Love and Hugs for the Gobby Gang Hi Everyone
I hope you don’t mind me jumping in on your thread. I just wanted to send each of you love and hugs at this very sad time. Moira has touched the lives of so many of us. She has been an inspiration and a great friend to many. I was just looking at the last card Moira had mailed me before she was in hospital. Here she was thinking of me and concerned about how i was doing with some bad news i had received when she herself was so ill.
My thoughts and prayers are with Moira, her family, her boyfriend and all of the Gobby Gang.
love and hugs to you all
karen
Hey Guys
Am ok, just still a bit shell shocked, and like the rest of u am gonna miss Moira and her witty threads so much.
Thanks Kate for letting us no about the donations and stuff, i am gonna add mine to the Moonwalk fundraising ive been doing, as it is directly for breast cancer…
Took today off as luckily there were too many of us at work and too few kids, have spent it designing my moonwalk t shirt - it is black with white fluffy bits on the boobs (to make up for not wearing a bra) and all of the gobby gang on the back in pink neon glitter - will be sure to get a foto to mail to u all (but have sent a text foto - dont no how good it is!)
Claire - Great name for the kitten, and think it makes up for the kitten Moira never got to have for sure…
Love u all lots, and as Sam said, have totally had enough of this s**t disease and forbid any of u to go anywhere…
Kate if u find any more out about the memorial let me no by text if u can. Have decided i will defo go just hoping its not tues as there is no way they will let me have day off work as they have inspection, and sun cant come for obvious reasons.
Will be thinking of u all sun and wishing i was there, will have a glass of aussie red too and toast u all esp the lovely Moira, so will be with u all in spirit…
Lots of love Trace. x
re donations Moira’s family have requested we either donate to FOCUS which is linked to the oncology unit at the hospital where moira was treated but can’t get the exact details of this tonight so will phone tomorrrow to find out more and post it on a new thread. Otherwise as her friends are doing the race for life -they have a link which is
raceforlifesponsorme.org/moirasmates
When I find out more about the memorial service I will let you know. Moira’s family are struggling today so couldn’t really get an answer when it will be.
i think as long as people donate to one of the charities or write something online we can get printed out for her family and friends, if anybody can’t make the memorial service then they will have something to hold onto. I’m sure they will understand
Kate
re ;ME I saw the oncologist - the one that always gives me bad news and he agreed to refer me to the Royal Marsden to see if I can be accepted for the tykerb trial as it looks as if it won’t be licensed here till late august/september which is too late for me. Since he is terrible at getting referrals done I will have to chase his secretary to nag him no doubt!!!
Otherwise, my CT scan reported much the same as I was told last week. The only thing that had changed was the liver one had grown to 3cm again.
I asked about this pain I’ve been getting underneath my skin on my chest and he says it is where my cartilage is damaged due to the rads and it is where that rib connects to the sternum and told me off for rubbing it as I will only inflame it more!! I thought it was scar tissue so have been massaging it and actually making it worse!! Serves me right with self-diagnosis then!!!
With all this distraction, I’ve been totally neglecting my youngest child who was 7 today. We wrapped pressies last night at 10pm and hubby had to go out this afternoon to buy birthday cake and food!! When I got back from the hospital I decorated the lounge and blew up 8 balloons which I’m amazed at!!! He was happy though so it was good fun.
Am going to write blog now
Kate
Kate,
I have read your post tonight and sorry I didn’t realise you were back at the hospital today.
How do you feel about the referral, I know it’s good especially after being told you may not be eligible, does it mean playing the waiting game again and if so for how long. I have every faith in you chasing your Onc’s secretary to get the referral through especially after your detective work lately, but would this also mean all of your appt’s and treatments be re-located too, thats soap box for me, I get so p****d off driving past my local hospital with a chemo suite to Oxford for my treatment,
Sorry to hear about your liver, do you think going back on herceptin may help, I really am quite useless at other drug cocktails, thats where you and Moira would talk a totally different language to us.
On a lighter note, Well done on blowing up 8 balloons, I am very impressed, I get dizzy and really sore in the cheeks blowing up 1. Glad your little one had a good birthday and hope you have stopped rubbing your ribs and sternum. Remember you need to take things easy too, thats why we’re coming to you on Sunday and talking of Sunday me and Claire are due in at 11.42 if plans don’t change.
Trace, got your Pic, the T-Shirt looks Fab, Claire you have some stiff competition.
Must go, my eyes are really tired, too much reading this site at the moment.
Love to you all
Debs
XXXXXXX
Hello all,
how you guys doing?? had bad couple of days but now starting to feel better. Wednesday was pants!! could’nt stop thinking of you all and then we had a bad case in obstetrics. it was then that i decided that i’d had enough of the NHS. So today i went for a 2nd interview for the medical insurance company and have been offered the job, of which i have accepted!!! Oooo eeerrrr!!! scary as i’ll be leaving the clinical side of things and my comfort zone! i’m sure i’ll be fine but my bottom may get rather large sat at a desk all day, i will have to join a gym or something! its only a littel bit more money but only 35 hrs a week were as i’m doing 38 at the mo. i get private healthcare and they have said that i am covered for breast cancer under that scheme. also i get pension and bonuses on top, gotta beat the NHS. well i can only try!
Actually, Trace or Kate may know, How many hours clinical practice do you have to do to dtay registered? i really dont want it to lapse as then i’d have to do a return to practice course if i was to decide its not for me. might see if the trust will let me have a casual contract with them.
Anyway enough about that, i too done bra decorating last night and drunk far too much red wine whilst doing it and felt a little worse for wear today! ( had a rather embarressing hot flush during my interview!!) My bra is multi colour polka dots with big pink flowers and glittery bits and feathers on, on the back i have made pink ribbons with all our names on, and my other family and friends, i now have 14 names on my back, terrible really that i know that many people affected by this c**p! Loved the t-shirt tracey, how fab are you??!!! i will be wearing the bra over my t shirt, my tummy looked well flabby!!
Cant wait to see you all sunday and looking forward to the red wine and pavolovas!
love you all
Claire xxxxx
hi there , do you girls meet up very often and can any of us come? i live in the channel islands so cant get anywhere apart from boat or pl
ane but would love to meet up one time and say hi !
Hi Tracy1964
We have only had 1 re-union, number 2 is this weekend, we don’t get together often as we don’t live local and have different family and work commitments.
We all met on one of the BCC younger womans weekends and we bonded with our similar tastes in swearing, humour, wine and firemen. This also enabled us to swap contact details, which you can’t do on this site. If I remember correctly there were a couple of ladies from the channel islands, it might be worth starting a channel islands thread to find if you have local company or contact BCC to see what weekend locations they have planned.
However now I think about it, a younger woman summer get togther in the channel islands, now that sounds good,
Take care
Debs x
Congrats Claire Well done on your new job, you havn’t been happy for a while so a change will do you good and the benefits incl BC private health insurance sound fantastic.
Can you send a pic of your moonwalk bra or are you going to show it off on Sunday, does it have holes for the nipples seeing as you have 2 now??
Am looking forward to sunday too, it will be emotional and fun at the same time, if that makes sense.
See you all soon,
Love to all the GG
Debs
xxxxxxx
Thanks Girls, really good lunch.
Trace, Sam and Lynn you missed a lovely lamb roast dinner followed with cheese cake by kate and claire and my cheese board that fed the 3 of us. We scanned the wine list and ordered australian red wine and after a shaky start we toasted our dear friend Moira.
I nearly fell asleep on the train (again) but when we pulled into Oxford a man sat next to me and I thought I recognise him, then realised he is the nurse who does my echocardiograms, that soon sobered me up, I did not want to be leaning and dribbling on him and thought better not introduce myself, so sucked away on my polos and looked out of the window.
Actually I am quite organised. the kids are bathed and in bed, all home work is done and am now going to iron their school uniforms, OKH is at work, so I get to watch girlie TV.
Catch up on e.mail too.
Love to you all, and we were bottom again, what did we discuss today??
Debs
XXXXXX
ps Claire OKH is up for driving me, just need to sort sitter.
Hey
Hope u all had great time sun and didnt forget me!! Did u all manage to get there or not???
Claire great news on new job, congratulations, definatley think it will do u good, i no the move has done wonders for me. not sure on keeping up registration like kate said think ull need to check nmc site.
My job is great and have been working with psychiatrist on support for bereaved parents, have been given a budget to set up a complementary therapy service within the hospice for both kids and thier parents and am allowed study time to go on more courses!!! I will then be head of service and its only therapist! Altho do have some others lined up for voluntary work who i am on my course with. Just waiting to see if they will create a role as complementary therapy nurse specialist if they will then stay as a nurse for a bit longer and put idea of my own business on hold for a while.
Kate, hoping ur not feeling as tired and a bit worried that ur not looking after urself.
Think speaking at Moiras memorial is a great idea and if u feel u can do it then thats great too but think u may be pushing urself too hard and if there is someone else that could do it then think it may be better for you.
Thanks for details, not sure if im gonna make it or not will let u no tomo. Is everyone else going? How r u all getting there? Sammy r u going and r u taking the train?
Love to u all Trace.x
Sammy r u ok???
Sent u a text but dont no if u got it. Have sent fone numbers again by email. Give me a call. x
aftermath of yesterday Trace-rest assured I’m looking after myself and I entirely blame Claire and Debs and of course Moira for the state I was in when I met my family in MacDonalds yesterday at 530pm. In fact, I’m sitting in bed listening to crappy music in my PJs - not telling you what music though!! Daughter has got this stomach pain again so she is in bed watching a programme about dinosaurs. I feel so much better now after domperidone and diorylate. I’m almost human!!!
Yesterday whilst I was out, the new computer arrived and it’s vista so of course I’ve got no idea how to operate it as I was too drunk last night to take in instructions so am stuck on laptop with no printer so when you’ve pulled my tribute to bits I’ll have to email it via laptop to friends’ house to print it out!!!
I am happy to speak and actually would like to do so if nobody else wants to. It feels the right thing for me to do.
I know you are all worried about me but I found it a relief to see how wonderfully Moira was looked after and it has given me confidence that when my time comes I will be well looked after too. The last person I saw dying was my dad 10 years ago and we had no support and he had a horrible death. It has made me feel better not worse so please don’t worry about me psychologically as I’ve loads of support. Physically, I’m not going to drink to that extent when on chemo again and I do look after myself as I get help with the children and can go to sleep when I want to in the middle of day and go to bed early. We also get meals cooked for us but my ironing friend has disappeared at the mo so do need a back up plan with that!!!
Sam - have you got new mobile yet after pickle destroyed it.
Trace if you haven’t got Sam’s home number email me and I will send it to you as you can see from above Pickle destroyed her last mobile.
debs and Claire -hope you fel Ok today
Lynn- sorry to have missed you yesterday
Have sent you other emails today as well from Nic.
Right - cup of tea time and think I deserve some chocolate now!!!
I’ll see you tomorrow and if you can’t make it/can’t face it - it really does not matter. Moira would not have wanted anybody to get distraught and feel guilty about not going.
Love to you all - oh dear seem to be going down the cyber hug world so better stop here
Katex
Hi Trace am fine but phne not fine… have to wait to get a replacement so cant pick up messages- phne me at home if you want to chat
am most offended that so much alchol was consumed without me will have to have a rematch
see you tommorrow GG
xxsam
Evening All Oh Kate were you swaying, you unfit Mother, was in the process of replying to your e.mail when you telephoned so you have saved me a job.
Claire are you driving or did you talk H, my OKH has agreed to be my chauffeur as the roads are not the best and I wasn’t too keen on driving home on my own.
Can we text each other tomorrow as and when, Sam will you have your number back on, or can you borrow a phone and let us know the number.
Well me and Kate had good old talk tonight and you know me I had to change the tone and ask the ultimate all important girlie question “what are you wearing” I am going red including my stiletto’s and lipstick.
Trace hope work let you out and how did yesterday go, was the bride kind or did you look like a meringue? If stuck for travelling, Kate is catching train to Claire then they are driving together or you could come to me and travel with us, can always check out train times.
Lynn how are you mate, are you back in London or still with family.
Hopefully see you all tomorow,
Love to the GG
Debs XXXXXXXXX
Oh kate,
Never realised that it had that effect on you, well i was fine so maybe, between the 3 of us i was the only fit mother, i did’nt sway or dribble!!!
Thanks for the lovely day Kate, really enjoyed it. Next venue anyone???
we were discussing that we should do something for Moira’s 40th birthday, so EVERYONE keep sept 22nd free and pencil in the Gobby Gang in your diaries!
Debs, not sure if (ducking)RH will drive me tomorrow, got a strop on and also think we got plasterer coming tomorrow too. i dont mind driving tho, but did think it would have been better for the 2 RH to be together. We’ll see!
see you tomorrow ladies
Claire
xxxxx
room for one more? Hi Gobby Gang,
Just elbowing in to your thread here to say how lovely it was to meet you all on Tuesday.
Even though it was such a sad occasion it felt right that we should all be drinking red wine and frightening the locals (not to mention taking over the ladies toilets!!) in memory of Moira.
I half expected her to come in the door with a big grin on her face and a wine glass at the ready…
Hope you all got home safely- and Sam you left your purple scarf in my car, I’ll hang on to it till we can arrange a wine-themed picnic, if the sun ever comes out again!
Alice x o x o x o
blame the red wine!!! Hi - I’m home again after my 24hr stay in 3 places in 1 hospital.
After being made to feel like a pin cushion as the A and E between 4-7pm. The SHO had no idea about how to access chemo-outed veins - he did 2 arterial punctures as he was desparate to get blood after failing with 2 venflons and numerous other attempts at getting blood out then the full blood count bottle clotted and a health care assistant got called out once I was on a ward and she got blood really easily out of me!!
I had an injection of clexane which is anticlotting agent - it felt like a wasp sting, I got moved to the elderly and acute medical admission ward which was like being in Picadilly circus and I was next to a batty old man. I then discovered that there was an outbreak of novavirus (my wbc was 2 last week when I’d been off chemo for a week so don’t know how low it is now!!!) so the lovely SHO there got me moved to oncology at 1030pm. Before I got moved there as it was a care of the elderly ward, I had to complete a dementia questionnaire which I got wrong in one place as I didn’t know the year either WW1 or WW2started. He gave me the point anyway so I did get 10/10!!
in oncology, I was next to a woman who played her radio all night till I asked the nurse to stop her and got woken up by hourly nebulisers for 2 of the other women and an SHO from oncology at 1am when I had just got to sleep and had so much morphine by then I couldn’t answer any of her questions anyway!!
Today I saw teh senior reg who wanted me to stay in and the consultant who wanted me to go home!! I came home!! The CXR showed nothing different than end of march (it still looks like slugs have crawled all over it) but I had 3 or maybe 4 ECGs every 2 hours as they alll kept showing changes but today they weren’t worried about that. The pain has settled over my central sternum and to the right and seems to be in my bone so they are discussing whether to do a bone scan or not - last one was sept 06. Otherwise, they think it is that the cancrous lymph nodes have invaded a nerve. It just feels now as if someone kicked me - perhaps it was carrying that bottle of wine home and by the way I’m not impressed that you can not get a drink at Reading station or on a train after 10pm!!
My blood tests show I have n’t had a heart attack - well I didn’t expect they would but this is the second time my ecgs have been odd, Something to do with my clotting is slightly abnormal but apparently common in chemo patients and is not high enough to indicate it is a blood clot. So no ideas then.
When the pain started I was in Tescos - must avoid that place - the lovely assistant was pushing the trolley and bending over to put things in the trolley for me. She wanted me to stop and I wanted to carry on as there was no food in the house. My neighbour got the shopping packed away for me and childcare was arranged before we went to A and E by which time I’d taken a lot of oromorph and so couldn’t really tell them a consistent story!!
Then last night and this morning I couldn’t pee even though I wanted to so the Senior reg got worried incase I had a spinal compression but I thought it was the morphine and the consultant thought it was too. (Just thought I’d better get the bodily functions in now moira can’t tell us about hers!!) but apparently I don’t have strong bowel/anal muscles - blame the forceps!! so who knows what the will do next - one wants me to have an MRI of my spine and the other a CT with somehting special to look at lymph and blood supply to my lungs!!
Anyway, the referrral to the marsden has been done so have to sit tight now.
Thansk for all your messages of support and concern. Won’t carry heavy bags in future or droink too much!! that will be a sad life I lead then!!!
Rambled on enough now and the capecetabine is doing it’s usual trick of activating bowels when I’ve overeaten!! Well I starved in hospital so had to make up for it tonight!!
Must dash
Kate
Hi GG Hi Alice
It was good to finally put faces to names as we had heard lots about you and Katie from Sammy and Moira on a number of ocassions. Infact becareful, Sam is plotting some sought of evil mental initiation ceromony for the pair of you to join to the GG, personally I think going into the ladies and looking at Claire’s new nipple (and huge t*ts) could be round one as they frighten me.
Ladies, does this sound strange, but I did enjoy Tuesday evening, the church was a mixture of tears from sadness to laughter (and lynns revolving eyes towards heaven) but I was so taken away by Moira’s sisters memories, gosh she really was one special lady. and then we showed loyal sisterhood by only consuming red australian wine and toasting in true GG style with lots of laughs and non-appropriate talk. Moira would have been proud of us.
I was so pleased OKH got to meet you all, I knew he would fit in, we share the same sort of humour, however think it shocked him slightly to see us all together, he is used to seeing me sat with older ladies but he was laughing on the way home as our topics of conversation are far more entertaining. (and he couldn’t believe you lot swear as much as me). He also commented on how impresssed he was on he way we look out for each other and that he found that very touching.
Now on to you Kate, first so glad you are home, if you were going to be stuck with an old diarrhoea man again then I was plotting to come down and rescue you, it sounded ducking awful, at first couldn’t understand your text re dementia but have now read your post, please tell us you are winding us up, or are they trying to cart you of in a straight jacket. Now serious talk, we are so pleased you are not having a heart attack or a clot on your lung but It’s time I get all mumsy on you now, remember that part in your speech re Moira not taking our advice, think Pot, Kettle and Black, its time that you start putting yourself before others and really hoping your appt comes as quick as your ref.
Well as for you others, Lynn I will think of you every time I see a pack of brownies or a camp fire and did you get home safely in that customised car?? Claire seemed a OKG.
Sammy think your hair is fantastic (cant beleive lynn was singing “the sun will come out tomorrow” ) you poodilicious hound.
Claire, you are just hilarious, who esle flashes their t+ts at memorial services and sticking your fingers up at me in the car park. (shame on you). When is the BBQ.
and Trace, we truelly know that if you could have been there then you would have, lets hope you passed your exam with top marks. good luck to you and Claire with your moonwalk and have a good old drink with sam at london bridge.
OK must go. this post has taken me about an hour and a half. so I must remember to copy and paste, also not needed in school tomorrow as tests, so I am going to old (and hard) aerobics class, will probably be dead by tomorrow lunch.
Love to you all
Debs
XXXXXXX
brownies!!! Hi
Now I feel i’ve missed out - I don’t know what this reference to brownies is - you will have to email the facts I think!!
Like you Debsy, I enjoyd the service on tuesday and was so amazed to hear all moira had achieved in her life. It was good from my position up there by the altar to see everybody’s reactions to the tributes and to see that what was said meant things to everyone there.
Yes, i know I need to slow down but I do sleep in at weekends and have siestas during the week. I’ve been to work twice this week and worked about 5 hours in total and they all run around after me making me cups of tea. Haven’t succeeded in doing what Moira did in getting someone to do the sandwich run but I will work on that!!
Seriously, I did have to do this dementia test but the SHO who did it was so hilarious about it - he knew it was a waste of his time - but had to do it so he didn’t get into trouble with his boss!!! I would have discharged myself if they hadn’t moved me to oncology as I wasn’t prepeared tot ake that risk of infection and just gone to breast clinic the next day.
Hubby home now for 10 days so will get him organised into how the domestic things in in this house so children don’t get forgotten about!! Friend coming over to help me be more creative with my photo albums. Take care -hope to see you all soon
Love Kate