Oh my, these brought a tear. What a wonderful thread, actually no, a big huggy patchwork quilt! Thank youxx
Another I put on the February Valentines thread, just as we were on the last chemo.
From the Waiting Room To The Car Park And Beyond
Many others trod this way
and many more will come.
All started in the waiting room,
all feeling very glum.
Waiting around for appointments
then waiting to have their tests.
Waiting to get the results back
and find out what’s in their breasts.
Is it benign or is it cancer?
Could it be invasive?
Is it treatable, has it spread
Oh God, it can’t be pervasive!
Then when the results are in at last
and a treatment plan is in place,
a calmness sets in and you breathe again
and a smile returns to your face.
You will need an op, and might need rads
and some of you will need chemo,
it seems the roundabout never ends
that your life’s led in a casino!
Place your bets and spin the wheel
let’s see if your number comes up,
you wait and see, what will be, will be,
you know you’ll drink from that cup.
Each cycle passes with added worries
of what the next one might bring.
Sickness, diarrhoea, or constipation
you take them all on the chin.
Then suddenly, the last one arrives
you can see the car park at last,
you look and see your friends all waiting
the ones who helped the time pass.
Beyond the car park, another world,
with fields and meadows of flowers.
A world in which you move forward
and regain your previous powers.
And so to the future you finally look
with confidence and hope
but whatever this future holds for you
you know now that you WILL cope.
Are you having Herceptin? Or hormone tablets
to keep the monster away?
You continue on, as you did before,
taking things day by day.
But on your journey you made many friends
who you never will forget,
friends who will always stand by you
even though you may never have met.
And one I wrote while in the middle cycles of chemo (finished now, thank goodness). I was looking at the photo on my bus pass while waiting for a bus, it actually made me cry to compare the two versions of ‘me’!!
Heart Full Of Tears
With dark hair and eyes
I looked quite solemn
when that photo was taken.
Unremarkable,
unsmiling.
Different to now.
Bald, moon faced, alien.
No tears in my eyes,
but plenty in my heart
Bumping this up again.
I’m having a bad day today so am still in bed and have just discovered this thread. Some of these poems are truly inspirational and very appropriate. Keep up the good work, I’ve bookmarked the thread so should be able to keep tabs on it now. Well done to all you poets out there x
Two Years On and what’s the score?
Fear all stored, like in a bottom Drawer,
Sometimes they get out and scream and shout,
September came and a Holiday, Sunshine Oh what a treat…
Until the bodies on the Beach!!!
Oh My God ! I feel a freak… And that awful jealous streak,
Hits me like a Tidal Wave and I always thought I was so Strong
So Brave.
My Love has put up with so much… But
Like a Greyhound out of a Trap…He Sprints,
To Gaze at the beauty of Normal Bodies
Unravaged by This Disease,
Who can Blame Him, Not I.
Two Breasts gone bunot defeated, Human Nature Battles On,
We Cope the best we can but God in his Wisdom has a Special Plan
If you can see it your the Better Man!.
Maybe Cancer is the Devils work …?
But Sometimes it really Hurts…
Gooseberry, i wish you had posted this back in June.
We went to Portugal, my OH and 2 young children. Seeing topless women on the beachm, was VERY hard to cope with. I felt the sting and then the pain…
Tracy i love your follow on poem…,makes me feel better xx
I finished my radiotherapy a week ago and tonight, suddenly felt I needed to write something down on paper about my journey:
February, I was a “normal” 49 year old
Looking forward to big celebrations for my half century
Then I found “it”
And my life was never to be the same again.
Thrown into a whirlwind of hospital appointments
Breast Care Nurse, Surgeon, Oncologist
Each with their own advice-
“I’ll cut it out, you’ll need radiotherapy”
I tried to understand, the terminology was all new
Wide local excision, sentinel node biopsy
Then the results, nodes all clear
Strongly ER positive,-Tamoxifen advised
Ok, I thought, I can do this, it could be worse
Then came the bombshell-HER2 positive
The goalposts moved
Chemotherapy advised!!!
So now I’ve had the surgery, the chemotherapy too,
I’ve just finished radiotherapy,
Started Herceptin and Tamoxifen
Along with all its side effects
Eight months further on,
I’m here to tell the tale
The half century celebrations were postponed
I’ll celebrate next year
Physically, I look different now
I have grey hair, no eyebrows and look older
But however hard this is, it’s a small price to pay
For I still have my life to share with my family and friends.
Just started my journey four weeks ago, so I am trying to write about my experience
Cliché Alert
You can get used to anything
It’s me, me me, with me
Too damn right, I have been marked
Reminded life is fragile, finite
I can’t waste time
It’s an emotional rollercoaster
What rhymes with that, it doesn’t scan
Up and down, it could be worse
But not much; one day at a time,
Step by step, getting through.
Dealing with it, I’ll be OK
It’s common, like a cliché 1 in 12
Words with a sting, a body blow
A scorpion bite won’t kill a healthy adult
I’m healthy, right?
I forget for moments at a time
I have breast cancer
With gastroenteritis I nearly died age 3,
Age 7 I had to have a tonsilectomy,
At 10, don’t know how, but I got TB,
Age 27, ended up having a D&C
At 40 I had a laparoscopy,
Immediately followed by a hysterectomy,
Age 50 ‘celebrated’ with a mastectomy,
Age 60 I’m due to have a WLE!
And I’d like very much to reach age seventy,
Even if there’s not much left of original me!
(in case you are wondering… yes its all true!)
Thank you Poems
I even ‘lost’ one lung for a while when it collapsed courtesy of TB!
Amazingly, people say that I look at least 10 years younger; must be due to the skip load of moisturizer I’ve slathered on to date!
That, and having a, silly, warped, dry sense of humour… laughter is definitely the best medicine x
((hug))
Lesley x
'Twas the Night of my Chemo
'Twas the night of my chemo, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse
The mind it was buzzing with just one single care
I hope my hot flushes don’t burn off my short hair!
The family were nestled all snug in their beds
Whilst “what shall I do now?” danced round in my heads!
And hubby lay snoring, Liz - complete with eyemask
Had given me thoughts of a 2am task
When out of bed, my mind ‘buzzing off its rocker’
I looked at my desk and it looked rather chocker!
Away to the desk, I flew at it like a flash
Tore open the drawer, grabbing paper from my stash
The moon on the breast of the overgrown lawn
Gave me a feeling that created a very slight yawn
When what to my buzzing mind should just appear
But a tiny, stupid, yet creative idea
With a bit of paper and a biro filled with ink
I knew in a moment just what I had to think
More rapid than Blues strikers, my idea came
And I put on the kettle and thought up name
Now Barrie! Now Lizzie! Now Dad, Gaz and Sis
On Skiddy, on Holly, we can get through this
To Janet, Jo, FB, all at Hall Green School
Now dash away, the cancer away, cuz it won’t rule
As one life leaves, a new scary life ahead lies
When I sit at our bar and ask all the whys?
So I stood, positive I grew - yet the tears still fell
With the help of more Carling I think “what the hell!”
And then, from through the tears, I hear this from my man
The determined words “we will do all that we can”
As I drew up my head, all thoughts turned around
Down I am now - cancer, you won’t run me to ground
He ( well I ), was dressed in onesie and Christmas hat
And to be fair I looked a right bloody Pratt!
A bundle of hope though, I had flung onto my back
And I looked at my family: my Lizzie, my Mr Mac!
His eyes how they glistened - I knew with love and pride
Her eyes how they glistened - I knew she had cried
His and her mouths drew up as if to take a drink
And we all raised our glasses to our new future of ‘pink’
The lump of a life had been taken away
And the chemo we knew would start straight away
He threw back a swift whiskey to go with this beer
And fine dry white wine helped me and Liz with our fear
He was strong and supportive, he showed no fears
And I smiled when I saw him, despite my rolling tears
A hug from Lizzie and a call from my Sis
Soon let me know I could ‘Keep Right On’ through this
He-re tis 4:40am and I’m still buzzing off my tree
And no-one can see I’m happy as happy can be
Family, friends, FB, HGS - whilst you’re all tucked up tight
I send thanks to you all - you helped me win this fight
Cazz
Steroided out!
4:46am 17th December 2014
TWO CHEMOS TO GO 
<Empty imported post>
I hope no one will mind me posting in this thread a poem I have written for my son Sam, who was killed while working in an accident. Sam was aged 27, I am just missing him terribly Hope no one minds me writing this poem for Sam x Missing you so much my son …x
Silently together, shoulder to shoulder we are encompassed enclosed my love, safe soft comfort, quiet and timeless, softly still, while all around are moving memories.
We are sitting together almost touching within this mosaic of life. My love you are with me so close. In the trees, the raindrops and damp mists. In the bright lush space you breath with me, every breath.
Then like the rain your gone my love, like mist softly stealing away. X x
Bumping up xxx
Bump this post to all the Newbys x and Survivors x
Thank God I’m still Alive x
I wrote this a while ago 5 years or more in fact
Still Here !!!
Love this thread, on this disease that fills us with dread,
Bold and brave in the hope that we will be saved,
Trust the Doc and take stock of life and loves,
Question not the why? Only to realise it is I, the person once was whole and now feels like Alice in a rabbit hole.