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For those who aren’t keen followers of the Scots language, or more specifically au fait with the traditions of the Borders Common Ridings, the ‘nicht afore the morn’ is the phrase used in some towns to mark the day/evening before the Festival’s main celebration day.
My ‘nicht afore the morn’ doesn’t so much reflect a pre-celebration day, but more a day of reflection and relaxation before I go into hospital for, well, who knows quite how long.
Tonight I put the...
Nearly three years ago, I relocated to take care of my Mum who was quite unwell with her Multiple Myeloma .. It's a funny kind of cancer .. Well not funny .. I am sure it has a good chuckle, the way it has us on such an emotional rollercoaster .. I digress !!
Mum has had this for 9 years , and is just starting round 8 of chemo .. There have been numerous infections .. The latest has been swine flu and then a very stressful fight with two ambulance call outs (with myself one week post open...
A right pain in the neck! Today's #StemCellLive blog update https://sloranceblog.wordpress.com/2016/05/09/a-right-pain-in-the-neck/
Another very interesting day in my journey into the (relatively) unknown.
Tonight, I am the proud owner of a triple lumen skin tunnelled central venous catheter with cuff, AKA a Hickman Line.
And I’m also quite proud of my pun, based on the Baddiel and Skinner (& Lightning Seeds) Euro 96 ‘classic: ‘Three Lines in My Chest’. Geddit?
The...
In the next few weeks I am facing mastectomy with ( hopefully) immediate reconstruction. I was offered TUG flap reconstruction. Ive read a lot about it but would really want to learn about other people's experience. Until recent I've always been very healthy, so being diagnosed with HER2 positive carcinoma & DCIS has been a massive shock to me. I'm absolutely terrified & would really appreciate if people could share their reconstruction stories with me.
Dad has collapsed.. Absolutely devastated. The shakes he is on are not giving him enough nutrients and energy and is loosing weight because he can not drink them because his throat is so painful. Had to ring an ambulance and took him in because of low blood pressure!! Praying and hoping they will get a tube put into his stomach.
Dad's finished radiotherapy + chemotherapy 2 weeks ago. Mouth still sore and throat cant eat anything. Has been on the meal shakes for over a mouth and has recently lost a stone. Going to the doctors on Tuesday but have got a feeling he will need a feeding tube because he's loosing weight.. Wish I could do something to help! Does anyone know how long it will take for mouth/throat to heal? He had radiotherapy to his neck.
OH was called in on Wednesday to GP surgery to get his bloods taken for kidney function and he asked for a PSA test to be done as his last one was in November, should get the results tomorrow and hopefully a date for the MRI scan, it will be 10weeks on Monday since OH was told he had PC, 13 weeks since biopsy, trying very hard to get on with our life as "normal".
I was sent to see an ENT consultant who was lovely despite the slight language barrier caused by his extremely strong Spanish accent. I was referred on for a FNI which although not a particularly pleasant experience was not too bad considering a sonographer was stabbing a huge long needle into various areas of my neck. It was when he moved away from the area of my swollen gland to the centre of my neck that it was worst. But it was all fairly non eventful. The worst part now was the waiting for results...
I was called to a meeting on Friday.
I arrived on time having written a list of all the possible questions I could think of.
However, I only met my surgeon and the majority of the questions I had revolved around my chemotherapy. No oncologist was present but I was assured an appointment will be following soon. But to my mind another delay.
Anyway we now have a plan but frustratingly no start date.
There was some good news in that the PET scan didn't show up any further spread so I was...
It's odd how time flies.
Just over 2 years ago I went to the GP as I was convinced I was gong through 'the change' I was nearing 50 and starting to struggle sleeping due to terrible night sweats and a racing heart. I would lie in bed covered in perspiration, covers abandoned willing my heart to settle back into my chest where it belonged. At this time I had also noticed I had an enlarged gland in my neck but thought no more about it.
GP agreed it sounded like it was an age thing and did...
