Good heavens, Sue, you did have a busy day.  If I had done half of what you did I would feel extremely virtuous and that I should have a nice long break before doing anything else.    When I went upstairs to bed last night Muffin came up just behind me as usual, jumped on the bed, pushed the pillows around, pushed the duvet up and crawled under it, turning round to lie down with his head on the pillow and his paws resting over the duvet.  When I approached the bed he looked at me with a "did you want something" look in his eyes.  He usually climbs on the bed next to me but he hasn't taken it over before.  We compromised in the end and in fact he took up his normal position at the foot of the bed that he likes when it is too hot to keep snuggling next to me.    I'll be ending up sleeping in his basket if I don't get control of this!    Julie, glad to hear that Dave is doing so well; am I right in thinking you still anticipate his being in hospital for his op. around the Christmas period?    You are doing a sterling job in getting him into the best possible state of fitness to prepare for this.  I am a garden potterer too; every morning I do a doggie poo inspection and  generally pick up the leaves from a tree in next door's garden (Eileen).  Her husband died three years ago now and I did my best to help with lifting him and generally helping as and when needed; I mention this because EIleen's brother-in-law is a builder/odd job man and he had been cutting back EIleen's tree and bless him with great difficulty he cut the part that came over my garden right back to the fence.  I hadn't asked him too and it cannot have been easy - in fact I don't know how he did it but I am very appreciative - not so much that I minded the tree being there even though it does drop a lot of flowers and leaves but I had been thinking if I ever get round to moving from here a prospective buyer might not be thrilled by it.  Hello to Gloria - hope you are feeling gradually better.   Carol, are you enjoying a quiet period - I don't suppose you are as I think you thrive on being busy.   Is your eye okay now? Annie

Well all my beautiful girls we are all doing an amazing job!   Busy, busy ladies, but always time for our family and friends and most importantly we have all been there for our partners, even you Annie have had your hard times.  Hubby woke this morning with a terrible cold that Alfie has managed to pass on to him,  it reminds me of how fragile he still is to germs and we manage most of the time to keep him free of infections.   I had to go to town to get essential things for him and tried to buy a strapless bra,  that was fun!  I'm quite well endowed but have a small back so everything I tried on was rubbish and more expensive than the top I'm wearing, so back home I find one that is a tad too tight, cut the straps off and sew it into my top, I'll let you know if I can breathe in it on Thursday! !   Julie you are doing so well and just get through each day as you have until now, thinking ahead doesn't help at all!  Hubby rang Keith while I was out, he decided to have his whole prostate removed, no further treatment required and he told hubby my positive attitude had rubbed off on him and he was coping well, even with June as she has no idea what has happened.   Thank goodness for Muffin Annie, my friend Josie moved house and divorced her husband when her dog died, she said she suddenly realised she had no one sensible to talk to anymore , she's hilarious and has now met another man who adores her!  Gloria I hope you feel just a little more upbeat today, time heals you slowly, it must be hard when you feel so low and tired.  My dear Sue, don't wear yourself out, I am so different now I try and not do really heavy jobs as it makes it hard to keep on top of normal jobs.  I even went and had a broom made to measure for me, handle for my height, width of brush not too big and a lighter bristle put in,  my neighbour laughed his head off when I told him.  I had a two hour lie in this morning, but I missed my Unicorn clad little bundle of joy!  Love to you all Carol xx

Hi Ladies,
Annie, I did feel very proud of my efforts, and don't feel so guilty as I've done nothing today except a load of washing.  And won't get anything done for the next 2 days either.  We were like that with our previous cats,,one would sleep between Neils legs, one on mine and one between us, at least the fourth one didn't sleep on the bed.  Now neither of the two I have sleep on the bed with me.  One gets on for a little while and attacks my toes, the other sleeps in the walk-in robe.  When Mr. Higgins has had enough of chewing on my toes he goes in there also.  Funny but gorgeous, and so glad I have them.
Carol, It takes ages before their bodies are back to anything resembling pre treatment.  My favourite bra died today (boning broke)  so I will be in your boat Wed/Thurs trying to get another.  Absolutely hate bra shopping.  I love Josie's attitude.  She does sound hilarious.  I did wear myself out with all I did yesterday, I ached all over by the time I got into bed, and it took ages before I finally slept.  Even my tea dishes are still sitting dirty on the sink.  I had my nails done today, couldn't have gone anywhere nice with them looking the way they were.  They were well overdue.  I have the Melbourne Cup function tomorrow, so my nail have been done in red and white today.  Most are red but I have a feature nail on each hand that are white with a poppy on each.  They go with the dress I am wearing tomorrow which has a white background with large red poppies.  Then Wednesday a mammogram, nothing untoward, though, just the usual that we get every 2 years, so I am making a day of it and catching up with Bree, we'll have lunch somewhere and then later will catch up with my girlfriend.  I think that's disgraceful that they told your and Norman to Google it if you wanted more information. I know people our ages that wouldn't know how to Google.  Hope they can at least offer some treatment that will help with his RA.  Keep your distance Carol, you don't want his cold.  Hopefully it's just a cold and will run it's course quickly..

Julie, and Gloria hope you are both doing well.

Take care all, and lots of love.  Sue xx

Hi all you lovely girls. Been to tkmax today with my daughter Sally. Lovely Christmas things. Bought a couple and Sally bought a beautiful fairy for the top of her tree. Love tsk . You never know what you will find. Felt a bit weak and wobbly in there but came out got fresh air and trolley and had another few minutes. It was good being out. I’ve got another lump appeared on my back but not panicking as the last one on my breast was not the cancer and pet scan showed clear. Give it a few days and see how it goes. I said to my girls , is this how my life’s going to be , every little lump and ache or pain I start to worry. That’s a devil Norman having R A after Chemo Carol. My lovely dad suffered with that. So much pain. I’m worried about the aches I’ve got. Hoping they get less or go away. This Chemo has got a lot to answer for. Yes kills the cancer but leaves behind a lot of trouble. Love to Annie Julie and Sue. So lovely to chat with you. Really helps . Lots of hugs xxx

Well done Gloria a little shopping TLC goes a long way.  Whenever I felt down last year I took off to TK Maxx just to wander around looking at pretty things gets you away from the hum drum life.  My friend Maureen has been clear of breast cancer for many years, yet she still worries about aches and lumps, so maybe it will just be something you need to accept,  it's hard but you have got the all clear.  Hubby's cold is sending him bonkers, he asked me for the Daily Mail, it's on the table I said, No that's the Daily Mirror.   So he makes me go outside into the recycling because I've probably thrown it away, I haven't , the conservatory coffee table, No, in the front room , No.  I'm in the middle of cooking tea so exasperated I tell him I have no idea where it is,  I pick up the newspaper in front of him, it's the blooming Daily Mail that he's had me hunting for!!  He's also shouting at me as his ears are blocked, I'm hiding in the front room!  Take care xx

Hi Gloria, Carol, Annie and Sue

Thank goodness for retail therapy.  It really does help take your mind off things for a little while.  Gloria you are bound to worry about every little ache and pain - you are super aware of everything that's going on in your body, and that's a good thing.  I hope you find that as time goes on, you relax more and worry less.  My surgeon gave me good advice (after my mastectomy, 13 years ago).  He said that at the end of treatment, you have got to believe that you are cured.  I know everyone's experience of cancer is very different - sometimes advice helps and sometimes it doesn't!!  Maybe retail therapy is the answer

Carol, I hope hubby's cold gets better soon! Men with colds.......sorry, just managed to read the last few posts (this thread seems to be playing up tonight).  Poor Norman has RA to cope with now as well as everything else.  Chemo really is a poisoned chalice.  Presumably he has been prescribed something to help?  Not a good day for both of you.

We had a bit of a mix up with the hospital today.  We thought another scan would happen this week, but it had been cancelled/postponed by the kidney clinic.  His scan won't happen now until 22nd Nov. with results on 28th.  The dye they use could damage Dave's kidneys more so they don't want to do it too soon.  I can't help but think that due to this delay that the cancer will become inoperable.  I know he's thinking the same.  It's horrible to contemplate but I know we'll soldier on and make the most of his being relatively well.  Him being in hospital over Christmas is the least of my worries just now.  He is really well and getting stronger each day.  

We had a lot of visitors yesterday, including our son and granddaughter.  Son had the wedding photos on a pen drive, all 800 of them!!  We had to see them all, don't envy them having to choose which ones to print out.  Ah things were much simpler in our day...

Carol, have you enjoyed your birthday celebrations so far?  Sue and Annie, how are things with you?

Love to you all,

Julie x

Hi my lovely . strong girls, I'm struggling to type today as I've had nail extentions and they are a little longer than my own!   Very pretty though and they are a beautiful berry pink,  hubby has had to help me pull my trousers up as I was afraid they may ping off.  The things we do to look our best !  So the cold is now a full blown chest infection,  I just knew that I wouldn't get through this week without a problem,  but he's being very stoical telling  me not to stress as he'll be OK.  It's so upsetting  when the treatments don't go to plan, you feel that everything is going awry but kidneys are important, I think the only time I cried in front of Faye was when hubby was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure due to chemo,  I thought If the cancer doesn't get him the kidneys will finish him off!  Still we got through it and lived to tell the tale.   Christmas is not worth worrying about when husbands are ill, they really aren't that bothered anyway,  mine makes me laugh,    it's such a carry on he tells me,  all this shopping,  writing cards ,   wrapping presents up blah, blah, he actually writes a card for me, gets the girls to wrap my present and eats the Xmas lunch we've shopped for,  Men!!  Crikey 800 photos, I think I may have been yawning by the end,  we had something like thirty and chose twelve,  we couldn't afford anymore! So feet up, nod off before I go to the theatre, have a drink and fall into bed again.  Lots of love,  Carol xx 

Hi Laides,

Gloria, Sounds like a lovely day shopping., and it does take your mind of everything else, even if only for a while.  It's only natural to worry I would think after cancer, but hopefully the worry will become less as times goes on.  I used to say to Neil the cure was almost worse than the disease.  I saw what it did to him,
Carol, I do things like that, look everywhere for something and it was right there where I first looked.  I hope Norman recovers quickly from his chest infection.  Christmas does involve a lot of preparatioln for 1 day.  I usually love the shopping, wrapping and cards, not so keen this year, but I have given out 1 card already, to my brother and his wife.  
Julie, it's awful when they change/postpone appointmentws on you.  The fact that you have to wait another couple of weeks must be so frustrating.   The fact that Dave iis getting stronger each day has to help him.  It's hard to believe there were 800 wedding photos.  They have lots to chose from for their album. but I have no idea how they will chose the photos that will eventually go in their album.  we had about 100 and that was bad enough.  

Today was the Melbourne Cup function, which was an enjoyable day except the sad news of the horse (Cliffsofmoher) that was euthanised just after the Melbourne Cup was run, due to a broken shoulder.  Such a beautiful horse.  Another busy day tomorrow as I'm going to Catch up with my daughter Bree and have a mammogram in the afternoon, anad catch up with a girlfriend in the evening.  May not be on the conmputer tomorrow at all as it will be late when I get home.  So all have a wonderfuol day.

Love to all, take care.  Sue xx

It's he big day!  Hubby has coughed a lot in the night so I'm  little tired, but I opened all of my  wonderful cards with  knife as I haven't worked out how to use these fingernails yet!  Off to zumba,  Mary gave me a card with an IOU in it and I have lots of chocolates,  spa goodies,  wine, trinket boxes, and more flowers!  I've just had lunch with my brother and hubby has gone to get his elbow done again. Lisa is having a spa day in celebration of my day, got to love these girls, poor Faye can't lock her front door so she's stuck in waiting for a locksmiths arrival.  Dracula was amazing ,  we all jumped out of our seats with fright when it began,  very scary and actual rain coming down at the end onto the stage.  So I've got  couple of  hours before I go out, so  a nap is in order for this old gal.  Take care all of you. Xx