Breast Cancer Now Forum

YD safely on 1st train with space on the luggage rack for tent and holdall and a seat. I've driven back the 10 miles from the station trying not to cry. Wish she didn't live so far away. Told myself to get a grip: at least she's not I Australia!! Hopefully, we'll see them in September. When are you off, Katy? I hope your back is better. xx ... View more

I think the FF bench doubles as the sweary bench, Jane. Go on.. let rip $^^%$// 🤬🤬🤬 You have every reason so no-one will be offended. I hope your back continues to improve, Katy. We are back from camping so have reliable phone signal and WiFi again. Managed to get the tent down dry (thank goodness! It's heavy enough for YD to schlep on the train without being wet!) despite it chucking it down with rain most of the night and early morning. We're at our house so she can see her Dad for a while. Then I'll take her to the station for the 19:50 train. It's the last one because the planned one, an hour earlier, has been cancelled. Fingers crossed she gets home. DIL has a day out planned tomorrow after 3 days on her own with GD! 😁 The weather has been very mixed but we managed 2 long (for us: we're both out of practice!) walks and an evening fire without getting wet. It was COLD at night! Last night I was wearing a long thick cotton nightie, pyjama trousers, socks, a micro fleece jacket and a quilt and blanket on my airbed before I got warm. And a jumper across the top of my head as I didn't take a woolly hat!! Brrr! It's JULY!! ... View more

Arrived at campsite. Very scenic and quiet here. There are 20 or so DofE young people here who have walked in carrying teeny tents. Makes me feel tired just watching them.  Only WiFi is in the shower block and not much phone signal. Forecast not brilliant but at least we have no 3 year... or 71 year olds to contend with/entertain.  ... View more

Very quick reply. Off tomorrow. Picking YD up from station at 1pm ish. Her next-door's shopping done this morning and our big shop this afto....and I still need to pack all the camping gear! Katy, I buy white cotton gloves for next-door. From Lloyd's Chemist- their own brand - cost about £3 - but I don't know if you have that chemist up there. They may be available elsewhere? Must pack. ... View more

Ooh! Ice creams! Thank you! I hope there are some M*rs (planet) ones. I've just discovered them after listening to an "Off Menu" podcast. Nom! I hope you're having a lovely holiday, Jane, and that yours will be fab too, Katy. Pretty shoddy that the docs got the receptionist to relay your dx. I hope you get to speak to the actual doc to find out if you can delay treatment until after your hol. I'm at the library so they didn't have to close at 12pm. I had wanted to use the time while OH was out to get sorted for next week's camping trip (the camping cupboard is in the room he spends most of his time in and I don't want to get in his way/rub it in that I'm going away!) I dropped him off at 11, dashed home, sorted out as much as I could and dashed back for 12. Luckily, we've got 2 people using the computers, there's been one regular visitor and the guy is here to check the water quality; so it's not been a waste of my time this time. Her next-door is getting more and more confused: she rang me at 7am on Tuesday to ask me what time it was. 🥴 She had her first WFF meal the other day - or half of it as it was too big for her miniscule appetite. She said it was easy to do (her ES has reinstated her microwave from its banishment in the garage 🙄 ) and it was "quite nice". She's looking forward to trying the minced chicken one. That sounds positive. YD has booked her train for next week. She's going to have to schlep the tent with her. She looked at hiring a car, as DIL needs theirs, but it was twice the price and would sit, unused, on our drive for 3 days. I hope there won't be any more rail strikes next week!! ... View more

Well, that's one way for the NHS to cut costs: making the patients pay for phone calls?! It's much warmer here too but there is still a pleasant breeze and intermittent cloud so hopefully it won't get too hot. Excuse me while I, rather immodestly, dance around the house singing, "I am a genius 🎶 ". I have just fixed the shower again. Like I did, almost exactly 2 years ago, in the first lockdown. This time, I knew what the problem was, ordered the part and fitted it while OH was out so he wouldn't stress about it being too dangerous/me not being capable (and further eroding my confidence!) It's now too late to go swimming but I'll get off this CBA bench, in the shade, in the garden, when I've finished this coffee, and go and do a fruit and veg shop and buy a picnic lunch. I've finally persuaded her next-door - with the help of her daughter - to order some ready meals from WFF (not WWF: she's not having roasted panda! 😂 But a "southern county agricultural comestibles"). I sat with her yesterday (luckily I ordered a brochure for me too because she threw hers away: "I don't know why I ordered it." You didn't. I did. Because you asked me to! 🤬) to choose some meals to try. It was hard work because she won't eat garlic, onions, cheese, chewy meat or "anything foreign"!! So many delicious meals in that catalogue I was positively drooling but it was "NO" to all except the fish pie. Sooo close to ordering 7 of those but eventually encouraged her to try the minced meals (bleurgh!) Order made online on my phone (using our WiF! Didn't realise I could use that next-door; handy as she has no Internet!) Within 10 minutes of me getting home, she rang to say our local WFF centre had rung her to arrange delivery and they arrived at the arranged time this morning. Well impressed! Now she's just got to remember to heat (from frozen, in oven as she has no m.wave) and eat them. Let's hope she likes them but I shan't hold my breath!! Just thinking about those meals is making my stomach rumble so I must away to the shop to get my lunch.    ... View more

PS "taste the difference" lasagne, garlic pizza bread and "be good to yourself" tiramisu in the shed. All guaranteed to taste amazing despite chemo-mouth. Help yourself. You're welcome. xx ... View more

How can it be a week since I last posted? Where does the time go?! Glad you are coping OK with the chemo, Grumpy & Jane and that you, at least, Jane, are feeling some benefit. Disappointed you didn't parade about in your undies, Katy, but decided to continue to look like you'd wet yourself. 😂 Both passports now arrived. Don't know what all the fuss about blue passports was about because they look decidedly black to me! Done and dusted in 2 weeks - so much for the media fuss about it taking months?! Now they've been put away in "The File" and we'll probably never need them! Not a word about the Blue Badge application yet, though. 🙄 Neighbour is seriously doing my head in today. Her ES & YD have forbidden her from driving as she's 80 and sometimes confused. I took her to the dentist, on Monday, and shopping at a local small supermarket, yesterday. Today was my three-weekly S********'s shop so I asked her if she needed anything else. She reeled off a great long list - including stuff she bought yesterday. 10 minutes later, she rang to cancel it all but I persuaded her she needed some of the items (local shop included NO veg or meat. It was mostly cakes, chocolate, oven chips and milk) After 5 phone calls, I was glad to leave the house to go shopping!! When I delivered her shopping to her she said: "Is that all? I was expecting more than that.“ Arrrrggghhhh! I do feel sorry for her. She lives alone and stopping driving has taken away all her independence just when she was starting to go out again after the pandemic, but I'm struggling with my patience. She seems to have got to her 80th birthday and decided she can't do anything any more. Perhaps it's a practice for what's to come with OH?! 😕 ... View more

We don't get free parking with the Blue Badge round here either. Some car parks give us an extra hour. I mainly use it to be able to park in a designated bay closer to where he needs to go... or on a double yellow line outside the dentist! I hope the DVT responds to the clot busters. Yippee! Hurrah! Whoop! New house! Is it still near enough for your Granny duties? Have they got to sell their current house? How long will they have to wait to move in? So exciting!! Passport photo number 2 also failed. Too blurry.  One last try to take it myself before giving in and going to a booth. Several photos later.... goodness I hate photos of myself! So many chins!!.... I submitted the best one, expecting to wait until tomorrow to be told that it's still unusable. Five minutes later, I got an email, and text, saying passport application approved and it is being sent for printing. Whoop! Saved myself a tenner plus petrol to get there. Yay! OH's is apparently printed and awaiting dispatch. If we'd sent a paper application, they would barely have received it by now!!  ... View more

2 emails today: 1) Parking fine cancelled.... with a telling off! 🤭 2) My passport "on hold" because the photo wasn't good enough. 🙄 Too far to one side, apparently! If anything, my photo was MORE central than his and his was passed. Grrr Tried again to take a selfie, and got OH to try to take my mugshot  too but his were out of focus: tremor 🙁 I picked the best one but I expect I'll have to go to the photo booth and splash some more cash. So annoying for a passport I shan't even need for travel.  ... View more

Hahaha. Trying to imagine you with a squint in your arms/legs, Katy. And there was me thinking it was only eyes that could squint. 🥴 😂 Phone appointment with PD nurse this morning. Postponed from last week...(which was postponed from April when she was off sick) ...because I was away and OH wanted me to be here. Lots of anxious anticipation and phone call was 5 minutes and basically: "How're things going?" "OK" "Any gambling addiction?" (Known SE of one of his meds) "No. Apart from the lottery" (We don't do the lottery it was his attempt at a joke! 🙄 ) "Don't overdo it. And share with me if you win. Carry on as you are. No need to change meds yet but there are still plenty of other options. Ring me if you have any concerns."  "Thank you. Bye" Good to 'touch base' and good to know they're still options but all that wind up for that?! 😁 Email - AT THREE AM!! - to tell me OH's passport application has been approved and will be printed. Hurrah! Hopefully, that means mine will be OK too....but mine went to Glasgow and his to Bootle so who knows?! ... View more

Rotting taste in mouth doesn't sound too pleasant but, if that's the only SE then I suppose that's good news. I hope it stays that way. Exciting about ED's house, Katy! When will they hear if their offer was accepted? 🤞🏼 To think I got excited about YD's new tent!! 😁 Hope eye test went ok: no nasty surprises, and that lido goes smoothly.  I was livid this afternoon. Went swimming with OH. Parked in the usual disabled spot, faffed around with the parking app (it's free for 2 hours - 3 with Blue Badge - but you still have to get a ticket or register the parking session on the app. Still getting used to this as all the car parks in this little town have always been completely free up until a month ago) then waited for aaages for OH to finish faffing about and get out of the car!! Swimming not as relaxing as usual due to school holidays and having to dodge the kids mucking about. Then, when I got back to the car, there was a parking ticket stuck to the windscreen. WHAT??!! I "paid" on the app!! Got my phone out to check and OH verified it was correct. Angrily read the fixed charge notice and discovered it was because I forgot to display the **&_=%/ Blue Badge. Grrrrrrrr! After all that time, waiting for him and I didn't think to get it out of the glove box! Soo annoyed. I have emailed them @localcouncil.gov.uk with photos of the BB and a screenshot of parking app and I'm hoping they'll let me off. If not, I'll just have to cough up and be less forgetful. Grrrr. ... View more

Hope you are coping OK with your treatments, Jane and Grumpy..... and anyone else going through it at the moment. I'm just back from 2 days at the seaside meeting up with a friend I've not seen for years. I debated packing shorts but they wouldn't have been necessary: although it was occasionally sunny, between rain showers, there was a constant cold wind! Great to see my friend, at last, and the sea! Great to blow the cobwebs away.  OH managed OK on his own. I knew he would or I would not have gone. YD has suggested a date for our camping trip at the end of June. Campsite booking enquiry sent, so my sadness at returning to the usual boring routine (and feeling trapped by OH's PD!) has been replaced with excitement: I'm like a kid at Christmas again! 😁 If OH starts to stress about me being away again, I can remind him that he was OK this time. Although it might be too soon to call on his friend to take him out for the day again?!  No lie in today, despite needing the K******* bench after walking/talking almost constantly for the last 3 days and feeling every minute of my age, because the window cleaners were here before 9am!! We desperately needed them, though, because the windows were still filthy from the roofing work. A rude awakening. Very relieved to see my curtains were properly drawn because my bed is right under the window!! 🤭 I've just listed my hand knitted baby/granny blanket on Mr Futon's site. Fingers crossed it sells for a sensible price because 50% is going to Cancer Research.  ... View more

I have put extra comfy cushions on a bench that's on the edge of the Woods (yes, those ones) half in shade and half in the sunshine. There's a view of the sea and a lake. Waiters - whichever ones you desire - from the Jolly Merkin (have I remembered the name right?) are on call to bring you beverages of your choice and delicious foodstuffs - all calorie-free and not affected by chemo taste changes, of course. There are an array of extremely fetching hats and scarves. Limitless tissues available.  I was going to get Katy to join me in putting on one of our a.maz.ing entertainments but maybe no-one is ready for that??! 😊 Seriously, thinking of you both.... and anyone else going through treatment.... and hoping for maximum effect with minimum side effects. As a Dr once said to me, very helpfully: "Don't LOOK for side effects!" Renewed OH's Blue Badge the other day. It doesn't run out until the end of June but I read that it can take up to 12 weeks to get a new one. What??!! In the end, they wouldn't let me renew it; I had to reapply, submitting photos of all his proof of ID, proof of address, medical appointments, prescription medicines etc and answer a load of humiliating questions. For goodness sake! He's got Parkinson's Disease. Of course he's not more mobile than he was when you allowed the Blue Badge 3 years ago!! Grrrrr! It's almost as if they want you to just give up! I was so glad I could do it for him as answering all those questions would have destroyed what's left of his self esteem. Now we wait to see if they'll renew it. 🤞🏼 By contrast, renewing my out of date (Jan 2019) passport, online, was easy to do! And they say it'll take up to 10 weeks to arrive. That's bonkers isn't it, that a passport is easier to get than a blue badge?!! I'm not going anywhere, unfortunately, but I have no photo ID and the other option: a photo driving licence, requires a current passport!!  ... View more

LOL, Katy, we did it again: I was just logging in to reply to Jane and my email pinged to say you had replied. Such great minds we have? 😀 What a pain about your (non-existent) surgery, Jane. Will they try again when the fluid has built back up? The trial sounds interesting; I'm convinced boosting the immune system is the way to go.... but schlepping regularly to London for a treatment that's not guaranteed to be effective does seem too much to take on. Talking of trials, I had a letter (usual momentarily panic-inducing letter addressed to my first name and on NHS headed paper!) about the REACT trial, which I took part in (A double-blind trial - Celecoxib - a strong anti-inflammatory or placebo taken daily for 2 years). As I suspected, I was on Celecoxib but the results of the trial found that it did not reduce the recurrence of cancer within 5 years. Ho hum. At least we tried. They might try again with participants taking it for longer. Glad you had fun with your GC, Katy and I hope your annual review goes OK tomorrow.  The scaffolders arrived at 7:15am this morning! We were told it would be Saturday or today and, as they didn't come on Saturday, I set my alarm for 7:45am in case they were here at 8am like last time. The doorbell woke me! Hastily threw some clothes on to go and move the car out of their way!! Goodness! They didn't half move fast; tossing scaffolding planks and poles about like they were matchsticks!! I've cleaned all the mess off the sills and put everything back that they had to move - except the water butt because, although half empty, it's too heavy to get back up on its bricks. I'll have to empty it first. Meanwhile, all the rain we have had is pouring out of the (truncated) drain pipe onto the ground! I'm revelling in being able to open the back door and the upstairs windows! Just need the window cleaners to come now because they are filthy! Beautifully warm and sunny. I've got shorts on!! Hope it's like this next week.  ... View more

Grumpy, I hope they find a treatment regime that's effective in prolonging the quantity without taking away too much of the quality. Scaffolding still up. Yesterday should have been the last day the roofers were here but it peed it down most of the day so they didn't come. I was wondering how they'd cope on the roof in torrential rain. It was good to have a reprieve from the noise. OH isn't coping well with the stress of them being here.  When they came on Monday, within 20 minutes of their arrival, they found another £2500 needed spending, bringing the total to 7K!! He had photo evidence of the extra damage. When he gave us the new invoice, he'd missed off the repointing of the chimney and the cowl. What?! That's the main reason they're here!! We reminded him and the lads are up there working on it now. It's been a pain having to be up, dressed and having moved the car off the drive for them every morning before 8:45am. To think I was always leaving for work at 8am!! I just got back from dropping OH at the library and looked up to see one of the lads (looks young enough to still be in school!!) casually strolling along the ridge of our roof face-timing on his phone!! I hope they secured those coping stones properly!! 😱 OH has been trying to move funds about so we can pay the roofers. He has an online-only savings account and couldn't log in to it. Arghhh! Eventually, after both of us trying several times he had to phone their helpline. The usual half hour waiting on hold, but they were very helpful and we got into the account. I had to take over the typing because the more OH was rushing/getting anxious, the more his hands were shaking. There was more in the account than he thought so that went some way to compensate for the shock of the cost of the roof!!  Sooty is still alive and well. We see him regularly in the garden, easily recognisable by his diminished nether regions! We can't decide whether he's cost us a fortune or saved us a potential disaster.  Bobville TV is still not working but we can see bluetits regularly flying in and out of the box, despite the scaffolding being directly in front of it and the noise and mess created by the roofers, so there must be boblets and they're still being fed. Hurrah.    ... View more

Spent the morning at the garage (famous three-letter national tyre specialists) yesterday. Quite a saga! Windscreen wiper fitted. Tyres checked. Battery pronounced terminal (pun intended). Two tyres recommended because slow leak one had 2 tiny punctures too close together to repair and I knew there was another one cracked and needing replacing soon. The guy told me he'd have to order in the battery and I'd have to come back tomorrow. Already wound up by the extra cost, I lost my patience with him, in front of other customers, because they'd told me they'd order in the battery when I phoned, on Thursday, and I booked the appointment because it would be there!! He agreed to order it in from a nearby place, quoted me £151 for it (I was told it would be £160 over the phone so I was happy with that!) and it would be there by the time the tyres were done. It was.  2 hours later, I pay the - painful - bill, (being informed the battery actually cost them £210 but they only charged me the amount they quoted because I was already annoyed! ☺) and drove off, happy that there'd be no more warnings beeping at me. Impressive 3 year warranty on all my tyres, including roadside recovery and free repair or substantial discount on new ones. Yeh! Money begrudgingly but well spent.  I didn't even get home before the "reduced tyre pressure" warning pinged at me. Grrrrrr! Turned straight round and drove back to garage. They checked all the pressures: all OK and recalibrated the computer. At this point, this guy (manager) told me I'd actually had THREE new tyres but only paid for two. This confused me because they replaced one a few months ago but, no, I had 3 yesterday so they're ALL new!! Apparently, it is company policy to stab old/damaged tyres so they don't accidentally reuse them. They took 3 tyres off my car to swap them around and the technician stabbed them ALL even though he'd been told one was going back on!! Numpty! (Not sure he'll be there for long: I gather it's not the first time he's done it!!) So. All in all, my visit cost the garage almost as much as it cost me!! Already fed up with the scaffolding. It's such a faff to get into the garden via the front door, negotiating all the scaffolding poles and other obstacles en route. Also, we can't open any of the upstairs windows more than an inch. Ah well. Should only be for a few days.  Time for tea and lemon sponge cake with homemade blackcurrant jam. ... View more

Goodness! What a week! Sooty still seems to be OK. We've even watched him seeing off other pigeons (hence deciding it's "he/him")! Every time we hear pigeon cooing noises echoing down the chimney we get jittery, and OH thought the chimney might need repointing, so he organised a couple of roofers to come and quote to pigeon proof the chimney and repoint if necessary. (Actually, he arranged for 3 to come but overslept and cancelled the 1st!!) 1st quote was for £4500, including scaffolding, as he said there was damage to the roof and, if it wasn't already leaking, it soon will be! He showed OH videos on his phone (that SEEMED genuine) of the damage. What??!! 2nd quote was for £1250 just to repoint chimney and put a cowl on. He didn't even get his ladders out; just stood on our, raised, lawn and looked up, so he'll probably treble that when he actually gets up there? We went with the 1st quote. He said he "might start on Friday". 8am today woken by the doorbell and loud clanking noises. Scaffolders! We're now fenced in and can't use the back door. Roofer came to check the scaffolding and leave his ladders on our back lawn. He starts work 9am Monday for 3 days. He said "so you can have a lie in" erm.... we didn't mention that 9am is NOT a lie in for us these days! 🤭 On Tuesday, I got in the car to go to school. Dead battery. Not going anywhere. 🙁 Texted my friend's boyfriend - who has helped us before - and he came Wednesday evening and deployed his booster pack and got it running but declared I probably need a new battery as it is 5 years old and that is about the life expectancy of modern car batteries. He discovered a black box, which I had no idea was fitted and don't need for my insurance, which he said would be one reason why the battery wasn't holding charge! He removed it. Car booked in today for a new battery, to have the tyre that keeps losing pressure investigated and a new windscreen wiper, whilst they're at it, because I CBA to attempt replacing it myself. The sofa throw is strapped on using elastic suspender straps designed to hold sheets in place. It was such a fight to put them on as it's a very heavy 3 seater sofa and I'll wait to see how successful it is before re-ordering the chair throws and more straps. Fingers crossed. I don't know what else to try because attaching the throw to itself doesn't work. I can see me nailing the bl**** thing to the sofa yet! 😁 Chippy night tonight. Hurrah!  ... View more

Hugs, Jane. I hope your onc can offer you more acceptable treatment. I definitely agree that feet are more important than hair... and the latter will grow back! xx Oh has named the pigeon "Sooty". I was going for "Manx". 😁 He/she is still alive, flying OK... if a bit wobbly.... and is easy to spot with no tail! I'm watching it now, pecking around under the feeders. Don't think I can iron velcro to leather, Katy? I could possibly glue it but I don't want to risk spoiling the sofa. I'm going to buy some sheet suspenders and see if they work.  ... View more

Enjoy your lunch, Katy. Have some pasta for me. It's a Bank Holiday again here so the swimming pool is closed; we'll probably just hang about at home, avoiding the crowds. As usual. The sofa is draped - not sure about elegantly but at least the damaged leather is all hidden. Now I've got to find a way to stop it slithering about. Currently trying safety pinning the throw to itself but it's not really working. Contemplating buying those suspender straps sold to hold ironing board covers on or sheets in place. Or maybe sew some elastic on? The chair throws are way too small so they're going back. All excitement here yesterday: for several days now, I've heard soot dropping into the fireplace. Last night, when we were eating dinner, it happened again, several times and I thought I could hear a scrabbling noise. Rat? I moved the big vase of flowers and the fireguard and the hearth and (laid after it was last used at Christmas) fireplace were covered in a thick layer of brick dust and soot. WTF??! I braved getting on my knees and peering up the chimney. There was a pigeon stuck on the ledge just inside!! I assumed it would be dead.... it must have been there for days... but, when I shone a torch up, it blinked at me!! OH put some thick rubber gloves on and managed to pull it out, accidentally removing most of its tail in the process. He couldn't keep hold of it as it panicked and flew into the room, depositing soot everywhere, including on the white ceiling!! It landed on the windowsill so I opened the window and managed to scoot it out. It flew off into the big oak tree so, hopefully, it will survive. If not, the sparrowhawks - we have a male and a female that often visit - or the fox (filmed drinking from our pond on our camera trap the other night) will get a meal. I then cleaned up the mess: had to get a mop for the ceiling!  ... View more