Storm Riders/A Town Called Determination

Public Archive
21

Hi Theresa
Stay and chat. Tell us what it’s like on the other side of the border. And you too Sandra44. No hijacking notions here. Anybody hijacks anything it’s the Storm Riders, and by dint of experience you just became one!

Horace, you old Storm Rider you, where you been hiding? Holed up in Determination on that creeky old rocking chair. What’ve you been planning? You know all the ins and outs of this place, and don’t think we won’t be moseying past you. There’s a gang in Determination and you know their weaknesses. We won’t blow your cover, but we are surely going to be walking past, looking for those signs. We’ll drop a quiet knock on your door in the evening, and maybe you can clue us in on what needs done in this town. :0)

22

Hi again…:smiley:

Gen - glad you spoke to your onc already about the coil… Must admit i was on the pill when i was first diagnosed - it was one of the first things my breast cancer nurse asked me about and she said we had to stop contraception straight away - but my pill was oestrogen based and so is my cancer so it sounds like it is different for people with a coil fitted…

Carole - how has the hair loss gone today…? As i mentioned before mine all came out in one fell swoop - infact my husband took the dog for a walk on the common and by time he got back i was practically bald… :open_mouth: lol

23

howdy pardners

got a bit lost in the storm. but my loyal steed has lead me back to the right path. great chapter carol. determination here i come.

gonna lay my head down now with my horse as a pillow and listen to his heart beat to lull me to sleep. catch you all later

BlackJack.

24

Theresa, thanks for asking. Wow, I can’t believe how fast yours came out! Mine is steadily moving. I look a tiny bit receded at the front but I think only I would notice just now, and I cut a fringe yesterday which bounces up and disguises it a bit. I still look like I have a full head of hair though, and I woke up this morning to a clear pillow. It seems to only come out when I run my fingers through it, or brush it. I’m still thinking Wed for B Day, but we’ll see I suppose.

Mary - remind me. You’re still waiting for results post op, yes?

Sal - big week. How you holding up?

Blackjack - good to see you back in the saddle so soon. When do you find out about chemo dates and what you’re getting? Sorry if you’ve already said, I’m feeling a little light headed! Har de har! :smiley:

25

Hi ladies,am a bit ahead of myself as not involved in treatment yet…but two weeks today will be having my op,so thought I’d send you advance warning of my imminent arrival ! Got my hat set at a jaunty angle with a sprig of lucky white heather attached(due to being Scottish) and a leek hidden under my jacket (due to living in Wales) might come in handy for beating off negative thoughts or could just add it to a tasty one pot supper round the campfire ! Catch up soon,YEEEEHAAAA !

Think I’m having a pre-op bonkers moment.

26

Welcome one and all. Especially Sandra - living in the land of my fathers! Just had a thought - we seem to be representing all of the four home nations here. Isn’t that great? I’m feeling good today, because the lads did well at Murrayfield yesterday. (rugby that is, for the uninitiated amongst you) And I’ll get to watch all the matches this year:) I usually work Saturdays, so I miss most of them.

Well, pre-op appointment this afternoon, so it’s starting to hit home now. Feeling a tad nervous. But very glad I’m able to start treatment at last. Just been loading up my ipod with stuff to keep me going during the (inevitable) wait on Thursday.

Steel, try to hang onto that hair - it’ll be cold in the blizzard without it.

27

hi all, poncho-cat here, got my collar turned up to but the smell of the hot coffee is calling me…loved that chapter carole! I got some results mainly by confusion last week - I thought I was going to have fluid drained off arm area but no didn’t do that, was on a/biotics anyway and wasn’t too bad apparently but he thought I was there for results so had chased them up even though it was just a week - so basically he took all the nodes he said and one was involved so I’m on the chemo road too now - just waiting like martina (Blackjack) to see oncologist but have no appt yet…hey ho…get the coffee on…mary x

28

Hope the hair’s still hanging on Carole. I’m always fiddling with my hair so I don’t suppose mine will last long at all once it starts departing. I’ll be competing with the dog for leaving my fur all over the floor!!

I told work today that I’m having my portacath done this Weds instead of next (when I would have been on holiday anyway so it wouldn’t have inconvienced them). Explained what the procedure was, done under sedation, involves stitches etc and was asked…

…ok, will you be in later then?

you have to laugh. :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

Am I making too much of this? Would you really expect an employee in the office after having that kind of thing done? Bee Zarr.

29

Unbelievable!! Who do you work for Gen, Scrooge & Co? I don’t know whether I would have laughed, I think I would have been more tempted to smack someone in the gob! On second thoughts, it would probably have been more of a withering look and a sigh. Never was one for violence, although I can fantasize can’t I? I think your firm are part of the gang of baddies holed up in Determination; so what do you think of an ambush? We could kidnap them, tie them down, keep them in the dark for ages, cut them about a bit, fiddle with their private bits, take enough blood to fill a bath, x-ray them till they glow, give them stuff to make them sick … Oops, I think I’m getting a bit carried away there! (Fantasizing again)

I’ve just got back from my pre-op assessment. Two hours! I wasn’t expecting that. When I had my shoulder op two years ago it was a quick 10 minutes with the nurse. This time it was the whole kit and caboodle. And they sent me for a chest x-ray, because the doctor could hear a crackle in my right lung (the same side as the lump) eeek! She kept asking me if I’d had a cough. No. Asthma. No. Cr@p, now I am panicking! That’s all I need - cancelled op because of a crackle :frowning: Mind you, the doctor was about 12 and a half, or maybe I’m just getting old :smiley:

30

Lol I like your thinking Sal. Maybe I’ll work up a scenario - some kind of establishment in Determination that I have to pass through but there are a lot of obstacles, pickpockets and general lack of compassion going on. I’ve always worked for large organisations my whole working life up to now, I’m now with a small husband/wife outfit with a handful of employees. In other jobs there were always good sick pay schemes (6 months full pay, then half pay etc), loads of benefits, car, pension etc. Here it was 2 weeks and I’m on SSP. I’m a fully qualified Chartered Accountant (18 years qualified) on rubbish pay with no benefits, took the job for the flexibility but it’s turning out to be a huge headache now to be honest. I haven’t even got a contract and I’ve been there nearly 2 years! I think I need to move on when this is all over. I also have a sneaking suspicion they might be reading what I’m saying on these threads, but maybe I’m being paranoid.

I worked out last night that if I just pack in and stay on sick pay, plus claim the carer’s allowance I can’t get while I’m working but would be entitled to if I’m on sick pay because one of my boys is registered disabled, I would be getting just over half of my usual take home pay for doing nothing. Tempting…very tempting…

Your pre-op sounds fun. Mine was more of a rigmarole than I expected I must say. I didn’t have a chest x-ray but I did have an ecg which I wasn’t expecting. The irritating thing is nobody tells you if it’s all fine or not - you just have all these things done and assume no news must be good news. I’m sure they’d have said if there was a problem, particularly since your op is later this week - they see the xrays straight away don’t they so they’d see if there was any cause for concern.

So - full systems go to ride into town on Thursday, Mule, all guns blazing!! :smiley:

31

LOL love the idea of taking Gens employers hostage. They sound absoloutly awful. Are they living in the dark ages or what?? Its something that really riles me because as you can imagine, being a train driver I’m quite millitant :slight_smile: Don’t know why because we get treated really well actually, its just the cr!!! hours. If I were you Gen, I would discreatly leave a copy of the d.d.a on one of their desks. Or … stay on the sick due to stress and then claim constructive dismisal hehehe shame youn dont have more on them because you could.

Sal, I had to have xray for my pre op. They check it there and then. Like Gen says, nothing was said, so I assume everything was ok. What on your ipod? nothing too boppy I hope. Dont want to read you were kicked out for dancing round your drains, in the middle of the ward lol Have they said how long you’ll be in. Each area seems differant. I was 3 nights and bored out of my skull due to the fact I was put on a side ward.

Hows the hair going Carole? When I went to see onc last week, a lady was there, who had been dx same time as me. She was there for her 2nd chemo, she had got her daughter to shave her head and looked really good. She said it was easier than watching it fall out in clumps and she was probably right because it meant that she had taken control, if you know what I mean.

Welcome to all the other ladies joining us, its so good to hear from women that have come out the other side. Its uplifting, to know that women are waiting at the other side of determination, to great us when we arrive. Itr won’t be too long before we arrive, so keep the fire burning and the wine cooled, its going to be one hell of a party. :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

32

Hi all

Just wanted to compliment you all on this fascinating thread - creative writing+employment forum combined! I used to work for a Chartered Accountant who wouldn’t give me a contract either, what’s more he was a dab hand at ‘adjusting’ the post book when he’d missed IR deadlines for returning clients’ tax returns… seemed very surprised when I walked out - wonder if its the same chap???

Keep riding, gals, and I’ll meet you for a bourbon in the Lucky Charm Saloon…

Rosie Womble aka Calamity Jane

33

I am about to start with an uncharacteristic huge snivel. I felt absolutely miserable today, wretched wouldn’t be putting it too strongly. I went and flung myself dramatically over my bed about 4.30 this afternoon and sobbed - that’s over doing it - I shed several tears and generally felt really sorry for myself. No matter how hard you try not to cry through this, something gets you in the end, and it was the hair. I just wanted the whole damn thing to evaporate, never have happened. Useless line of thinking really, I know. So I got in the shower, showered out the next huge wad of it, then put on my mascara, lifted the scissors, and got on with it. I now look like I’m a month out of the marine core, and it isn’t that bad. Obviously a bit patchy (hard cutting your own hair at the back), but I’m quite looking forward to when it grows back to this again so I can experiment. It’s about taking the next step. Once you do it you move on and feel better. I feel better. A bit emotionally drained and looking forward to bedtime, but I can handle the pending baldness now. Done. No more snivelling.

Gen - I concur with all. Your boss sounds incredibly Dickensian! Start a wee diary of what was said and when, just in case it comes in handy. You might be lucky on the chemo, but I think if you’re there half the time you’ll still be pushing your limits. This is definitely a bad guy in Determination scenario. If he actually makes it hard once you start the chemo, in real time start procedings, in Determination I’m with Sal on this one! Or, your tempting idea might be exactly the right way to move on. This is a year for change after all, and you’ll be saving on hairdresser bills. :slight_smile:

Sal, stay cool about Thursday. It’s a breeze, and that crackle’s only a mild dose of asbestosis, you’ll be fine. :smiley: I got the chest x-ray and ecg too. Like Gen says, I think they’d have told you seeing as you’re so close to the op. As always, a quick call to the BC Nurse tomorrow?

Looks like there’s a whole load of us on the chemo route. Sal, you keep us posted on how the rad works, and with a bit of luck the rest of you will end up on E-CMF and I can keep you up to speed on what to expect there. Oh, the head and bikini line seem to work at the same time for shedding. Umm, best I can advise is make sure the knickers fit, avoid skirts, and keep the hoover handy. Ewwww, too much info perhaps! :smiley:

Oh and welcome Calamity!

34

I had a chest xray at preop and covinced myself it had already spread because the radiographer said,‘You’ll have to discuss these with your doctor.’
I was so scared I am ashamed to say I was hysterical and my blood pressure went sky high.Finally they got a radiologist down to talk to me.She explained that only a doctor was allowed to dicuss them but in fact they were fine.I have asthma and usually have a bit of wheezing.Dont worry they would have said at once if there was a problem.
I got to Determination via the bog of diagnosis,the hill of lumpectomy,the swamp of fec,the deadly waste of taxotere and the burning desert of rads.I staggered in here nearly two years ago and sit at the town border urging a new generation of Storm Riders to sanctuary.
The Old One

35

I knew it was going to be a good thing finding you in Determination! Had a thought. Mule was describing lightening strikes hitting us in the desert. Carve a discreet wee lightning shaft into your rocking chair Old One, then we’ll know it’s you. I’m etching one onto my belt just now. Steel.

Zowie, things are moving fast. Better come up with another wee scenario and get the four ridge riders into Determination, 'specially if we need a “welcoming committee” for “The Accountant”. Hey, there he is Gen, “The Accountant”, the bad rancher’s book man. Does the collecting of rents and protection payments from the townsfolk, is generally a weasley little, no good, dung fly, cares nothing about putting people out if they can’t pay, and always takes a couple of huge bad guys with him 'cos he’s a lilly livered, quaking snake. Haven’t got round to describing Steel or Poncho-Cat yet, have I? Will do shortly, but Steel doesn’t use expletives, one of her characteristics, hence all the decorative swearing! Should be good for some jokes as the story flows, I hope.

36

Blimey - see my earlier comments about how health professionals sometimes just don’t think of the consequences of what they say. It’s a day at the office to them. Life and death (literally) to us.

Steel - I’m sorry today has been rough, it was a battle you had to face and yet again you’ve come out on top with a smile on your face and a jokey quip. A little wobble in the midst of the fight is allowed, but we were all right behind you ready with the big guns in case you got overwhelmed.

I’ll remember to keep the dyson on standby unless I can find some pink bloomers to tie round my knees (my grandma wore those too). I’ve often wondered how a Brazilian would look, I’m told some men find it a turn on. I also mused, as I washed my hair this morning, that I won’t have to bother with all that and blow-drying, straightening etc for much longer. That’s at least an extra 15 minutes in bed. Result!! :smiley:

37

The Accountant sounds like a good adversary, I’ll be doing battle with him very soon methinks. He’s no match for me, I have my fellow Storm Riders behind me. He’s toast. ;o)

38

Ocht, I just had a wee moment. Feel daft about it now. And I knew you’d all haul me up, dust me off, and hand me my hat. :slight_smile:

The whole scuddy down below bit is too Lolita for me. I reckon I’m going with Nigella Lawson on this (not that I’m privy to her personal look…). Any bit of her she doesn’t like the look of she just doesn’t look at. Think I’ll paint the bottom half of the mirror black for the duration. :slight_smile:

39

That’s the attitude Riviera. We’ll get him in due course, lull him into a false sense of security, then whammmo! We’ll leave him hog tied on the Rancher’s porch as a message that the Storm Riders are in town and we ain’t leaving till we’ve done what we came for. Just tell us when and we’ll hatch the plot!

40

I can actually look straight at a mirror and not see myself at all. I don’t know how I do it, but sometimes I go to, for example, check if my hair needs brushing, look in the mirror, walk away and realise I haven’t actually “looked” at all and have to go back.

Luckily for me I have my attractive “twin overhang” to shield my view from any unsightliness downstairs and I don’t have any full length mirrors so I should be spared the full horror of that. I’m actually with you on the Lolita issue. I wonder if the NHS does free merkins as well as wigs?