Hello all
Wow, so many good posts to read in only a couple of days.
Lorraine, I can only imagine how scared you must be feeling but you are sounding so positive in difficult circumstances. It’s good that your menfolk have been helping out, let them do what they can and you take it easy. Your faith must be stretched at this time, I can only say what my sister feels which is that you will somehow find the strength and the courage to face whatever you have in front of you, with your faith guiding and helping you through. I wish you strength for tomorrow and truly hope that it will be better news than expected.
Bev sorry to hear that your daughter is working away at Christmas, I do understand as we haven’t seen our daughter and granddaughter on Christmas Day for 4 years, but will also chat on the phone. At least I will be seeing them shortly after Christmas so will make up for it then. It is hard though when we want to see our children but they are all grown up and doing their own things. Hope the plaster comes off ok.
Lily as long as you enjoy shopping for the presents it doesn’t matter how many they’ve got, the joy is with the giving and their faces when they open them will be priceless, especially little chap.
Well the mince pies are far too tempting for me, so I’ve given up trying to worry about losing weight this side of Christmas. Too many delicious and good things to eat and drink. My sloe gin is lovely, and I’ve yet to do the sloe vodka. Our big fat 28 lb home grown turkey is coming out of the freezer tomorrow, I hope it will thaw out in time or we will be eating sausage meat & stuffing instead! Our weather has thawed out and it is just wet and windy, but warmer than last week. OH and son are busy working to try and get the kitchen all together before the big day.
Seasons greetings everyone, and good luck for those results tomorrow Lorraine
Hi,
Lorraine you are in my thoughts constantly and I really do hope that you get tlc from the hospital tomorrow and most of all that they have some positive things to say to you and a game plan that you feel is manageable. Who is going with you for the appointment? I have heard others on here talk about ascites. I looked it up and it is excess fluid in the peritoneal cavity between the abdominal wall and the membranes covering the organs in the abdomen. How did you get on with the Macmillan nurse? They are usually such great support and very knowledgeable. Gosh you must be feeling brighter to consider sitting for hours at a pantomine. I hope you make it but be sensible :). In my thoughts x
Peacock this is not the worst time of year for me as I don’t like mince pies, Christmas cake or pudding. I think Easter and chocolate is my worst bit. Good luck with the kitchen being completed on time and the cook not being totally drunk on all the home-made spirits ha ha.
Did anyone get the latest blast of snow? I decided to go for it and went back into the town to finish my shopping. My Mum dared me to come back without a pressie for her to give me so I spent a pleasant hour or two trying clothes on. The changing rooms were really quiet and I must have tried about 30 things on. In Debenhams nothing was quite right but found lots of things I liked in M & S. Narrowed it down to some stretch jeans that make up for my stomach muscles (that seem to have been evaporated by my treatments - or did I ever have any?)a warm really long skirt and a top. My Mum only wanted one! I don’t know about you guys but these days I buy absolutely anything and everything that fits me and looks not half bad. Phoned Victor and said do you need any more pressies for me, he said ‘No but just get them all anyway’ so I did. Will probably wait a week or two before I tell him all the other things I need to buy to go with these clothes to make an outfit.
This afternoon I took little chap out to do his Christmas shopping. It is hilarious as he likes to choose presents himself. I steered him towards jewellery for my daughter after he became fascinated by a second-hand hat in a charity shop which was still covered in the previous owner’s hair yuk.We had to go in to buy Batman on a motorbike because he had the BIGGEST cape he had ever seen!! He then became transfixed by a small pottery seabird with a hole in its head. Nothing else would do apart from a pink plastic miniature motorbike so Daddy is getting the bird. It turned out to be a whistle. We then had to look at toy cars, dog food, a dog bed with fluffy cushions, torches and a jug shaped like a cow before I convinced him that a photo frame would be nice for Mummy’s new partner so all their pictures could go in it. I reckon he would have loved the dog food ha ha. It is his fault for telling him he is going to buy a house woth a garden for him and Mummy and when he does they can have a dog. Little chap is dog crazy and says our dog Max is his brother. Well I have wrapped up all the family presents who won’t be with us on the day but 5 sacks plus Victor’s things to do.Lisa and nicky are you wrapping yet?
Lorraine cyber hugs buddy and I have everything crossed for you
Love
Lily x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Hi Ladies
Not wrapped yet - that was part of my big plan yesterday but other things, like the weather interfered. Luckily I got out early and did most of the food shopping with just the last few bits needed for the big day. Took ED to work at 12.30 when it was raining/sleeting. Within an hour we were getting the bigggest snow flakes you’ve ever seen which kept on, and on, and on. About 3-4 inches in total fell and settled. All very lovely you might be thinking but oh, no. For one the oil delivery for our heating was not delivered AGAIN - so we are looking at a cold Christmas. Then I had to walk down to the village to collect YD from her job at the pub and drive her little car back as all roads were awful. Get back and get a call from ED saying she is walking back from her job and can I meet her! By this time Basingstoke is gridlocked, M3 closed plus a few other major roads. YD’s friend phoned from her car saying she’d been stuck for 5 hours trying to get home, so we said for her to come here and she eventually got here at 8pm. A 6 hour trip that should take 20 mins! Arghhhhhh. All very pretty but not very good when they don’t grit the roads!
Enough of my ‘problems’, we can cope I’m sure.
Lorraine - good luck for everything today, hope the results are good and they can tell you what is going to happen. I expect there will be some treatment from what you are saying that the drain keeps filling but I hope it’s an easier option for you and doesn’t involve surgery etc. Hugs and positive thoughts for you, as always.
Lily - sounds like you are enjoying your time off already - good for you! I hope you don’t get all the praise for the presents that the little chap chose 
Does he have similar tastes to yours? Also hope you didn’t get caught in the latest snow ‘dump’ according to the news basingstoke was the worst hit - typical!
Peacock - what a whopper - what did you feed him/her on? Hopefully that will keep you all going for a while. Will the turkey fit in the oven? Or did you check it out before you dispatched him/her to the great big turkey pen in the sky? I can imagine you measuring up ha ha.
Lisa - how you doing? Hope all is well.
Bev - big day today - good luck, let’s hope the cast comes off.
To everyone else hope you are enjoying yourselves whatever you are doing and looking forward fo some time away from work and other stresses.
Nicky x
Hi all,
Lorraine thinking of you today and praying you get good news.
Peacock how many people are you cooking for? the whole village?
Lily sounds as if you are having fun happy wrapping!
Nicky the travelling sounds horrible in one way I am in the best place marooned indoors.
Off to the hospital this afternoon and hopefully will be back without my accessory attached to me. I will report back.
Love Bev x
hi everyone
well as expected my appointment today, comfirmed what i thought. the cancer as spread to my ovaries and some fatty part of the tummy. next step will be chemo, i was relieved that i dont have to have surgery, he said there was no point removing ovaries if it had already spread. i have been referred back to my origonal onc because gyni bloke says with it being breast cancer cells he doesnt deal with it
one good thing is the loss of weight because of the drain i have in for fluid. and food is more of a neccesity than a treat.
but like you lily i am not a fruity person, so christmas cake is not tempting for me.
i have some discomfort in stomach at the moment, but have got a tickly cough so thats not helping,
decided to give panto a miss, but told grandkids to shout louder than anyone else,
anyway girls enjoy the season, i shall try x
hiya Lorraine, hope it went better than thinking today, will drop you a text, praying for you.
Sounds like everyone else getting into the spirit! Wow still not wrapped up but went out this morning and took me 50mins to get 3 mns round the corner, i was near to tears, skidded twice, police stopped raffice cos of too many accidents and then i got stuck with a car skidding on black ice infront of me and a lorry stuck behind me, was shaking like a leaf so come home but managed to get out this afternoon, got my new sleeve and silly whatever ordered the wrong size, booo hoo.
Well tomorrow is more wrapping and housework day and delivery if i can get out of the house aiming fro -8 tonight so icerink me thinks.
Have a proper catch up tomorrow but hope all having fun and Lorraine thinking about you all day but dont want to interfere by txting xxx
Lorraine our posts crossed, im so so sorry about your news, albeit glad you dont have to have another op. its just bloody unfair, i cant remember when you original had breast cancer and what they said, were you on tamoxefin or arimidex? im really gutted for you, i hope they get some treatment sorted for you soon and you get to see the onc. cos its sounds like you have been passed around a bit.
Lots of love and hope the chemo is going to do its job. do you have to keep the drain in for long, sounds not very nice but presume its doing the trick.
Thinking of you xxx
thanks lisaf
when i waS Diagnosed i had mastectomy, lymph node removal. but7 infected ones. and secondaries to bones was given tamoxifen, so knew i had a battle ahead, but didnt think id have to join the fight so quick, but glad i havnt wasted a day along the way x
Well Lorraine lets hope you carry on not wasting your days, you are a true inspiration and you courage amazes me and lets hope you can kick its arse for a long time to come and chemo does its job this time xxxx
Oh Lorraine I am so sorry, you sound very positive which is good, but how crap that you have to start chemo again. Do they know which one yet? When will it start? Hope they are making you comfortable and painfree. Lots of cyber hugs and so sorry.
We are not sure that the grand turkey WILL fit in the oven. We didn’t actually have it here with us, a friend had a few turkeys so we just picked, supplied money for food and plucked when the time was ready. As OH is a chef he might have to bone and roll the breasts before cooking, we’ll see.
Our weather is just wet now, so it makes life easier. I understand how difficult it must be Nicky and Lisa to have such awful roads. I thought it was only France that don’t look after their roads in the snow.
Your shopping trip sounded fun Lily, it sounds like little chap has got good taste with buying, secondhand shops, how brill, he knows where to go for a bargain.
Bev hope the plaster came off ok and you are now more mobile.
We are still awaiting YD passport arrival, it was posted off for renewal but is taking longer than expected to return. Only 4 more normal working days before we are due to depart - fingers crossed it is pretty hairy whilst waiting.
Take care all
P x
Hi,
Lorraine I know you thought it but hey buddy I was really hoping for a little miracle for you. I am glad that you don’t need the surgery you were dreading and you CAN do chemo. I know of 2 ladies who are on second bouts of chemo and they are having good results. The docs learn more every day and seem to have a lot of tricks up their sleeves these days. Promise me you won’t buy the onc a silver thong for Christmas too 
I think you can go in to this a bit more prepared at least than the first time. Will it be 3 weekly taxol? I believe that is a very small dose so more manageable although both ladies had a port put in to save the veins. Will be right by your cyber side if I can help support you in any way. Don’t forget I was the queen of side effects! I loved you telling them to shout the loudest, that’s lovely. Enjoy Christmas as I guess you will not start treatment before then x.
Nicky I saw your town on the news. Glad to say no more snow came our way though. Good job you had the foresight to shop early. No oil sounds bad, will it run out do you think? Is it any better today? Yes I do have the same taste in pressies, in fact I have bought everyone small pottery seabirds this year ha ha! At least you can get wrapping if you are still snowed in. Take care not to suffer the same fate as Bev. Bev how did you get on today? Hoping it went well x.
Lisa the journey sounded scarey and I would not like a big lorry behind me when icy eek. I see chemo brain is still affecting your internet shopping lol. Take care.
Peacock are you coming over to the UK or going somewhere else? I obviously haven’t been paying attention AGAIN! Hope it arrives. We are anxiously awaiting some Christmas presents and I keep wondering whether to dash out and buy an alternative, at least I have that option. Good luck for all the plans coming together. Tell her you will leave her lots of turkey if she has to stay home alone
Well my day for brownie points I guess. My Mum was too scared to drive and desperately wanted to see my uncle and he had not bought any presents yet! He is retired so obviously too busy to shop earlier? He told my Mum he thought I was taking him shopping so I picked him up, as lives close by and drove him over to pick Mum up. Both of them told me off for being late (ok count to 10 don’t get stressed). This meant that I had to stuff my 76 year old large uncle in the back of my TT that only has head height for a 10 year old. I don’t know whether it was harder to push him in or drag him out - 3 times!! So first we drove to Tescos to get his presents. Well my uncle is a legend when it comes to presents. Most people get excited by presents, we all sit in terror of whether we will be the one who gets the embarassing present each year. Classics that come to mind are buying ED a nit comb, YD given hair clippers (she has waist length hair) and buying my Mum a moustache and beard trimmer. I have been given after shave and my son was given furniture polish!! Sometimes we get dusters and j cloths. It is absolutely hysterical if you happen to be watching when the person opens theirs. So for years the girls all go, oh no what have I got? I took him shopping and he let me choose so last year it was dressing gowns and this year cardigans. I might not tell them I was with him, just for a joke. Now where can I say he bought their presents this year - the pound shop?
Well will finish here and hope you had a giggle at my eccentric uncle. The rest is a really long story.
Lorraine chin up matey, you know how many people on here have had years of stability on chemo and other tablets. Chocolate chip flapjacks today mmmm
Lily x x
ha lily, got this image of you pulling and shoving your poor old uncle in and out of the car, oh and his shopping sounds like my uncle who thinks he puts lots of though in but… mind i usually come of okay. Got my mam and dad an extra treat this year, bought them lots of personal goodies but then bought one of them actifry, fries chips with hardly any fat, know that they wouldnt be able to afford one as its a luxury at over £100 so my treat, mind i eat enought down at theirs to pay lodge so its only fair!
Well peacock, hope you get that turkey in the oven, i have a wierd picture in my mind now and hope you get off okay, albeit I cant remember where you are going.
Nicky hope you are okay in the weather.
Ive done my food and drink shop today, wow, wouldnt believe there was only me £140 - for me an dog!!! Bought lots in to stuff my face and lots of booze as one 1st Jan over major diet time. My dad stood behind me buying a 6 bottle set of mams wine for her, scaned one in and told her we had 6, she only charged him for one - so i paid full whack and dad got £8 bottles wine for under £15!!! usually spend xmas dad and brothers and sister in law (who is now one of me and my friends best mates) and with the kids to enjoy their pressies, my best part of day. but always a bit strange as her family comes who are a bit twiney, so looks like at home with mam and dad with champers then up to theirs just for an hour, i will be back on my sofa in p.j’s by 9, rather than at my mates with her brother like last year…
Well of to look at my skating rink of a drive, enjoy tomorrow all.
Lorraine, you can do it girl, i know how strong you are so you can do the chemo and hopefully it will be lesser side effects, i know lots of chemo dont have hair loss now either xx
Love to all x
p.s. my food for the day; toffee popcorn with hazlenuts and almonds in - ate the lot with a bottle of wine!
Hi there Lily you had me in hoots of laughter with the story of your uncle, getting him in and out of the car and his fab present selections!!! I have a brother in law who is just as bad but he is yunger and should know better!! He once bought me a bright orange plastic survival bag!!! incase I got stuck up a mountain in deep snow I guess…only I don’t go up high mountains… Another year he bought me a new loo seat that had “pebbles” on it. Only sad thing was it wasn’t the right fittings for the loo we had!!! But it made a nice necklace!!!.. and we have photos of all the family having a shot of wearing it…My daughters were given decoy ducks!!.. they look like real ducks but too big to put in a bath and as they were in their teens they would rather have eaten a duck!! They ended up in my garden as garden ornaments but that was nice… Last year was surprisingly good…He bought me a head torch…this has proved to be unbelievably useful. He thought it would be handy when camping and it is…but also great for hunting thigs out of the back of dark wardrobes and cupboards, as well as reading my book in bed in the night and I don’t want to wake up my OH. Has anyone else had “unusual” presents?
Lorraine, I am so sorry that you have had more bad news. We are all rooting for you and hope your treatment improves your quality of life again.
Peacock, I am so glad your OH is a chef and can get round the problem of carving your turkey so that you can get it into the oven!!! Has your husband and son got your kitchen into order yet since they got home? I bet it must be lovely to get all the things sorted out in your new house. It has been a hard year for you so hope things are better in 2010. Do have a lovely time back in England with your daughter and grand-daughter. My elder daughter is driving up North to Brittany tomorrow she heard the wee roads are bad up there too so hope they have no problems but at least they will have sleeping bags with them.
Lisaf, It is good to read your posts. You make me laugh too and I like reading them…often talking about food and drink I see…Hope you have a lovely time with your family.
Hello to everyone else on here. I feel I am getting to know who is who but there are so many posts I get confused…but I always pop in to see how you are all doing.
I have all my food and wine in too. Have 2/3 presents on a list to get tomorrow if I have the energy and it doesn’t snow anymore. The main roads are all well gritted but the side roads and pavements down the side streets are treacherous. God help the old and infirm…oh just thought that includes me!..I never think of myself in that way…too young at heart. LOve to all…Val XX
Hi all
Lorraine - I’m so sorry to hear about the spread but it sounded like that may be the case but we were all hoping it wouldn’t be. I hope you are comfortable over Christmas until they sort your treatment out and that it is an easier one of the chemos. Maybe they will also change your hormone tablets afterwards as well? Tamoxifen dind’t work for me 1st time round, maybe one of the AI’s will halt things for you? Really thinking of you and what a lovely lady you are still wishing us all a happy Christmas when you are obviously going through all this rubbish again. As Lily says - you know we are here to support you all the way. Big Hugs.
Well, the Christmas stories keep coming! They have all made me smile Love the new diet Lisa!
All this snow is such a palaver, only the main roads have been gritted (now) and some people were stuck in their cars until 2am - or got home later if they abandoned them and walked home. You cannot believe the number of cars left by the roads! I only wlked out yesterday - no cars, and have been very careful - what with my weakened hip - just hope the bisphos have given it enough strength! I have to venture out today for the last minute food stuff - I dont think any supermarket delivery would get here even if I had ordered it. Also after ALOT of calls an emotional blackmail I did get an emergency delivery of oil - enough to last us a couple of weeks at least - so we can have a warm Christmas after all.
I hope everyone is OK and making the most of their time off if you usually work - I am! Take care all and especially Lorraine, I hope you get really well looked after - you really deserve it.
Nicky xx
Hi All,
so sorry Lorraine to hear you have to go through the damn chemo again and wishing you a good christmas when you can build your strength up. Thinking of you at this time but remember you have done it before and you are tough enough to get through it again.
Lily what a picture you paint! so funny hearing about the awful presents it seems every family has a relative that behaves like that at christmas quite bizarre. I think you have some competition though from Scottishlass regarding useless pressies. Hilarious I particularly liked the decoy ducks!! what a ridiculous pressie for young girls.
Nicky glad to hear you have some oil that would have been so awful not to have heat bhrrrr can’t stand the thought of it. The weather sounds pretty grim where you are too.
Lisa how scary maybe I am in the best place being marooned in my home as the roads sound awful.
Peacock I am envious your O/H is a chef!! you lucky girl.
Well the good news is THE PLASTER IS OFF!! the bad news is I still feel as if I am wearing it. I just assumed it would come off and I could walk but no the joint is completely frozen up so I am walking in a very strange manner but hey ho at least the damn thing is off and hopefully will now get better each day. The ridiculous thing is I was told I will need physio but that it would probably not come through for 3 months aghhhh! what is the point of that? Why they couldn’t have just put me on the list 6 weeks ago when I had the plaster on as I was told then it would be required.
Anyway wishing you all a happy, peaceful run up to chrismas and a comfortable one for you Lorraine.
Love Bev x
Well Bev, At least you will have an excuse for falling all over the place when yu have one too many over the festive season!! You can blame it on your poor leg that has lost its plaster. Seriously though I bet that you are glad to have the plaster off after all this time. Have a lovely Christmas, Val XX
hi everyone
well im well and truly rested i just cant seem to muster any energy to do anything, and cant be bothered to fight it. i think my 14 year old son, is really feeling it, hes definetly been different this week. my eldest son as become the ideal carer, and hubby is sooo stressed out trying to work and do all food shopping etc., he brought me a lovely christmas card, with a lovely verse, which made me cry cos it mentioned how he didnt know how hed manage without me. both flowers and card were just left on the side for me though, he still finds it hard to show emotion.
i have an mri scan tommorow and i have to be up for 7.30 its going to be so difficult cos im not getting up till about 10 at the moment.
thankyou all so much for your support, i am so scared of doing chemo again, but i know i have to maybe my strength and courage will return, im still in shock at moment.
keep up the festive spirit, its good to hear your all having fun, that brings me happiness in itself.
xxxx
Hi Lorraine, I am sorry that life seems such a struggle for you just now. But your family seem to be trying there best to help you and it must be hard for them to see you looking so tired. My husband doesn’t do “emotion” much either but do you know what, I think he shows his loive to me in lots of other ways, like helping out or doing things that has “me” in mind. Without his love and support I know I would not be coping so well…and I love him for that. In fact he has just brought through me evening meal, lamb chops etc. He has been out all day too, taking my younger daughter out shopping and she was getting me a few bits and pieces I needed. Daughter kept in contact to check it there was anything else I had forgotton. All this is “love” to me.
I know what you mean about early starts as I hate them. But found when I had an early appointment that I managed it better than I thought I would and was back home very quickly. They have so many people to scan these days.
Just to say, I am very knackered too and finding the Xmas cheer a bit hard to deal with. I am not down about it…just the perfect Nigella Xmas is not how we do it in our house. But we are surrounded by love and that is so important…I will be watching your updates. Just want to send my love and support to you as I know just how hard it can be at times. Love Val XX
Hello buddies
Lily you must have a tow bar and trailer on the back of your TT – LOL. How did you manage to get a 3rd person in the car that was voted “sexier than a Ferrari”? Yes, I am a Top Gear fan and know quite a bit about cars from that. Hope that the pressie shopping went well and you don’t all end up with complete useless items. Don’t knock the pound shop, my favourite shop when I stayed with my Mum but, I didn’t manage to get any Christmas presents in there as I think they had sold out.
Lisa, toffee popcorn with hazlenuts and almonds plus wine ??? sounds delicious but will you suffer later for it? Hope the weather is thawing for you.
Val, I hope your daughter’s journey into Northern France is ok, our roads here have now thawed and we are back to normal but that is in Aquitaine, I am not sure how bad the roads are in Normandy. You are most definitely not an old and infirm lady, so don’t even go there!
Just to remind all the ladies with a pea for a brain (oh that’s me a treat) I am off to UK to stay with ED for a week between Christmas and New Year. Will be going to the panto and doing lots of things with our granddaughter, including babysitting her on New Year’s Eve when I will be with my OH (as he’s working) on his ferry where there will be a big party, so celebrating the NY in big style. There will be lots of fireworks and fog horns going off in Portsmouth Docks, it is usually a good evening. Trouble is that I am trying to sort out something to wear, but thanks to good old chemo side effects I am still overweight and can’t find anything to wear in any of my boxes. Might just have to visit M & S so watch this space. YD will be 15 on 28 December, the day we arrive in the UK. She is meeting up with one of her friends who used to live here in France but moved back to the UK 3 years ago so have a busy week planned.
Nicky how good it is that you got your oil, it sounds like you live very rurally, like us perhaps, with such bad roads it sounds like you live in the middle of nowhere.
Lorraine good luck tomorrow with your early start and your scan, what type of scan is it? Maybe it is best to try and deal with this news in sections, like with the first diagnosis, one day at a time, try not to think about chemo. It sounds like it has driven home to your sons and hubby that it is time for you to have help which is good. Your YS is the same age as our daughter which is a difficult age anyway, being teenagers. I wish you strength and don’t expect too much from your body at the moment.
Bev great news that the plaster is off but how stupid you have to wait so long for physio! Have they given you any idea of what exercises you can do in the meantime?