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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

morning 

AL you are quite amazing reading what you have told Alli the fight for fitness and eating etc. The journey has been fought through sheer determination I can see. I am so glad you are through this and able to help others now. 

I hope everyone has a good day today the sun is out again. We had some rain yesterday but not enough to water the plants. However, good news some butternut squash are emerging they just needed a push and a talking too! Al has your wifes plants arrived yet? My little plugs are struggling to cope half of them seem to be pulling through the other half are battling the battle of survival too. 

Have made a list of questions for my doctors for monday so am going to print a copy of and drop it of at the doctors so they can get an idea for monday dont want to speak to someone with no knowledge. Managed to find a paper on necrotising granulomas in the head and neck which was quite interesting. Unfortunately did not say about management. My lump is being christened Fuego -spanish for fire because thats what it feels like when it gets inflamed. 

right had better finish my cuppa and get myself motivated for the day! 

keep smiling and stay strong x

Good Morning Elona :)

Thank you for the veggie advice...  I'll have green fingers before I know it!

Well the day bed come garden bench is complete and 'chained' to the front of the house.  Not that I don't trust anybody, but there has been a lot of garden thefts lately.  Its very big, but very comfy.  We also purchased a cantilever parasol to keep the sun off, gets very hot out the front, but now need to purchase weights which cost more than the parasol, bloomimg cheek!

Also in the process of converting the old garage/shed/stone/brick outhouse into a multipurpose building.  It's 10 x 15 feet inside.  We want it to be usable as another room with bed for people to stay, a party room, a workshop and art room.   We've been watching a lot of George Clarke for ideas lol

I have visions of you on your Nintendo, I did think about getting one for fittness...  Are they any good?  Sounds like you are having fun which is very important.

Loving hearing about yours and Alli's bird table visitors.  Think I may have to look at making an anti cat bird table when my shed is finished.

I have eaten many insects, and they weren't that bad.  I spent some time in Asia where it is common place, they are very high in nutrition and protein.  It wouldn't surprise me if in the not to distant future insects become part of the western diet, mosy burgers and flydogs lol.  I did draw the line with fried terantula though!

Sunny here in the valleys today, time to be outside and make the most of it.

Hope you have a great day.

Be strong

Al x

Hello 

I'm having a few technical issues and thought I'd posted a message but it didn't work hope I have more luck now lol, hope all goes well at doctors Elona and they come up with a course of treatment for you its sounds awful that its a burning pain in the lump like the name though lol, Al its really helping knowing that you got through the treatment and are still smiling and positive its giving me hope that I can do it, hope I'm as brave as you, I have day bed envy its sounds lovely perfect for lounging on lazy summer days, nearly forgot Al how did your mdt meeting go hope it was ok, all ok here I've been feeling really healthy for a sick person just get a bit tired I've been trying to go for a walk each day or do a bit of vigorous cleaning and eat a bit healthier as I'm not the fittest and lockdown and being furloughed didn't help, the bird tables been a bit quieter since we mowed but there is a family of wrens that are regulars think they are nesting in the hedge its like I've put a birdy restaurant there for them the wood pigeons a regular as well it's sussed were the food is now, saw the robin round the other side of the garden so have hung a bird seed feeder there for him if to encourage him to come back he's so cute

Hope you all have a lovely day take care

Alli x

Hi Elona :)

We must have posted at the same time yesterday :)

What a great idea writing down questions and handing them in pre appointment.  I can never remember the things that I want to ask when I see someone.  I'll come out of the appointment and my wife will say 'Did you ask..?', 'Nope', 'So did you ask..?', 'Err, Nope'.  I did start to write them down for my weekly MDT meetings, which helped no end.

Sadly the plants have not arrived yet, apparently they will be here by the end of the month, all 125 of them!  They will be ready to plant straight outside as long as there are no late frosts.  She took a chance and bought them from a new business, it is a group of growers who have got together during lock down to sell online.  They keep in regular contact.   I have decided to repot my brussles today, they're just going too mad in the flat trays.  Some of my herbs are looking like they could do with a bit more room too.  Peppers, tomatoes, carrots and either the onions or potatoes are starting to show.  I say either onions or potatoes as she can't remember which she planted in which bag lol.

Managed to finish clearing half the shed project yesterday ready to start renovation.  Sunny here again today, I have decided that I am going to chill today.  Start the renovaion next week.

Hope you have a great weekend, good luck for Monday.

Stay strong

Al x

morning 

well sun is shinning again but is quite cold have had to turn on the heating back in my room. 

Al Day bed sounds brilliant you two are really clever, shame about the thiefs that you have to tie it down to the house. a cat resistanbt bird table sounds like a good challenge for youj next! 

Alli wonderful to hear boaut the birds in your garden a family of wrens - how cute! and love robins, 

my back garden is getting a bit clearere each day the hen run is now down just got to dismantle the hen house - shame as it is a good one but things dont last and would have to be really disinfected for a new family. lots of heavy stones to move and place around the garden one at a time me thingks and some help maybe needed too. the previous owner was a reclamation yard person and this garden was littered with all sorts of building materials, some of the stones thoug are huge and not unpleasant to look at also i dont think i could lift into a skip if i had one so i am raising flower beds with them. 

did not do any fitness on nintendo yesterday as had done enough but i do find it a lot of fun. the ring is an adventure game like sonic the hedgehog but to move you have to use the ring - you squeeze it in, out  al depending upon what you want to do and do squats of knees up. the good thing though that i like is that it is based on your ability so it measures you doing things so if you cant you can pretend. - for instance i cannot lift heel to ring so i do ring to heel. for me it has been worth it. hubby quite likes watching me. then we play some games like bowling, shooting aliens together! 

having hair cut today for first time in a year - yay! am going to go radicle and change the style - long on side of lump and short on other side with slope on back. this will also remove some of the red hair dye am going au naturele at moment until i know i can dye my hair again lol. 

well thats my excitement for the day - and sadly will watch the funeral later. 

aaah just caught baby mini mafia on bird table the rat! literally!!!! i need a mini mafia plan! 

have a good day everyone and keep smiling x

Al think we have done it agaain written at the same time lol!! 

your veggies sound great yes good idea to repot by the sounds of things. 

the outbuilding sounds wonderful and the idea of its multiuse brilliant but yes dont blame you have a weekend off - besides if yiu have friends coming sunday you dont want to be too tired. 

amazed how you are managing doing so much where do you get that energy from! 

have great day x

Hi Alli :)

Glad that I can be of some help :)

The MDT went well, they have signed me off from the cancer hospital.  I now have another MDT team at my local hospital who called the very next day to arrange a zoom type meeting in a couple of weeks.

I did suffer terribly with chronic fatigue and depression half way through, but they believed the depression was more linked to my neurological dissorder and the effects of the meds.  Though I did get really down when I lost all sense of taste.  But remember you may not lose all of your tatse.  To be fair I didn't suffer too long or too much with anything else, so in reality the loss of taste was a small price to pay.  All in all my attitude was that no matter what the treatment threw at me the alternative was always worse.

Its two weeks post treatment and I still have a way to go with regards to taste.  Although I can now taste coffee and cucumber.  I tried a Bacon Frazzle yesterday, I could tell what it was, but the flavour wasn't great.  I just try new things every day.  I have tea with two sugars, but cannot taste the sugar.

I have two swollen, painful feet which may be down to water retention.  Had blood tests yesterday as they need to check how my kidneys are doing before they can give me any meds for it. 

I still have a very sore throat, which now has oral thrush to contend with too.  Apparently oral thrush is quite common at this stage. 

In the mornings I still have to take 7 meds, 3 pain killers (2 morphine and 1 paracetamol), 1 anti sickness, 1 anti acid reflux, 1 thrush, 1 mouth cleaner.  I also have a spray for my mouth if it gets too dry, which is another common problem.  The reason for two morphines is one of them is a slow release and the other is an as and when which I can take up to every hour if needed. 

I am getting a lot of back pain too, but this is down to the 10 hour tube feeding through the night.  With tube feeding, for safty, I have to sleep with my chest above my stomach, which I find uncomfortable no matter how many things I have tried.  But you get used to it and like I said earlier the alternative is worse.

Just read back all that I had written,  what a poo thing to read.  I do believe that forewarned is forearmed and I would be doing wrong by you if I was to make it all fluffy and sweet.  And no matter what you will get through this a day at a time.

I was reading Elona's post, great idea to write down any questions you may have for any professionals that you will see from now.  You will forget if you do not write them down.  And ask anything, that is what they are there for.  There are no such things as stupid questions.  You will probably have weekly meetings during treatment, do tell them how you feel both physically and mentally.  They really do want you to get through this as best as you can and they will do anything in their power to help.

Now and for the next weeks, enjoy every bit of food, chill, make the most of every day. Savour everything.  Before you know it it will all be a distant memory :)

Hope you have a great weekend.

Al'

Morning

Another sunny day a bit of cloud but hopefully will clear later as I plan to get out and have a read after I've done my jobs, thanks  All for giving me an idea of what to expect I do believe that knowing means less of a shock later and I will take anything they give me if it gets rid of this, funny you should mention frazzles I've just had a bag bought them to put in sons pack lunch but have been munching my way through them, so much for healthy diet lol, still haven't heard anything from mdt about appt I'm wondering if Macmillan nurse got it wrong hopefully will hear by Monday, the new hairstyle sounds lovely Elona don't know whether to cut mine as its really long now and not sure if it will fall out during treatment, try not to overdo it the garden lugging stones around spend some time relaxing 

Hope you have a fab day

Alli x

I think we did :laugh:

my energy comes from years of boom and bust training lol.  No matter how energised I feel I plod along, resting in between.   I do get fatigued by around 4pm ish.  I doze on and off in the evening and then sleep on and off through the night.  I probably get at least 10 hours sleep in every 24.  I also make sure that I have rest days no matter how I feel.   

I am now sat out the front on the day bed with the dogs watching the world go by.  Lots of cyclists,  posh cars and motorbikes passing by.  All headed up the mountain roads and onto the Brecon Beacons.  The wife is painting the bathroom. 

We will be watching the funeral in a bit.  I liked Prince Philip,  one of my favourite royals.

Al x

We reached 200 posts on this thread yesterday!

We reached 200 posts on this thread yesterday!

congratulations on the 200 posts.  

the funeral was lovely to watch and really personal for Prince Phillip. Feel for the Queen she will miss him. 

I also painted yesterday lol i painted a wall in the living room in the dinningroom area. it is gettting there. Might do the bit of skirting underneath day. 

sun is shinning and did get outside yesterday moved 2 stones but they are heavy and i should not really move them due to my back but am like a bull in a cina shop plough on regardless !! you need that determination to get through anything you have to in life. it was quite cold outside and looks like the same today. 

Hair done - yay respectable again !! not that iam the sort of person who really cares what people think about my looks but feels good and long side hides my lump nicely. Not sure what made me go radical perhaps I need a new episode in my chapter now. Things to mell over. 

Glad Al you liked the day bed i love watching the world go by so i bet that was fun and relaxing. 

Alli dont worry about the appointment - try to chill it will come when it does. as Al says enjyoy the time you have at this moment find something lovely to do today with your son, or on your own and enjoy every minute. 

finishing cuppa with pedro lying next to me. have a good day. 

keep smiling x