Thanks for moving Mandy over.
And hello to Mz, nice to see you again, not many of us left now it seems. Always good to hear an update, xxx
well i managed to move my pic - but it wouldnt let me do it on internet explorer.I had tro use google chrome! I will be back at work a week today Soooo very excited! x
Love to all
QD x
Well here I am in all my dyed ginger glory! That pic was from last month so a few more millimetres growth since then!
Well I’ve finally managed to find my way around this new forum and hopefully this post will appear in the place intended. Haven’t been on for a while and have been trying to catch up with any news. Love the hair Maire in the new profile picture. Judging from what I’ve read most Crackers are still having rubbish days intermingled with the good ones. On the whole I’m basically back to normal but if I get carried away with an energy surge and overdo things then suddenly fatigue hits back and almost knocks my legs from under me. Usually lasts about 36 hours and then I’m ok again. Competed in a dog obedience show on Sunday. Weather was gorgeous, company was great and my dogs worked well for me. Sat in the bath that night and suddenly realised that BC hadn’t entered my mind once that day. It was a good feeling. Just about to go into September and niggling at the back of my mind is the fact that end October/early November will be mammogram time and I’m dreading it. Not the procedure but the result, but I suppose this is going to be how it is for all of us for all time now. Depressing thought.
Has anybody heard from Cybele? I can’t believe she’s been so quiet. Anyway ladies those that are meeting up - have a lovely day and enjoy. Hope everyone is gradually getting back to a new normal.
B
Morning ladies, nice to see a few people popping in.
Tomorrow is Mammo day. Have done a good job of not thinking about it. Mindfully speaking, there is not much point in thinking/worrying about something at a time when you can’t do anything useful about it. That sounds easy…
Went with a friend and her baby to look around Ashridge House yesterday (they only open it on weekdays in August. If it weren’t for BC I would have to go to work and would not be able to go and look). Whilst having cream tea on the terrace a lady I used to play badminton with appeared. She told me she had BC 3 years ago. All fine now. Has anyone not had feccin BC???
Anyway, it was lovely. Apart from my thyroid knackeredness I feel like I am really recovering.
So stuff the mammo. Much more important is that, afterwards, I will be meeting some of you lovely ladies. Really looking forward to that.
Sorry you can’t make it Maire, as the mummy of the thread you should be there. You organise a Northern meet up girl. I will come.
ps, the pics are too small - I can’t really see the hair, but I am sure it is fab.
xxxxx
just typed a load and lost it 
Hi to you all,
Cress good luck for tomorrow i know you will be ok you are a strong cookie, i will be thinking of you, have you made any arrangments as to where we are meeting up, and what time you will be there?
I am struggling with work at the moment i get so tired i cant concentrate i get sent home, so i wonder who will be holding who up tomorrow if we all get tired lol
Looking forward to meeting those who can make it, going to bring my camera so practice your best smiles
Lolly
xx
Hi all
really looking forward to tomorrow!!! ho ho ho ! x
Hope you all have a great time tomorrow. Wish I could make it but will be slogging away at work…and it is a slog. Feeling pretty rotten-feel sure it’s the tamoxifen. Really fed up with things. And just getting so worried about all the odd pains. So I sympathise Lolly.
I’ve been worried about Cybele. Hoping her lung problems are resolving.
Anyway enough gloom and doom from me. Have a great catch up and report back here. I’m hoping there will be some wig swapping (pics please) and a bit of mischief.
Good luck with the mammo Cressida. Just imagine the relief you’ll feel once it’s done!
C’mon! Spill the beans.
Oh, sorry Maire - I was knackered yesterday - not sure what everyone else’s excuse is. Anyway, it was lovely to meet with QD, Lolly and Coyote on the beach at Milton Keynes. QD actually brought Xmas decs and crackers, so we had our Christmas party in an Italian restaurant next to a dinosaur crazy golf course. I had thought about buying some crackers, but taken no actual action, so thank gawd we had a teacher with us. We got a few strange looks and one woman asked if we were trying to beat the christmas rush. Her dinner companion,however, was happy to put on a paper hat. He was probably terrified.
Everyone promised to do it again (maybe without the paper hats) so, hopefully you can join us next time.
xxxx
Had such a laugh in MK that I forgot about the Mammo. It was fine. I didn’t cry. Stupid woman thought my Mx sight (which still hurts) was a good place to shove her hand in order to move me into position for the squash, but otherwise it was OK. Rationally the result has to be clear, as I had a negative result the first time when I had a 10cm tumour, so I can’t see them finding anything this time. So, why would I worry???
Fingers crossed for you Cress. I thouroughly enjoyed myself on Thursday but was totaly knackered on Friday! would definitely do it again. it was such a laugh! however I think everyone should bring the most outrageous hat they possess and we can have a hat show. im sure i could rustle up a red carpet…x
Sounds great fun. Wish I could’ve been there.
Why do we need hats when you model them sooo well QD! lol I had a great time and a great laugh and even managed to get to work on time. Mind, nobody else got to eat any cake…and i hope you have saved my cheese Cress. :womanlol:
not sure we will be able to go to that particular restaurant again
oh i dont know! i think the waitress had a good time - at least we gave her something to talk about!!!
you have to get the cheese Coyotegirl and place it in that drawer!!! and we want a video of the consequences!
QD x
And the cheese has been handed in at the nearest police station. They said they had the perfect evidence drawer for it…
well done mandy!
Well done Cress!!!
QD x
hi, all
sorry for long silence - have not been communicating much with the world in general of late, in any format.
I’m fine, just very very tired of it all.
My CAT scan was clear - the cancer has not spread to my lungs, which was a huge relief. My chronic coughing is now being investigated by a specialist at the Royal Brompton Hospital - he thinks it may be cause by a problem with my sinuses, not my lungs, which came as a bit of a surprise. More tests to come in November. He says a lot of people are misdiagnosed as asthmatic when the cause of their cough is something else. This might explain why the inhalers and oral steroids never made any difference…
This bout of coughing finally died down of its own accord a couple of weeks ago, after a really unpleasant 8 weeks, exacerbated by the huge doses of steroids I was taking.
Feeling a bit better now, physically and mentally, and have FINALLY started taking the Tamoxifen, 4 days ago. So far only side effect is mild nausea. And happily I have huge quantities of anti-nausea meds left after chemo to help with that. I’m feeling very tired, but then I was feeling very tired BEFORE I started taking the Tamoxifen.
How have other people found it? Did you have side effects straight away, or did they build up gradually? Is anyone side effect free? I’ve looked on the hormone therapy thread, but it’s confusing…
Like Mandy, I’m just about at the first anniversary of my diagnosis, and feeling a bit weird about it. Mainly that I should be more over it by now. The 2 months of coughing after rads really did me in, so it feels like I’m starting to recover AGAIN now.
Still, I’m back in the swimming pool, and slowly building up my strength.
Was very, very conflicted about taking the tamoxifen - I have so had it with putting drugs in my body. I know it gives me a 6% increase in survival probability, but it still feels like one treatment too many. Just praying that this time I will get off lightly with the side effects. I read somewhere the other day that only 45% of women keep going with the Tamoxifen for the full five years…
Was sorry to miss the now legendary Milton Keynes meet up - Cress sent me a couple of wonderful photographs pf the event - it was lovely to see you all looking so happy! I will do my utmost to atternd the next one.
Hope you’re all thriving and getting stronger xxxx
ps this new forum layout SUCKS - I can’t believe they have actually m,anaged to make it even less user friendly than the old one - quite an achievement…
pps my post was just rejected ‘because invalid HTML was found in the message body’. There wasn’t any HTML in the message body…
Cybele, so glad to hear you are starting to recover. It is one hell of a bumpy road. I felt really well after chemo and rads but, like you, was very reluctant to take Tamoxifen but have now been taking it for 5 months. My side effects have gradually built up. I have experienced:
flushes - bit clammy and sweaty at time but find it pretty manageable just wear layers and take them off when I get hot. I also get very cold at night and am going to invest in a heavier duvet because I find it hard to warm up in bed.
Sleep disturbances- I used to drop off as soon as I went to bed. Not anymore. It takes a wee while to fall asleep and I wake up during the night and take a while to drop back to sleep again.
Tiredness -Though I’m not ’ sleepy’ tired I just feel not quite fully alert and a bit fuzzy headed. Don’t have my usual energy.
All the above are quite manageable for me and I’m happy to put up with these side effects for the poss benefits.
However the worst side effect for me has been obsessive worrying. Every single ache and pain sends me into a panic about the cancer spreading. I was lucky in that no lymph nodes were involved (but there was spread to a breast node) but I’ve looked at the statistics and a small number of woman in my position are dead within 5 years so I can’t switch the worry off. I now have a really sore hip, chest pains (which I think might be gastric) and had a sudden horrible headache that I convinced myself could be a blood clot. So if I’m not worrying about cancer I’m worrying about bloody Tamoxifen. Oh and my white blood count is low and I’m convinced it’s the tamoxifen.
But every day I pop my pill. I am reluctant to take it for 5 years so I’m giving it 2 years to start with and then I’ll have another think. However if I continue to go downhill I will stop taking it and take my chances.
I think all we can do is give it a go and take it one week at a time. The onc said the first 6 months are the worst, so I’ve only got 1 month to go to feel better (aye right!).Good luck.
The crackers party sounded good. If anyone is heading north please look me up as I’d love to put faces to the names.