Hi, just checking how you both are ? X

Hi Owen,

We're just enjoyed a short break in Chester. Taking advantage of a wedding present hotel voucher.

The cancer hospital left a message for us saying that they would like to take a CT scan of my wife before our meeting on Tuesday to discuss the results of the brain biopsy. We taking it as a positive proactive action on their part.

I hope your mother is as comfortable as can be.

Hi Owen,

I am so sorry to hear this about your mum. I am thinking of you both and hope that she is comfortable.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Thank you, she is comfortable and that's all you can wish for but very very hard 

Thank you

Hi Owen,

It is so hard. Remember, even when she seems asleep, that that hearing is the last sense to go.

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine 

Thankyou for your kind words 

Hi Nevada,

I have been thinking of you both and just wondered how your wife is keeping. I am glad to see that you enjoyed a break in Chester before her radiotherapy started - this is one of my favourite places.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine,

She's still alive. She coped very well with the chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Early June, subject to blood tests, she might go onto more chemotherapy treatment via tablets.

One setback. She's currently in hospital after a fit. They think it's the swelling from the radiotherapy that caused it.

They're upping her dosage of the anti epileptic medicine to see if that helps

Hi Nevada,

I am glad to hear that you still have her and that she coped well with radiotherapy and chemo. Here's hoping that her blood tests show that more chemo might help. I'm sorryto hear about the fit and hope that increasing her anti-epileptic medicine will help.

How are you bearing up?

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

It's tough. I've downloaded a game on my apple I phone to take my mind off things and it seems to be working. 
 

It's also tough when do not know if it's your partners memory has gone a bit or she is trying to desperately recall a past event, so you raise your voice in case she hasn't heard, then she says don't shout. I wish she would just say I can't remember. You think you are going nuts as well when you've told her something recently and she denies ever hearing it. 
 

When I was doing the 30 number long car journeys so she could receive radiotherapy etc it was like ground hog day.

At the cancer treatment centre we met young men with similar cancer to my wife's, but no ladies of her age.

So do I conclude that Heather might be, because of her previous good health and fitness, one of those 5% who go onto survive 5 years or more ?

With this recent episode, they did a CT scan. The tumour still appears to be the same size, but what was around it has disappeared compared to the CT scan back in February.

Hi Nevada,

It's good to hear that you are managing to distract yourself from your situation at times with your iphone game.

I know exactly what you mean about the memory. My hubby had a quadruple by-pass when he had just turned 50. He took pheumonia immediately after that, then had a stroke the following week. It took 11 months to get this diagnosed, despite getting him admitted to hospital at the time. The consultant advised him to stop work immediately, or he said that he wouldn't see Christmas. That was in September! He got no financial benefit from the Government, because the young chap at the Job Centre who assessed him, stated that he was fit enough to work.

He has just turned 76 and has had several TIA's over the years. He has also developed Diabetes, Vascular Parkinsons, Heart Failure, Hearing problems and now Dementia. As a ex university lecturer and author of 32 technical tomes and a member of MENSA, he is very aware that his memory is failing and this is upsetting him. He is now falling a lot and gets very dizzy and unsteady on his feet. I have had 2 bouts of breast cancer myself. I take regular fits too, so I am not in the best of health to care for him. It's hard to say who is looking after who at times!

 It can be quite frustrating when you have to repeat the same conversation over and over again and I frequently question my own sanity, when he too denies that the conversation ever took place. When you attend the centres for treatment you often meet young people who are worse off. This is a terrible disease, which is affecting a large proportion of the population. I do hope that Heather may be able to survive for 5 years or more, because of her previous good health and fitness.

It sounds as if her chemo has made some difference, when the area surrounding the tumour  is looking so much better than it was at her last scan, in February.

Please keep in touch. I am always here if you want to chat.

Kind regards,

Jolamine 

Hi Nevada,

It's good to hear that you are managing to distract yourself from your situation at times with your iphone game.

I know exactly what you mean about the memory. My hubby had a quadruple by-pass when he had just turned 50. He took pheumonia immediately after that, then had a stroke the following week. It took 11 months to get this diagnosed, despite getting him admitted to hospital at the time. The consultant advised him to stop work immediately, or he said that he wouldn't see Christmas. That was in September! He got no financial benefit from the Government, because the young chap at the Job Centre who assessed him, stated that he was fit enough to work.

He has just turned 76 and has had several TIA's over the years. He has also developed Diabetes, Vascular Parkinsons, Heart Failure, Hearing problems and now Dementia. As a ex university lecturer and author of 32 technical tomes and a member of MENSA, he is very aware that his memory is failing and this is upsetting him. He is now falling a lot and gets very dizzy and unsteady on his feet. I have had 2 bouts of breast cancer myself. I take regular fits too, so I am not in the best of health to care for him. It's hard to say who is looking after who at times!

 It can be quite frustrating when you have to repeat the same conversation over and over again and I frequently question my own sanity, when he too denies that the conversation ever took place. When you attend the centres for treatment you often meet young people who are worse off. This is a terrible disease, which is affecting a large proportion of the population. I do hope that Heather may be able to survive for 5 years or more, because of her previous good health and fitness.

It sounds as if her chemo has made some difference, when the area surrounding the tumour  is looking so much better than it was at her last scan, in February.

Please keep in touch. I am always here if you want to chat.

Kind regards,

Jolamine