Hi Angie,

It's amazing what we can do, when there are no alternatives. Many of us find hidden depths that we never knew we had. It will be a long journey, but don't look at the big picture. Take things day by day, or even hour by hour when necessary. You'll be astounded by how time will fly by.

Please let us know what the MDT decide after Monday's meeting. 

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine 

You are so right. I will definitely let you know once I find out. It's good to have someone to talk to. 

Kind regards 

Angie xx

Hi Angie,

I hope that you hear about the next steps soon and can start to move on. It is so much easier to cope with when you're moving towards a resolution, instead of waiting in limbo. I am here most days and am happy to talk any time.

Jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine

Thats the wheels in motion. The meeting happened today and my case was forwarded to the maxfacial prosthetic technician/nurse. 

She spent a good time on the phone explaining that I would wake up after the operation with a "profile nose" which could be done by me going down for an appointment or as late as preoperation. They use my scans. Etc. Then they wait for my operation to settle and I  get my new nose which will look realistic matching my skin colour and face. I have watched a few videos of people who have a prosthetic nose after cancer and they look great. 

My emotions are up and down. Thinking can they save my nose and not doing so! Just craziness. I suppose thats normal feelings. Then I think of the pain and the cancer spreading further and I know this is the only option. 

I feel exhausted. I need to rest. Thank you kindly for your support. I hope you are well. 

Kind regards 

Angie xx

Hi Angie,

I expect that the "profile nose" is a temporary fix until everything heals. With breast cancer, we get "a softie" until the breast is healed and we can wear a prosthetic. I agree that the prosthetic noses I have seen all look very realistic.

It is only natural to want to save your nose, but when this can't be done without the cancer possibly spreading, what choice do you have? I felt like this about my breasts at first, but had to go with my surgeon's recommendations. I have been very fortunate in that this has so far given me an additional 16 years. In this time, I have seen my children grow up, leave school, go to university, graduate, find gainful employment, fall in love, marry and provide me with 2 beautiful granddaughters. I lost my mum to secondary breast cancer before I was diagnosed and never thought that I'd be lucky enough to see so many of their milestones!

I am glad to hear that you are closer to having a plan in place. Have you been given a timeline for this to start? It will be a long and challenging journey during which you will find hidden depths, which you never knew you had. Please continue to keep us abreast of your journey and remember that we are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine

It is so lovely to hear about the beautiful milestone you have been part of you must be so proud of your family and it would have been awful if you had missed all that.  It does put things in prospective. 

I lost my uncle and a very dear friend through mouth cancer. They both had the all clear and went into remission a number of times. Both died bed ridden unable to speak properly and being fed through a stomach tube. It seemed to be forever their family spent watching them die. 

I had very good jobs in Advertising in my younger days I never had a family as I had a party life style that caught up with me. I am now coming up to a year cigarette free and alcohol free. My relationships with my family have never been better and bit by bit I am learning to like myself again. I think this has happened for a reason and this is part of my new journey. I am starting to grow up at 61 years of age  So strange how things have taken place. I am now getting happier within myself regardless of the cancer. 

I am gaining strength from somewhere and speaking to you has really helped me realise what is good. 

I will phone my specialist nurse allocated to my case tomorrow and speak to her about how to move forward with the plan. 

I hope you enjoy the good weather and speak to you soon.

Kind regards 

Angie xx

Hi Angie,

I am sorry to hear that you lost your uncle and dear friend to cancer. I know just how painful it is to watch loved ones die, degraded and in pain. I have had this unfortunate experience with a number of my relatives and it  never gets any easier.

It sounds as if you have truly "lived your life". I have tremendous respect for you being almost a year alcohol and cigarette free. Have you found this very difficult? I am delighted to hear that you have good relationships with your family and that you are beginning to like yourself better. Coming to terms with who you are and accepting it, does make us much happier in ourselves and I am really glad that this is happening despite the cancer diagnosis. We only get one chance at life and we need to make the most of it - there is no point in letting cancer ruin this, as it won't disappear.

A well paid job doesn't always bring stability and peace of mind - it is often accompanied by a load of work related stresses and many are happier in themselves with less income, but time to enjoy life without such pressures. These changes may well have happened for a reason and looking at this as a new journey is a positive way to cope with everything. None of us are ever the same after a cancer journey - it does throw us some challenges, but these are not insurmountable. It is reassuring to hear that you already feel as if you are getting some strength from somewhere - this will continue and you will probably find that you'll also become more empathetic to the plight and feelings of other people.

Did you manage to phone your specialist nurse and was she any help? She may not be able to tell you much more but should be able to give you some idea about timelines. I hope that you are enjoying this spell of hot weather - I certainly am!

KInd regards,

Jolamine xx