Hi ladies

I just want to wish you all a Happy and as Healthy a New Year as possible - bring on 2012.

Its good to drop in and see what others are up to - scan and more treatment (fingers crossed!) in January for me.

Best wishes

Sue x

Hello everybody, may I join you and introduce myself?  I opened a new thread on this subject the other day in the "introduce yourself" section, but I really wanted to get onto this site.  I  am 67 yo and live in Essex, UK and have recently been diagnosed as having tumours on both ovaries, plus some areas on the omentum and outer bowel.  However, my hospital MDT  wants to ascertain whether my ovaries are the primary site or secondary to breast ca I had 15 years ago before planning my treatment, so I've just had a biopsy and await results on 22nd Feb.  I found your site about a month ago and was both heartened by all your posts, and at the same time scared - not of the treatment particularly but the outcome.  Some days I feel that I won't get through this, other days I think "No, you won't get me, you (expletive deleted!)"

The last post on your site was 28th Dec, I have been checking, so I hope you are all getting along OK

Best wishes, Hazel. X

Dear Eileen,

Thank you!

Great news re the holiday, something nice to look forward to, pleased you decided to book it. 

Hang on in there for next few days!

H xxx

John, thought you might be interested to see my new photos (awaiting moderation) on my profile page - me in my new £14.99 wig which I bought today.  It's much better than the expensive one I sent back,  I just have to get used to the slightly lighter colour (with no grey in!).  I couldn't believe the price, might go and get another one.

Love to you both,

Hazel xxx

Hi All

It went fine yesterday, drove myself so was only gone for around 3 hours. The only problem I had was the contrast, shall we say it rather upset my already fragile tummy!!! anyway seems to have settled now (fingers crossed!)

Eileen - glad you booked the holiday it will give you something to look forward to which, as you have such a hard time with chemo, I suspect you need!

really tired today and have achieved absolutely nothing (yet again!)

Keep fighting folks!

Jackie xx

John,

Hope you and Mary are doing OK.

Don't know where your last message has disappeared to, but it ain't on the site yet, though your name was flagged up as last entry.  Very odd!

Hazel xxx

Hi Hazel,

Wow! I am very impressed with your new wig, it really suits you and dare I say makes you look a little younger, where did you get it so cheap? Eileen is right, you do bring some good contributions to the forum and some much needed humour. I don't know what you saw flagged, I hadn't posted again since yesterday morning, probably a glitch.

Eileen, so glad you have booked a break. It's good to have things to look forward to and helps to get away even if it's just a change of scenery.

Jackie, glad you felt well enough and got yourself to the hospital ok, saved a lot of hanging around waiting, we all know what that's like.

Mary had another good day yesterday, she drove herself out and bought some pansies and daffs, so I had some little jobs to do when I got home from work

They have brought forward her Portacath procedure, she is now having it done next wednesday morning then will start her 2nd cycle of Gem/Carbo in the afternoon. Pre-assessment on Tuesday.

Best wishes,

John

x

Hello, Jackie,

Glad you had a better day than anticipated with the CT appointment, apart from the contrast stuff!   Hope your stomach is a bit better as well - have a good rest for a while, why not?!

I have managed to do my back garden today - mowed grass and generally tidied up, and feel quite pleased with myself!  I left the front, didn't want to push my luck too far, though I feel pretty well at the moment.  Maybe tomorrow if weather not too bad.

Love as ever,  Hazel xxx

Hello, John,

Thanks for your vote of confidence - had another today from my next door neighbours while I was gardening -  they said the wig looked nice and that they wouldn't say anything if they thought otherwise.  So all that has bucked me up!

I bought it in a shop in the Vicarage Fields arcade in Barking, not far from me - it's really a shop aimed at black girls - they do love their wigs and hairpieces -  but there were a few lighter coloured styles to choose from as well.  I still can't believe my luck with the price!

I see Mary has started to get itchy fingers re. the gardening, but she beat me to it - she did some last week didn't she?  Afraid I was a bit incapacitated!  I will have to get a few plants soon as well for pots and hanging basket.

Hope you have another nice weekend, is it really a week since you said you were going to the ball?

Love to you both,

Hazel xxx

Hi Hazel,

So pleased to hear you are feeling good at the moment and got some gardening done, hope it lasts. Yes, Mary does like her garden too and she was out again today pottering. I'm not into gardening myself but I do like to see the garden looking nice, and I don't mind doing the donkey work to help her. Yes she did make a start last Sunday and got me mowing the lawn and strimming etc. We went out for a steak meal tonight, just trying to take advantage when Mary feels well enough to do stuff.

Did you have your treatment yesterday? I thought you went on Thursdays or was it your week off? Is it Carbo/Taxol you're having?

Mary has started taking her anti-sickness tabs (Metoclopramide) three times a day, It's difficult to tell if it's this that is making her feel better as it's all subjective, maybe it's just the chemo doing it's work (there's one almighty battle going on I guess).

Hope the rest of the ladies are doing ok,

Best wishes to everyone,

John

x

Hi John,

No, no chemo this week, thank goodness, I am on the basic three weekly treatment of TaxolCarbo at the moment, as it's my first time for ovarian ca - next one is on 29th.  I think they start almost everyone off with that one, as far as I can gather from reading all the stories on here. The plan is 3 chemos at three weekly intervals, then CT, then if tumours have shrunk enough a hysterectomy, then 3 more chemos every three weeks again to "mop up".  I couldn't have the hysterectomy first unfortunately (got that to look forward to) as my tumours are attached to the bowel as well and I would probably have needed a colostomy - not that that would have bothered me, as an ex-auxiliary nurse I've seen and dealt with a few of those in my time - but the decision was made to do it this way.  I'm hoping it does all go to plan, but we all know what Robbie Burns said about plans!

Hope Mary enjoyed pottering in the garden - it's very therapeutic, you know - I find that while I'm gardening I'm not thinking about anything else, just concentrating on what I'm doing.  I've always thought that, but even more so now.  (It was a bit nippy today, but the old "syrup" kept me warm!)

Love to both,

Hazel xxx

Eileen,

Hope you are home and reasonably OK after treatment.  Thinking of you all the time.

Lots of love,

Hazel xxx

Eileen,

Hope you are home and reasonably OK after treatment.  Thinking of you all the time.

Lots of love,

Hazel xxx

Hi Hazel,

Yes I am feeling good ( dare I say )  I do think my bowels had a lot to do with me feeling so bad.

I am still in my pjs all day but I have been down all yest to watch the football. I have been sleeping really good as well...

Happy Mothers Day to all you mums and I hope you all have a lovely day.

Eileen xxxxxxxxx

Hi everyone,

it is great to see everyone so positive even through their struggles.

I got myself into a pickle......I had a little dry patch on my calf, I scratched it trying to see what it was and thought no more about it, a wart appeared (yes on my leg) how the heck that happened I have no idea, anyway it was inflamed and was painful, waited a while then saw the Doc, as most of you know I have lymphoedema following the removal of my lymph glands (this doesn't happen to everyone by the way) I was told to be careful to not break the skin as once there is an infection it is difficult to control.........as you can guess it is infected lol I am on antibiotics and Doc said if it didn't clear up I had to go back as I could get Cellulitis, so I am sitting with fingers crossed.

This isn't a whinge, just thought I would update you all.

On a lighter note, I take it you all had the vertical cut for your hysterectomy, now this is a whinge,  they stitched my belly button back wrong hahaha, I am now lopsided, when I saw the hospital doc I joked around with him and told him I wanted a tummy tuck lol, I have put on a lot of weight which I hate and my belly swells up and down, no chance I will ever wear a bikini again hahahahahah.

Oh dear, Dot,  what ARE we going to do with you, eh? Here we all are thinking you're OK, and now what do you do?!

Seriously though, please be careful, never mind about the bikini!   (Do you know, I've never worn one, always too plumpish, and now I'm skinny for a change I'm too blooming wrinkly and saggy!  Can't win!   Not that I really want to at my age, prob scare everyone off the beach!)

Take care, Dot,

Love Hazel xxx

PS. I haven't even had my hysterectomy yet, so I'll make sure I give them instructions to sew me up neatly!

xxx

Hi, Eileen,

I am so pleased for you!  I agree about the bowels, I always feel worse and have more twinges if I can't "go".

Maybe you'll be able to get out for some fresh air and sunshine - if it's still about - during the next few weeks before your next chemo.  Bet you're glad to be having a break, aren't you?

Lots of love,

Hazel xxx

Hi Dot ,

That is funny about your belly button. I couldn't get into mine after the hysterectomy so I couldn't clean it. Anyway since my tummy started to swell it opened like a flower ha ha so I now have a clean one.

Hazel so now you know what instructions to tell the surgeon..

Dot that sounds painful and I hope you can get it sorted out soon. Always something new to worry about.

Love Eileen xxxx

...was it something I said? Hope everyone is ok.

Oh, poor John - don't be daft, of course not.  Don't know why but we all seem to be resting at once, for some reason.

Hope Mary is OK and pre-assessment goes well today.  Wish her good luck for tomorrow, sounds like a busy one!

Love to both,

Hazel xxx

Hi,

I am feeling nausea's again and am taking  6 anti-sickness tablets a day. I can't say I wait to take them but as soon as I lift my head off the pillow in morning I need one. I am eating even though I feel sick. I keep trying to watch tv in the evening but can't settle. I am in touch with a girl who is on same chemo ( she has finished her 6 cycles ) she has been desperately sick and no signs of it clearing. I still have 3 to go and god knows how I will get through it.

Hope everyone is doing good.

Eileen xxxxx

Hi everyone, I know I am not writing much but I do try to read the posts, I sometimes just don't know what to say.

Eileen I feel so much for you having this nausea it is an awful thing to have to tolerate, I just hope it will settle soon and you can have some peace.

I wanted to say that I feel very sad that Carole (Dizzie) passed away, she fought hard and long, I have been following her blog along with Tony and our dear Rose, my thoughts go out to her lovely family, Carole helped a lot of people on this site and was much loved. This made me think of Jayne and her lovely family too. I have to say I avoided checking her blog and the main site this week as I didn't want to read what I knew I would find.

Thinking of you all

Dot xxxxxxxxxxx

Just kidding Hazel although my post was quite long looking back, thought it may have made everyone sleepy. Pre-assessment done and ok, we have an 8.30 start tomorrow, onc, port and chemo, all day job! Mary still feeling good.

Best wishes,

John