Sleep

Dear Annette, I go to bed at the same time as an average 5 year old on a school day ! My kidney dialysis which I have 3 times a week is very draining, pardon the pun ! So after my evening meal Im in bed and fast asleep within 40 minutes, it’s the bladder that wakes me up and no matter how much or how little water I drink before bedtime it insists I must get up ! 
as a palliative patient I get my pip under the special rules although I’m sure if Im still here in 6 months somebody will be hassling me as to why that is ! I’m lucky that my cancer hospital is only a 15 minutes drive and my dialysis clinic is 10 minutes and the hospice the same,  by a lucky coincidence I seem to have bought a house that is located in just the right spot for attending hospital appointments, I’m grateful for small mercy’s. I hope all goes well at your hospital appointment.

I meant a bowel movement! Sorry!!

Thank you.....yes, ' tis one less thing to have to worry about.

.when you go straight onto the palliative care does it mean that they think you haven't very long. I'm so scared and I really don't ask about stages and they don't tell me because I ask them not to. I'm sorry to ask you and I understand if you can't answer

Good morning tinks, hows the dolls house coming along, are you wishing you never started it ! !  Put some Christmas decorations up last night, set myself a budget of £10, you’d be surprised how much you can get for that. Been up since 4am and have taken my steroids so I’ll be as high as a kite in a few hours ! !  Off to dialysis today so I’ll probably have a nap this afternoon if possible.

Dear tinks, there’s a difference between palliative care and end of life care. At my hospice most of the ladies in my group have been attending for up to 2 years and are receiving non curative treatments designed to be life extending, however as these treatments stop working the focus switches to controlling symptoms only and the transition to end of life care will begin. How long that will last will depend on the nature of the particular illness. I am in a somewhat unique position as a blood cancer patient as when my drugs stop working the decline will be quite rapid and can come at any moment with very little warning. I’ve already outlived my prognosis so the clock is ticking quite loudly.

Wallpaper samples and PVA glue absolutely everywhere!

Hi Johnty. Thanks for the clarification.

I'm going for my second lot of chemo this morning after learning yesterday that my first lot has actually done really well with liver enzymes and something else. It's all very confusing sometimes. I'm just so thankful that things went in the right direction.

If you let me know where that bloody clock is....then I will bring a big muffly pillow and lie on top of it...or a sledge hammer, then I can finish the wallpapering.

I've been up since 2am his morn so going to bed a little later, 10.30pm, DIDN'T WORK aaaaaaaarrrggghhhhh!

Morning tinks, good to hear the chemotherapy is having the desired effect, and that I have clarified things for you. Wednesdays is my steroid day so I’ve been up since 2am but will try to take a nap if I can at some point before the sun comes up. Christmas decorations are up and turkey for Christmas dinner is in the freezer. Off to my weekly visit to the hospice in new Christmas jumper today, they will never guess I’m really the worlds biggest grinch ! !

I'm sure you're no Grinch! I'm sure also that I use too many exclamation marks!!!

My decorations are going up little by little. This is probably the last Christmas with my grandchildren and daughter living with us as she is ready for her own place now and so with that in mind I have decided to bling my house with Christmas excess until brimming with lights, decorations, and the odd garden ornament or so ( half a dozen)!!!!

I also promise to try and stop using these !!!!!!!!!!!!

NOW...... Blinking wallpapering again aaaarrrrrgggghhhhh !