Getting better everyday...

Just a quick update to say that now I'm on day 9 and every day feel better and better - nausea is all but gone and apart from constantly being on temperature watch (nurse has got me obsessed with checking my temperature so am now the proud owner of 2 thermometers) not sleeping well (clearly more drugs required so off to phone GP shortly) eating gargantuan amounts frequently and feeling a little spaced out... I'm on the up!

So much so that I even managed to attend last night's John Lewis Xmas shopping evening and spend a few hours with Millie - my lovely mum in law, as evidenced by our meeting Monty...

Have to confess we did try a 'selfie', failed miserably and so harangued a well dressed passer by to take this on my phone! Amanda, hope you're nae greetin'....?? ;)

Did I get lots of pressies bought? Well of course not - but I did treat myself to a lovely red cashmere scarf (cancer perk!), a cuddly bear hat (feel that a photo will be honour bound to be taken once its had its first outing) and some 'headgear' to wear soon for the inevitable falling locks... all still here at the mo but I suspect not for much longer. Jules, you'll be pleased to know I nearly purchased several pairs of boots in one go, but they didn't have any in my size so the 12 pairs in an hour in Madrid record still stands :)

So overall all good - bookings now being taken for coffees, lunches, catch ups whenever you are free - not sure how I'll ever find time to work again ;)

Skerry
x

In the ring with Chemo - round 1...

OK so its official, chemo does make you feel rubbish!

Monday I had bloods taken and I also had a heart scan and ECG. Heart scan was pretty cool (although they had just had new software installed so it took a while - I did wonder if that might be an opportunity for electra to offer training for the medical sector!)

Results were all fine so went in @ 12.30 on Wed for chemo, as planned. Two lovely nurses took me through it, Mary and Shirley (one of them has the surname Savage, made me feel right at home Claire) who patiently sat pumping 4 types of drug in via my hand, one at a time, till 3pm.  Pleased to say that didn't feel anything particularly odd but just very tired towards the end. We had a few giggles and I had a few tears, I think mostly down to the fact that this is the treatment that I was dreading most. I've attached a wee pic right to show how civilised it was - yes I am on the bed holding court as usual ;)

Felt very nauseous that first night with a sore head, took one of the four (yes, four) anti-sickness drugs they've given me, nicknamed Dom Perignon by the nurses as its easier to remember, so that name will do me just fine too plus give me something to look forward to when fizz is an option again! The bag I got home should have me rattling for weeks. The most extreme one is an anti-schizo drug, prescribed in quarters for nausea (but I may take a whole one when the voices start!!).... never a dull...

Day 2 - I felt fine (thought 'this is easy') and managed to go into town and have lunch with Michael (already the 'long suffering' having to put up with me and this is only chemo 1 of 6!) but days 3 and 4 have been like having the worst hangover I've ever had and without the good time preceding it which makes a hangover worthwhile :(

Day 3  - On waking up felt horrendous, thus became an official couch potato and felt quite grim until the day was brightened up by an avalanche of texts and emails and especially by a visit from Louise, home this week from Calgary who helped me cheer me up - thank you Louise :) Cravings also kicked in big time - salt and vinegar crisps anyone? The incessant nausea takes me back to being pregnant when eating little and often seemed to be the cure.

Day 4 (yesterday) - still felt horrendous. At the end of the afternoon I ventured out for the follow up appointment to buy a wig, another tick on the list so we'll see how that works out at the appropriate time. Daniel woke me up this morning and asked if I was wearing it already - I can only assume he was commenting on how glamorous I looked today (i.e. not!!) or how similar the wig looks to current hair (yes I've played it safe\sane and haven't gone for any Lady GaGa madness, although it may only be a matter of time \ or if I decide to up the schizo drugs and \ or decide to visit Geneva as they have a fabulous wig shop there as discovered by brother in law Stephen who sent me a fab clip via YouTube).

So here I am on Day 5, onwards and upwards is what I'm hoping, although I do think that each day the general state of feeling rubbish is improving marginally or that's what I'm telling myself...:) As quoted yesterday, 'may the force be with me'... That I felt like updating this blog makes me think I must be improving...

So to end on a note of interest\amusement, I've created an additional page today to give you a show of the wig samples - it was interesting trying on different styles. Yes one did make me look like my mother (aargghh and sorry Dzid) so as that short do is likely to happen at some point next year, no prizes for guessing which one I went for :)

An enormous and heart felt thank you to all of you supporting me and sending me your positive thoughts, they are needed and really are very much appreciated :) :) Every single message, email, post, comment and text really does help keep my spirits up,

Will update again in the next few days or so,

Skerry
xxx

Autumn Wigfest!

So here's a few samples for a viewing and a giggle... cast your vote if you want to, I can always buy a few more ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And that's the last of the seven!

 

And so to chemo...

Sorry it's been a while since I posted anything - its been a strange kind of limbo up and down past few weeks but at least I've got a chemo start date now of 5th November.

Took off to Edinburgh and Loch Lomond last week for the school holidays to chill out with the boys - took a trip on a sea plane across the loch... 

 

drank plenty of malbec ...

and generally tried to relax...

 

I've recovered well from the surgery but if honest would probably rather go through another operation than go through chemo but am going to have just get on with it and focus on the outcome...

 

So its a dizzy itinerary of flu jab, wig fitting and blood tests prior to next Wed - affa exciting eh!

 

If I was to try and describe the head crank of getting this disease, the best I could probably do at the mo is to say that its like trying to reframe your future i.e. what you thought was normal now has to be defined as a new normal and due to my usual level of impatience I wish I knew what the new normal will be NOW! I realise that time will be a great healer and so amongst the many lessons I'm learning is that I need to develop more patience and enjoy the 'now' - oft said but less practiced...every day I try and focus on small 'treasures' and coincidences and that's probably as close as I can get to articulating my weird and wonderful thought processes of the mo :) Enough of the philosophy!

 

Great day yesterday, spent the day kind of 'working' (yes I know I'm supposed to be off) but I was just being kept in the loop about what's going on and I really really enjoyed it. So much so, brace for impact my lovely 'team electra' cos I'm coming in for a cuppie and a visit Monday :) :)

 

There were lots of lovely texts and messages to try and catch up on (sorry if I'm late getting back to you, I will get there) and then watched Elf (all time best Christmas movie ever!) with the boys and I laughing out loud at all the eminently quotable lines we repeat to each other every year, I'm singing/I'm in a store/and I'm siiiiiingiiiiing!/I'm in a store/and I'm siiiiiingiiiiing!  and of course SANTA! OH MY GOD! SANTA'S COMING! I KNOW HIM! I KNOW HIM!

 

so with only 57 days to Christmas...

 

Will post again after next week's first Chemo session (unless of course the Wig Fitting episode is particularly good which I suspect it will be but those pics may have to remain censored!)

 

love

 

Skerry

xx

 

PS I just like to smile! Smiling's my favourite :) I could now be really cheesy and ask you to smile at someone today - as someone once told me "Thou shall smile and have a nice day for it confounds those who have other plans for thee".

 

 

 

 

How to Post a Comment for me!

Thanks to Donna and Morag for this one - I've combined both their instructions on how to post a comment onto this blog (with options to either remain anonymous or add your name to the posting)....

• At the bottom of your text, where it says '2 comments', click on '2 comments' as if you wanted to read them.
• After the most recent comment is a freeform text box called 'Enter your comment'.  So, enter your comment! (hard this, isn't it?!!)
• Below the comment box you are asked to 'Select Profile'.  Click on the dropdown, and select 'Anonymous' (make sure you have signed your name at the end of your comment, so people know who you are - unless of course you want to remain anonymous!!)
• OR
• Choose Name/URL from the drop down and then type your name into the 'Name:' field (you can leave the 'URL:' field empty).
• Click on the 'Publish' button, and you will see a Preview and be asked to 'Prove you are not a robot', by entering the text/number shown in the picture that has appeared.
• Type in this text, and hit 'Publish' again.
• Et Voila!  Comment is posted.

Thanks ladies :)

x

 

PS If these steps don't help you, email and let me know (and then remind me a I'm a trainer by trade ;) !!)

Update from the Oncology Appointment

Hi there, just a wee update from the last few days - feeling better every day since the second op, arm movement is improving but am still quite tired and on the pain relief :(

I saw the Oncologist on Wednesday and the good news is that he said by having had the mastectomy it means in theory my statistics are 65-70% chance that I'm cured for a long time. By also undertaking chemotherapy followed by taking tamoxifen for 10 years (a bit of a treatment list!) it increases the number to 85% - which is a great number! I also don't need to have radiotherapy which is a real bonus.

So now the boys are on school holidays we're hoping to maybe get a few days away to relax and spend some time together and then the chemotherapy is due to start on either 5th or 12th November, subject to feeling well enough. Reading through the information they've given me makes me think that this may be the hardest part of treatment based on all the potential side effects it can cause.

Meantime I'm taking it a day at a time and trying to get one or two things done each day which can be anything from a few emails to going out for lunch. Last Friday was mum's birthday so I was delighted to celebrate it with close friends from Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Stavanger (cancer perks you see!) at a gorgeous girlie lunch as evidenced below. Plus it was the first outing for my temporary prosthesis (had to remove half the padding so I didn't look completely lop sided!) which has now been christened 'Betty' by the girls)...

I feel very lucky to be surrounded by such amazing family and friends throughout the last few weeks - thank you to everyone who has sent me texts, cards, emails, food and flowers, you are lovely and I do appreciate all your positive thoughts... please keep 'em coming :)

Onwards and upwards - till next time,

love
Skerry
xx

PS One thing that would be really helpful for me is some advice - if you have managed to post a comment successfully to this blog (without having a gmail account) and found it easy - could you email me your instructions and I'll post them on as a few folk have given me feedback that they couldn't post a comment, that would be really helpful, thank you...

Good News!

Quick update - had my follow up appointment with the surgeon last night as my second pathology report results were back (quick eh!) He used the word 'excellent' when going through the results as he described that no more cancerous cells were found in the breast tissue or lymph nodes he removed. He was also really pleased with how well my wound is healing. To say that I was delighted to hear all this may be the understatement of the year. It also looks like I won't need to have radiotherapy either which is ideal. So I should hear today about an appointment with the oncologist for next week to find out all about chemo and when it starts etc.

love to you all from a very happy Skerry :)

PS a big thank you to Louise and Neil (my lovely friends in Calgary) who sent me this yesterday which produced a huge smile on my part (as you can see from the measurement lines they know me well!) I feel pretty certain that it'll be christened with red wine very soon...