Hi - I know secondary bc and Christmas can make a bit of a mixed festive period - so perhaps we could share things we are doing or looking forward to doing to give us all a boost?
Today I put my tree up. The house isn a real mess - but the tree looks great. The best thing was doing it TOGETHER with OH and kids. Their excitement and dancing to cheesey Christmas songs was fab! Better go and tidy the house…or maybe not!!!
Hugs and festive smiles,
Sadie Xx Xx
I love putting the tree up - am going to leave it for about ten days though as I can’t stand the thought of that many days of pine needle droppings!
In the midst of chemo at the moment and feeling mostly rubbish, so I have bought all my presents, wrapped about 90 per cent of them and today have written all my cards ready for posting - just in case I don’t feel up to it in a few days’ time. Have never been so organised, lol!
Christmas isn’t always easy for everyone with secondaries and much as I love this time of year (or did) I’m trying to just view the whole thing as just another normal day or days - just with a bit more food, drink and expense than usual!
Lesley xx
Hi Sadie,
We’ve just spent a fun hour starting to decorate the house. Tree will go up next weekend. I just love having the decorations up & LOTS of fairy lights!!! Takes me about 10 minutes to switch them all off again at bedtime!!!
I have my final Taxol on Tuesday, so a bit of a grotty week coming up, but then can start looking forward to a peaceful Christmas. Should have had 18 Taxols but as it’s worked so well they’ve decided to stop at 12, so an added Christmas present for me & also the best present.
I’ve also tried to be super organised this year, due to having chemo, so feel I’m coming to the end of shopping now, about halfway through wrapping, but no cards written yet!! Hate that job!!!
I wish all you lovely ladies a peaceful & restful Christmas with friends, families & loved ones.
Dugsy xxx
I missed Christmas in 2003 as I was diagnosed with my bone mets and bc a few days before Christmas when my hip spontaneously fractured. I was given my new shiny hip replacement on Christmas Eve (useful present) and didn’t get home until the New Year. So, now, I enjoy every darn minute of Christmas. I’ve got some carols on in the background as I type this. 
Wishing you all a very ‘Merry Christmas’…and good chemo results, good treatments with the very kindest of side effects in 2012…x
What a lovely idea for a thread!
I wasn’t as drastic as you Belinda, but did miss my Christmas food in 2008 when I was having tax for my primary BC and was just at the worst point of the cycle for getting food down - having cooked the whole works with my husband for our family plus my Mum and brother, I couldn’t swallow any of it, so ended up with a mug of Bovril! The happy ending though was that I promised the children we would do another Christmas meal in the spring, and we now do that every year: roast turkey and all the trimmings, crackers and party hats, and it’s wonderful.
I made our cake last night, which smelt lovely as it was baking. I’m on Abrxane at the moment, but checking the dates should still be able to enjoy my Christmas meal this year, fingers crossed.
Merry Christmas everyone,
J xx
Sadie
What a really good idea for a thread. We all need something to look forward to.
I am really looking forward to Christmas. I was diagnosed in July, had 2 ops, lumpectomy and auxillary clearance. I am having my 3rd FEC tomorrow so will be halfway through chemo and hopefully at my best for Christmas.
My family all live away and are coming home for Christmas. ~Bought most of my presents on the internet. Cards have been written and posted. Christmas tree put up yesterday. Some of the Christmas decs today. I am so looking forward to Christmas especially as I didn’t manage to have a summer holiday this year because of my ops.
So wishing you all a really good Christmas and all the best for the New Year and that all our health improves nex year.
A
Hi all we put a few bits up yesterday and tree in week as just decorated so few bit to tidy I started wrapping Xmas pressie y day hate that job lol i love Xmas I got married on Xmas eve so extra special to me out to shops wed get more bits so lucky I’m not on chemo at Xmas tc all Laura
This Christmas is SOOOO different for me… in a good way.
Last year I was suffering bad SEs from weekly taxol - which didn’t work for me 
The year before, I was on EC chemo and lost my hair for the first time.
This year I’m “only” on capecitabine… and hubby retired in March so he can help and he does (with strict instructions from me, lol)
Had a big card-writing session yesterday. Top priority was for those who have not heard from us this year… well, you know how it is, living with secondaries, some aspects are difficult.
I’ve never been much good at tree+ house decorations, so they go up later. But I’m looking forward to this Thursday’s late-night shopping evening in our suburban village, joining in the carol-sing (tho no mulled wine for me, it’s a tablet “week on”) and to getting to church on 25th for first time since 2008.
Very best wishes to all, “peace on earth and goodwill”. x
What a good idea for this thread. I was really looking forward to being able to celebrate 10 years since primary diagnosis in Nov. 2001 and thought I had cracked it!! but now have bone mets so Xmas will be special in a different way. We have to make the most of every day but it will be good to be with friends and family.
Love to all
Rosie
xxxxxx
I did my supermarket shopping online yesterday - big shop the day before chemo to make sure we don’t starve! Anyway decided to order everything needed to make Christmas Cake and Pudding (I know its late!) - reckon that most of the ingredients will keep if I can’t summon the energy to bake. Usually I don’t have the time to bake - this year it will be a treat - and an excellent way of getting a sneaky dose of brandy once the cake has been “fed” a few times.
Who would deny a chemo patient a big slice of cake afterall!
Sue
I am a real Christmas person, probably being born at Christmas helps!
Yet all my ‘knocks’ have come at Christmas! 2006 I was diagnosed with primary BC on 22nd December, but had to go back on 29th to discuss treatment options, so spent the whole Christmas in a kind of limbo. We were hosting a party that night and I remember decorating our artificial tree (I still like a huge real one in the living room) and sobbing constantly wondering if I would see Christmas again! I did think that when ever I heard Christmas music I would think back to that day of tears. Yet the following year, rads had finished, my hair was starting to look almost normal I felt fantastic ready to go back to work and normality. This positivity and huge enjoyment of every Christmas tradition lasted for the next 3 years!
Then last November the next knock - liver mets. We went to the Christmas markets in Berlin and I remember wanting to buy a lovely glass decoration and my husband wouldn’t let me, as he said he wouldn’t be able to look at it if I wasn’t there next Christmas. However I have survived another year and am planning a fantastic Christmas. I have finally realised (even this year after my latest knock of brain mets)that I am wasting time worrying about what will happen, what will be will be and I am not going to spoil Christmas crying that I possibly won’t be there next year.
One consolation of my WBR is that I am signed off sick until January, so have time on my hands…my cards are all written, tree bought and decorated, presents nearly all bought, mostly wrapped. So now going to sit back and enjoy all the Christmas build up.
I too wish everyone a fantastic Christmas, free of chemo SEs! and a really healthy 2012! I look forward to Sadie restarting this thread next year!
Enjoying this thread…
Nicky65 - Love your positive attitude!!
Alice Cl - yummy - can I share the slice of cake??
Rosie - Thanks for sharing. Different, but still good!!
MrsBlue - Enjoy the shopping and a more positve Christmas.
Laura64 - Happy Anniv as well as Happy Christmas.
Audreytoo - I share your wish for a healthy New Year!
Geewhiz - Bovril!!! Hope the turkey this year is better.
Belinds - Christmas in hospital does niot sound like fun! I hope this year is better - I can hear your singing from here!!
Dugsy - Wow youve done well!! 12 and finishing. I did all 18 but the last ones did not have such a positive effect so stopping early would have been beter - maybe!! Happy Christmas.
Lesley - We have an artificial tree. Not quite the same, but the leaves dont fall! Enjoy your real one!!
A couple of mad things - I hid the kids and OH Advent callender and lost them!!! Ive been hunting high and low. Found them 10 mins ago behind the fridge! No recall of putting them there at all - well it was chemo week last week! My daughter came home full of excitement as she is reading at the school Carol Service and told me last week -again, no recall of this so was exciting hearing all about it again!!! Take care all and HAPPY DECEMBER 5th TO ALL!!!
Sadie Xx Xx
Hello and festive wotsits to all you lovely secondaries ladies.
Appreciating that you have particularly poignant thoughts about Christmas that you would want to share with each other, I’ve started a thread for primaries and secondaries people who want to share the difference between this Christmas and past ones, and of course hopes for future Christmases.
CM
x
share.breastcancercare.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=34891
really looking forward to this christmas.Spent part of Christmas 2009 in hospital with chest infection following chemo on christmas eve.Last year we moved house just before Christmas so too exhausted and confused to do much!
Am making up for it this year.Have gone a bit overboard with the christmas stockings,but heyho had fun filling them.My son is 38 and my dil 32 but they got withdrawal symptoms the last 2 years as no stockings filled with goodies.I still send them advent calenders as well.
Busy writing the cards and making my shopping list ready for baking session I have planned for next week.
Went to see the movie New Years Eve tonight so getting into the Christmas spirit.
Have also booked a short trip to Lanzarote early jan so off to shops tomorrow hoping I can find something to wear amongst the winter woollies.
Best Christmas gift was scan results last month,bone mets stable and tumours slightly smaller(smaller is good).
Seasons greetings to all,hoping for a hopefully good se’s free Christmas and to successful treatments.
Just going to test the choccies to make sure they will not go off before Chritmas.
Love Lucinda xx
Well I have to admit I have eaten a tin of roses over the last week…it was very tempting as I had a couple everytime I went in the kitchen! The diet will have to wait.
Not bought the tree yet…my youngest son (3) keeps asking so we might this weekend if I can find the decorations in my cupboard that is full of everything! Finished shopping today…my hips just about lasted! Just have to wrap everyhting up if I can remember where everything is lol! My memory is getting worse…left my car keys in a friend’s car yesterday and I raced around after her so I could get them back- Oh dear!
Anyway have a good Christmas everyone xxxx
Hi Racer,
You are not the only one whose memory is getting worse. I fancied one of those big tins of sweets for Christmas, and got as far as putting one in my basket in M&S…
I’ve been regretting not buying them ever since, until today - when I found them in the back of the car, along with the newspaper I had treated myself to at the same time (I usually just catch up on the news online) - dated 21st November!! I’ve been driving round with them for nearly three weeks, having totally forgotten about buying them!! Thankfully my taste test reveals that they have survived pretty well…
J x
An unexpected treat…finding the chocolates in the boot of the car!! WOW. I will check mine in the morning and hope!!
Christmas hugs to all! I went shopping with my mum yesterday for a new coat. The zip got caught in my scarf and I had to be cut out of it!!! We were laughing so much - it was such a posh shop it made things worse! My scarf is now an unusual shape - the coat was fine!!!
Sadie Xx Xx