The Great Recovery part 4

[TopOfTheCliff]

Time for a new thread. Welcome aboard!

You may have finished active treatment for cancer, be in remission or NED. You want to look forward not dwell on the past. You know you ought to be eating well, exercising more and picking up the threads of your old life. Join us and share the ups and downs of recovery. We understand!
Here are some resources we found helpful:
The Mountain Lion
https://www.cancerpal.co.uk/post/what-it-s-really-like-to-receive-a-cancer-diagnosis
Peter Harvey on Psychology of recovery:
https://workingwithcancer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/After-the-treatment-finishes-then-what.pdf
Resources from Penny Brohn:
https://pennybrohn.org.uk/our-approach/resources/
Breast Cancer Now Moving Forward:
https://breastcancernow.org/information-support/support-you/moving-forward
Get your Oomph Back with Carolyn Garritt
http://www.oomph.london/home.html
Charity providing treats for cancer patients:
https://somethingtolookforwardto.org.uk/
Exercise is good for you:
https://www.webmd.com/cancer/features/exercise-cancer-patients
Any more suggestions? Post them below
There is also a thread for those suspected to have cancer, or newly diagnosed and facing treatment, and also a thread for those with Stage IV cancer who want to talk to others in the same boat.

That’s lovely @MissMarplesNiece How thoughtful of him.

I have been overdoing it a bit, I think with a combination of work and socialising. I had a migraine yesterday and had to have an afternoon nap. All good today though and had a long swim and a walk in the sun with DD2. DH has made veggie lasagne for us all and we are going to watch a film before dinner. I miss DM but it’s been 6 years since she died now so there are more happy memories that sad. And we took Dmil out for brunch yesterday which was nice in spite of my migraine!

Hope you’ve all had a lovely day- @TopOfTheCliff sounds a good one- and how lovely @MissMarplesNiece .
Had a lovely time out for brunch with dh and dd- and stunning exhibition of very decorative patchwork at Lichfield cathedral- stunning.
Home to a cuppa and glorious macarons.

That does look beautiful. DMiL lives in Lichfield!

That looks lovely The sandwich

That's very nice of him MissMarples

Glad things went well Top

Lovely weekend here. Woken at 6am by the cat jumping over my head, then 6.45am DD giving me a present as she was off coxing a boys rowing team, then we went to Ragdale Hall overnight and had 2 days in their spa with 3 meals, a facial / massage, infinity pool on roof, swimming pool, lots of saunas and steam rooms and did lots of swimming and 2 aqua aerobics classes. DH really enjoyed it as well and got it me for Mother's Day / my birthday, was very spoilt. The aqua yoga instructor said DH was an aqua yoga superstar, he was definitely better at balancing than me.

Hope everyone had a good weekend. DD was looking after DS and said he had 2 baths, 1 at 6am, loads of my rose bath foam is gone. 🤣 Have until end of April left at work and I am not sure what will do after, we can afford me not to work and also are in the middle of nowhere here but I don't really know. DD told me I must be younger than my age and asked me when I had passed 50 as she hadn't realised.

What a lovely gesture @MissMarplesNiece
I love the Lichfield quilting. Very artistic!
@MsPenguins great that DD is prepared to look after DS for you. And I laughed at the aqua yoga instructor flattering your DH. Glad it was a lovely weekend.
I have eaten too much food this weekend but had a lovely time being with people I love. Now it is back to the world of “clean repair and tidy!” With a bit of cycling to burn off the cake that makes life worth living.

@thesandwich The quilts look beautiful. Do you know how long the exhibition is on for?

I'm having my first ever piano lesson this afternoon 😬

Congrats on the job @FairyWren7 amazing news! I am editing a local magazine and we do publish a short piece of fiction in most issues but alas only from people living in my local area.

It was my first day at work today and it coincided with me having a horrible streaming cold. I haven’t had a virus for two years! Grrrr it was DD’s fault she was coughing and blowing her nose all the way from Sydney to Canberra last week. DS is also sick and he’s got assessments this week that count towards his HSC (Australian equivalent of A levels). Only DH has evaded it so far.

DD is home from Uni again! This time for two weeks mid semester break. She’s got an impressive to do list and is burning through it. I’m assured study is in there somewhere!

Glad everyone has had nice weekends- yours sounds lovely @MsPenguins .
Enjoy the piano lesson @MissMarplesNiece - the exhibition is Alexandra kingswell and on until 14th april.
Free entry any time.
Hope work is going ok and sorry you are feeling so rough @Remaker

Well the piano lesson was 😬 but the teacher is lovely so I'm going back next week. It's made me doubly appreciate the pianists I hear playing on the radio, and the young man I saw playing Debussy & Beethoven at a piano recital last week.

I'm going to try and have a trip to Lichfield in the next week to look at the quilts. We have a fab Quilt exhibition each year at the NEC.

@MissMarplesNiece I am so impressed with how you are seizing the day. You have tried lots of new things!
I seem to be going round the lightbulb here, repeating the same efforts to tidy up and repair things without any obvious progress. I am cycling and walking and exercising and ever so slowly gaining fitness but nothing seems to change. I am just too impatient I think. I am quite enjoying life without any big plans ahead but it would be nice to see some improvement.
One good bit of news is that DS and DDIL-to-be have secured the wedding venue booking for the date they want. Hooray!

I'm impressed by how active you all are!
Had a lovely Mother's Day with thoughtful gifts from my grown up kids and even had a phonecall with son number 1 who lives in France and usually forgets!
Went for a coffee yesterday with some of the ladies I met at the "Moving Forward " Macmillan course that I went to recently.
It was good to meet up informally and we hope to do it again soon.
I really appreciate the care/ aftercare that the NHS and Macmillan offer- it's so important to meet others who have walked a similar path and mutually beneficial!
Inspired I did some gardening this morning then realised I had over exerted myself so retired to the settee with a cup of tea and my kindle.
Will tackle more gardening tomorrow!

@Zoopet that sounds ideal! I have learned from all this nonsense that just to accept when my body has had enough and listen to it is a gift. I wasn't a one for sitting down, or napping, but now I let myself rest when I need to without feeling guilty. We have come through something very exhausting and recovery takes a long time.
I am also a bit more tired currently because my ever so slightly bonkers DH has bought an astro-telescope and is up half the night moving it around the garden or allotment coming and going. It is quite annoying!

@TopOfTheCliff my DP has also bought an Astro telescope- he’s just come in from his first astronomy society meeting!

This week has been good - I’ve felt pretty much ok, bar the odd bit of lightheadedness. Have actually managed a 40 min swim and booked myself into aqua fit on Thursday. I know what you mean by not over doing it @Zoopet - took DS to tennis on Sunday morning - they have adult drop in lessons alongside and I knew most of the mums doing it (while their kids had lessons) - they tried to get me to join in but I knew I’d be walking 10k there and back to the pub that afternoon so I declined - the “kids” got me a Garmin watch for mother’s day (an upgrade from the usual bunch of flowers and handmade card!) but im
a bit “meh” about tracking stuff so feeling a bit ungrateful - I think DP just wanted me to feel like I was getting better (which I think I am) but I’m too lazy to sync it or properly track anything so will just be a posh watch!

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

DD has been at rowing camp for 5 days and we get her back tomorrow and will go to the gardens at Wisley as the cherry blossom is out. Just wfh all week. Thought would do some gardening with DH tonight now its light in the evening but we got as far as DSs rooms and he had left the door open so I said DH lets clean DSs rooms whilst we can. Took us 2 hours, not too bad on the actual cleaning for a teenage boy but so many food wrappers etc. Found the garden shears in there so presumably he's been cutting sticks again. And a book of his and his sister's baby photos.

May get to garden on Sunday as the weather looks good. Only a few more weeks at work now. The garden doesn't need much doing but good to keep on top of it. Lots of spring flowers out now.

Have ordered some Easter cakes from the bakers. DS loves his cakes.

@MsPenguins I remember the days of swooping in on a messy teenager’s room while they were away and making it sparkle. They moan but who wouldn’t be pleased? These days it’s my lovely DH I chase round after while my DC look on horrified 😂 He is in Scotland for a few days so I am taking stuff to recycling (that he had plenty of warning about).
I had my tenth Covid jab yesterday so have woken up at 4am a bit shivery and aching with a sore arm. I am drinking milk with a nice hot water bottle to cuddle.
I am having a little self -care weekend with healthy food and yoga and hot tub and cracking on with jobs. Yesterday I finished putting up blackout blinds in the spare room and planted out some spinach and purple sprouting broccoli as well as the recycling, meeting SIL and going to yoga. Today will be a boaty day with a night out with friends. DH is worried I am overdoing it but bringing order to life again is making me feel better. While I was going through cancer treatment we survived but the chaos was slowly building.Now the tide is receding again and order is beginning to return. Actually who am I kidding I am just about keeping up with the chaos generator! I just read an article in Good Housekeeping about a husband with ADHD and it described my life.
Must get back to sleep now, somebody is coming to buy a bike at 9am. N-1 whoopee!

I had my Covid jab yesterday too. No ill effects for me so far. I’m pleased that this is the last one I’ll be eligible for as all being well I will finish Abemaciclib in July and no longer be immune suppressed. I will celebrate with a big glass of grapefruit juice and some rhubarb when the time comes. Hope you feel better soon @TopOfTheCliff

I had my one year follow up appointment this week with the team from my lymphoedema surgery. They were really positive about how my arm was doing (only a 1% difference on their measurements). But I had my NHS appointment last week and the CNS said it had got worse and was back to the measurements before I started treatment and panicked me by saying ‘it’s not enough of a difference for me to be worried about a recurrence ‘ which of course instantly made me worried. Measurements can vary and the CNS doesn’t really examine me, just does the measures whereas the (two!) private consultants and a nurse did examine my arm and prod and poke it. So I think I am going to try to believe them and worry less.

Having a pottering, domestic weekend. DD1 is home from uni at lunchtime. Loving the tidying up anecdotes. I do find minor house improvements extremely satisfying. Just touched up some chipped paintwork round a fire place which has annoyed me every day for about 4 years! Have good weekends, all.

All the talk of COVID jabs makes me laugh a bit. I went for one last winter during my chemo, I rocked up at the hospital and sat there all ready, really cool with my skinhead and mask on etc. The nurse did the whole "you might feel a little prick" spiel then caught my eye and we both burst out laughing.

DS seemed to be happy with his tidier and cleaner room, at least he left the door open and light on and has been out and about in the downstairs of the house and whilst we were at Wisley it seems judging from the amount of mud in the bath he went in the garden before taking a mud bath with lots of rose bath foam. Brought him a Toby carvery takeaway back and gave the silkies a leftover papaya which they were seriously impressed with. DS appears to have eaten all the kiwi fruit and pineapple. DD is back from rowing for 5 days solid with about 30 others. We spent about 2.5 hours walking round Wisley and a lot of blossom out but was the busiest ever seen it, fine in there as its huge but we were put in a carpark really far away I didn't even know existed which was 20 mins walk each way.

Hope sorting out your DHs things goes OK Top DH has started to improve but would ignore any requests to declutter so I have to find a reason like the cleaners are coming or work needs doing though he is a mover of things. Today he surprised me though and said that he could sort through his cupboard and throw things out. Whether this will go further than a thought who knows but its a promising start. Our house and garden aren't too bad at the moment apart from all DDs stuff from university is all over 2 rooms downstairs as well as her room is full. But this will all disappear again on 22nd.

I still get the covid jab invites not sure why but have only had 3 in total, last one March 2022 or so. Was ill for about a week once after that but nothing else. Been remarkably well since chemo ended. Never get ill now. Hips are a bit achy but think that's just as I did all weekend with a lot of exercise last weekend then 2 hours cleaning yesterday and 2.5 hours walking today - when I take a vitamin it goes normally as well. Might do gardening tomorrow.

I also had my Covid jab this week too. Left a sore mark on my arm, hadn’t had that previously. My DM (usually lovely) was a bit put out that I’d got mine before she had hers!

Today the weather was lovely, spent most of it watching football - DS this morning and non league this pm. Our local team has been promoted so it’s a bit of a party at the ground at the moment, the whole village (large village) turns out for a drink and a crap burger, but it’s fun & the kids can play alongside while the adults watch the football & prop the bar up! Might take a trip to the beach tomorrow. Hope you all enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Loving the tales of domesticity!

Some good news here. I have a surgery date at the end of the month for reconstruction. Thank goodness. It means I have 12 days to get over the worst before my training for my new job.

I was so happy when the list nurse phoned me - I’d rung a couple of times and it turned out that one of the expanders has failed so they had a reason to bump me up a bit I think.

A surgery I am actually looking forward to where hopefully I gain something back - but of a weird one.

Got some pretty winter plants in, my roses are finally happy with the weather - as am I around 20 degrees and sunny!

Glad everyone is going well.

@FairyWren7 Good news about the reconstruction surgery. Wishing you a swift recovery.

I love your rose, do you know what variety is? I've had no luck growing roses in tubs, do you have any tips?

Oh no, DH is tidying in the spare room 🙄 ⁶The piles of books I sorted for the Charity shop, the Community Cafe library or that are too decrepit for anything but paper recycling at the tip, have been reshelved. The art materials going to the SEN youth club next week have been put back in the cupboard. The bags that were ready for the tip have been rummaged through. Why doesn't he tidy useful things like his toolkit that spills out all over the place?

The lesson that I take from this morning is take things to the Charity shop or tip straight away. It hasn't helped that our binmen are on strike and it's easier for the proverbial camel to get through the eye of a needle than it is to get an appointment at the tip.

Beach sounds nice LittleCaf

Great news about reconstruction Fairywren

Sorry about your DH unsorting all the things MissMarples

In the garden shed DS has rearranged everything and there's a big space in the middle and rest is piled up neatly. Off do some gardening myself now. DH has mowed the lawn, 1.5 hours, our lawn isn't that big but said it was an hour for the cable.

My radiotherapy has been delayed again (would be 22 weeks since surgery). I’m so angry that I wrote to my MP and she wants a meeting! A little surprised to get a response so quick and that she’s interested. I suppose any NHS delay type issue is probably one the themes that runs through her post bag. Not sure it’ll make the radiotherapy happen quicker but might highlight the issue & put pressure on the senior management at the NHS trust. The radiologist said it was because of lack of staff. I was also browsing the Breast Cancer Now forum and someone else mentioned the same issue in the same location.

My radio was 8 months after first surgery and 7 months after second, was out of recommended timescales but so was chemo. Radio does have huge staff shortages and I think it's global shortages. It's not great as it does affect success rates but when I looked up chemo one it was something like 5 percent lower so still 95 percent. Also surgery in theory removed the cancer, at least visible parts. I don't really think about it now. Hope you can get it soon.

Did the garden with DH on Sunday and it's really pretty now and there was a red sunset over the cottage as we finished, lots of spring flowers and magnolia etc out now.