Anyone due to start chemo April 14??

Going through breast cancer treatment Chemotherapy monthly threads
1961

Wildpurl, your patient warming device sounds quite extraordinary. Not sure if it’s more space age or Hesth Robinson. Glad at least one drain is out anyway.

Lovewine, we love the Malverns. Hope the weather keeps fine for you next weekend. Hope no more mixups with the dog chews. That did make me laugh. From your later post however I see that you rather liked it so perhaps any future ‘mistakes’ might be deliberate! Re your wrong key episode it sounds just as well you did have a chemo brain attack otherwise you might have walked in on something very embarrassing.

Cassie, I do hope the weekend with your daughter isn’t as bad as you are fearing and she doesn’t take any rash decisions. What a worry for you. I love Moshulu too and have some aubergine boots but have only used neutral polish so far. Like you I got into Moshulu through their spotty slippers. Now have two pairs. Commiserations on the gum. I dont have the excuse of surgery for mine. Annoyingly I have now put back all but two of the pounds I lost with chemo.

This week seems to have been quite busy getting back into things after the hol and starting to get back into work.I’m realising it is going to be quite a challenge to fit in doing the things I have been enjoying doing over the last year and working, even only 2-3 days a week. So far my resolve not to get sucked back into my previous frantic working is holding and I have managed to say no to things but it’s early days.

Has anyone else responded to the invitation posted on this site to take part in the Sheffield university research on on line support? I have agreed in principle to take part.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Rosie, glad the sickbag was not necessary. Hope the rest of your cruise is calmer. You’ve certainly been to some great places. Santorini is on my must see list.

1962

I was thinking about responding to survey, but not as yet.
Joan, am very much looking forward to visiting Malvern hills, we are staying about a mile outside Great Malvern , hoping weather is dry and not a howling gale!

1963

Morning ladies, i have just had my hair trimmed and thinned out, it really was starting to resemble an ’ old ladies perm’, looks more of a style now! I am going to put a Naturtint hair colour on it shortly, i always colour my hair on a sunday morning, so if its a disaster i can send O/H out to shop to buy more dye before work on monday!
Its very windy here today. . Certainly will dry my washing, i cant bear walking about in it, so may just have a quiet day pottering about, enjoy your sunday everyone.

1964

Evening ladies, wildpurl, i am happy with my hair, i have a larger picture i think in the album section, think its in my public photos! Am not great with adding photos, but at least i am the right way around this time…you sound like you are recovering well, its always a good sign when you start feeling bored, the weather is supposed to be nice all week so make the most of the time in your garden! Hope you get the remaining drain out tomorrow, it will be such a relief for you.
I have had a busy day working again, i have burnt my fingertip on my very powerful iron too, its very painful, i have been squashing my aloe vera plant leaves and rubbing the sap on to it and its quite soothing, its going to be a hindrance as its my right hand!
My YS has completed his charity skydive at end of last week, he raised money for ’ children with cancer’ charity and i am very proud of him… Will put a photo on if i can of him skydiving!?
Rosie, hope you enjoy last couple of days of your trip and feel rested?.

1965

Wildpurl, hope you get your drain out tomorrow then you will be able to be even more active than you already are. I have my interview fixed for May as well.

Lovewine glad the hair dying went OK. Hope the aloe Vera has relieved the pain. Well done to your son. Very brave. The very thought of skydiving makes me go pale but then I’m terrified on a ferris wheel.

Started another course of Qi Gong today. It really is very energising as well as relaxing, if that makes sense. Also managed to do some work preceded by a swim. Pudding brain struck again though, I always put my swimsuit on before I go to the pool and take underwear. This morning, however, forget to take the underwear, which I managed to leave in the hall. Not a comfortable feeling. Tomorrow I’m also starting a course on modernist literature which I think would task my brain under normal conditions so may be completely bemused. Going on to lunch with friends, hopefully a bit of work and then going across to help daughter out with the kids in the evening because her husband is away. Hair cut and reflexology on Wednesday.

1966

Wildpurl, totally sympathise with you feeling depressed and **bleep**.d off… Why cant they just stick to the original policies and stop messing around with people, how bloody frustrating for you, keep your chin up, you have done so amazingly well during the last year, you kept me going during chemo with your gardening and recipe ideas- still think you should have written a book!?

Joan, i couldnt even cope with the cable cars at Matlock Bath, when the boys were young we went for the day, went up on them, but i walked back down, leaving O/H and boys to return on them! So certainly couldn’t do a skydive, have a good day tomorrow, sounds like you have a busy couple of days.

1967

Wildpurl, glad you are feeling a bit better today, it is annoying when things keep changing though, its a beautiful day here and i am loaded with work, so am looking wistfully out the window wishing i had time to go in the garden! Hope you get dressings off without any issues!?

Have a good day ladies whatever your plans!

1968

welcome back today Rosie, hope you have had a lovely trip? i have missed you!
Beautiful day again, but grumpy as very busy again so no time to enjoy it???,

1969

Thankyou ladies for positive comments about my hair, i am happier with it now the curls are finally going, each time its trimmed they go a little more!
O/H mentioned earlier Cyprus had had an earthquake, what a homecoming, hope there arent any aftershocks ?, does your dog get frightened? At least shes back on the sofa!
Wildpurl, did the dressing removal go smoothly?, hopefully the drain will be evicted too shortly.have you been in your garden today- its been a glorious day.
Joan, hope you have work and relaxation still going to plan… Its very difficult getting the balance, but you sound very organized, i think i may have to try a bit harder to do the same.
Cassie, hope your weekend went ok and things were smoothed over with your ED.
I am waiting for the herceptin nurse to ring to give me the time for her visit tomorrow, am hoping its first thing again so can go off to work and then get sorted for our weekend in The malverns?, this will be my 10th…7 more to go!

1970

Hello Ladies,

 

Lovewine your son is very brave doing the sky dive, I had a look at the photo. My YD is doing a absail from an office tower near Liverpool Street later in the summer for MIND, I may have mentioned it before, I would not do either !!!  Rosie the quake sounds a bit worrying, you must have thought wow, what have I come home to.

 

ED dropped my GS off last Friday then went of for the weekend to a friends, text me on Sunday from Victoria Station to say she could not bear to go back and would I help her ! She is still here camping out on  my livingroom floor now homeless, all of her things are in Gorleston and I really don’t have any answers, she has tried to approach the housing dept here in Islington, but they say they cannot help, she should go back to Norfolk ! I sympathise but its really difficult because I cannot see any resolution in site. GS is now not in school, but ED has tried to register him with a local school, I have no idea how long things may stay like this.

 

Wilpurl you must be so frustrated with things, I hope that you are able to have the drain removed soon.

 

 

1971

Oh Cassie what a hard situation for you all, i really sympathise with you, i suppose ED is seen by the authorities of being " intentionally homeless" so unable to get on the housing list, would it be the same in norfolk if she was to return? Although from what you have said regarding schools , it seems she wants to stay in London, it must be so difficult for you , she obviously sees you as a major emotional support, but you are still recovering too and need some time to fully recover…sending you a hug???.all the best, hope things can be resolved soon.

1972

Snatching a few minutes from helping out with grandchildren. One asleep, husband reading stories to the other one.

Wildpurl, how disappointing about the drain non removal. Hope the dressing removal at least went to plan.

Rosie, what a scary thing to return to. 5.6 sounds quite a substantial quake, how fortunate that there wasn’t more damage. I have only been in one quake, a very tiny one in Birmingham of all places where I was in the back row of a large tiered conference hall. It was a very strange feeling.

Cassie, what a frustrating position you’re in with your daughter. I guess emotionally she is all over the place and you are her haven and rock. I hope some solution emerges soon. London is probably the most difficult place to find any affordable accommodation.

Lovewine, organised is definitely not the way I would describe myself. At the moment it’s more over-committed, even though some of those commitments are very nice. Off to Cornwall tomorrow to have lunch with friends.

1973

Great news wildpurl, you must feel so much better! Banana cake and coffee is just whats needed too, hope you have had a nice day today.
Rosie, bet it
feels like you have never been away doesnt it! Amazing how we slip back into the routine so quickly?, my herceptin was early again which was good, packing my weekend things now, am really looking forward to malvern,lots of Good fresh air, walks and wine and pub lunches!! We are staying in a pub with rooms, so what more can you ask for??. My O/h is 50 on monday, so will be nice to go away, he is 3 years younger than me, i wasnt keen on being 50, but after recent events i am grateful to have made nearly 53!

1974

Thanks Wildpurl, i can relate to the cabin fever feeling! Hope you can get out for a walk over the weekend.

1975

Thanks Rosie, hope you have caught up with the washing?, enjoy the weekend before the appointments next week?

1976

Morning ladies, have a lovely weekend All, as Rosie says…hope all ladies are ok, thinking of you especially Jackie…i know you have surgery on monday. Lisa, tij and kirstie hope all is well.
Wildpurl, enjoy the weekend now you have escaped the drains! Cassie, hope you are coping with your sutuation as best as you can do, Joan, i hope you enjoyed your lunch in cornwall too.
Rosie, no more earhquakes i hope?, good luck with the laundry!

1977

Afternoon ladies, having a lovely time here in The Malverns, the weather is glorious too, we have walked along the ridge of the hills today, up near the Beacon, the views are stunning, what a fabulous place. I also like the town of Great Malvern, they had a farmers market there today, i bought two white and dark chocolate tarts and we sat in the sunshine watching the world go by!

Rosie, i sympathise with the stress your appointment on tuesday is giving you, i hope things can be sorted soon so you can complete your surgery without the dreaded expanders, i hate going back to oncology and get really anxious, i have an Echo scan again a week on monday, it still makes me worry there will be a problem and herceptin will be suspended?.. I have very watery eyes and nose as a side effect on herceptin, have also lost all my eyelashes again on my right eye, but not my left!?.. Rosie i hope you completed your dog washing and cleaning patios, hopefully you can have supper at your local taverna tonight!
My dogs are worn out now from all the walking, so will be able to have a nice, quiet bar meal in the bar where we are staying, i fancy the fish pie, O/H is predictably having steak and chips!!
Hope you are all having a nice weekend ?x

1978

Hello Ladies,

 

I have just had a rather stressful couple of days ED and GS are still here, they were offered some emergency accomodation for over the weekend but ED said it was so filthy cockroaches the lot, nr Chalk Farm St. she said if the accomodation was for longer she would gladly clean it from top to bottom, I could hardly argue with that. We will see what next week brings. I have eaten so much rubbish today, I am sure it must be because of the stress.

Thursday evening when I got in from work I had an appointment letter for the Mc Millan centre at UCLH waiting for me, I was not expecting any appointments so of course my immagination went into overdrive, I also had still not received the result of the second biopsy that was taken back in March, so I put two and two together and presumed that the result of the biopsy must have showed some cancer cells and that was why I was being called in. I did not get much sleep on Thursday night.

Friday was my day off and I looked after GS while my daughter went into battle with the local council and the Law center, well that took all day and the result was a room that I just mentioned. GS is quite a handful unless glued to his tablet playing games, its a form of escapism I know but really difficult not to let him use it for any length of time.

 

I telephoned both Hospitals on Friday only to be told we are sorry but the letter from the Endocrinology dept with the results of the biopsy had been sent out and sorry you have not recieved it yet, I asked if the secretary could read it to me over the phone which she did and thankfully the news was good benign cells only, the only thing is this radiologist did not take a measurement so the CT will have to done again before the end of July when I have another appointment. UCLH said the appointment was a radiology follow up appointment which should have been this month and was cancelled, I was not aware of any appointment for this month and the appointment letter received had no mention of radiology so I think I had every reason

to worry.

 

Today I just had to go out into the sunshine I went for a long walk alone in the local park and ate cake. ED and GS went to a different park with her friend and children, while I then went shopping again alone, I came home did a whole pile of ironing then bagan to feel better, GS is home with me now we just watched Thunder Birds together ED has gone out for the evening again, I think she is behaving a bit selfishly but under the circumstances I forgive her, she probably needs to let off steam in her own way.

 

I love the spring weather we are having at the moment, I have a lovely tree right outside my livingroom window which is bursting into bloom at the moment its really beautiful.

 

I send a big hug to all ladies and look forward to meeting up in July, was a venue or time decided on yet?

 

1979

Hi All Ladies,

 

I am currently looking after GS his mum went out about 5pm yesterday for the evening and has not yet returned, I text her to ask was she OK at about 10 and she said yes she she had just woken up ! I replied I think she is taking the P.

 

I am taking GS out shortly to visit my brother who lives locally and will just leave a note for her if she returns while we are out.

 

I am not sure about a venue for July, as Kings cross is only a place to pass through and not somewhere I would choose to go and eat? I have googled and had a look a a few reviews but it will be a bit of a stab in the dark to be honest, it may be best to stick close by as you say there is a new coffe shop called Notes in St Pancras Square that seems OK then I think it might be wise to wander to see what is open as at the weekend many restaurants close in the city. Have a google and see what you think ladies.

1980

Hi ladies, sorry to butt in and ignore me if I’m overstepping the mark but if you’re looking for a coffee place near to Kings Cross St Pancras you could try the Wellcome Collection cafe.  It’s 10 mins walk from Kings Cross St Pancras and 2 mins walk from Euston/Euston Square tube stations and is a Benugo cafe within the Wellcome Museum so always good place to hang out (and there is a fabulous free exhibition on pathology on there for the next few months too).  This one tends to get quite busy.

 

Another good one is the Fields Bar & Kitchen in Lincoln’s Inn Fields which is lovely and in a quiet area nearby. They have an outside seating area too which is fab when the sun is shining and it’s the one I’d go for.

 

If you’re prepared to travel a bit further, I’d highly recommend the Victoria & Albert Museum for coffee/lunch but it would mean travelling over to South Kensington so probably too far. 

 

Sorry to interrupt and hope that helps

xx

Sharon