Onwards and Upwards.... again

Another long gap between blogs.  This is a good thing as it is mainly because I have spent the summer recovering and enjoying myself!  I have been discharged by the plastics team up at St Thomas', so just have to see the Surgeon to make sure I'm still on the right road to recovery so that I can go back to work.  I saw the Surgeon back in July and they're extremely confident that they have removed the tumour!  I will have regular scans and tests as a precaution but the last scans september/october time showed this to be true.


So I've been to two awesome weddings this year; one of my best friend's (at which I was Maid of Honour!) and my Brother in Law's.  At both I had a fabulous time and danced the night away (and rediscovered by fondness for rum and coke!)


On the advice of my oncologist I have done a fair bit of walking this year to help lose weight and build up strength.  We've been lucky enough to have a beautiful summer so had plenty of walks along the beach as well as Barbecues and homemade (by myself and sister in law) prosecco ice lollies (would thoroughly recommend!)  As a result (or despite) of all this, I've managed to lose some of the weight I regained when I left hospital and wasn't very mobile.  Coupled with the fact my hair has grown and I've had it coloured means I'm feeling a lot more like myself again.


Another exciting thing I've done is modeled in a fashion show for the Sussex Cancer Fund.  I got styled by a professional stylist (clothes from Next), hair cut and curled at a fancy salon and make up by Clinique.  It was such a special evening full of laughter and fun; and I met some truly inspiring ladies.  Also, because I was so enamored with the dress I wore for the final part of the show, a wonderful anonymous benefactor paid for it for me! I would really love to be able to thank them.  If I can't I will just say it here- Thank You.  It really is one of the kindest things ever!!


Hopefully things will continue on this way.  We have Christmas to look forward to and tomorrow hubs and I are off to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.  (We've already been to the Christmas Market in Leeds this year!)


Onwards and Upwards!

                                                  Photo by Gary Dellow

                                     

The Other Side

OK, so four weeks ago today I had my operation at St Thomas'.  It took 9 hours rather than the predicted 10 to 12 hours, and they didn't take out as many things as they thought they would have to.

Initially I had a few issues keeping the pain under control so it took a couple of days to get back onto the ward. It was a relief when I did, as the nurse looking after me in recovery was scary!

Once back on the ward, I was unable to eat for about 2 weeks as my body took a while to adjust to the changes. I ended up having to have a tube down my nose into my stomach which was highly unpleasant. I also managed to develop a chest infection and a UTI while I was in there! Fun times.  However, the nurses and doctors looking after me were all fantastic!

 I'm home now and slowly trying to build up my strength. I can't sit for long periods so spend most of the time in bed which does get frustrating but I know it won't be for long.

I also found out the other day from one of the specialist nurses that they were confident they'd got clear margins which is obviously a huge relief.  I've also had my picc line out and lost my chemo weight so already starting to feel like me again.

I would like to thank my lovely husband and mum for visiting me at every opportunity, my in laws for driving down south every weekend (and my father in law for looking after mum and hubs during my op!!), and my brothers, sis in law, aunts and cousins (from both sides) who came to visit.  Also, thanks to everyone who sent cards, messages etc. Especially my besties without whom I would've gone mad! The support I've had has been amazing and I feel so lucky!

Now I have to make a recovery and look  forward; have two weddings to go to this year for a start!!

Onwards and Upwards!

Lumos Maxima

Well life has certainly been full on, shall we say, since my last blog.  I shall get all the medical stuff out of the way first.  A couple of weeks before Christmas, we discovered that the chemo was finally working and had shrunk the tumour, although not to an operable size according to Guys.  Still, it was going in the right direction.  So I resumed chemo on New Years Eve after having six weeks break, which really helped recover a little bit- thanks to the head Chemo Nurse for insisting!!  This round I managed a lot better; aside from messed up sleeping patterns and constant tiredness.  My Oncologist let me reduce my anti sickness steroids which improved the sleep situation.  

So had my six chemos and MRI scan (thank goodness for diazapam) then four days after the last one which was a week ago on friday, I had a call from one of the nurses at Guys and St Thomas's (while having lunch with friends) asking me to go up for a examination under anesthetic on thursday, then suggested I go up the following day as I am a good couple of hours away.  This meant moving the Oncology appointment I had on the Wednesday afternoon to first thing Wednesday morning.  Sorted.  Tuesday night, however, involved another trip to A&E with a temp spike, on which I blame the horrific cold going around.  They sent me home with antibiotics as bloods were ok and I was going to the Cancer Centre the following morning anyway.  

Again, I have to praise the staff at the Cancer Center for their care and sympathy.  Despite preparing a Mad Hatter's Tea Party for Nutrition Week, they checked my temperature, reassured me and were generally lovely.  As was my Oncologist who said that it still hadn't shrunk enough but to see what this examination by the Surgeon said.  

So I dragged myself up to London, pretty much sleeping the whole way, and got seen by one of the specialist nurses who wanted to put me in the hospital hotel.  I got upset and pointed out I'd been in A&E so she immediately went to work to get me a bed on the ward.   Again, all the staff I encountered were lovely and so helpful.  

I had the procedure done first thing the following morning and requested to stay in another night as I couldn't face the trains.  The Surgeon (whom I had met at an outpatient's appointment in feb) came to see me and said that despite the size he reckons it's operable, and not to have any more chemo!!  Yay!!   So finally we are getting there. Obviously then I had a meltdown when left to myself just as a result of everything that had happened in the previous 48 hours.  So the operation will be in a few weeks time and hopefully the so and so will be OUT!!

It does sound like the last few months have been all trials and tribulations- they haven't.  Just before Christmas we did Hogwarts in the Snow with my In Laws.  And I was one of the best days ever!  We had such a laugh and it was so Christmassy I almost couldn't cope.  (I now can't watch The Prisoner of Azkaban without hearing my Sister in law's impression of Lenny Henry's character in it).  We spent Christmas with my family which was lovely, and New Year (after chemo) with my best friend.

We've had a trip Up North for my Father in Law's birthday (lots of cocktails- yay!), a couple of days in London as an early birthday treat for me where we stayed in the same hotel as last year and saw Bend it like Beckham.

So all in all it has been an emotional time but fingers crossed we are nearly there now.  There is, again, light at the end of the tunnel (hence the blog title; watching Harry Potter as I write!)  Hopefully 2016 will see the end of it all!!