Month: August 2015

Yesterday Mum and Richie went home.  It was really lovely to have them with us.  We went out for brunch and then headed for our respective homes from there rather than doing a farewell from home which was a more gentle parting, a bit like the trip to the coast with Dad and Chris, and taking Joan back to the station in Norwich.  Somehow a farewell from a ‘neutral’ site is easier than waving loved ones off from the drive… maybe I’m just getting a bit sentimental 😉

I am feeling the effects of this session of chemo.  My arms, wrists and the backs of my hands are sore and the flushes of heat and cold are happening during the day as well as the night this time and I feel pretty wiped out but still, nothing we can’t deal with.

To help fill the void of visitors, my friend Kerry had arranged a catch up with some old work colleagues today.  Phil and I relocated to Norfolk from Derbyshire for me to join May Gurney 10 years ago this month.  I left the business a little over 3 years ago.  The company that it was no-longer exists however, some of the old team are still there and it was great to see several of them again.  The love that I felt in the hour I was there was pretty overwhelming, I continue to be amazed by the loving supportive response I get from so many people.

Thank you

Talk to you soon

Lots of love Mand xxx

I just wanted to let you all know that the anti-nausea drugs are doing a great job and the levels are relatively easy to manage with food – I had a chicken tikka dhansak with all the trimmings for tea?

I have been out for two walks today with Dude to keep my circulation up, I am struggling a bit with drinking as it does make me feel ‘swishy’ but I’m working hard at it! My arms and wrists ache a bit but all in all it’s pretty good.

Talk to you soon

Lots of love Mand xxx

 

PS Munchie is a bit put out that he hasn’t been featured on my blog so he posed for this picture (he is only a bit put out!!) ❤️

 

 

…. eventually!

Today my nurse was Simone, originally from Caythorpe in Lincolnshire.  Yet another lovely lady born in 1970, it was obviously an excellent year for awesome people!! She only trained relatively recently and qualified to be a nurse 2.5 years ago after a career shift from the hospitality industry into caring/nursing.

As you know, I have been experiencing quite a lot of discomfort in my arms and shoulders and in my right arm particularly however, I feel that the reason it has been so bad in my right arm is that I had two consecutive chemo sessions in that arm (2 & 3) and no-one could say that wasn’t why although it could be a number of things.  I therefore elected to have the chemo in my right arm again rather than upset my left arm in the same way and have two sore arms (there is some logic in there somewhere!).  Simone was great and tried to use a different vein for the cannula, unfortunately my veins are scaredy cats and are excellent at hide and seek so this wasn’t possible and in the end we had to go for the one that has been used before.

My bloods were re-tested as expected and had bounced up to where they should be so we were good to go.  As you know, the chemo makes the veins get stiff.  This time this made the syringes of treatment slow flowing and the treatment wasn’t complete until after 11:00!  Phil had taken us to the hospital but was happy for Mum to be my ‘plus 1’ in the treatment room and he came to check on me to make sure I was ok because I had been so long!!

Then came the fun bit.  We went to Big C for Mum to hand over the cheque from the coffee morning.  We saw Ann who said she’d get the manager when she saw the amount.  Somehow none of us managed to remember her name – apologies!  She was amazed at the amount generated by one coffee morning so thank you again to all of you for your generosity 🙂

I have the super anti-nausea drug again and am not expecting to feel any more than a little nausea which I can manage with food.  My arms feel like tight sausages again but that will ease with time so I’m off to get a good night’s sleep so that I’m ready for whatever tomorrow brings.

Talk to you soon

Lots of love Mand xxx

 

Today I have mostly been feeding… my mind, body and soul in preparation for chemo #5 tomorrow!

For tea, I had Phil’s fabulous lasagne with a healthy side of salad to boost my red blood cell count.

To prepare my body, I have been relaxing in the garden under the shade of the parasol enjoying the luxurious warm breeze which takes me to St Lucia (where we were married) when I close my eyes.

And to prepare my soul, I have been painting!  It is a gift for Mum and Richie… I have told Mum that I will not be offended if I don’t find it hanging in their house next time we visit!  I had a big canvas that I was itching to use, some big tubes of acrylic paints in Mum’s colour scheme and an urge to be creative so I had a go.

I don’t expect to win any prizes but that’s not really the point.  I had a lovely time thinking about what I was going to do and looking at images to give me some ideas and the process of painting was mainly very therapeutic 😉

I feel really positive about tomorrow’s chemo session, it’s the penultimate one and I know I’m in a great place.  The grapes are in the freezer and with today’s feeding preparation everything is in place 🙂  I’ll let you know how it goes of course!

Talk to you soon

Lots of love Mand xxx

It’s Friday of week 3 which means blood test day.  I went into the doctor’s surgery this morning to get it done and all being well, I’ll be good to go for the penultimate chemo session on Monday.

Of course, I know now that my white cell count is unlikely to be high enough for me to go ahead without a re-test but we have done all that we can once again to put me in the best position possible.  Sadly, that includes sending guests away…

My friend Pernilla came to visit yesterday with her 8 year old daughter Matilda.  Pernilla and I met 28 years ago when we took part in an exchange programme for students.  She is Swedish but has now settled in the UK so I didn’t send her back to Sweden!! They arrived yesterday afternoon, Matilda had a lovely time playing with Dude but unfortunately she started to show signs of a cold last night at bed time.  The symptoms hadn’t disappeared this morning so Pernilla, Mum and I did some catching up whilst Matilda was banished to the garden with Dude (it has been a lovely day again 🙂 ) and they left after lunch 🙁  It was lovely to see them and I hope they will come back soon (when the bugs have gone!!)

Before going to the doctor’s, I had the ‘teleclinic assessment’ call from the hospital which also takes place on the Friday prior to ‘chemo Monday’.  The nurse I spoke to (Mary) asked how I had been since the last session and said that she will make sure I get the super nausea fighting drug again which will be great.

Later this afternoon, my friend Yvonne popped around with a delicious fresh supply of home made ginger biscuits ready to commence battle against the nausea on Monday so we’re all ready to go.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend

Talk to you soon

Lots of love Mand xxx

Today is Mum’s birthday – Happy Birthday Mum!

We went to Dunwich Heath this morning – had a coffee when we arrived then explored one of the walks around the heath and got back to the start point in time for lunch 🙂 Dude came with us too which was lovely, they are super dog friendly there, Dude was even allowed to come up to the lookout with us so that we could enjoy the view whilst eating and drinking without having to sit in the sun which is ideal for me.  Even wearing my factor 50+ sun screen I have to keep the sun off my skin.

Outside, there were various games and things for children (and big kids) including these giant deck chairs…

Sitting in the deck chair (once I eventually managed to climb in!) made me feel small.  It was like a manifestation of the way the cancer makes me feel.  I am just under the control of this massive thing and although I believe there are some things I can do to influence how we progress, I am definitely not in control.

But I hold onto those things I can influence and keep on keeping on because that is what we can do!

I hope that the sun shone on you today too.

Talk to you soon

Lots of love Mand xxx

 

Well today was my fabulous husband’s turn to surprise me with an addition to the glory.

Rather irritatingly, the post lady rang the doorbell whilst I was having my nap which stirred Dude into his usual frenzy of asserting his authority with a ferocious bark and a waggy tail!!!  Our post usually arrives just after lunch time and I was having an early nap because Mum and Richie have come to stay 🙂  It’s Mum’s Birthday on Wednesday so we’re really looking forward to celebrating it with her.  Anyhoo… I quickly resumed my dozing practice trying not to think about what the post lady had delivered, telling myself that it was probably a new filter for the vacuum cleaner (something that we seem to have to buy far too often) or something equally dull!

I could not have been more wrong.  Not only do I have my first ‘onesie’ at the ripe old age of 44 and 3/4  but it’s a unicorn – I have joined the glory!!

You could have knocked me over with a feather.  I love Phil to the moon and back, he can be a bit of a grumpy old man at times and a ‘onesie’ would not be something I would expect him to buy… ever!  I love him even more for still being able to surprise me 🙂

So all is good on the health front.  As usual week three will be all about nutrition, building me up for my blood test on Friday so Mum and Richie will joining us in devouring tons of fresh fruit and vegetables and no doubt we will be venturing out for the occasional treat!

Talk to you soon

Lots of love Mand xxx

Having recovered from the surprise of Crystal joining the Glory – I’m still blown away by her – we’re carrying on carrying on.

We had another day out on Thursday, down to Shotley Marina with Dad & Chris where we had lunch (of course!) and a walk along the sea front before I slept all the way home in the car… it’s the sea air you know 😉

It was lovely to go out and have a change of surroundings.  We really love where we live and having lots of visitors keeps us busy but it is good to have a change of scenery every now and then.  I am a bit paranoid about infection  if we go out, being in places that have too many people that I can’t control.  I always remember my Nana saying ‘a peck of dirt will do you no harm’ and I have never been worried about germs particularly but I have to remember that I am vulnerable to infection.  I know that although I don’t feel like a sick person, I sometimes need to behave a bit like one!

I do have the dry mouth, sore eyes, constant nausea except when I’m eating 🙂 , a sore right arm, blood bogies, fatigue, sensitivity on both arms and across my shoulders, not to mention the ‘chemo brain’… but it doesn’t stop me functioning and it really could be a lot worse.  The frozen grapes seem to have worked because as we reach the end of week 2, I am not yet experiencing any sores in my mouth and throat this time which is great.

And of course, on Friday afternoon I had my Thai foot massage with Paula of Tranquil Treatments.  It’s just five minutes down the road, Phil dropped me off and picked me up which was lovely because it meant that I didn’t have to become fully alert afterwards to drive home.  It was super relaxing.  Paula had an electric blanket under the soft blanket on the treatment table which was so cosy.  I have been feeling the cold a lot lately so it was lovely to be all relaxed and warm and then to have my feet massage… heaven!  The Thai foot massage uses a stick to apply pressure at some points during the session, Paula used the thick end to reduce the amount of pressure applied as you’re not allowed too much stimulation when you’re having chemotherapy but none the less, it felt great.  Thank you Pat for finding her and organising it for me 🙂

Talk to you again soon

Lots of love Mand xxx