H

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 

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!

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

Morning

A lovely sunny day hope it is sunny by you Al and you have a fab day with your friends today on your lovely day bed, I couldn't watch the funeral just looked at bits it was to sad but he had a long and wonderful life, just feel so sorry for the queen, off out for a drive today I'm a bit nervous going anywhere were its to busy but maybe we will find somewhere quiet will just be nice to be out, finally managed yesterday to rake up last of leaves and went for a walk to I'm paying for it now I ache in places I forgot I could ache lol, hope your new hairstyle turned out nice Elona I'm sure it looks lovely and good luck with the doctor tomorrow hopefully they can give you an idea of treatment and when it will start the waiting to know is no fun

Have a great day

Allison x

HI

had a good day yesterday watched coming 2 America and laughed no end it was a really good and funny film. If you liked the first one then you will like this one only it is on Amazon unfortunately so you have to have that. A good distraction. 

hope Alli you enjoyed your drive it is good to get out hubby and I are planing to go into town Wednesday. 

Hope Al you had a good enjoyable day with your friends yesterday.

Dismantled the old hen coup yesterday boy it opens up the garden no end with space !!!! hard work so no heavy moving around today. as it is quite glum outside will concentrate on doing a job indoors. still sticking to a job a day keeps me going or i probably wouldnt bother!! Have also started writing the chapter on hedgehog diets quite interesting finding out that the first person to discover what hedgehogs ate was part of the Bronz zoo. 

Hubby is entertaining Pedro outside who is being a true adolescent dog these last couple of days!! a true pain in preverbial lol constantly wanting attention and barking at everything. even the dog bone i got him yesterday didnt work lol. So iam left drinking my cuppa with Rasputin curled up next to me. He is an adult cat i rescued before i moved. he had been coming round to eat and was getting a bit used to me then one day i noticed a lump on his face and swelling poor man he wouldnt let me see then and it wasnt until a week before we moved that i grabbed him got him in to be castrated and notied that the injury had been from hitting a car and breaking his jaw so now he dribbles all the time has hi tongue out and a lumo on chin. We called him Rasputin after the Russian and because as an adult he had probably sown a few oats in his time lol. 

sun is trying to emerge so enjoy, have a good day everone. 

keep smiling x

Morning

Rasputin sounds adorable Elona, Gary has a cat hes called Softlad he was a stray I had been feeding at mine and we couldn't find his owners so Gary adopted him, he's very friendly and very vocal I didnt know cats could meow so much lol he's quite a character, a bit more action on the bird table a couple of jackdaws were monopolizing it yesterday as the wood pigeon looked on with disgust from the roof of the shed but they didn't stay long and normal activity resumed and the wrens came back but no sign of my robin. Hope you had a lovely day with your friends Al and the weather stayed nice yesterday for you, the weather was nice here so after we had a drive up to witchurch and through all the lovely villages we went to Garys he lit the fire pit and made a scrummy dinner and we sat in the garden for rest of day which I thoroughly enjoyed, off to see my mum and dad today he's not been very well hes 81 and was in hospital before Xmas and is very frail, going with Gary and my daughter Emma so another nice day planned, Elona I will look out for that film is it the one with Eddie Murphy in ? I've been stocking up on dvds and will put a tv in my room with DVD player for days I feel rough during treatment

Hope you have a lovely day 

Allison x

Morning

Rasputin sounds adorable Elona, Gary has a cat hes called Softlad he was a stray I had been feeding at mine and we couldn't find his owners so Gary adopted him, he's very friendly and very vocal I didnt know cats could meow so much lol he's quite a character, a bit more action on the bird table a couple of jackdaws were monopolizing it yesterday as the wood pigeon looked on with disgust from the roof of the shed but they didn't stay long and normal activity resumed and the wrens came back but no sign of my robin. Hope you had a lovely day with your friends Al and the weather stayed nice yesterday for you, the weather was nice here so after we had a drive up to witchurch and through all the lovely villages we went to Garys he lit the fire pit and made a scrummy dinner and we sat in the garden for rest of day which I thoroughly enjoyed, off to see my mum and dad today he's not been very well hes 81 and was in hospital before Xmas and is very frail, going with Gary and my daughter Emma so another nice day planned, Elona I will look out for that film is it the one with Eddie Murphy in ? I've been stocking up on dvds and will put a tv in my room with DVD player for days I feel rough during treatment

Hope you have a lovely day 

Allison x

morning, 

apologise if writing gets a bit dyslexic looking but have woken up feeling really dizzy got up at 4am with the world spinning so much quite scary and is still abit yuck. Bed day me thinks lol. Ecuse not to do anything anyway. 

Love Softlad what a wonderful name and how original. Cats are my first love i ahve always had them i currently have six and they have theor own individual characters. Rum Tum Tugger has just jumped of my lap he is one of my bengal cats and named after tS elliott cherico cats. full of mischief and amazing. the three of them were picked up from kids that werere throwing them at brick walls so Rolo Lee Haggis and Rumpleteazer had to loose both of their eyes and Rolo has lost some of his orbital bione but boy he does not behave like a blind boy he jumpos at you and is really brave. the problem is he does not sit on your lap but trys to sit on youjr face!!!!

your bird table Alli sounds fantastic mine has been quiet recentlhy or perhaps have not been looking at right time. 

AL hope your ok and not been over doing things?

phone call with doctors a disaster yesterday so came of feeling sad. Apparentoy the biopsies shoould have been stained to identify the cause so i should not have had to wait for cause. the referral should have happened so doctor is going to try and chase up for me. Hace to speak to work this afterniin as doctor said cannot go back until i have had the referral. more hassle. 

anyway sounds like Alli you are goung to have a goo dday - brilliant hope you will have a good day to Al. 

cuddle a cat day!!

keep smiling 

- oh uyes Eddie Murphy.

x 

Hi Elona and Alli :)

Had a great day with our friends, seeing them again on the 22nd May.  We always meet up for Eurovision - please don't judge me :laugh:  When we lived in the same place we would go to each others houses each year, sadly couldn't do it in 2020 so will make up this year.  Don't think I will be able to drive to theirs, so they are going to be coming back to us.   I was so tired yesterday, slept through most of it.  Found out today that my iron levels are low, so that's not helping with the fatigue.

We loved Coming to America, so will definitley give number 2 ago.  Another film worth watching (Netflix this one) is Love and Monsters, it's very silly but very well made.

Elona you tell me to take it easy, but reading your posts I think one needs to take a leaf out of ones own book lol.  So sorry to learn that doc didn't go well, more waiting :(  The NHS are either brilliant or rubbish, there seems to be no inbetween.  I hope that you manage to sort out your dizzy spell, finger crossed it was a one off.

Alli it's a good idea to get a stock of films etc.  You'll be glad of them over the coming weeks, though if you end up being anything like me you'll end up sleeping through half of them :)  A few posts back you mentioned not feeling ill, that's the thing with this pre treatment, you feel great some days, like there is nothing wrong, almost to the point of feeling guilty.  Enjoy it is my advice to you.  I also forgot yo mention that after you have your mask fitting you go for a pre radio appointment where they set up the machine, when I had mine they also gave me a tiny tattoo on my chest.  They use this to help correctly line up the machine each time.

One of my favourite cats that we had was a stray that adopted us, Stumpy was his name.  We called him stumpy as he had a silly stumpy tail.  He was the most lovable cat with a huge permanent smile.  Sadly he passed with an unknown illness.  They tested him for everything, but to no avail.  We now have two cats Twonky and Bubble, two dogs Eggie and Spoonie and 5 birds Popty & Ping (Lovebirds), Cheesecake (Cockatiel), Monet and Da Vinci (Budgies).   The wife says no more pets lol.

Another beautiful day here in the valleys, apparently we are in for a week of it :)  I hope that the sun is shinning with you both too.

Stay Strong.

Al x

Hi

That's not good Elona hope your feeling better, what will happen now about your treatment hope they sort things out soon it's making you really poorly, I can't believe how cruel people can be to hurt animals like that unfortunately in your job you probably see a lot of it. Finally got phone appt with oncologist its tomorrow 10.30 so will know what's ahead with a bit of luck, had a lovely day at mums and the weather was glorious so we sat outside for hours my eldest daughter came as well who I hadn't seen for months,and have just spent a lovely couple of  hours chatting to my friend in the garden so think I have well and truly topped up my vitamin d. Hope your ok Al and you had a lovely day Sunday 

Have a lovely day

Alli x

Hi Al 

Glad your ok I'm a message behind again story of my life lol, my son has helped my navigate this a bit but I'm still rubbish but have managed to send friend requests, it sounds like you had a lovely day with your friends and as things get back to normal you can have lots more, that sounds like a lot of pets and the names are fab I may be wrong but someone told me once that poptyping was Welsh for microwave I think they were kidding, I don't have any pets now we had a cat misty that was my mum's, she got depressed when mum got another cat so we took her she was lovely but she started getting nose bleeds and couldnt breath properly  and vets couldn't figure out what was wrong she got really poorly and had to be put to sleep she was 13, my daughter has just got 2 guinea pigs called Ben and Jerry and there so cute

Alli x

Popty Ping is indeed a Welsh word for Microwave :laugh:  

Haha I thought they were pulling my leg, I think i will use that name from now on its so much better than microwave 

Alli x

lol I love that name too!!!!!

morning 

bit dull this morning but not too bad. 

hahaha to eurovision!!! the hubby as a true rocker and metal head absolutely detests the veurovision, howver, there was a take off on you tube last year that was absolutely brilliant. i find the original amusing at times but the scoring too long drawn out. i dont think though i have actually watched one all the way through! 

Al will look out for that film. thanks. told hubby name of microwave and he thought it was brilliant!

hubby is having second covid jab friday - we are hoping they will be able to do mine too. At least that will be oned thing done then. 

Alli good luck with the mdt phone call. 

bit disappointed with some of my plug plants but then surpose thats always the risk you get with offers. the plugs were so tiny the journey did not help so think will loose half of them. some of the geraniums ding well, so keep hoping. have now got 5 butternut squash plants so really pleased. they obviously just needed a good tallking too!

Al love your pets names and Alli your girls guinea pigs! 

i have two hens celeste and cecilly who live with sir reggie perrin. five koi carp two originals were named susies spirit and sharras soul. 6 cats rum tum tugger, rolo lee haggis, rumpleteazer, rodney, stanzia, rasputin, 2 dogs pedro and shugs and an african grey socrates. most have come from work lol never work at a vetslol. like Al we have to say no more at moment cannot go back to ten cats like we were two years ago!!! they all have amazing stories but are all wonderfully affectionate. thesevare my family!

having another restfukl day, hope you all have a good day

enjoy your days keep smiling

x

Hello

Sun is struggling to come out and a bit cooler today here, will have to stay out of Sun today as my face got a bit burnt after sitting out yesterday kept thinking I was having a hot flush till I looked in mirror lol. Hope you are feeling better today Elona you and Al are so lovely to take care of so many pets I love all the names you have for them. Had my phone appt off the oncologist and he explained I would have 30 sessions of radiation over 6wks you were right Al and 2 sessions of chemo, he said they do either 2 big doses or 6 smaller ones so they have gone with the 2 doses for me, I will be going in the next week or so for scan and mask fitting and to see dentist I think all in one day, he mentioned about feeding tube and said I might be better getting it fitted in the beginning did they discuss that with you Al ?  he also said that I have a 70 to 80 percent chance of beating it so feeling very positive. 

Just filled the bird table with goodies so will sit with cuppa and wait for feathered visitors 

Have a great day

All I x

MOrning 

lovely here too thats good. 

Alli glad you have had your chat sounds really positive and thats great just got to remember when you feel down to have something to remind yourself of the positiivity that there is that lovely light at the end of the tunnel with lots of hope. 

thank you am feeling better today as Al says you have up and down days well i do too! now furloughed until end May so dont need to worry about work, one relief of my mind. 

I like to write all sorts of things here, the animals, the birds etc because although this is for everyone to share expereinces and we do it is I also feel a place of hope and to make peopple smile a welcome distraction in the hard times people go through. so if i can make people smile and give. little distraction i have helped. (i hope). 

The mini mafia has been spotted down the garden so the banners are out - declaration of war is being discussed in the war room of the bungalow and plans are being drawn to expel them from the garden - humanely! may involve cementing more holes and barracading. 

some light painint today i think and going to make an indian for tomorrow. Cant eat spicy food like i used to which is a shame but then sometimes you get more taste without too much spice anyway. Have not tried butter chicken AL like you suggested but am allergic to cream so have to be a it careful, will have a look at the recipe. -oh and will look up that film you suggested. 

enjoy the sun today and get rest

keep smiling x