Perspectives. Oh, and cakes. And teens in cars!

6 minute read time.

Alright my lovelies?
Sorry in advance, this blog goes all over the place and then back again!

So Wednesday rolled round, and off I went for a change of dressing, bloods, and Rituximab session.
That young guy was there - he's been in a few times now it seems, and is more relaxed, and has his sense of humour back - goody I thought, you've got yourself on track. It helps once you can do that, however long it takes, days, weeks, or months, we're all different after all.

So, consultant calls me in for a chat, I tell her I have been having cold feet about the transplant; she says that's perfectly normal. I am sure it is, and I DO like her a lot, but you know when you get that temptation to say to an 'expert' - "BUT ITS NOT YOU THAT HAS TO DO IT, IS IT?!?!"
Ahem.  :))

So she tells me then that she has spoken to the team at the Heath, and it is a possibility that IT could be the end of this month! That's great, because it doesn't clash with school holidays (ie nobody has to look after Deri during the day and the night) and I should be out in time for the school to close (yes, the council deem it necessary to shut Deri's school :(( ) at Easter as us parents and staff don't want a slow trickle to nothing as kids need to leave etc - so there's a big party on the 30th March when they break up for Easter.
Now, I may only just be back out of hospital by then, but it's a good thing to aim for and if I'm too knackered to go along I shall be rather disappointed!

Yesterday (Thursday) I must have been visited by the Baking Muse and my body taken over by Nigella, as I spent the afternoon baking cakes!! This is a rare occurrence I have to point out, for those of you wondering why I am highlighting it! I set about looking for recipes for cakes suitable for Broni and her vegan diet - and dug out my old faithful, The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook - vegan chocolate cake and vegetarian carrot and poppyseed cake - the latter I have baked before but this time used all soya stuff instead of diary.
Yummy!
Oh, and Pedro tried waving and saying 'Hi' to me... pfft.

Today has been a bit of a mix! Began with coffee round at Jo's; last time I went Jackie was there too and as hadn't seen her for about a year and Jo had just told her about me before I arrived, she was in shock and had to go early.. this time she had got her head around it all and was her usual silly self! Bless her she didn't now what to say last time, but this time was fine, no head tilts either, she did Very Well haha! Had a good old catch up with everone and a good laugh too :))
Home to do emails and make leek and potato soup with lentils and garlic - oh yes, this is so much more fun than working every day! Could I not just go to work 4 days a week and have one for baking and drinking coffee?? Please???

Then, this evening, as I sat with Deri playing on the Wii, Megan calls me - casually announced she and Ben were at hospital due to an icy corner spinning Bens car out of control at only 40 mph in the bendy lanes and them landing upside down!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!! !!!!!!!! BUT they are ok, just bruised and shocked. BLOODY HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And, breeeeeeeeeeeatheeeeeeeeee.........................................
And here she is, taking her driving theory test on the 11th!!
Well, the goddess and the gang were looking after them both tonight eh?? A couple stopped and the mother put Meg in their car with their kids to keep warm and rub her back whilst the fella talked to Ben and waited for ambulance, fire engine and police. She said she waited to call me until she got to hospital as she didn't want to call me whilst upside down coz she was screaming... I said do NOT worry about worrying me and call me whichever way round you are!!!!!!!!

And following yet another forwarded chain email with racism from my stepdad, instead of deleting it I sent a lengthy reply - it was of photos of a Muslim demo with banners and posters. Apparently all of them said things along the lines of ''death to freedom'' ''wait til the real holocaust europe'' and ''butcher all those against muslims''. Thing is, all of them had exactly the same handwriting. Now, either 1 very dedicated person stayed up for nights on end writing them all, or... the photos are photoshopped!! So, I sent back a rant.
'Isn't it odd that all the posters and banners have exactly the same writing style, as though they have been photoshopped? Or maybe one person spent many nights preparing all those posters for the entire crowd?

There ARE extremists out there yes, but you can't tar a whole nation/ religious group / culture with the same brush, nor believe everything you read/see without researching it first.
Otherwise, all white people in Christian countries would be tarred with the same brush as a few extremists who go out and threaten to kill, and in a few rare cases, DO kill, doctors who perform abortions, for example. Or those who target funerals of gay people and hold up banners saying god gave them AIDS etc on purpose (even if they didn't die of AIDS) as they are unnatural.

Extremists are around the world, and they are scary. But they do not represent their whole nation/ culture/ religious group.

This sort of thing perpetuates extreme racism, breeds fear, and allows governments to get away with taking away our freedoms bit by bit.

The media can be a wonderful thing. By all means, we can read the papers, watch X factor, listen to the news, exchange emails and views ... but we also need to hold back from believing it is all true, and to fish around for evidence, to do some research, and to realise the media manipulates us all the time, whether it's the BBC, CNN, Fox news, local news, or just individuals sending out emails that contains their opinions but not necessarily the truth.

I am not saying the demo did not take place, or that some people there did not express scary opinions. I am saying, be careful, look deeper, be aware. There's a few discrepancies, and some pictures can be taken out of context, as usually happens with ANY demo, whether its students, hippies, religious groups, teachers, miners, etc...'

Harumph!! Ok, he's 72, maybe he can get away with saying it's a generation thing, but I don't think it's right. But then, he's an ex Lieutenant Commander of the Navy, and I'm a hippy who worked for Greenpeace and attended road protests. I guess we'll always debate such matters hahahaha!!

Anyway, my daughter and her boyfriend are alive, so that's all that really matters today!!

Much Love and cwtchs to you all xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Anonymous
  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    Ems, this is a marathon!

    Have they told you how they want your 24 hour wee sample and how much. Surely not all of it or you'll have to hire a tanker lorry to take it in. I believe they use wee for treating leather, you don't think they're a load of old cobblers do you?

    Reading between the lines, it seems as though your immunity is going to be low during this SCT and visitors may be limited. You must let us know what the rules are.

    I hope Ben manages to sort his car out; so often a car is essential for getting to work but this is ignored when talking of benefits.

    I had the opposite effect when having treatment in that my hair started to grow again, not very much, but noticeably. When treatment stopped what little there was blocked the plughole!

    Enjoy dinner at Mum's today, if you're up in time - I did notice the time of your post!!!!!!

    Best welsh cwtches (well are there any others),

    Odin xxx

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    Good morning!

    I have been given two huge plastic bottles - I have to take them wherever I go for 24 hours and collect all my wees in them; I may only fill one but they give you two just in case!

    The SCT - I have spoken to some people at my hossie who have been through it, and read two people's accounts. Basically, I am going to feel crap. I may not have energy to read or eat. Some people have managed for a while, others couldn't. My immune system is going to crash through the floor and if I am allowed visitors they will have to wear masks gowns and those slipper thingys, and nobody under 12 can come in apparently. The chemo is mega strong.5/6 days of it, then 1 day of nothing, then D-day, stem cells back in. But if you tolerate the chemo, its usually the stuff they store the stem cells in that makes you ill, and some people get the runs and/or puke for few days. Some a little, some a lot.  Then you have blood, platelets, etc, put in via IV too, if needed. Your blood count has to reach a certain level before they discharge you.1 poor man keep getting infections and pneumonia and was in and out for months. Another was out in 18 days with no complications. Sucking ice lollies during treatment keeps your mouth from developing sores apparently. And there's a particular mouthwash that everyone recommends so that if you want to eat, you can, coz your mouth won't be affected.

    So my missions will be to stay well and maybe get to read a bit, and take laptop (if its deemed infection risk free!) and try to keep in touch, and if I get the desktop hard-drive fixed in time, talk to the kids over webcam?, and to keep my sense of humour haha! ;-)

    I am rather annoyed that our dates clash LM :( But we should both be out around same time and then all shall be well :))) So yes, meeting up asap is a Good Plan. Either on a weekday where you are not tired and have some time off, or on a Saturday and I'll get a sitter... anytime after 15th is good!

    So, and I know some of us here have been through it, it's no walk in the park. A few say that it was crap but not as awful as they expected. As I have, so far, been ok and not poorly and responded well to everything, I fully intend to do the same this time too!!! :))) Expect the best, be prepared for anything else, methinks.

    Its the being away from the kids that's already doing my head in, and worrying about Deri. And YES I know that I am doing this for them as well as for me, coz they need a well mummy. But that doesn't stop me worrying :)

    BUT - you lovely lot will be keeping me on track so I know it'll all be ok ... :)

    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember
    Oh Ems I know what it's like with kids and nothing is going to make feeling better at all but I will send you the biggest cwtchyest hugs and when I get home I am going to look at my old net book cos I think it has a webcam on it and if it does I am lending it to you for the duration and no messing!! We'll just have to text eh? All the hugs and you will get through it as you have got through everything else cos you are fab:) xxxxx
  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    It sounds horrid, Ems, but if it has to be done, it has to be done. (Easy for me to say, I ain't the one doing it.) I just hope that it won't be as bad as it sounds, and that the time will go fast.

    Deri will cope without you, if only because - as with so much else - she'll have to. Just focus on how lovely it'll be when you get out of hospital, with the treatment over, and get to see your kids again.

    *bajillions of hugs, of which I have counted every one*

    xxx

  • Hi Ems 

    this bloody cancer doesn't give up easy but surrender it will.It sounds so awful what you have to go through to be rid of it and I guess the worst of all is not being with your children.

    I do hope you are one of the fortunate ones who does not have all those rotten side effects and will cross everything humanly possible for an uneventful and speedy recovery.

    I hope the time away from your Deri will pass quickly for both of you 

    sending you much love and more hugs 

    Cruton xxxx