Stop feeling guilty, small rant (BENCHLAND) (Part 1)

Life after a breast cancer diagnosis Living with breast cancer
7001

Surfacing briefly from the hotel we’ve been running. OH produced a series of stunning meals, copious quantities of alcohol, and all was very relaxed, but totally exhausted now. Happy though. I am very rich in friends and love.
Finishing celebrations Wednesday with a trip to a London jazz club to hear Jacqui dankworth launching her latest cd. From what I’ve heard on t’internet, she has an amazing voice. I recommend two week celebrations!

Lyn began her life with me in just my thumb… Arm’s still really puffy after the fall three weeks ago, and apparently I have rotator cuff injury. Been referred for physio. 8 week wait, so it’ll probably be ok by then! Can’t remember if I already said all that… Must be my age!!

Night all

Xx

7002

Ooooooooooh all these “child brides” hee hee!!

Ben how superly, fantastical, wonderful achievement very well done to Ben’s daughter:smileyhappy:!!

Kay there is a sofa with your name on it, remember there is also a bell, just ring and lovely things will be delivered to you, hope you are a bit better now.

grumpy, glowing is allowed at the challenge, make a change from bright red faces, would be nice to see you…students, snotty dog and comm meetings, busy, busy, you’ll soon sort them all out:womanwink:!

Jane you certainly know how to party!!! TWO weeks, what stamina…you go for it:womanhappy:!

JCJ, yum yum freezer full now? Are your teachers striking?

 

On lots of different benches today sat for a while on the “reinforced fat b*******” bench, can’t stop eating have just had a muggatea and a hot scone with raspberry jam, must be the cold weather…

Also had my glasses fixed woo hoo can read again without squinting, broke them yesterday moments after missing my train…

Was at docs this morning and he says that the pain I have is not consistent with the pain you suffer from when you have arthritis so it is a mixture of back and arfur…am on the “just keep going round and round in circles” bench.  They are considering morphine mmmmmmmmmmmmmm:smileysad: that will be a last resort:smileyfrustrated:

So am also on the “bit fed up” bench but “tomorrow IS another day” bench:smileyhappy:!! xx

 

7003

‘Normal’ day at school as the none of the teachers wanted to strike this time. I say ‘normal’ but as I’ve had THAT class all day - the one in every  school that is just so much more difficult than the rest,  (in this case, even more so due to bonkers triplet boys!) - it’s been a far cry (or scream??) from most people’s definition of ‘normal’!! Shattered now!

 

The drive to work was wonderful though, because most of the local schools were shut, so there was hardly any traffic. Wish it was like that every day!

 

Katy, I’ll install a roundabout for you - with lots of comfy armchairs - so you can go round and round in comfort. It’ll go really slowly so you can get off at any time to visit the FB bench - (otherwise known as the scone inhaling Bench? :smileytongue:) or any other suitable bench you fancy. Oooh maybe not a roundabout;  perhaps a train/tram trype thing, winding its was round and round Benchland past all the other benches? All aboard the Benchland Express… except what’s the opposite of ‘express’? Inpress? Impress? Snail?

 

Sorry - normality suspended due to Year 3 overdose!!  :)

7004

Oooooooooooh The Benchland Express, toot, toot, I love it, donning my knee highs and tiara, I’m off chugga chugga chugga chugga chugg, is there a Dining Car??? xx

7005

Of course there’s a dining car!! This is Benchland! It’s one big dining car, stopping off regularly at the Lost plottery shed to restock from the tardis-magic-porridge-pot-type-fridge (as long as it doesn’t have porridge in it - bleurgh!!)

 

Choccy pear cake is the speciality today!

7006

At last… I’ve found a spare few minutes to come to Benchland and catch up.  

 

The  craft fayre on Sunday was extremely good although somewhat tiring.  I wish I had had a pedometer, we must have walked miles.  Digging out the set aside cross stitch so that I wouldn’t buy another one didn’t work:smileyembarrassed:, however I only spent £24 in total which is much,  much less than previous years.  

 

I will possibly be joining Kay on the "I don’t feel well bench " tomorrow.  I have lost count of the number of times I have sneezed today and when I’m not sneezing I’m coughing.  I feel fine at the moment but it doesn’t bode well, early night tonight with a hot toddy methinks. 

 

 

7007

Benchland Expres(so) is a great addition!  Tiara donned… off we go… toot toot (or Peeshdicoof, peeshdicoof as Ivor the Engine used to say)

Benedictus - swell with pride my dear…  how VERY impressive!  Our congratulations to her (if you can explain this mad bunch of women)

Hope lurgies go (or don’t take hold)

FF - how VERY restrained!  Well done!

 

Just back from Pilates.  Last adventure tomorrow - jazz club in London… followed by a lie-in prior to seeing GP!

 

take care… toot toot… (disappears into the distance)

7008

Whoof!!! Got home from uni liaison meeting, followed by rehearsals!!! Clever me took a ‘packed lunch’ to eat between meetings, so can now sit on Smug Bench…

Domestic activity jobs tomorrow, then to Fife on Thursday to ‘supervise’  2 small bairns to allow parents some adult time. (Memo to self - purchase alcofrol supplies and hide in campervan) Would you leave your kids with a squiffy elderly flushing  medicated STRICT nana-substitute for 2 days??? Answers on a postcard, not that I shall have time to read them…

I can feel an Agatha Christie-type script on the Benchland Express coming on. We could employ Rick Stein and Hugh Fearnley-Eatsitall as chefs for the swanky dining car. Tiaras will be worn, with knee highs and GLITTER. Must nip into OXFAM (other courtiers …) for a posh frock.

Night night all

Grumpy

7009

chugga chugga peeshdicoof:smileyhappy:!

On the “should have got that yesterday” bench cause “can’t be bothered today” bench but will “have to go at some point today” bench, mmmmmmmm!

Hope everyone who is feeling yucky picks up a little today, tis the bug season again:smileysad:!

Ali, do you feel as though the light works???

grumpy, have a lovely time, you’ll be on the “childhood” bench, woo hoo!

Oops, just had a call breakfast is being served in the Dining Car, now what shall I eat??? Sneak look at menu…full of my favourite things…may be here a while yum yum slurpy, slurp xx

7010

Thanks Ali, may have mentioned it before, it’s for my Mum, just really not sure if it would be beneficial for her, last time I looked they were very expensive, wouldn’t want it to be sitting in a cupboard somewhere…just don’t know.

 

Well good news no morphine at the moment whew, will be trying something else woohoo!! Sooooooooo pleased keep your fingers crossed for me… blood tests every 6 months and referral back to pain clinic, have been before and there was nothing that could be done for left side after many treatments  but now right side is also affected (not as bad) something MAY just work so on the “optimistic” bench again.:smileyhappy:!!

 

Afternoon Tea, all aboard, Dining Car at 3 xx:smileyhappy::smileyhappy::smileyhappy:!!

7011

Katy, we have a SAD lamp that a colleague lent to us when OH was trapped in the house when he broke his leg (both my & her OH suffer with depression!)

 

It’s getting in the way now he no longer needs it, but when I say I must return it she says “Do you have to?!” Her OH isn’t missing it - it was only stored in her loft - so they may be willing to sell it to you for a fractrion of the cost of a new one. We’d have to courier it up to Sunny Scotland, not sure how much that would be. Would you like me to enquire?

 

Am I too late for afternoon tea on the Benchland Express, I’ve only just got home (some of us have been to work!!) :-) 

 

I’ve ordered myself some silcone ‘chicken fillets’ off my friend Mark F-E’s favourite auction site to see if putting one in left bra cup will stop it riding up. Cost less than £4 for a pair (only need 1) so it’s worth the risk!

 

Oh, BTW. Forgot to say Benedictus: CONGRATULATIONS to your poet daughter. What an achievement! Well done her! Of course you should be proud! :-) 

 

7012

Woohoo Benedictus, what a clever daughter, bragging rights are yours!

 

Well two days in back at work (after 3m sabbatical/study leave) and am happily busy.  Exciting news for me - my research apper ‘Public Faith and Private Pain’ has been accepted for a conference in… New Zealand!  I am muchly excited (just have to finish writing it now!!)

 

Glad I’m not in active treamtent as the hopsital computers in Glasgow keeled over yesterday and are still not fixed… so much for paperless working (the breast team I see still sneakily use paper anyway).  Hope they get it properly fixed soon.

 

I have bought some fancy new bedding frmo m&S which is supposed to stay cool - we shall see when the 4 a.m. melt strikes!

 

Best wishes to all xx

7013

Just realised today was Hump day, so tomorrow must be Dink day, then we have Fryday (chippies!! :slight_smile: ) then Dromeda(r)y - the twin delights of the weekend!! Hehehe   Edit: Oh b***er! That doesn’t work. It’s the bactrian that has two humps. Back(trian) to the drawing board???

 

Benchland Express has a special carriage for camels and companion animals (even snotty or pukey ones) with its own special dining car included.

7014

Hello All!

Time flies…it’s been 5 days since I posted, but have been following all the ups and downs & goings-on in Benchland!
Katy, that missed train really was funny - a Mr. Bean moment! Glad you and Revcat had a nice meet-up.
Bene, congrats to your daughter for winning Foyles Young Poet of the Year.
Hope your cold is better Kay, and you are feeling OK, FF.

The last 2 days have been taken up with my daughter - she went into hospital with abdominal pain and had an op. yesterday for a ruptured ovarian cyst. She told us not to make her laugh when we visited her, because any abdominal movement hurts! She will be alone during the day tomorrow, so I will be going to her place to make sure she is OK, cook food, etc.

Christmas will be different this year - my daughter not living at home now, and my son booked a flight to the U.S. today. He’s going to see his girlfriend, who lives near Boston, and won’t be back until after New Year. Will probably go to my sister’s for Xmas dinner.

Clinic appt. with new lady oncologist not available until 18th Oct at the earliest - but I really needed to know the results of a recent MRI scan on my spine. It’s been 9 months since the last one. I pestered the hospital and the secretary rang today, having spoken to the onc., to say ‘Good news, no change’ which makes it even more certain that I do NOT have bone mets - 4 years after being (mis)diagnosed!

7015

How superly, duperly glorious RevCat, your sabbatical has worked , job done, paper achieved AND an invitation to NZ…very well done to you:smileyhappy:!

Jen that’s really good news about your scan, big sigh of relief, now you perhaps can relax a little…know a lot of other things have happened too but you are def on the up, wishing you all the best with your letters and onc visit. Glad your daughter has had op etc, what a fright! Good she’ll soon be home.

Hee hee JCJ, did your OH and friends OH think that lamp worked? Mum has depression too, did they think it worth it? Would be grateful very if you could ask for me.

Happy news Kay and Ben:smileyhappy:! What you gonna eat??? Happy Birthday to your OH, Kay.

 

Rainy day here, we are thinking of Greece for hols next year, never been but if we do go won’t be bringing back a dog:smileywink:, ST??? xx

 

 

7016

Good news and bad news here.  Good news is that I am fine and well.  Turns out the cause of all the sneezing and coughing was the new air freshener in the car.  Woke up fine yesterday but as soon as I got in the car it all started again. Penny dropped so I shoved it in the boot, well wrapped up, and recoved quickly.  As I bought two of different “flavours”  I’m now wondering if the other one will have the same effect…watch this space!

 

Bad news is that my washer/drier is not drying.   Makes all the right noises but the air does not get hot.  How dare appliances not work when I need them to. Grrrr!!   It is absolutely persisting down, we’ve even had thunder and lightning, so hanging  the washing out is NOT an option.  House looks like a chinese laundry.:smileysad:

 

Grandaughter is taking her driving theory test this afternoon.  This is her third attempt (actually it might be the fourth, I’ve lost count).  She has failed before by only one or two points, so I hope she can manage to pass this time as she should pass the actual driving part easily.  

Will update you later.

 

Getting on the Benchland Express now for a spot of lunch…“waiter, menu please.”

7017

Just heard the local news, apparently there’s quite of a lot of flooding, roads impassable etc.  Weather back to normal then.   Oh, right on cue…lightning has just caused a power cut…

7018

Katy, OHs’ opinion seems to be that the light box is not as effective as actually getting outside (doesn’t need to be particularly sunny, although sunshine helps!) but it DOES help if you are unable to get out. It’s a much brighter light than ordinary electric lighting.

 

Chicken fillets arrived - not very comfy - I don’t think that’ll be the solution, but I’ll give it a while to see if I can get used to it.

 

Very glad it’s Friday (there’s polite for a change?!) CBA bench here I come for the next few hours!

 

How was the power flush, Kay? I had a few of those last night. :stuck_out_tongue: Swimming does seem to completely destroy any hopes of a good night’s sleep! :frowning:

7019

Plumbers know everything:smileywink:!! hee hee!

Just flushing wildly as I type…I don’t know what’s going on:smileyfrustrated:! Is it the weather???

Will have a word with Mum JCJ, see what she thinks, thank you for being so helpful.

Am away to start new tabs side effects confusion, disturbance in attention, clumsiness, difficulty speaking, weight gain blah de blah, blah sooooooooooo no change there then :smileywink:!  hee hee.

Just had a huge plate of spicey spaghetti, very tasty, tummy is soooooooooo full will have to have a wander outside!

Hope the fillet works, will feel odd to begin with am liking the genies and have noticed a HUGE difference with shoulder pain so must have been bra straps, am delighted woo hoo!!

Oh to hang with the walk and doing the dishes, “CBA” bench here I come xx

7020

FF your washer/dryer sounds like mine - I got the man out to it, he sucked his teeth, shook his head, then opened it up re-set some little trip switch thingy and it’s been fine every since (still waiting for the quote to repair it to arrive, cost £48 for call out… bargain)

 

Flushes a -go-go here too.  Snazzy new M&S sheets don’t seem any cooler but they evidently ‘wick’ moisture away and they are very smooth and comfy.

 

Still waiting for gynae  results - good job I’m genuinely not anxious about them… have to phone next week if they haven’t arrived…

 

End of first week back at work - well sort of, am working both days this w/e… just realised I’ve worked about 45 hours in four days, oops, was meant to be be doing less not more!  No wonder I’m tired… but happy; glad to be back :slight_smile: