Hi Meerkat,

You made me laugh about the white coat syndrome. Also With regard to the blood test I feel sure they have tamed vampires the amount of blood they take some times.

Glad to here you have seen the sun. It has been overcast here this afternoon.

Take care and sending best wishes to you both, Brian

Hi

Yes it covers illeostomy as well, its really worth a look  Take care Enjoy your holiday xx

Morning Meerkat,

Dogs not a problem I can lend you ours. !!! LOL. Excellent rates, bonios, water and cuddles after walk and a nice sleep.

Pampering holidays can be wonderful, especially if you go with daughters/ girlfriends, however they do allow gentlemen the same these days.

Garfs suggestion at a cruise is a good one, you can do as much or as little as you want on a cruise. Can be very relaxing.

The insurance side of things has gone through my mind since the cancer diagnosis, but I believe there are one or two companies that do cover cancer, and you can get there details i believe through cancer chat.

Like you I was gardening yesterday, and will be finishing off today before the weather changes. I managed to plant 25 plants yesterday and then move loads of tree branches after my husband had pruned a load of very big trees.No wonder we were in bed before10pm. Got to finish tidying them up today.

Hope you find the holiday you want.

Best wishes.

Speak soon.

Annabel.

Hi Meerkat,

Found your new thread after you replied to my post on your old one (I'm new to all this too!).  Poor you facing considerable surgery, but your medical team sound like they really know what they're doing. Must be strange to think about losing so many bits, but think of it as being a few pound lighter!  (Doesn't sound like you need to be though).  You will no doubt need plenty of time to recuperate so make sure all your loved ones give you a massive pamper package, and keep your laptop at hand to post on here.  Great that your friends are doing a charity walk, I have been threatening to do a charity run for my local hospice since Dad died, they've helped me so much through this terrible time so I definitely will do it in the future.

I am at an "acceptance mode" regarding my Mum at the moment, so am making the most of it as I know much darker days to come soon.  I can't believe that I find a chatsite helps, I never thought it was me!  Thank god for the internet eh!  Take care and keeping posting your virtual friends.  Hope23 x

Hi Meerkat,

Found your new thread after you replied to my post on your old one (I'm new to all this too!).  Poor you facing considerable surgery, but your medical team sound like they really know what they're doing. Must be strange to think about losing so many bits, but think of it as being a few pound lighter!  (Doesn't sound like you need to be though).  You will no doubt need plenty of time to recuperate so make sure all your loved ones give you a massive pamper package, and keep your laptop at hand to post on here.  Great that your friends are doing a charity walk, I have been threatening to do a charity run for my local hospice since Dad died, they've helped me so much through this terrible time so I definitely will do it in the future.

I am at an "acceptance mode" regarding my Mum at the moment, so am making the most of it as I know much darker days to come soon.  I can't believe that I find a chatsite helps, I never thought it was me!  Thank god for the internet eh!  Take care and keeping posting your virtual friends.  Hope23 x

Hi Brian,

Your comment about the tamed vampires made me chuckle! Especially as the band (tourniquet?) that they put on your arm to 'pump' your veins up prior to blood letting had a cartoon Dracula and Transylvanian style castle on it! Very appropriate!

Have you suffered any recent bouts of Brianitus or is your wife 'managing' your condition?

Best wishes, Meerkat x

Hi again Garf,

I loved your fund raising idea. What a superb way to raise money and with the added bonus of the health benefits for those who took part! A gold medal award to the guy who still managed to complete the challenge even without his bike!

I liked your idea of a cruise. . . it certainly  eliminates the stress of the airport! We're still pontificating about what to do . . . The rate we're going with decisions / arrangements, it'll be a swift weekend away in a local B and B as we've run out of time!!!

Best wishes , Meerkat x

Hi Annabel,

Thanks for your kind offer of the loan of your dog . . . Plus all the benefits like the bonios and cuddles.

I liked Garf's cruise idea too. The thought of bobbing around on a body of water and then arriving at a new destination each day sounds great! We're still no further forward with our plan though! Must make a decision and book something otherwise September will be here! I have looked in to insurance and found a company that will insure me, but they needed my latest results before they could quote a price, but at least they didn't 'decline' me as my insurance through the bank did!

Wow! 25 plants planted!!! And a load of branches tidied up.. . You could get a job with Alan Titchmarsh on his programme!  I can see why you were in bed before ten o'clock!

Take care and hope you've had another 'fruitful' day in the garden!

Best wishes, Meerkat x

Hi Meerkat,

Thanks for the reply. A friend of mine always refers to the area they take bloods as the vampires den. I thought that someone had a good sense of humour with the cartoon you mentioned. This does help put us at ease with just something simple, bit not all doctors have a sense of humour. When I was diagnosed with  prostate cancer they also found I was diabetic and had high cholesterol. So I said to this GP as I have got three at once, do I get the third item for free and he just gave me such a look as to say he thought I was a blithering idiot. Yet the girls in the radiotherapy dept were always laughing and joking and it was so nice. One day I went in for my treatment and usually there were only two young women in there, but this day there were four of them. So I said, why this red carpet treatment for me today and one of them replied, not at all Brian, we've heard you have been misbehaving so we've called up reinforcements. I can only say I had been on my best behaviour, honest.

I have had a bout of Brianitus today as a big bag of crisps was found in our trolley. My wife tries hard to manage it but without a lot of sucess I'm afraid.

Hope you get your holiday sorted out and that you have a great time. Take care, best wishes, Brian