Monday morning

I actually got up at 8 this morning.  Hubby told me that I had slept on my back nearly all night and for once he didn't prod me so I would roll on my side.  The difference this morning is quite a lot.  My belly button has been moving further and further to the right, this morning it was back central.  I didn't have any chest pain either from sleeping on my back, I think the fluid is more downward this time than upward. 

 

I rang the doctors and booked my blood appointment, Julie my GP's secretary also emailed me to let me know she had sent my request for tablets to be done.  I am so lucky to have such a wonderful doctors practise.  Lately a lot of surgeries have gone to ring on the day only for appointments, ours you can ring on the day for an appointment or book in advance.  It works much better than those that have gone over to same day only.  What happens if your doc tells you to come back in a week to review the situation and you can't get in.  This happens quite a lot to one of the ladies I work with who is in one of those style practise's.

 

Anyway I had my bloods done, the results will be back at 4pm and the nurse told me that I had to ring to ensure they were back and a copy would be printed for me to collect and take with me tomorrow.

 

The secretary of Dr Dean rang, my appointment is 12.30 for the draining but I have to ring James Cook at 8 am to see if there are any beds on ward 14.  If no beds then no procedure.  I thought this was a sure thing for tomorrow and am now having a slight panic in case this doesn't happen.  Makes me wonder why he couldn't have done it Friday, at least the Woodlands have beds!

 

Just under two weeks ago we were going on holiday and I had a funny shaped lower abdomen.  That seems so long ago with everything that has gone on over the past fortnight.

This was at Le Lavandou, I will say it is a beautiful place, a long beach, plenty of restaurants but I didn't see many hotels.  You can see my stomach was already coming up and I think this was day one, fancy not even remembering where you have been and its only a couple of weeks ago!

 

Our friends Brian and Shelia were getting on the cruise ship the day we got off, last year we all went together at this time of year.  Anyway, even as things weren't that good I left them a welcome letter and a bottle of champagne.  We left it with customer services who promised they would make sure they got them.  As it turns out they didn't, I hadn't told Customer Services we were in touch just that I knew some friends who we cruised with were getting on.  This has left a sour taste in my mouth as I thought Brian would have text me and say something humorous, after a day or two I text him to ask if the champagne had been cold enough he didn't know what I was talking about.  It seems neither the letter nor the champagne were delivered.  Even worse, Shelia got terribly upset because she thought I had left a goodbye letter.  If I hadn't contacted them they would be none the wiser but that leaves the question as to what would have happened to my letter and the champagne?  So a word of warning, never leave something for someone, I never will again.

 

It is nearly one, our niece has come over as she is due at the physio again today, she came early to go with hubby to the vets.  Yes, Bear's wet eczema hasn't got any better, he now has an infection because he keeps scratching it.  A lovely course of antibiotic's will get it cleared up. 

 

Finally Lou has surfaced and posted she is back in the land of the living.  We may have never met, in fact most people I know on the internet I have never met, but they have all become dear friends.  The one thing that has pulled us together is meso, unfortunate that is the reason, but the friends I have made through this cancer I would hate to think I had never known them.  A strong bunch of individuals that keep each other going throughout this miserable journey.  We all laugh and cry together and that helps when dealing with any kind of illness.  Anyway Lou has updated her blog and let us know she is ready to face another dose of poison again tomorrow.

 

Mavis has certainly had some responses regarding the difference in treatments around the country.  She said yesterday how surprised she was that many being treated were under doctors who had never heard of the condition or which chemo treatments to use.  This is terrible, they still class the cancer as rare because only one or two cases may appear at any one hospital over 2 or 3 years.  When I was diagnosed I was the only 3rd women at James Cook to be diagnosed in over 25 years.  But for oncologists not to know what chemo treatments are available is scandalous.  Maybe they should start looking on the internet because treatments are all laid out!

 

On that note I need to go and sit back, my heavy stomach is putting a strain on my side muscles and squashing the contents of my stomach.  My bowels aren't working properly this time and I fear when the stomach goes down I will be spending a few hours in the bathroom!  I daren't take anything as I doubt it will be able to come out (doesn't that sound a bit too much information!)

 

Please keep your fingers crossed for me that a bed is available tomorrow, if one isn't you will hear my whaling right around the country.