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Another song for your listening pleasure (?!)
A few months ago I borrowed a CD of a choir called Sine Nomine of music they sang while on tour in 1994 and 1995. On that CD is a song called "Take Me Up The Tyne" which has found its way into my heart. I love it's simplicity and the sense of home and belonging that it conveys. The singing style is so gentle. I listen to the song most days, during my breakfast-time singing in the kitchen, and really get a lot of enjoyment from trying to reproduce the...
As part of the planning process for radiotherapy with a low weekly dose of chemo for added flavour I was back at hospital mid week for a further scan and a hearing test. This was because I already have tinnitus, which is not a problem, but treatment can cause tinnitus and so it was decided that a baseline test might be sensible.
So off to Audiology. My husband sat with me while I was waiting to be called. We both noticed a loud whirring fan above our heads. There were 2 very large pillars which blocked...
It has been over 16 months now since I was first diagnosed with a GBM and 13 months since I had my second removal.
I have now just completed my 14th cycle of 5/23 of Chemo and my last MRI 3 weeks ago showed another slight reduction in the cavity of where the tumour was.
Even though I have my good and bad days with tiredness, I am feeling as good as I have in the last 12 months. I changed my diet and included foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids, fruit such as Papaya and gave up coffee and started drinking...
I had colon cancer eleven years ago and have been well and healthy ever since. I have tried to eat healthily and keep active if not fit! My life was busy with a demanding job and four beautiful grandchildren.
I had a stomach bug in the summer which didn't clear up and I felt sick with no appetite when on holiday with my family. The fear of cancer never leaves you and every ache or pain causes me to worry. I knew my symptoms were worse due to stress but eventually decided I needed to get checked...
Sadly, the jury is in, and the verdict...…..A second dose of Oesophageal Cancer. This time no chemo or radiotherapy options are available to me. My consultant has said that there is a very small chance that the GI surgeon will consider me for surgery, but I now have to wait a further week before my appointment to consult with him.
Now just awaiting a PET Scan and another Gastroscopy test to determine staging, but at the moment its palliative care only, with an estimated sentence of 3 to 12...
So, after emergency surgery for Stage 4 bowel cancer in March, waking up to a stoma and three months of folfirinox, I'm now due a liver resection for the 4 mets in my liver, next week. Look out QE, here I come!
Looking forward to having it removed (as much as you can look forward to surgery) but nervous about the recovery and for the second time this year trying to get back to some sort of normality .
Finally got some hair back on my head, which is quite nice even if it is barely much more than...
Yesterday was my birthday.
Instead of the usual early morning singing down the phone from various family members which is the norm I was up very early for a planning CT scan. As the early morning traffic around the hospital ( not my local ) is notoriously bad we set off at silly o’clock.....and arrived an hour and a half too early! How do you judge these things?
Got in at appointed time only for the team to decide I needed longer after the surgery for things to settle! Somewhat frustrating...
My Gastroscopy was done 13 days ago, with 10 biopsies taken. I have now been recalled to the hospital on 15th October, to 'DISCUSS THE RESULTS' and 'WHERE WE GO FROM HERE'. In my experience, two of the worst terms I have ever heard.
I truly hope I am reading to much into this and just being my usual panic stricken bad patient...….
Couldn't believe it. We were hoping, but never really expected Terry's Deauville score would be that coveted, magic "1". But, as usual, as only my Terry can . . . he amazed all of us with that complete remission we were all praying for. Of course, that means we now have a chance for that "cure" that we were hoping for in a few years. The oncologist said she likes to watchfully waiting for 5. So, it's now on to our every 3 month interval visits for a while. First year...
It's been a while. I'm still getting a lot of enjoyment and life from my singing activities and related social connections. I honestly don't know where I'd be without it.
I'm off on a two-day singing retreat next weekend with some lovely people from the choir I go to every week. Really looking forward to that.
One of the things at that weekend is a chance to perform something for the others' entertainment. I'll be doing something on my ukulele, but also hope to have the courage...
