Hi there; you busy person you.  When I first saw you mention unicorn swimming suits I thought you meant for Faye (or even yourself!) until I read the whole thing properly.  I thought Merino might find a wider choice to people to talk to if he got into the main body of the forum - still would like him to do that and thought I could help him do this - still will do if he wants.    So pleased that hubby is doing well; the fact that he is interested in smartening himself up is a good sign (I am not saying he is normally a slob - just that sometimes he just doesn't feel well enough to bother!).  I have finished my antibiotics and my leg is not so "wooden log being dragged behind me" but it is still not right by any means so I will have to brave ringing the surgery again.  I may be getting paranoid but I am feeling the voice that answers the phone is thinking that I am taking up their precious time for no reason. Onward and upward.    Hello to Sue also.  Annie

Hi Annie and Carol...I was extremely lazy this morning...I was too tired to even get up when Palliative care came today...Last night Hubby slept really well, so much so that he ended up laying flat (he usually sleeps sitting in bed), but that means he coughed and coughed, so not a great night sleep for me.  He slept when home help came, they clean our bathrooms as I struggle with them.  The District Nurse came as well and had to wake him up.  I really do understand the fatigue but he must sleep 20 hours a day.  Only another hour till I take him to the hospital so they can remove the Boston bottle and he'll see the dietician also.  And he did eat breakfast even if it was lunchtime.  It was chemo week this week, so I barely leave the house except to go to the supermarket and I'm not gone too long.  I worry I'll come home and find him on the floor, his blood pressure drops so low, the reason District Nurses come most days.  Hopefully next week our middle daughter will come vist, she has had the flu so hasn't come near us.  I do miss seeing her as often as I used to.  We used to catch up at least every 2 weeks, go out for lunch, whatever took our fancy at the time.  At least our youngest daughter lives nearby so we often see her  We live in a country town a couple of hours from Melbourne, so it makes it harder to visit our other 2 girls.  Best start getting the bills ready so I can pay them while they have him at the hospital.  My life is so boring at present.. they keep telling me he will improve enough so he can at least go fishing when it warms up a bit.  It's hard to see that happening they way he is at present but I live in hope.  Time to get those bils together.  Take care.  Sue

Hi ANNIE,  you sound like me and our surgery, they now tell me where I live!  What a rotten time you've has with this foot I don't think that anyone has helped much and all this heat won't have helped.  The summer has whizzed past and like you I haven't been far.  Today some friends took me to Boundary Mill through the Tyne Tunnel and we've had a mega shop.   Coffee and cake and  wander around everything that they sell.  Mind like most of these places there's a lot of rubbish but I got some great bargains .  Ella is going to be thrilled as I found a unicorn travelling cup for her, Norman has just said keep it for later as she's being spoilt.  What a stupid idea it's a cup for travelling and she's off on holiday men,  sometimes don't have the brain they were born with.  I'm exhausted and cooking tea, me a large glass of wine and swollen feet up.  Take care.  Very funny,  me in a unicorn swimming costumes,  it might look more like a fairy hippopotamus! !  Xx

I leave hubby in bed and take off with some friends to Boundary Mill, I've never been before so it was a change.  I honestly don't think I would go again, it's too large and the coffee was terrible!   We trudge around for hours and then take off to another place, stuck in queues of traffic to go to a B & Q type store.  It's four pm before I get home and hubby wants to know what I've bought.  He's still getting bad headaches from his constantly stiff neck but there's nothing I can do for him.  Anne and Dave say how well he looks,  they're right, he doesn't look like a man with cancer.  My gardener hasn't got back to me so I'm a little miffed as the lawn will now be my job again.  I've finally found a window cleaner , they're like gold dust, he's coming next week.  I must admit I'm a little bit tired so I need the help!  Signing off now, wine, chocolate and TV for the night.   Xx

Hope you had a great day Carol.  Mine hasn't been too bad.  We have friends coming to visit tomorrow so I made a cheesecake for afternoon tea.  Neil might even have a piece if I'm lucky.  You talking about a window cleaner has made the notice mine and how much they need a clean.  Maybe when our horrid weather decides to move on I'll tackle a couple.  Hope Nornam is feeling better.  Nite for now.   Sue

Hi SUE, I hope he enjoys the cake, it's tempting them with what they like, just like children!   Good friends are a blessing and we would be lost without ours who have bien  so good.  You hear so many stories of so called friends disappearing once cancer is mentioned, how sad is that?  Curry for tea, I'm just going to dish up.  Virtual hugs your way. Carol 

So this morning he asks me to look at his toe as he's kicked it again!  I kneel down on the bathroom floor and suggest we put a padded plaster on it and an ordinary one over it, this is shot down in flames.  I tell him he's as stubborn as a mule and try to stick a plaster on it but he gets cramp in his leg, pulls it away and I go head first into the toilet, it's a good job I've not had a shower yet.  He tells me I'm getting angry, really I say, how did you come to that conclusion.   Anyway we've not had too bad a day, I've got lots done, my legs ache from traipsing around shops and after the ironing I put my feet up.  Hubby is sleeping a lot more lately and he seems to go into a trance where it's hard for him to move.  Is this age catching up or a more ominous sign, or am I panicking because of the imminent scan?  I'm trying to watch the TV but the signal keeps disappearing so I've no idea what's going on!   Bit like the rest of my life.  See you tomorrow. X

Carol... Lucky I wasn't drinking my cuppa as I read your post..I would be cleaning the monitor if I had been.  I think I would have put his head in the toilet.  Glad you've had a good day despite the toilet incident.  We cancelled the friends visiting today, called the ambulance instead. Neil is ok.  His heart keeps going into AF, the tablets he has for that give him really low blood pressure, so at present they are trying to find a happy medium where both are ok.  He hasn't eaten any of the cheesecake I made yesterday, I gave half of that to my daughter and her hubby, when they came over to change the batteries in the smoke detectors, which gave us all a fright at 3.00am when they decided to let us know they needed changing.  The poor cat just about had a heart attack I think, she was terrified.  I think Neil's next scan is in about 5/6 weeks.  Don't know whether I want to know any results or not.  If results are ok Neil will probably keep going with chemo (I'm not in favour, it just makes him so sick), if not good, he will probably not continue with chemo,which in a way is better, but I'm pretty sure we both know what that means.  Can't win either way.  On a good note, I saw my 7 month of old grandson today, doesn't seem long ago that we were going to visit them just after he was born.  He is just starting to get on all fours ready to crawl.  He is gorgeous and such a happy baby.  With luck I'll make it to hydrotherapy tomorrow.  Helps my knees and we have lot of fun and laughs.  Hope your hubby's toe is ok.  Till tomorrow, take care. xx

Hi Sue, so pleased I made you laugh!  I have always written my day truthfully as it's called "living with cancer ".  Norman doesn't know I write this, he'd have a dicky fit if he did,  but us women need our secrets,  it keeps them on their toes, or in hubby's case on five of them.  What a shame Neil had such a rotten day.  We've been through the sickness,  ward visits and everything else.   Our last ward visit we said unless he was dying we wouldn't go in again!  It's hard for us women as we've never been through this before and not being nurses it's all guess work.  Our scan is soon, the first for eight months, not sure where we are at as I say it's a day at a time.  One guy on here wasn't happy with my "clichés "  however it's how I cope,  each to their own.  We're eating bramble apple pies at the moment and he's complaining about getting fat.  Soo we've gone from getting skinny to not now fitting in his jumpers!  Grandchildren are the love of our lives, we have three and each is their own little person .  Two arrive tomorrow so very excited and lots of goodies for them.  Hopefully you will have a better day. X