Hi Sam, Hi Caroline,

I'm sorry your day in the Smoke wasn't all you hoped for, Caroline, it sometimes happens like that when you look forward to something  

Sam, Are you sure you're not my little sister? I am exactly the same about reading  I usually finish a book in a day and if I haven't got the free time to read a book to the end, I won't start it  I have been known to read until dawn in order to complete a good book.  I hope your week three turned out as well as you hoped. You are certainly very active!

I am enjoying my time of near normality- I am driving again, grocery shopping, going out with friends, during the day, don't do night driving, and generally pretending this is going to be forever, before the children start looking after me (bossing me about) again. 

Went to a funeral on Friday, and it was amazing. My dear old friend who was almost 99, had defied all our plans for his centenary and passed away. He was a lifelong bachelor who had fought in the Second World War, with no family and not many friends as he had outlived all his contemporaries. I had lived next door to him for seven years and had stayed in touch ever since. My daughter came with me for what we expected to be a very small gathering only to find the British Legion had arranged for him to be given full military honours, with a guard of honour complete with regimental banners and a bugler played The Last Post.  Not only that but about two hundred people who had heard that he had no family turned out on the wettest afternoon imaginable to pay their respects to a complete stranger!!! It was a very moving. It even made my daughter cry, and she never shows tears.

I had to go to the hospital yesterday to give MRSA swabs, prior to my next surgery. A two minute task at the most. My appointment was for 10am and I got there at 5 minutes to 10. After an hour of waiting, made almost unbearable by sitting next to a very smelly man who insisted on telling me his life story at a very slow pace, I went to the desk and asked why everyone who had come after me had already been seen.  The receptionist said she had told two people I was waiting, and she would tell them again. Three minutes later I was called and three and a half minutes later I was done.  What a waste of time!

This  morning I swore at a van driver for parking on the bloody pavement where I was walking my dogs - he was very indignant, probably never thought a white haired old lady would use the f word!

Complaining about having to wait and being rude to people in the street isn't really normal for me - do you think something is getting to me?  I wonder what it could be. Perhaps it's the same thing that stopped Caroline enjoying her day out in London?

i have bought myself a new reclining chair! I finally accepted that my old one was knackered after I realised sitting in it gave me a bad back, probably something to do with the spring sticking up in the middle of the seat. I saw one on EBay, ordered it at 7.45 yesterday and it was delivered at 5pm today. Thankfully my daughter had just come to collect her dog or I would have been stuck with a 48kilo box in the middle of my living room. As it was, the delivery man manoeuvred it into the living room and between us, my daughter and I managed to dismantle to old chair and get it outside, then unpack and assemble the new one, get rid of all the packaging, and put the room to rights in about 40 minutes! I'm sitting in it as I write. Half way through,  we suddenly realised I shouldn't be doing things like that, but carried on anyway!

I plan to take it easy a bit for the next day or two, well, after I've cleaned my mucky house, anyway. My non arthritic knee seems to have become arthritic, probably from too much sitting around and is quite painful. Extra strong Volterol cream hasn't touched it, so I will pace myself for a few days to get on top of it. 

Good luck for the rads next week, Caroline, and with the cillit bang, Sam. Hope you keep your nails!

I mean to enjoy my next ten days, I hope you both enjoy yours, too!

Christine

Hi ladies,

Good to hear you are both doing well and Christine - make the most of the normality. I went out on Saturday with a lady I met on a Facebook group and turned out we were both going for our biopsy results on the same day, same hospital, around the same time!! We were both told that day that we had breast cancer and we have kept in touch ever since.  On Saturday we went out for an afternoon cocktail, that lasted for 9 hours and resulted in a horrendous hangover! But it is lovely to have someone going through the same journey. My friend is around 3 weeks ahead of me, so gives me all the low down on what to expect. 
I am planning on enjoying my last week of normality! Not sure how I feel about the treatment yet - but head on and brave faced, because being Northern means we are tough old birds!! 
Have a lovely weekend ladies. Christine, the funeral sounded amazing. I work with palliative care patients so go to my fair share of funerals!! Never been to one like that though. 
Caroline x

Christine (aka “big sis”)

All good here, yes have been active (not as active as my gob has, not surprisingly).  And I do go out on my bike but still manage to use the gob quite a lot then too, on a recent ride was chatting to mother and daughter shelties, the mother was the naughty one who was just moving in circles whilst I was there…they were both very greedy and the mother was apparently after treats that their owner had.  They are such beautiful dogs, but I do appreciate the more stupid looking dogs more personally (makes me feel superior!).

Good that normality has returned (if only temporarily), and that you’re making the most of it.

That is so lovely re your (very) old neighbour’s funeral, it is really touching when people rally around like that to celebrate someone who really deserves their life celebrating…like your daughter it brings a tear to my eye (doesn’t happen a lot!), really lovely to hear about and that you can pass on to others.

That’s not good is it – an hours wait, I had one of those when had my first proper diagnosis, unfortunately for me was sat next to my boyfriend, the smelly man would have had more to say (the boyfriend was terrified and am not the most compassionate when it comes to him & his phobias/hang-ups, am from the school of hard knocks and passed with flying colours, harsh I know), are you also “attractive” to (mmm) “unique” people who have a habit of attaching themselves to you?  I do often find the same but as they’re not my boyfriend will generally give them time, only fair, as you did…for an hour!

Can’t recall if I told you but discovered from those swabs am one in 3 that carries MSSA (twice removed cousin of MRSA) so had to bathe in horrible (am usually organic and this deffo wasn’t) red gunk, use fresh towels & bathing gear each time and shove some other stuff up my nose…fingers crossed you’re not dangerous to those around you in hospital too!

I think it’s important, no matter, what the response to give feedback to others about their impact on you.  I often do this in restaurants, my expectations when eating out are usually quite low and find that often I’m pleasantly surprised but when my low standards are not met will ask to speak to manager and explain the situation, don’t want anything in return just think it’s fair on them 7 their future business that they’re aware of what they’re selling.  Did it when we went to beachy head, a nice looking pub there (The Beachy Head) but food rubbish, apparently the manager was having problems in the kitchen…whereas the boyfriend will never say anything is wrong even if the food is inedible as can’t face doing it, and will even leave a tip (I just shake my head…he’s paying after all).  Anyway van drivers are becoming a bit of a scourge aren’t they?  I appreciate they may find parking challenging but should apologise if inconveniencing pedestrians ( who after all are meant for pavements).  It does always amuse me when van drivers do something irresponsible when the number of head office is emblazoned on their van, yes I do phone up to complain re poor driving in particular so am with you 100%.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we were all more angrier than usual, we have good reason after all!  You do need an outlet for anger otherwise it could/will drive you mad and result in health (mental/physical) issues so think this was a healthy out-letting, I wouldn’t worry about it.  My outlet is the active stuff I do, as well as being beastly to the boyfriend (poor, poor man).

Well done re assembly of new chair..40 mins not bad at all, I would fail with that as have found out in the past with ikea furniture, it’s never quite as easy as I thought it would be and consequently have wardrobes that threaten to collapse whenever the door is opened, it’s a risky business getting ready in my house.

Hope your time was relaxing and your knee is not being quite as naughty now, need to do the same in my house (and I can assure you my house will always be muckier as I clean it as infrequently as I can get away with) given the Mother’s impending visit, that’s a job for this afternoon, post chemo when the steroids make me a little bit more manic than normal – good use for them I think.

Keep well and I will enjoy your next 8 days, make sure you do too!

Caroline

Am most impressed with your 9 hour session, well done, though am jealous as don’t have the taste for cocktails or any alcohol due to blummin’ chemo…Fevertree elderflower tonic is my (sad) pub go to now.  I do hope the red wine & vodka industry is doing ok.  Am intrigues as to how many cocktails you managed, and you were surprised you got a hangover?  I’d like to think that all the rubbish we’ve been pumped with would at least counteract hangovers.

Good luck with next week’s radiology..I’m interested how you find it given in March it will be me!  Seems quite daunting to have it every days for weeks, at least you get a rest between chemo sessions.  I have heard it’s nothing compared to chemo so fingers crossed it’s not too bad eh?

Sam X

Will definitely let you know how it goes!! I didn't think I was worried but I do keep dreaming about it at the moment so must be worried internally. And no, shouldn't be anywhere near as bad as chemo. Have a lovely weekend ladies. I will be watching my alcohol consumption this week!!!  

Caroline x

Hi Christine, 

Good to hear you are all organised and ready for Friday!! Let's hope it all goes well! oh that's sad re your neighbour. A few of my 'cancer' friends are hitting blips at the mo. One friend has just been for her 1st yr mammogram and they found something in the other side. It seems like we can underestimate this ***!! I had a bone density scan today. All pretty painless but my bone density is on the low side for someone of 49 so she said I will need calcium supplements to take alongside the tamoxifen. My radiotherapy appointment is at 8:45 so should be done and dusted pretty quickly!! I will let you both know how it goes! 
Sam, hope you are doing ok? 

Hi Christine,

How are you doing after your op on Friday?

Caroline xx

Hi Caroline, 

I'm ok, thank you.  I stayed in overnight again, but only because the weather was so cold that night that I decided it was better to stay put in my warm bed! 

I'm sore on my side, where they went into my original scar and where the new drain is coming out, but I have taken the painkillers and it's bearable. It wasn't quite done how I imagined it. I pictured the surgeon going in and digging for individual nodes, and pulling them out but they don't do that.  I had it explained on the morning before my operation that they know where the nodes are even though they are too small to identify individually so they just cut out that whole length of tissue where they know them to be. I went to theatre at 11am and woke up in the ward about 2pm, as I take a while to wake up.  

My son and daughter have been here all day, feeding me and looking after me and the dogs but I have finally persuaded them that they can safely leave me.  I'm glad of the peace and quiet. With three dogs and a budgie all competing for attention it gets a bit noisy around here. 

How did you find the radiotherapy? How often will you have it and for how long?  I'll be interested to know in case I need to have it. 

Christine xx

Hi Christine,

oh I am glad you are ok and home. Radiotherapy has been ok so far. Have had 2 sessions. The radiotherapy it's self only lasts 10 min. I'm in and out in half an hour. It involves lying very still in a set location on the bed, with my arms above my head.  So far no side effects. In fact during my first treatment, when the staff all left the room, I wasn't even sure if the machine was even on! I have got to have 15 sessions, which is every week day for 3 weeks. So next week will be a full on 5 sessions. Be interesting to see if I get any effects by next weekend. 
Make sure you look after yourself and don't over do it. When do you get the results? 2 weeks?

Caroline xx

Wishing you the best of everything,stay strong,xx