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 apologies i did not reply yesterday but spent the day in the garden.

Alli dont worry you are bound to wobble and feel down with chemo Al was the same. just try and think positive and see the good in everything find things that make you smile and remember hope there is light at the end of the tunnel that gets brighter each and every day. We are here for your wobbles every day. 

The sun was lovely yesterday i had to get outside but it took all day to do what i wanted with hubbys support. We even had coffee outside and sat outisde listening to the birds in the evening. Feel it this morning though!!! We then had tons of rain last night so i weeded one bed this morning and it was great the weeds came up easily shame cant finish the job. 

mini mafia have been sneaking around recently hubby has caught the backsides of a couple each day and there has been eveidence of their presence. the rumours are the war plans are coming to fruism and will start any day. Next door informed me she had also seen two running between our gardens. they appear to be residing under her shed and the two she saw are the scouts. 

Have left my plugs uncovered for the last couple of days to adapt now to the weather, especially as the sweetcorn and butternut squash need to be planted soon. Some of my flowers are also needing planting so exciting if they take. 

lights are definatley lovely in the fgarden they do bring something to the garden. i have adjusted my watering can and it now looks better and even managed to get it onto a laburnham branch so it hangs down nicely. Worth it and you can get some quite cheaply now. 

Hope this week goes well for you Alli and AL and Sam you continue improving. Bet Al you are feeling better with no tube now hope the eating is still ok. 

keep smiling x

what a day thought you might like a laugh! 

Decided to paint spray the chimney iam now working on and had obtained a fire proof black aerosol to use so when i had sat down i felt like trying it out! 

for the next hour or so we had to sit outside with doors and windows open as it stank the place out totally strong fumes i just breathed in lol and can still taste in the back of my mouth lol. so shivering (as it is now getting dark and cold) we are pacing outside looking like two idiots because i had sprayed the chimney black!! 

Next Tesco arrive with the delivery thats great no problme i unpack and put everything away and we finally sit down to watch the television. I finally get up to a winging dog who doesnt understand why i have not gone to bed yet and walk into a kitchen disaster! a lovely fresh white loaf for the ubby lies half eaten on the floor still in its wrapper i hasten to add with bits and pieces spread daintly over the place - mummy we have rats i am told hmm i said they dont come in the house - this time i know it is not the mini mafia but Pedro the thief!!! he has finally sheepedly come to bed and curled up with full tum for a snooze! 

night all x

Hi Alli :happy:

The chemo does sadly affect your appetite and mood, but you will find the strength and positivity.  Some days you have to dig deeper than others.  And some days you just don't feel like digging at all and that's ok.  Some days it will feel like it will never end, but it will and it does.   You will get through this and you will come out he other end a stonger person.

On the really down days I would watch things that make me smile and laugh even if I didn't feel like smiling or laughing.  I would also rest or sleep as much as I could, sleeping would make the day go faster plus the body is going through so much right now it needs all the rest and sleep it can get.  In the beginning I would fight the sleep as it felt wrong at 2 in the afternoon to be snoozing.  Your body does most of its fighting and fixing when asleep, so I soon allowed myself to listen to my body and sleep whenever it wanted, no matter the timme of day.  

Also I expect you have been told to drink plenty of water.  I was up to 3ltrs a day and still am.  Definitely made a difference.  Dehydration can make you feel down too.

You will no doubt get lots of advice, but we are all different and you have to do what ever works for you.  Just remember that we are all here for you.

Be Strong, on the wobbly days we will be strong for you.

Al x

Hi Elona :happy:

Sounds like you have been having a busy time of it, black chimney, mini mafia, half eaten loaf of bread :laugh:

Its been raining so much here we've had no chance to get out into the garden, though we have notice another couple of eaten plugs Grrrr!  We did manage to get a bargain from Facebook Market Place...  We wanted bubble insulation for the shed conversion, I had priced it at £167 to do all the walls and the roof.  Found a 50m roll on FB for £40 a couple of miles down the road!  I do like a bargain.  Now we just need a decent week or two of weather so we can take everything out of the shed and start actual work on it.

I repotted the herbs, but they are still inside.  The plan is to keep some inside and the rest to go outside, again just waiting on the weather.  Its at times like this I do miss living on the south coast of England.

Not eating as much as I should, lost over a kilo in the last week.  Not enjoying food at all, eating because I have to rather than wanting to.  Spoke to dieticians yesterday and she told me to purchase full fat milk to drink, a pint a day.  Seems like my tatse buds have taken a break from getting better.  Going out for a meal with two of my daughters on Saturday, goodness knows what I am going to order.

Off to see my oncologist today.  Before treatment I had a lump on the back of my head which I thought was just a fatty lump.  Strangly it disappeared during chemo and radio, but now it has started growing back.  There was amusingly a lot of interest in it during treatment.  They now want to check it out as neither chemo nor radio should have had any effect on it.

Stay Strong

Al'

Hi Sam

I never got to ring the bell.  There was one at chemo and one outside radio, I didn't do my last chemo and I was hospitalised with nutropenic sepsis two days before the end of my radio.  So I am so glad that you rang it so hard :happy:

So good to learn that you are coming out of the other end, I think that you had a much rougher journey than me through the treatment.  Hopefully your post recovery will be much smoother.  I removed my Ng last Thursday, like you I had to be bolt upright with it, and lost over a kilo already, not that I mind too much as I could still do with losing a few pounds :laugh:  Told by dietician yesterday to drink a pint of full fat milk a day for the protein.  

6 weeks to PET Scan is quick, I have to wait 4 months from the end of treatment which leaves me 3 months from now...  Yet another waiting game, although ENT did say that visually it looks like it has at least retreated.  My tonsil and lymph nodes have definitely gone down.

I hope you mucus buggers off soon, it is an absolute pain.

Here is to our recovery, may it be sooner rather than later.

Be Strong

Al

Afternoon

AL hope the oncologist trip is ok and the lump nothing to worry about. You have been through enough. Sorry about the taste buds thats a pain on Saturday go for the sickliest and sweetest thing on the menu lol that will prevent loss of pounds. I could do with loosing your kilo!! 

We have been incredibly lucky with the weather these last couple of days it has been lovely and so nice to have the energy to get into the garden. Hubby came and sat out with me whilst i weeded some of the veggie patch. The sweetcorn and butternut squash are now planted in the garden. Celeriac are still too small and yakons have not arrived yet. 

Got through 6 more bags of compost to help raise some beds. Unfortunatley this mnice day was slightly tarred by reversing into the corner of the skip when i got home yikes!! broke the light cover thats all thankfully. Scellotape emergency fix. typically skip was removed half an hour later!!! 

Forcast is for us to have some rain tomorrow so if thas the case will do some more of the chimney breast but after last nights fiaasco will not bother with a second coat even though it looks like it should have one. 

Al what a bargain you cannot beat a bargain especially one on your doorstep! the shed conversion will be great once you start it. Sounds also like you will have loads of herbs to use too. I used to have a herb garden in my old house and loved it but sage was a *** it attracted all sorts of midges on summer evenings and i used to get bitten a lot so they are limited here! 

Alli hope alls going well and you are over your wobble. take care we are here for you. 

Sam hope the recovery is going ok

keep smiling x

Afternoon

Well today has been eventful decided lovely would do a little more weeding then phone rings could I go on BBC Essex radio and answer some questions on cat microchipping and cat behviour. Not until 2pm (turned out 2.15pm) and only lasted 5 minutes lol so morning spent topping up knowledge - not needed lol.

Topping up pond after mending a patch last night and getting pond sealant all over my fingers - what a mess!!!! i remember the time we had a patch that was sticky not now have to cut a circle and use this most horrendous black sealant took half an hour to get fingers clean!11 then computer didnt recognise them to touch sign in as i had rubbed the top layer off!! hoping it has worked or everyone will hear me whereever you are!! 

no sign of mini mafia as yet we are hopeful that they have relocated although hubby thinks he saw grandpa yesterday having got himself lost going home and ended up here. 

Ended up in bed yesterday at 4pm lol shattered and fell asleep so funny woke up and wondered if it was today and then realised it was only 2 hours later. probably end up doing that tonight going early. too much excitement!! 

hope you are all ok and doing well. 

keep smiling 

x

Afternoon,

a rainy day today but has had a few dry spots so time to get compost on garden and plant my plugs all done except the begonias. The garden is now beginning to look good and iam pleased i have had the energy to do it. my coca cola smelling geraniums, hybrid foxglove and others all in. 

watching more ghost wars getting quite suspenseful. Pedro and cats have joined me but they are not that fussed lol just a warm bod to lie next too. 

Undercoat is on the chimney breast so tomorrow can paint it then when i can put the new tiles on. I love it when a plan gets together. 

Hoping you are all well and doing ok. 

keep smiling x

Hi Elona :happy:

The trip to oncology went well.  They're not sure what the lump on my head is, they're not too worried about it at this time.  They think that maybe the steroids that I took during treatment may have shrunk it.  They're not going to take any chances though.  The plan is that they're either going to scan it at my next PET Scan, or they're going to send me to a dermatologist, or both.  They're going to discuss it at their next meeting.

Turns out the reason my taste buds and throat have taken a bit of a u-turn is because I have oral thrush again.  This has coated my tongue and throat.  I only had it a few weeks ago, but apparently it is common to have it multiple times post treatment.  So more mouth washes and meds, plus I have to brush my tongue with Bi Carb.

I also found out why my good tonsil was removed.  Although the risk was low of the cancer spreading to my other tonsil the risk was still high enough to warrent removing it.  This is because had the good tonsil shown signs of cancer post treatment the human body would not handle the 6 week treatment being repeated.  Which would have made the cancer hard to remove with any success.   All makes sense now :happy:

I will keep that in mind with the Sage, I too am an insects favourite meal.  Perhaps I will plant all the sage outside next to the citronella candles :laugh:  I should have shares in citronella.  Does the pond not attract the midges too?  Horse Flies are my worst, after being bitten by them I look like Freddie Krueger from Elm Street!

A call from local radio eh...  From this moment onwards you will now be known as the cat lady :laugh:  My cats aren't chipped, they're completely broken!

'My coca cola smelling geraniums?'  Please do tell me about these.

Hope you have a fab weekend :happy:

You too 'Keep Smiling'

Al'

Hi Alli :happy:

Just a short one to let you know that we are all thinking about you.

Stay Strong

Al' x

Hi Alli :happy:

Just a short one to let you know that we are all thinking about you.

Stay Strong

Al' x

Hi, sorry to jump in on your posts but have any of you suffered with burns from the radiation, if so how long did they take to heal?  
My husband has 2 more RT sessions left for cancer of the right tonsil and lymph nodes but he has terrible burns which are actually more painful than his throat at the minute.  This, along with the horrible mucus which makes him choke, is really getting him down and I feel so helpless as I can't physically do anything to make it better. I Would appreciate any advice, thanks.

Hi Judy 

I am sorry to hear about your husbands situation and I hope it improves soon. When Al is on he will reply to your thread here. 

No one has mentioned the burns to me but mucus is a *** for everyone it seems and some people react more than others. what has the nurses and consultants said? does he have a tube in? 

The best thing for you is to try and keep his emotions up as much as possible. Try all distractions and have hope that is important. you are probably the most important person apart from oncologists etc in his life and it is not easy on you iam sure so you must also have some you time. if you dont look after yourself and destress then you cant be there for him either. we are here for you to write and keep in touch any time you like. x

Morning,

wow the rain has come down torrendous down pour. I sleep in the conservatory so it sounded so noisy ! yet the animals took no notice!! and are flat out. Thankfully hubby had taken Pedro outside for a play before he lay next to me on the bed. lazy ***!!! (I cant talk). 

the rain will do the plants good but as long as they dont damage the baby ones i had planted. i cant wait to see the colour coming out. iam so pleased with what we achieved this last week. 

Oh my gosh i saw a news report yesterday about a town in New South Wales Australia where the grain had a bumper year and a drought meant the mice had reproduced so much they were running across peoples pillows at night, school desks and where everywhere wow it was amazing and awful at the same time. I am glad my mini mafia are not that bad!! i dont think i could cope seeing and feeling mice creeping everywhere and trying to bite me etc yikes. 

oh sun is coming out thas promising. Mind you a lazy day today is in order - hope you all have a good lazy day too and relax get as much rest as you all need. Enjoy the day do something enjoyable.

hope everyone are doing ok

take care

keep smiling x

Hi Judy

Firstly no need for any apologies, you are more than welcome to post on this thread whenever you wish.  Feel free to come here even if its just for a general chat.  Like Elona said, you need to also make time for yourself.  It's really difficult I know, but try not to burn yourself out with worry and stress.

I really feel for your husband at this time as his body is going through a lot and I know how down it can make you both feel.  It may not seem it right now, but it will get better and easier.

I am just over a month the other side of treatment for T4 Tonsil Cancer (6 weeks radio and chemo) which had spread to nodes and local area.  I was very lucky with regards to the radio burns on my neck,  Radiology supplied me with a cream called Epaderm right at the beginning of treatment.  I applied this three or four times a day to my neck and head for the duration of the treatment and still do now.   The cream definitely helped a great deal.  My wife just reminded me to tell you to keep the cream in the fridge as the cooling helped a lot too.  Obviously do check with your M D Team.  I am hoping that Sam will see your post too as he was given a different cream and went through a different experience to me.

With regard to the mucus, as well as the different mouth washes and sprays, we loaned a nebuliser from the cancer hospital which helped a great deal.  I would enquire at your hospital if they have ones that they lend out as a good one is very expensive to buy.  I have heard that some doctors surgeries also lone them out.

I wish both you and your husband all the strength in the world.  We are always here if you need us.

Be Strong

Al'

Hi Judy. 

Im just about 2 weeks post my last fraction and literally until the final day I had zero burns. My Oncologist was gobsmacked. Then a couple of days later.... Holy breakout!!! My whole neck went red raw and a bit weepy at times. Left with a dry crust which seems to renew daily.. it is slowly but surely getting better... keep up your application of Flamigel or what equivalent they have given you, keep the area clean and it will heal.

I've already noticed the right side of my neck which had the lesser dose is already 70%+ healed..  left is getting there but taking more time.

Mucus is evil, but again, should settle once his radiation levels start coming down.

One thing I am learning is everyone's recovery is different, alot of people have common side effects, such as the burns, the mucus.. from there things will differ, and like everything, it differs from person to person.

Atm, my main after effects are excess saliva (as apposed to lack of!) Which is making me cough up every so often especially using my NG Tube. Along with my neck burns!

I am only 32, and very much used to being in control of my health (and the confidence to deal with others!) And have leaned that this process is one of the most brutal treatments going, that and its a Marathon, not a race.

The side effects will get better but will take time. 

Speak with his Oncology team, Carbocestine and Nebulisers can help Mucus. 

Hello Elona :happy:

We are definitly going to look into the different 'flavoured' Geraniums.

Yesterday was brilliant seeing my other two daughters, weather held out too which was a bonus.  I told them that I have/had cancer and they both took it really well.  They totally understood why I had not told them earlier which was amazing of them both.  If the borders stay the same (Indian varient allowing) we will be seeing them again at the beginning of June. :happy:

I was absolutely shattered yesterday, but thought thats's ok it's Sunday tomorrow I can rest.  DINGDONG!  8am this morning!!!  Water company want me to move my car so that they can do works that they were supposed to do last Wednesday.  It turns out that it wasn't to get to the area they were working on, it was so that they could park one of their vans!   Not a happy bunny.

Calm is now returning as I can smell a pork roast with crackling cooking ever closer to being on my plate, hopefully at least some of it will have some taste :laugh:

Have a great day

Al x

Hi, thank you everyone for your replies, we have been applying the Flamigel 3 times a day since day 1 but I think because he is fair skinned it's affected him more, the radiologist says it is how they would expect at this stage and the nursing staff say it's not infected even tho it's raw, weepy and crusty, he can barely move his neck!  They have given him some Flamazene to put on when he's finished treatment on Tuesday and they promise us it's amazing stuff, let's hope so  
The mucus is his other big issue, he is unable to swallow anything apart from tiny sips of tea and even then he coughs and chokes.  He has Carbocisteine and he uses a steamer a few times a day which does help a little.  He has a RIG tube so he's living on Ensure complete and has all his meds this way too.  Amazingly to date he's only lost around 4.5kg.

 This forum has been really helpful for me (albeit absolutely terrifying at times) but I am that person who wants to know everything, I believe that forearmed is forewarned, hubby on the other hand would rather not know what's coming but I do try and prepare him for each stage. Only 2 days to go and we can begin the long road back to recovery
Thanks again

Morning

Well the rain has temporarily stopped and it is a little blowy but not too bad. HUbby is entertaining the Pedro with his kong jubbler and i am stitting in bed as usual with my cup of tea lol (what a lazy person I hear you say! never out of bed lol). 

Sam nice to hear from you (even tho to Judy) and hope the saliva calms down soon and burns too.

Alli hope your ok and coping keep positive x

Judy taek care hope the last couple of days go ok and healing begins x

Al glad your daughters were amazing but then they are part of you so did not expect anything less. Hope you managed to enjoy the pork and crackling - dont like pork but love crackling lol. that will be good for your weight. We have not had a good roast for ages not sure why actually because we both love them. Best bit for me is the crispy roast potatoes yummy!!! 

Al Have been looking at the geraniums and apparently you can also get chocolate and mint scented too. I have a liquorice plant in the garden that is quite amazing it really smells of liquorice. Makes the garden quite interesting. Did all those plants arrive for your wife?? forgot to ask. How is she ? apologies i forget to ask that is rude of me. what colour did she paint the bedroom. 

i tilked the fireplace yesterday - or at least put up the new tiles i had got of ebay for the fireplace. These are victorian flower tiles that came out of an original fireplace but are on the sides of mine. iam really pleased they are very pretty even hubby liked them. we just have to decide what to do to finish of the fireplace - it needs some sort of surround might have to go to reclamation yard sometime that will be fun. 

the mini mafia had a party across the road last night boy were they noisy it was to celebrate the long awaited wedding. It looked like a greek wedding with lots of throwing plates and broken china with drunken family members strewn across piles of food lying flat out exxhausted and drunk! The newly weds left quite early on running up the road (customly to take their lifes in their hands as they have to go and find a new home). There was a lot of cheering as they narrowly missed a passing car. Since grandm and grandpa are too old to stay up late this meant the youngsters could misbehave. they had forgotten to inform the alligators who had come back from America for the occasion that it was across the road so they turned up in the carport and had to be redirected. A cake throwing in your face started at 2am i dont think anyone was left with a clean face! hoping for a quieter night tonight. 

Well lockdown has definately lessened listening to the news hope that the Indian variant does not cause any real problems we cannot deal with any more. I dont understand though when t was obvious Ramadam was not being socially distanced and India were under huge strain from the pandemic that we allowed people to go and come back so they brought the strain back in. Lets hope we get it under control and it does not affect most of us. 

Bengals are play fighting over me now so will have to finish and move before a claw comes my way!!! 

keep smiling x

wow a wet afternoon after a gorgeous morning ! torendous rain but then planted a daphne and the soil was bone dry under a cm deep. Have kepot my little lights on all day outside as the dull sky needed brightening up! boy dont we all need cheering up sometimes but there is always something we can see that will make us smile- we just need to see it. 

Alli i hope that you are coping ok and your partner gives you all the support he has been. i hope the bird table gives you delight in those dark days and you can begin to see the light shinning at the end of the tunnel. 

Sam I hope your ok.

Al hope your not too tired and looking forward to your Euro vision!! (you never know i may even see a bit lol). I bet you are looking forward to seeing your ffriends anyway. At least they are allowed indoors now not the weather for an outdoor cinema occasion!! i can just see you snuggling under a duvet on your sun bed outside with a huge umbrella and tarpaulin keeping eveyone dry lol cccccchhhhhhhaaaattttering in the rain!!! 

I have a very inqusitive blackbird visiting me now. It is a male and very handosme. so i put up a fat square on the grape vine so hopefully he will find that. He is particuarly interested when i do any digging because he wants the earthworms i may find. I love it when they follow you aroudn - brave like the robin. I am hoping that now my mothers cats are not here the other birds may begin to ome back,. there were certainly a few *** and sparrows early am in my orchard area. I also think one of my released hedgehogs may have come back because there was a suspect poo on the ground lol. so exciting if that is the case. i need to fill the bird table again. 

I have had one of those days where i feel that i have done nothing really. i am going in next door to feed their cat whilst they are away for a few days, strted my tax return then decided that was enough for one day! but did make some black forest brownie bites. i made double the amount because i was going to freeze some to take to work then realised i cannot diue to my condition if infectious! so hubby will have to eat a lot of them!! very goey! 

have good day all and keep smiling x

Afternoon, 

hope everyone is doing ok. 

just had some thunder that took me by surprise!! been a strange weather day today, one minute lovlee and did get outside for a short while the next wet then as said thunder this afeternoon. Next door had a large thick bucket they were chucking out so i grabbed it and am making a pond feature in my front garden with it. I dug up more of my drive way slabs and put them round the bucket to look like a well and have ordered a floating basket with a couple of flowering pond plants. we also have a dragon water feature coming from America (a facebook offer) so i have a pedastool for it to sit on and a different light mode to light it up. Probably wont come for months but fingers crossed is as good as it says. 

My green parrot plnats have arrived and fragrant peopnies so i will need to plant them tomorrow. 

Had another bargain today went to the reclamation yard and found a fire surround for only £20 free delivery so i now have to fix it in place and it should look good. Might paint it cannot decide yet as it is painted a reddy brown. 

The pair of pigeons are back on the bird table jostling about the seed! they are incredibly handsome and large! you can tell they have put on weight as the fence wobbles as they land! 

have a good evening and take care 

keep smiling x