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Had results today from biopsy on tonsil and now know its cancer, its all been really quick what with scans and hospital visits so not really had time to think about it now it's just starting to sink in but I'm pretty positive, I'm told its spread to a lymph node has anyone else had this 

HiAli

I am sorry to hear your diagnosis, but the first thing I would say is there is always hope. Al my friend here has the same and is currently undergoing all the treatment. He is having a six week course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy over most of the week meaning daily trips. The first thing they have to do is make sure you have no teeth that will get corroded by treatment so need removing first,. They then measure you for the mask this apparently is quite comfortable. They then arrrange the neginnings of the treatment. It will not be easy so you will need a good support system around you - family, macmillans, friends especially when you have down days. Some people loose taste buds during treatment some can find swallowing hard but if you look back on our talks there are mouth exeercises to do. 

Find all the exciting food things you love that are highly flacoured and stock up you will need to keep your weight up and need things that are exciting to make you smile. 

good luck i am here is you want to talk. 

stay strong x

Hi Al

Thank you for messaging me hope you are feeling ok today I see that you have an underlying condition that has made this journey even more difficult  for you, I hadnt realised there was such a long wait before they check the cancer has gone I'm being treated in liverpool I was originally being treated in chester which isn't far from me but they have changed as they say the hospital I'm at now is the best for this treatment, like you I have cancer in tonsil that has spread to lymph node and is attached to my jaw so after having camera down last week they have said it can't be surgically removed so chemoradiotherapy route I think my case is in front of mdt tomorrow so will know then so bit nervous, I have really enjoyed reading Elonas messages she is lovely and her words have cheered me up on days when I've been quite down, I have tried not to worry to much about the treatment and am being positive about the outcome from what I can see this cancers cure rate is pretty good

Hope you have a good day and would be fab to hear from you again when your up to it

Alli x

Morning

Hope you had .a better night sounds like you need to conserve your energy for the next diy task lol you obviously made a very good job of CD unit for your hubby to want another one, all good here have moved bird table further down garden and sprinkled seed on floor around it and have had a blackbird eat seed off floor but completely ignored bird table at least the bird foods ok was starting to wonder, the sun is lovely so thought I would go for walk later I'm trying to be as healthy as I can apart from the goodies off Gary it would be a shame to waste them lol, how is the hedgehog book going my neighbour was telling me she made the top of an old birdhouse into a hedgehog house and had a mum and 2 baby hedgehogs in it I think that is my next project a hedgehog hotel

Have a lovely day

Alli x

Good Morning Alli

It is a nervous time for you, the waiting is always the worst.  I can't tell you how relieved I was when I turned up for my first day of treatment, it was like 'Let the battle begin!'.  You will feel that you lose some battles along the way, my first feeling of loss was when I had to have the NG tube fitted (ended up being a good thing).  But you have to lose some battles to win the war.  I will be thinking of you today.  Wednesdays are when my MDT meets too.

The reason it takes four months after treatment for a PET Scan (to see how the treatment has worked) is two fold.  Firstly the chemoradio carries on working after the actual treatment finishes, how long for I am not sure.  Then your own body takes over.  Secondly they used to check much earlier, but found that they were often detecting lumps and sending patients for biopsys.  More often than not the biopsys were coming back clear.  They found that if they left the scans for four months after treatment there were less people with lumps, which meant less unnecessary stress on patients going for unneeded biopsys.  This may or may not be the same in Liverpool.  I did ask when I first met my oncologist what will happen if the treatment doesn't work, he answered with 'Lets take each day at a time'.  You hear that a lot, and it's good advice.

Although it is a four month wait, and my radiochemo treatment has finished, I still have weekly review meetings with my MDT, I have one today.  And the cancer hospital is always on the other end of the phone, they can't do enough for you.

Again, thinking of you today...  Let us know how you get on.

Stay strong and hold on to every bit of positivity.

Al' x

Good Morning Elona :)

Hope all is well with you this morning.  I am feeling better each day, my blood counts must be on the up yay!

With two cats we dare not have a bird table, which is sad as I grew up watching a myriad of our feathered friends from Pigeons to Woodpeckers...  Plus the odd cheeky squirrel.

Elona have you ever grown sprouts?  I planted some seeds in flat seed trays just a couple of days ago and placed them on a south facing window sill.  Starting them indoors.  They have gone absolutely crazy!  They have pushed all the soil up like a muffin in the oven, loads of shoots have come up already.  Should I transplant them to pots?  Bare in mind they were only planted a few days ago.  We do not have any type of greenhouse and the weather is too up and down to transplant outside.  Even my herbs are still indoors.

We have some friends coming from England to visit on Sunday, so yesterday we were busyspring clearing the garden, new solar lights up...  so many lights.  My amazing wife has a big delivery of plants coming this week.  She bought me a very colourful metal solar Peacock yesterday.  It shines feather patterns on the walls at night.  We needed a new bench for the front garden, but could not afford one.  Wife has a light bulb moment, you know how we like to repurpose.  We had an old day bed in the shed so a lick of paint and a waterproof matress cover Boom a new bench!  looks so nice I will have to chain it to the house.  We got lucky on FB Market Place too, we found a matching metal and glass table for a tenner.  Just getting outside and doing things is making me feel so much better and I am sure is speeding up my recovery.  Just have to be careful not to burn out.

Who are mini mafia?  I have missed something whilst I was away lol.

Sun is shinning here today in the valleys both outside and in my heart.  Can't wait to get out into the garden.  Hope that the sun is shinning with you too :)

I hope that today is better than yesterday, but not as good as tomorrow.

Al x

Morning Al

Glad you are feeling good today that's got to be a good sign  but don't overdo it, I know what you mean it seems like its dragging on but I'm using the time to be constructive in preparation for treatment ahead like showing my son how to use washing machine he is 23 so it's about time lol,  I had very restless sleep in anticipation of outcome of mdt meeting but worrying won't help as long as they say I can have treatment like you said let battle commence, I'm being inspired to do some vegetable growing by you and Elona not very good at gardening but thought might grow some tomatoes on windowledge so hopefully can get some good tips from you both

Have a happy day

Alli x

Morning Elona

How are you today hope you are ok, have had a bit more interest in the bird table had a couple of wrens and I think a blue *** the only trouble is its that far down the garden now I think I'm going to have to get binoculars lol, all ok her a I'm just waiting for call from Macmillan nurse to tell me mdt meeting outcome so had a bit of a restless night, the sun has come out again so will try and persuade son to do a bit of mowing while I tidy and weed, hope you have a nice day planned

Alli x

Hi Al and Alli 

morning to a sunny day looks cold and brr it was last night freezing! but it looks lovely today may try and get outside for a short while. 

love hearing about all the veggies being grown i love growing things from seed it gives such pleasure seeing the tiny heads peeping through the soil and emerging into the daylight. then eac day seeing the small seedlings grow bigger anbd bigger, stronger and stronger. 

AL i would ot transplant until the seeds have grown to about 1.5 times the depth of tray or you can see the roots well. otherwise it gets a little difficult. if they are growing too tall and 'leggy' you mayneed to give them a little real air by putting them outside in the sun during the day for a few hours to harden them of and encourage some root growth until they are older and redy to produce. 

some herbs are hardy like rosemary and some thymes so even in wales should be ok outside. 

Alli i decided not to grow tomatoes this year as i get over run with them and currently have 5 tubs of tomatoes sauce in freezer! they are though a good plant to grow and you can grow in any good compost it does not hvae to be tomoato compost; start in a smallish pot that you buy it in then when you see roots at the bottom of the pot replace with one twice the size. you dont want too big an pot at the end or all growth will go into roots not tomatoes. whn it grows get a bamboo stick to hold it up and gently tie it to the stick belwo a stem so it does not slide down and you will get a nice tall plant. you will need to pick out stems growning between arms but can advise later on if you want. 

ahh hedgehog houses have five in the garden - three in outside area and two in rehab area. not in usea tmoment but the feeding area is. miss my l;ittle prickly friends but dare not have them back yet. have written chapter on equipment for hospital just deciding what next. have also written introduction to research paper. 

Al mini mafia is the rat population lol hubby makes stories about them for me because there is obviously a good rat run underneath the houses here and we get tunnels emerging and sometimes little mafia appearing. 

Hubby informed me last night gradad was a bit tipsy because he had found out two niece were pregnant ! i told him to let him know not to get too excited as they will have to move on. 

going to take it easy today hahaha.

oh i have a butternut squash emerging thankfully i realised the silly seed was growing the wrong way so had to help it a bit not very intelligent!!!! quite a few celeriac now and sweetcorn but diasppointed with plug plants a quarter of them are not doing well. i suppose that is the risk you take with these. think i will get enough though to make a good display. 

anyway keep smiling and stay strong soak up the rays! x

Alli - love the birds on your table yay!!!! enjoy xx

hi 

bit of a duller morning but thats ok over did it yesterday and feeling it. keep saying mellow day thenkeep pushing myself  sometimes a bit too much. for instance i dismantled  half the old hen run yesterday lol

listening to the news this morning does not bear well for my appointment all those people still waiting on procedures and surgery wow, (4.7m) scary for them. 

Alli fingers crossed you hear as soon as possible after your MDT - i had to wait until friday to hear from mine. 

Al hope your getting some rest and not doing too much too soon, after getting better. take it easy andlet body do its work. 

in door jobs today and perhaps a little fitness on the nintendo ring lol (i should say i can only manage 2 minutes at the moment but that two minutes is fun!). i also cheat !!!! i cannot squat due to my back so i sit down on a chair lol, i cannot run so i fast walk because me leg goes so it is all about adaption but i did like pplatform games or sonic when younger and this brings the child back. a couple of minutes of fun is worth hours of nothing. 

started another chapter on hedgehog book about the diet. and nutritional properties of insects and found an interesting research on insects as human food - yuck!!!! i dont mind trying many things but not sure about eating insects. hmmm what next!  - mind you i watched master chef last night and dont fancy trying sweetbreads either - the texture puts me right of. 

i saw the blue *** couple last night was really happy they have not been into the box yet it maybe because i have taken the run down there or is still too early for them i dont know but lovely to see them in the garden. hoping eventually i will get a more bird friendly garden but the baby trees need to grow up a bit more so i can put some more bird boxes up. Pigeon visited again this morning he is not scared of the table and where it is so pleased even if pigeon he is quite handsome. 

well must stop being too lazy no wonder there is no day left by the time i get up - mind up am up at 4am for meds so my exscuse. !! 

take care keep smiling and stay strong x

Alli - try not to worry - distractions needed today because whatever you do will not change outcome, and your interest is their purpose. they will choose the best course for you. positivity needed. thinking of you x

Morning

Another sunny day so will get tidying done in garden still have a pile of leaves to rake up, hope your ok Elona and not trying to do to much the Nintendo sounds fun I think your more likely to do exercise when you enjoy it I don't understand people's obsession with the gym, maybe I'm just lazy lol, Al the day bed sounds fantastic and will be a lovely place to chill when your friends come to visit and hopefully we will have some lovely weather soon, the Macmillan nurse called after the mdt meeting and said they were going to give me the chemoradiation and its curative so was very relieved, she thinks it will last for 7 weeks and will be daily and I can get transport there and back as I don't drive and Garys back at work now so that helps, don't know the details yet she said I'll have an appointment with the oncologist next week, Al how does it work do the sessions last long I think its 3 lots of chemo and the radiation is every day, the bird tables been busy the Mrs blackbirds stopped patrolling around the bottom of it and decided to try it out its obviously the new place to be and the birds are bringing there friends its lovely to watch

Hope you have a lovely day take care

All I x

Brilliant news Alli and wow that was quick they are obviously on the ball where you are. Think Al got this telephone call the following day. what i suggest is to enjoy yourself now and relax for a day or two then plan lots of things to keep your spirits up and soft food very tasty to help those taste buds last as long as possible. Also high calorie food easy to eat - sloppy. remember keep smiling and whenever you are too tired just read our posts or sleep we will be here. 

the sun has emerged here eventually but it is cold have loads to do and geting frustrated not being able to do anything when i want. did clean a little bit of my floor in dinning area and cleared a bit more of the hen run. I also managed two minutes on the nintendo lol but they introduced a different exercise so have to work out how to do it another way lol. 

So pleased your bird table is a huge success have you got your binoculars yet? lol. 

Al you and your wife are amazing inventive sounds great and lovely to have friends over, something to look forward to and entertain in your lovely sounding garden. the peacock sounds beautiful. Your wife has good taste. 

it is going to be abeautiful evening shame it is still cold. 

keep smiling and stay strong x

Brilliant news Alli and wow that was quick they are obviously on the ball where you are. Think Al got this telephone call the following day. what i suggest is to enjoy yourself now and relax for a day or two then plan lots of things to keep your spirits up and soft food very tasty to help those taste buds last as long as possible. Also high calorie food easy to eat - sloppy. remember keep smiling and whenever you are too tired just read our posts or sleep we will be here. 

the sun has emerged here eventually but it is cold have loads to do and geting frustrated not being able to do anything when i want. did clean a little bit of my floor in dinning area and cleared a bit more of the hen run. I also managed two minutes on the nintendo lol but they introduced a different exercise so have to work out how to do it another way lol. 

So pleased your bird table is a huge success have you got your binoculars yet? lol. 

Al you and your wife are amazing inventive sounds great and lovely to have friends over, something to look forward to and entertain in your lovely sounding garden. the peacock sounds beautiful. Your wife has good taste. 

it is going to be abeautiful evening shame it is still cold. 

keep smiling and stay strong x