iāve stacks of leave as Iāve been off since July.
Can anyone remind me whoās organising the WhatsApp group about a potential meet-up? Iām in NI so it might not be that easy for me to get over, but Iād like to be in the loop and see what I can do.
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I know, Iām dreading rebuilding my fitness afterwards. Thatās impressive youāre still getting out. Iāve been so sick Iāve barely managed, but today I did a short 15-20 min walk. I was properly puffed afterwards! I think Iāll just have to trust that the time to rebuild will come!!!
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Well done luckyduck1! No 4 done and first docetaxel, thatās a milestone! I know what you mean about the long days - exhausting. Hope you got better sleep post chemo than pre.
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Ahhhh so good! Looks lovely. I think weāre getting a real tree so Iām making myself wait so it doesnāt die before Christmas day (ha!) but very keen to get it up asap! Just need some cheeriness around the house when Iām stuck in it!
Really, really hope you donāt have any more delays and you can get this all done before the end of the year. Also, your bakerās pies sound to die for!
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Sleep still not good, awake for 3hrs last last night from about 2.30 with Sophie Ellis Bexter new song doing the rounds in my head on a loop alongside Becky Hill - my heart goesā¦ while planning my future ring the bell party. I finally got up abot 6.30 Itās like the steroids switch my adhd brain back on after everything else switched it off. Last day of double dose steroids today so hopefully it will settle, but my brain is wired that way even before this. Stress and anxiety can make it worse.
Sorryā¦not sleeping just makes everything worse. Sending you strength for the days when you feel really tired. Also love that youāre planning a party when you are awake! My go to has been listening to podcasts because at least I can keep my eyes closed then and sometimes i drift off.
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Rosegardens collecting number via private messsge facility on here and setting up the WhatsApp group for you all I believe 
Shi xx
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Thanks Shi, yes I have started to set up a gettogether and keep in touch whatsapped group for us in this forum yesterday and happy to add September forum members if you message me privately on this platform by clicking on my name at the top.
Love your bright Christmas tree Sharlou - 
and will decorate my little olive and lemon tree with some lights for now - brought him to our living room yesterday even to save them from the cold. Just gets dark to early outside, donāt like it.
Sorry Lucky Duck about Sleep troublesā¦ steroids are trouble. Hope you get some more sleep tonightā¦
Had my first work meeting for some time today online, and it felt good to talk about ideas and felt kind of human. And also managed a short walk with the dog in the sunshine. But now feeling kaputt on the sofa energy so limited.
And discovered the start of a cold sore yesterday which I tend to get once a year when my immune system is run down but I donāt want it now to get into the way off next tuesdays 3rd cycle so letās hope it will disappear with the usual ointment. nurse was positiveā¦ and my temperature is normal so trying to stay calm and not get to worriedā¦
Love to all, and I kind of want a lovely pie and Christmas treats now. Thanks for sharing the joyā¦
Rose
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Well paclitaxel is going ahead tomorrow. I feel a bit sick with nerves. In fact I feel more nervous about this than I did my first chemo! I think Iām getting wimpier not braver
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Paclitaxel isnāt too bad although Iām glad Iāve only got 3 more. Main things are an upset stomach and neuropathy. My mouth hurts too so I use mouthwash 4 times a day. Iāve not felt sick though and donāt take anti sickness meds just the pre meds which I changed as the first ones gave me constipation and toilet issues.
So I got my CT results today. My 2 lung nodules have reduced by 1-2 mm which may be due to having it at a different hospital but he wants me to have another in 2.5 months before my op which he thinks will be in January now. I also have a node above my collarbone on the other side that is enlarged due to a covid jab he thinks a month ago so heās letting me know if the radiologist thinks an ultrasound is a good idea. He thinks I should have all my nodes removed not just level 1 which the other oncologist I spoke to originally said he thinks will be fine!
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Itās so hard when you get different opinions! Understandable, but a bit unsettling. I really hope the next scan shows even MORE shrinkage so you can be confident it really is a result, and not just a different hospital measuring.
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It wears you down, doesnāt it? I also think itās way harder to be brave when you know some of what is coming and there are no memories of anything going wrong or horrible side effects. But you HAVE got this, and think of how much you have got through already, including all those awful delays. Itās good itās going ahead, in some ways I think itās just better when things are moving as the waiting and extending treatment time is so hard. All the VERY best for tomorrow!
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I went to a Look Good, Feel Better makeup workshop today and it was so good. It was a lot of effort and energy for me to go but Iām so glad I made the effort - it was really worth it. Iād recommend it to anyone who can get to one. Basically they have made up goody bags of make up donated from different brands - they try to make it so that everyone has one of each thing needed for a full face of makeup (or more or less) and then for the rest of the workshop, they show you how to use it/you use the goodybag to put on makeup, with tips. It really felt like a pampering, and there are some really good brands in there too. Of course the colours arenāt perfect as it isnāt individualised, but we made it work and it made me feel pampered in way I havenāt much since treatment started. Worth looking in to if you can get to one near you.
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