morning angels
just about to pop the steroids - hope they work opposite to philomenas, ive seen too many sunrises just lately!
i know Thurnscoe too, used to live at Bolton on Dearne. what a small world.
off to work today, just to get a free breakfast and catch up before i hit the den for a week.
angie xx
Cycle 5 docetaxel 2 day 12
Morning Angels
Philomema you made me laugh, I watch all the hospital programmes too 24hrs in A & e my favourite my husband thinks I’m nuts why would you want to watch other people’s operations you have had enough of your own he says, but I love it I always wanted to be a nurse, never had the exams to do it when I left school at 16, and then later on I could never afford to give up work to go and do it.
Debra stop apologising for feeling crap we all know how you feel so moan if you want to will make you feel better. It’s not long now until you and I will be on the platform with the rest of them. I got the throat thing too swallowing tablets is the worst especially last week when pain was bad and had to take so many, feels like a raw bit where they go over.
I went for my therapy yesterday. The therapist did not do reflexology, I had a foot massage and Raiki relaxation it was fab, did not think It would be as good as it was. Well worth going, booked for 3 weeks time by that time I will be on the platform and over the worst of the side effects. Yeh!
All you. Yorkshire girls will have loads to talk about When we meet up.
Hope you all gave a good day, I have an ironing sitting begging to be done as I have not looked in it direction for too long. Lynn x
Good morning Ladies
Philomena - Congratulations on getting off the train 
The steroids definately won the sleep battle last night…with a bit of luck you’ll be out like a light tonight.
I also had lots of great nights out in Wakefield in the early 80’s. Philomena we also went to the prison’s social club as my friend’s dad was a prison officer, we also went to the swan with 2 necks and casanovas nightclub. Kate the other night club was Pussycats…oh happy days
Debra - have you tried the difflam mouthwash and gelclair gel for the sore mouth, if not give the chemo unit a ring and they will prescribe you some. Fresh pineapple is also very soothing Along with orange mivvi ice lollies I find my taste goes a couple of days after the chemo and doesn’t come back until a couple of days before the next chemo is due. I try to eat spicy/strong tasting foods but sometimes this is difficult when my mouth is at it’s sorest. When my mouth is really bad I stick to liquids, cool black tea, bovril and soup which I drink through a straw when the ulcers are at their worst.
Judy - Try not to worry about the surgery, it really isn’t as bad as you imagine it it be. I didn’t have a mx but my scars from my WLE and where they took the lymph nodes are really neat and hardly noticeable, the surgeons are fantastic and will do a brilliant job I’m sure.
Angie - enjoy the free breakfast
Good luck to everyone having bloods and chemo this week
Kim x
Final Tax, day 5 - nasties have kicked in now, aches n pains, horrid sore mouth but hey ho, last time!!! Taking all meds and hope to snooze through most of this week
Gongrats Philomena - bet you feel great, did you have champers? Hope you get some rest soon!
Angie, Moira, Mel A - see you opn the platform later this week - happy dancing
take care Angles
Pauline xx
Afternoon Angels, well what an exciting (not) 9 hours since my last post… Still not been to bed though have been sat on one down at the local N&N hospital. Just after my last post I made my husband a cup of tea in bed, first time I have ever done this as he always does it. He then says its a good job he was lying down or he would have had a heart attack had he been standing ha ha.
i then went dowstairs and experienced the most horrendous neck pain shortly followed by chest pain So bad I had to phone 999. To cut a long story short with oxygen and aspirin pain under control from 10 to 4 on the pain scale but still had to be admitted to hospital. Chest X-ray clear, ECG clear, heart bloods normal, but the lovely Dr examined my poor throat and oesophageal which was teaming with thrush, which he suspected had caused an oesophageal spasm with can mimic a heart attack. I then see another Dexplain ho didn’t think it was cardiac but protocol stated arterial bloods must be taken on chemo patients re clots. I explained to her about the pain in my neck feeling like a clot had stuck there.seen by another Dr, all of which are lovely, and he says I can go home as not cardio related, I then asked for my tablets for the thrush, and off he goes. Fortunetly me daughter is a Sister at the hospital and used to work on the this uOhio when he returned and said my cardiac markers were raised and they now think I have clots on my lungs…b*****r. But we have managed to persuade him to let me go home after promising no high jinxes.i have to come back tomorrow morning for a lung scan, so no champers for me tonight again girls just really big Zzzzzzzzs.q
Kim and Kate I remember Casonovas and The roof top gardens, woohoo. Not only that my other half brother lived in watch node anre and know lives in Dingwall Inverness, and I live in Norfolk,what a small world. I think by the time we all meet up next year we will find were all related to each other, lol
Sandy, Pauline and Debra Im hoping you all feel better soon, the thrush hasn’t affected my mouth so am ok from that point of view, but I know I find really cold fresh pineapple amazing, also del monte mango or raspberry smoothies are on special offer again at Tesco, these are to die for and leave you mouth feeling really refreshed.
just waiting for my drugs and will make a hasty escape before they find something else is wrong me or another bl***y needle in me 5 today.
Onwards and upwards Angels
Hope you feel better soon Pauline and Debra.
Judy I had a full mastectomy and was a bit conscious of the scar at first, but soon got used to it. I cried more at losing my hair. I’m not sure that I want to go for a reconstruction now though as I’ve had more than enough of hospitals. With the right clothes and accessories you can’t tell I’ve got a fake boob. The chemo has been harder to get through than the surgery so the worst is over for you.
I’ve been given the green light for chemo on Thursday so am heading for that final bend. I’ve been told I will be having 15 sessions of rads over 3 weeks when I get back off holiday so I’m happier that I know what is coming, though a little nervous.
Take it easy Angels xx
Philomena we crossed posts so I missed yours. What a terrifying experience for you! Take it easy today and let your OH look after you. I hope your lung scans are all clear - dealing with bc is enough for anyone to deal with. Don’t start adding extras. xx
Cheers Mel that really cheered me about the added extras…today I shall be having pulmonary embolisms please.i think the other Mel really took the biscuit with 2 weeks in hospital , they were superior added extras. Xx
hi angels
wow philomena - thrush in the oesophagus, who would have thought? how nice of them to let you out, that sounds awful, i bet you didnt see that one coming! Glad youre not being detained. Ive had 3 lots of thrush tablets since this tax, i know now why they insisted. Poor you, hope you feel ok now. You need to sleep, sleep heals - thats what my nurse aleays tells me.
Pauline - pineapple is the wonder fruit of the century for me, I’m planning to sleep my way through it too.
Kim - the taste thing isnt very good is it, i like food, it pains me when i cant taste it, you seem to lose your taste buds for a long time.
i went to work and had bacon egg and toast, fresh pineapple and coffee. The girls bought me a massive bunch of flowers again, to cheer me up before my last fix, and i got a card (a proper chemo card!) congrats on your last round of chemo. so i’m well chuffed today, cant wait for tommorow now,
Steroids have given me a banging head already, me thinks this is the start of things to come… off to build my den…
angie xx
angie xx
Hi Ladies,
Wow what a scare Philomena - glad they got you sorted out and released back home, fingers crossed for good results tomorrow!
Good luck to Angie, Moira & Mel for your last episode coming up so pleased your now at the end.
Judy, at the begining of this my surgeon told me not to be scared about the surgery, he advised that the surgery was the easy part. At the time I though don’t be ridiculous this is part of my body you are taking away…however in hindsight he was so right I recovered from the surgery very well. My first reaction was I wish I could have had a double mastectomy as it was weird being left with one large boob. Mel is right the prosthetics are great although I tend to wear my softie more often than anything for comfort in this hot weather but you really cant tell. I had an expander fitted at time of mastectomy and since then been having it filled every few weeks with 50ml of saline. Now at max of 450ml…nice little boob sitting higher and firmer than my own but a perfect form! Once I have my bra and softie on you really cant tell. I have a couple of reconstruction options available and also a reduction on my left side to make them look similar size in the end. The scaring is minimal honestly it has reduced more than I expected in such a short time. You truely are going through the worst part now…you will kick the chemo’s backside soon and sail through the surgery!!
Sandie, Debra hope your both feeling better!
Love & best wishes to all you other angels too, hope everyone has a peaceful night’s sleep!
Lori xx
…just noticed my post from y’day did not save…annoying when that happens !!!
Angie the little one looks soooo cute and I’m so jealous of her lovely head of hair ha!
Moira the air show was really good thanks lovely sunny day, loads of fresh air followed by a stiff neck and drink at a local pub!
Carol hope your ok, sorry to hear about your break up, hope you have good friends around you, pity we are all so far apart. Hang in there and take care.
Lori x
Thanks Angels for your good wishes today, not looking forward to the lung scann tomorrow? Means even more needles and already had 5 today including the arterial stabs, which to be fair wern’t quite as painful as I thought it they would be. But a bonus when I got home from hosp and took off my scarf… Eldest daughter found stray hair on back of my head and thought I’d picked it up from hospital? But turned out it was mine and it was 2 inches long… Down side it was grey :(. So Mel there are some extras to be picked up haha.
Mel it’s funny you saying about the things you missed losing more during this long ride. I didn’t mind losing my hair so mucwouldn’t knew I would, I hated losing my eyebrows and eyelashes the most as I somehow lost my face shape. What have the rest of you missed the most?
im now going was tech CSI New York and then back to bobo’s
will let you know tomorrow how it goes, say a little prayer for me that it doesn’t mean being incarcerated again xxox and good luck to you Angels for your happy dances this week xxx
Hi all
Philomena what a trauma! Good luck with lung scan hope not tooo many needles and everything is ok. Do you get the results straight away or is it a waiting job?
Debra my throat and nose is sore just after 1cmf. It feels like I’m Just getting a cold all the time. I’m So sorry you’ve had to postpone your big day twice. Remember its the long and happy marriage that you’re Going to have that matters, not when the day is, but it will be a great celebration to have when all this is over. Don’t worry about complaining- if you didn’t Complain about this what would be worth complaining about? This is the place to get it off your chest( ha ha) and have a good moan.
Love to everyone mel xxx
Hi girls,
2<sup>nd</sup> day at work and knackered – I have no idea how I’m going to manage a full week! Tiredness due to lack of exercise when sofa-surfing I think. Chemo-eve tomorrow, I’m sort of looking forward to it 7 out of 8 so nearly there! I also get to eat “steroid snacks” too!
Philomena – what a horrible experience! But of course they’ll check you out and make sure there’s nothing else that needs fixing. I can’t count the number of times I’ve shouted “NOW WHAT”! when yet another SE has surfaced. Fingers crossed for you that its nothing serious. At least you’re done with the chemo now and when you get better, you can stay better. I’ll be going back to “senior moments” when I can’t claim its chemo brain any more!
Carol, sorry to hear about your split (didn’t that happen to Kylie too?) this process can put an enormous strain on relationships. I hope you so over him now!
Debra, I know Lymm too. My mum had good friend who lived there so I visited several times in my youth (a long time ago…). Sorry you had to postpone your wedding twice. Third time lucky to you!
Angie – Daphne is beautiful (and looks peaceful in her pic!) congrats to all! Hope the den-building was up to standard!
Judy – I didn’t have time to worry about the MX –I just wanted rid of the C! As the others have said, the “discrepancy” is the only thing you have to worry about afterwards and that’s easily fixed. I got an NHS prosthesis but don’t wear it much as its very heavy, my softie is too shapeless for venturing outdoors in, but I got a foam one from one of the websites which is great. Trial and error! Yes, I did have a bit of a weep about never being “whole” again, but that passed. Be warned though, you get a much better view of your stomach – in my case not a pretty sight!
Everyone else – sorry but you’re all posting too much and I can’t keep up!! Hope you are all recovering from your SE’s some of you for the last time, lucky ladies!
Love & hugs, Roz xx
Evening Angels,
Philomena, will say a prayer for you this evening. After all you’ve been through this is the last thing you need. If it is a clot can they blast it or heparin it? Hope you manage some sleep tonight.
Can understand how you’re feeling Judy. The surgery could be worse - they don’t have cut through muscle layers - but having no option but to slice off part of your body is very difficult to come to terms with. I’ve only had a WLE so have a smaller mis-shapen boob which I can live with. You’ll have to get that ‘this one tried to kill me’ t-shirt and wear it with pride. Not long till Friday!
Well Angie, while they’re pumping you full of tax stuff (best of luck) I’ll be having bloods taken in preparation for my last red poison on Thursday. Really worried my bloods won’t be good enough. Have done as little as possible this past few days to help boost the blood cells.
Got a phone call today to go for rads planning on 12 August. Seems very quick after the end of chemo. Could be being blasted sooner than expected.
Best of luck for Thursday Mel. See you on the platform.
BTW, Wakefield night life seems to be taking a bit of a battering lately. What was Rooftop Gardens and Casanovas eventually became Mustang Sallys which, as far as I am aware, has closed down. They’ve resurrected Buzz Bar which used to be Sloanes but I’m way past any of those places now.
Moira xxx
hi angels
ok - who’s got the sleep fairies ? send me one please!
Moira - i get my last one tommorow and my rads planning is also 12th august, apparantly, they like to move quick so that there’s no chance of anything ‘roaming’ so they can target the right places that chemo ends with, if that makes sense, so my onc said. So they like it to be quite soon after recovery of last chemo.
Rozz - well done for being at work, i cant wait to get back, ive had 6 weeks off at the end of this week, its not my way, i hate not being able to be myself. Will they let you go home if it gets too much? I’m getting a new softie from hospital, not bothering with the heavy prosthesis.
presed the wrong knob again
part 2
philomena - hope everything is well with you tommorow. i have to say the worst part for me is the weight (they tell me its fluid retention, i think its junk food!!) my head has outgrown my wig, it slides up and thats a pain in the … my hair is coming back grey too.
lori - we all want daphne’s hair
sweet dreams angels,
angie xx
I seem to have lost my earlier post… Well I am back in hospital after further chest pain, theories so far are oesophageal thrush, causing oesophageal spasm, lung clots, cardiac due to the C in FEC or just wanting a few extras haha. Either way stuck here until at least 3 today for results but the lovely Dr this morning promised he would sort it out regardless, so very happy now.
good luck today Angie on your last chemo, and enjoy the happy dance, hope you’ve got the champers cooling xx
Clycle 6 Tax/Heceptin Day 7
Philomena - Praying today that your test results are all clear and that it’s just down to another se after your last chemo. 
From now on your party songs are Things Can Only Get Better, and when your well enough to make those husky 0898 calls The Only Way Is Up. Te He xxx
Carol - I want you to find you a T-Shirt with “I’m Going To Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair”. Then wear it with pride with a perfectly bald head in your local crowded shopping centre. (Send us a pickie). LOLLLL!
Debra - Geoff and I got married a year last November at Gretna. Having been married before with all the frills and so much money spent on venues dresses etc with nothing to show for it. I wouldn’t do that again.
I can’t tell you how laid back and relaxed Gretna was in such a beautiful building, photographed next to lush horse carridges and piped in by a Scotts piper. I booked a Christian Priest and they dealt with everything including Photographer. Afterwards and outside tourist taking pictures too (mostly Janpanese) and my daughter posing like Keira Nightly. Priceless. Family and I dressed in period Edwardian costumes of the time to boot. We all felt like film stars and it only cost around £500. That’s with a dressing room for all to get ready in for just ten pounds. Then with the money saved we spend 4 days holiday at a nearby centre parcs for all the family. The proffessional Photo’s sent to us in just one week are priceless to us. Hope you feel better soon. Start planning and looking forward to that lovely wedding.
Angie - Baby Daphne is lovely, and such a pretty English rose name.
Lynn - Foot massage sounds lovely.
Moira - Love the “This One Tried To Kill Me” T-Shirt.
Hope everyone who’s on the platform or have just had their chemo. I hope your all ok and managing. That’s all I describe it as now.
My se’s are finaly lessening but that’s all. I seem to have them all the time even since the last cycle. Like most it’s the not being able to taste which is the worst and horrid bloated tummy. Eight days of Injections, lack of sleep, Sore hands and feet, and my big toe nail is coming off. Ah well only 2 more cycles to go. 
Then surgery.
Angels - Thank you for your surgery experiences like Judy I’m a little apprehensive with Chemo being a pre-cursor.
Lv n Hugs to you all. Off to pray for Philomena. xxxxx
Philomena, you’ve finished your chemo, your supposed to stay away from hospitals ow, you poor thing, hope it goes ok today, as if you’ve not got enough on your plate with the s/e. My hair is starting to come through and its all white so far, im looking forward to seing what colour it ends up, if it stays white im putting some pink streaks in it. As for the 16th August, I’ve made a note of it, will let you kow nearer the date, as we have my mum and dad to take care of and ferry about hear there and everywhere for there hospital and dental appointments as well.
Angie, I can’t see a photo of Daphne anywhere, have I missed something?
Thank you ladies for the advice, re surgery, it is reassuring, I hope your right Lori and the chemo is the worst part. I know what you mean about wanting both removed Lori, I’ve thought the same thing. Just don’t see how they will match up, I mean gravity has taken its toll, so to have one all new and stuck straight out and the other showing signs of age and drooping a bit, well, I just thnk it would be better if them took them both off, but they won’t. I’ve said I want reconstruction and I think they’re going to do the same as they’re done to you Lori with the inflatable bag. I don’t think. Like the idea of them cutting bits off other parts of my body to make it up, even though I could do with the tummy tuck now. Did anyone else go for that method?
Roz the view of my stomach is pretty ghastly as it is, I’ve never been so fat. My mum had breast cancer years ago and then went onto tamoxifen but she stopped taking them as they put weight on. I know I will be on them when I’ve finished with all this so I’m gonna have to do some serious excercise as I intend to keep taking them, but I don’t need any more extra weight.
Mel-A Good luck for tomorrow, hope everything goes ok. My mum opted not to have a reconstruction after her mastectomy 15 years back, I think she wishes she had had it done now, or had them both removed, but she’s 74 now so there’s not much chance of her having anything done with them now.
philomena, I too miss my eyebrows and eyelashes more than the hair on my head, I think without them I look like an alien. I can’t use the false eyelashes. I’m ok now at drawing the eyebrows in, but them I forget about them and have wiped them off a few times With the warm weather, as I’ve been just wiping the sweat away from my head.
Angie, best of luck today,
Take care Moira, Kate, Kim, mel and Pauline, and the rest of the angels hope your all doing ok.