Stage 4 cancer... ? incurable? Thread #2 is here. In memory of our inspiring, lovely mowly77

[Tilllly]

New thread
All welcome, reluctantly

@HerbalRefreshmentt how is hospital?

@TwigTheWonderKid how is home?

So glad you are home @WrenNatsworthy .

My bloody temperature is up to 38.5 again. I was due to go back to hospital tomorrow morning for them to check my bloods and to see the gastro team. Am really worried they will keep me in again 😭

Yes very glad you're home @WrenNatsworthy and praying @HerbalRefreshmentt can go home soon if not home now and that @TwigTheWonderKid won't have to go in again.

Good morning everyone.
@WrenNatsworthy I'm so glad they let you go home. Thanks for using the word "flabbergasted" as I've not heard that word for a long time and it's just one of those words that make me smile 😀

@HerbalRefreshmentt I really hope you get to go home today. Fingers crossed x

I'm a bit shy when it comes to PMs but I'm happy for anyone to PM if they would like to connect on Facebook.

I'm not feeling great.
I had my chemo on Tuesday and have noticed the more I have the more the side effects seem to last that little bit longer and are a little bit more intense, although still bearable.
Yesterday I felt off, light headed and was struggling to stay awake. I also had a really sore mouth.
This morning I've woken up and I'm definitely coming down with something.
I've been taking my temperature and it keeps dropping down low (although not low enough to contact Oncology) then rising a bit.
I'm aching all over, fatigued and my ear hurts.
I think I might ring my GP to try and get an appointment just so they can check my ears & make sure there is no ear infection.
It always worries me as a simple course of antibiotics means delays to my treatment.

I have a week off next week and hoping I feel well as my children have arranged quite a big birthday bash for me next weekend and I don't want it to be spoiled as they've put a lot of effort in to it.

@Tilllly
I really hope you are ok xxx

Hi everyone,

Just a quick post to say I'm thinking of you, especially those who are struggling.

I was in the office yesterday and cried a little at my new boss and had a proper good blub with my favourite team member. Although I'm 'well' or at least stable it's still bloody hard.

Oh @SewingBees hugs.

It's funny, I am the world's biggest cryer. I cry at films, books, children singing, sad things, happy things, totally random things but I have only had a very occasional and always very small cry about all of this. I don't know if it's the denial, feeling that I have to be strong for everyone else in my family or because I absolutely do not want the pity of my friends.

I hope your cry made you feel better @SewingBees

@GoldenDog1 - surely no harm in contacting oncology/ your MacMillan nurse?
I had a UTI quite soon after one chemo, and I think I was actually more unwell than I was presenting - if that makes sense. I was lucky an A&E Dr took me seriously and treated me with strong IV antibiotics. I wasn’t kept in

I was going to ring Oncology but there was something else I needed to discuss with my GP so I rang them instead. They got me in this morning and luckily there is no infection.
I will take a couple of paracetamol and try to sleep it off.

@TwigTheWonderKid Crying is becoming useful for me. I rarely cry for long but it's a way of getting big emotions out and then I can move on. Crying a little in the canteen at work was a bit bizarre but I frankly don't give a fuck if anyone judged me for it.

I've always been a bit of a blubber but rarely for myself or in self pity - that's a new development. The worst one for me is home or garden renovation programmes, I pretty much always cry at those. Especially the ones where the family has had bad luck that has left them unable to complete projects or move or whatever. DIY SOS is the worst!

Hmmmmm the crying thing.
I just can't cry about my situation and yet I really want to because I feel it would help me release so many emotions and tension.
Even when I came round after my last surgery and was told they couldn't do the planned operation and I was now incurable because my cancer had spread I just couldn't cry.
My kids rushed to my bedside, upset and emotional and still the tears wouldn't come.

I've tried listening to sad songs, looking through old photos, talking with my therapist but those tears are refusing to budge.

That's me too! I've cried at telling bad news to DS.

I've always been like that, I'm good in crisis mode but breakdown at adverts!

I've sent a few people my Facebook profile link, but you mustn't worry @LuciaPillson we will not abandon you. Until the inevitable.

Am kicking myself for not connecting with @Tilllly . Sending love to you wherever you are.

So I still think they don't really know what's wrong with me or what to do with me. I don't think my exceptionally high pain threshold is helping with their assessment of me but I find it impossible to stop being stoic!

My blood results are stable compared to when I was discharged so they think it might "just" be the cancer rather than an infection.

They gave me another ultrasound to see if there was enough fluid to drain and test, but there isn't, so they are giving me 5 days of ambulatory IV antibiotics so I just need to go in once a day for the next 5 days after today. Which I think is a good result and luckily we live 10 minutes away from the hospital.

@LuciaPillson , we are all still here!

More bloody anti bs @TwigTheWonderKid . I found a supplement you could take while on them, called Optibac.

Yeah @WrenNatsworthy I'm not entirely certain how a single daily dose of this antibiotic is going to do what 33 lots of Tazocin could not, but hey ho!

I've just remembered I have some optibac!

Still here waiting for the antibiotics which they had to order from The Slowest Pharmacy on The Planet but I did pop home at lunchtime and may have ordered a Taco bell...

Rather delightfully, there is a lovely Italian consultant here and an Italian male nurse and so I am enjoying listening to them chat to each other.

<<In Italian>>
See that patient over there? She went home at lunchtime for a taco bell!
No!
Si! She was fed up waiting for her antibiotics.
Well we all know that taco bell has healing properties but we'd better make sure there's no adverse reaction with the drugs.
Yeah true. Do you think we should keep her in overnight for observation?
Best not. The last time she stayed in her husband brought her a flannel that stunk the place out!
No!
Si!

@SewingBees - that made me laugh
Glad you’re home @TwigTheWonderKid

That's made me giggle 🤭

Brava, @SewingBees!

Wondering what the Italian for 'haddocky flannel' is. Google translate says this but I'm not entirely convinced: 'una flanella per il viso
che odora di eglefino'

@SewingBees that is excellent and @LuciaPillson that is certainly a correct direct translation.

I managed to knock my cannula before I went to bed last night causing the needle to stab me if I didn't keep my arm totally straight so it's a wonder I slept at all but I had a great night's sleep.

They had to use the ultrasound today to find a vein to put another in but I'm worried it'll be my foot next.

I am not convinced this is a real bit of the hospital I am going to though. It's very light, bright and modern and relatively efficient. But most concerning is the fact all the doctors are super hunky and all the male nurses have sexy Italian and Spanish accents...

@TwigTheWonderKid What drugs are they putting in that vein exactly? 😁

Are you on a TV set by accident?

This thread does make me laugh! Surely you’re no longer in the NHS @TwigTheWonderKid