The Great Cancer Recovery part 5

[Topofthecliffs]

Amazingly we have now filled four threads and are ready to start again. How time flies when you are being purposeful! Come and join in.

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 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, and you are welcome on any or all of these)

aww @BatshitCrazyWoman your cat is a stunner! Male or female? I would like to get a cat but am allergic. Mind you, I grew up with them so I'm sure I could re-climatise. Sorry to hear you're still feeling a bit sore - it takes a while doesn't it. Garden centre and charity shop rummage sound great plans.

@PaperbackWrighter she's a girl 🙂

Am pee'd off to still have the dragging pain, I wasn't expecting it to last so long. Ah well, nothing I can do.

@BatshitCrazyWoman Hope it eases up soon for you x

Loving the cat and dog pics.

I’m sorry things are so tough @Zoopet and hope the side effects improve. FWIW, I’ve had three post surgery mammograms now and they have definitely got less painful each time. I also take paracetamol in advance which might help a bit.

Agreed the pet pics are lovely.
@Zoopet your attitude is great, life is very odd during the recovery stage and nothing seems quite as it should be. I hope you get the meds balanced soon and feel better.
@BatshitCrazyWoman has anybody tried to explain why you still have pain?

I still struggle to work out whether the gut symptoms I have are the aftermath of chemo or bad reflux or something else sinister. As my weight doesn’t budge I think it is just a reset after three courses of chemotherapy. I feel sick a lot of the time and my guts just hurt in a way they never used to. But it doesn’t stop me eating more than I should!
I am off on my next adventure. We have travelled from the far southwest to the far north of the UK and tomorrow get the ferry over to the Outer Hebrides with our bikes. The weather is not brilliant but I am just going to enjoy exploring and have lots of cafe stops. I hope I am fit enough for the route I have planned. It is somewhere I have always wanted to see. The hills are not as steep as ours at home so I am optimistic I will survive even if I am slow. I just hope it isn’t too wet!
I will post on progress when I have a signal.

Your trip sounds amazing @Topofthecliffs I have been to the Western Isles/Outer Hebrides several times and love it there (and am always awed by the cycle tourers!!)

You have also reminded me to update that I was moaning a while ago about a mystery rash on my lower leg that my GP thought might be venous eczema/chronic venous insufficiency. I got referred on, had blood tests and it turns out I have Lyme disease! I am on antibiotics and have no other symptoms so should be fine but I must have caught it in my trip to Harris last November. There were a lot of deer. I didn’t notice a bite but apparently you can be bitten by a tick nymph which are too small to see. And my rash wasn’t the typical shape. Hey ho! Another health challenge to navigate. More positively, one of my letrozole side effects is acne and my skin has also improved with the long course of antibiotics so that’s a win.

Golly @dotty2 I am glad you got a diagnosis and treatment before the Lyme disease did too much damage.
Sadly I spoke too soon about our Hebrides trip as CalMac ferries have let us down and we never got across to the Hebrides. All my planning has been in vain and we have lost all our hotel bookings for the week. Instead we are holed up in Fort William trying to salvage our trip. The weather tomorrow looks shocking so we may drive to Inverness and start cycling from there.
I have learned a lot since being diagnosed with cancer. One of my strengths, along with DH, is that we can react to bad news very pragmatically. We swear and shout, have a cup of coffee and some cake then sit down and make a new plan together. It will be interesting to see how the week pans out.

Oh I’m so sorry @Topofthecliffs That is truly rubbish. I admire your ability to be philosophical about it and hope you can still do something lovely.

Calmac do seem to have gone to pot lately. I see a lot of people complaining about them on FB (started following local
acc when we went) In fact our ferry was cancelled both ways too and we had to rebook for a different route and pay for a different hotel the night before. V annoying at the time but at least we got there. Fingers crossed you can salvage your trip

Lovely to see all the pet photos.

Sorry about the disrupted trip @Topofthecliffs and hope you can have a nice time anyway. If you can get further south like Edinburgh the forecast looks much better. I think a lot of holidays are being disrupted this year.

Glad things are improving with antibiotics @dotty2

DHs voluntary redundancy has been accepted and will stop work in a few weeks time.

Still awaiting thatched shed quote but have agreed on design and have also ordered 2 like beach hut baby tool stores so we can keep our tools in one and the silkies stuff in the other and have the thatched one as like a summerhouse for DS. I've ordered some paint so we can paint them once they are made and arrive in mid June and they will match the silkies cottage. Its predicted to be very hot here this weekend 27C/28C ish and a 3 day weekend so we should really plan something as well as gardening.

Hope everyone has a nice Bank Holiday weekend.