After a week of some pretty good days following the onslaught of chemo , including Sunday when I took my 4 yr old to a children’s party, I’m now “ cast like a cow in the ditch” as they say in NZ
With flu like symptoms , aches and digestive challenges , this has hit hard .My little newly groomed spaniel at the end of the bed , wet wipes and hand sanitizer nearby , and trying not to be anxious , I guess this will pass and hopefully teach me to listen to advice and not let my heart rule my head .
Through the fog yesterday had a couple of lovely visitors , and calls from my 2 sons , with
Doggy walked by a kind neighbour , which was v helpful .. I don’t remember headaches being part of the side effects but maybe it all goes together . Otherwise all fine ! 15 more treatments to go and all going well some good things to look fd to ; new baby granddaughter due in few weeks is one highlight for next month .
Thinking of you all each day with respect and hoping that even the bleak days have glimmers of good things to come . With love
Denise x
Written by
Chick44nzrn
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
You are going through a big challenge with such dignity and humour. I think you do need to be careful as the weather is bitterly cold, so keep relying on your kindly neighbour to walk your newly groomed spaniel for a while! Chemo is such a grueling treatment and I greatly admire your courage. Headaches can be awful so I hope you can get some advice to help with them. Do you have a McMillan nurse supporting you?
How lovely that you have a new grandaughter arriving next month. I hope you have some good chick flicks to watch while you're resting in bed, or good books to read. Try to rest as much as you can and keep warm with lots of hot drinks . I hope the memories of your lovely family break in Turkey recently will also be a distraction when times are tough. Thinking of you and sending a virtual hug Take care. xx
I'm so sorry you're feeling so rough, you are inspiring with your strength, care, and humour... I have to say it was after a couple of sessions of chemo my mother-in-law did start to feel the side effects of the chemo... but as I said she came through it and is now all clear.... perhaps this is an opportunity to just rest and let others take care of you....
it's so great you have a lovely neighbour who walked your dog, and visitors, and some lovely time planned with your family...
Lilybeth's suggestion of a Macmillan nurse is a good one. They may be a good place for support.
We are all thinking of you, sending you lots of love you amazing woman!
Ellie XX
Hi there - I can relate to your situation with having treatment for cancer. I went through it
for over a year but mine was hopefully cured by surgery. I have had a series of ops along my spine as a prevention for skin cancer. It was just two years I had the first op.
I found helping my immune system was a diversion and felt there was something in my system which might be triggering off the symptoms. I found some amazing websites which helped me change my diet to accelerate my metabolism and give more energy as I was so whacked out. I cut out smoked food - and tannins in tea. The roasted leaves are carbons like smoking. I went on a berry diet which is high in polyphenols, and boosts your immune system. I managed to keep diabetes under control after years of taking drugs which were not helping. Large doses of vitamin C of 1000 grams a day in drink form, or divided does in tablets is often not advised by NHS but it can boost the immune system, helping wound healing, and replacing the vitamins which might be lowered by taking drugs. I realised I had had close call and like you have grandchildren. Kids react when you haven't got the same energy as usual, and become frightened. It took me so long to walk as the wound
kept opening up, and the scar was near under the knee. This year I turned the corner - have fulfilled my bucket list of wanting to go swimming and enjoy grand kids. Hope you feel better soon. Website Were Stephen Gundy MD the berry diet. Dr Mercola immune system boosting methods. Livestrong.com for ideas about foods and their nutrients.
PS my cat saw me through the worst with my husband who is marvellous.
Oh how terrific to get your message, and I’m in awe at your resilience and fighting spirit after such monumental challenges which at times must have pushed you to your limits . Super news that you can swim again / good to gear that / you’ll soon limber up again ..
Following a tornado of a night ! ( ie whooping like a seagull ( lots in Bournemouth) , up and down for hours / headaches etc crazy) But on the good side a nice sleep for 3 hours this morning , has improved things . Breakfast in bed ; avocado on full grain toast , boiled egg and fruit juice. My dynamo elder daughter washing cooking like a pro (vegan high veg ) and little Bailey my spaniel at the end of the bed.so lots to be thankful for. /yes I agree it’s a brilliant idea to do everything “ holistic” to support the treatment , and getting advice from other girls on this site is such a boost to confidence and optimism ! Berries yes ! Marvellous ... a dear ex colleague brought a selection of gorgeous berries to nibble so will stock up today.
Grandchildren ! Aha., so tricky to explain
As they ask daily but am sending what’s app voice messages daily now and this helps with running flow of chats about bunnies ladybirds puppies etc ;
Thanks again so much for your message Hawii60 ; love from Denise x
I think I was lucky. |The worst moments were having to use a special raised loo seat
and using a walking stick and being unable to get in and out of our old van. I really felt the next step was the knackers yard - I did not realise that when you go swimming you must not let the sun near surgical scars. I bought a special tee shirt which looked sun resistant. it was after finding tiny spots along my spine were growing into odd shaped moles I had the heebie jeebies. I had over 20 moles and lesions removed. I now have a fab swimming costume with long legs and a swim top covering my arms. It's great to chat - you are obviously busy with family - and your area is probably very good for health. Very cold where we live in Wales. Is it your summer where you live?
It must be lovely enjoying summery weather and the grand outdoors. Please keep in contact to let the web gang know how you are getting on. Hope your little dog is keeping you company - pet's always need your attention so keep you going. Lovexx
Hi Hawii, Just a quick one to say I share your weather system as I live in Bournemouth , Its true my mind is often in the Antipodes where its currently balmy , but all going well I' Il go back for a few months next year.. Have a nice evening..do you watch netflix? Look forward to further chats.
Must have got my wires crossed - Bmouth - that's a good place to be!
Have you looked up doctormurray.com about foods rich in PQQs - they have 20,000 catalytic converters - sounds like a car engine. They are listed as a new superfood. Think parsley is a source of pqqs and other seeds and grains.
Also livestrong.com of foods rich in B17 . This is said to help cancer -
it's found in the seeds of strawberries raspberries, apples, grapes, wild crab, apples in and in the seeds of apricots. cherries and plums. I make rowan jam with apples or on it's own. When the jam is made the boiling detoxifies the rowan berries, creating quercetin. I feel great after having some with food . Jam made from fruit with seeds contains B17. Think you are amazing to have been through the diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer. Did you feel sick with the treatment? I have a Netflix button but use I player films and channel 5 - remembering all the passwords, and logging in can be a pain. Happy viewing. Chat soon.
in reply to
Hi Denise - hope you feel better after the infection. Bet you are pleased to be at home and in the warm. xx
Hi DJT - as a believer of the" tree of life" and having had melanoma I recognise how fragile and tangible, surviving a life threatening experience can be. I have just logged onto the BBC news health and looked at the future of DNA mapping is helping so many different rare diseases and cancer in diagnosis and treatment.
(Faster Diagnosis From Transformational Gene Project BBC news health.)
A professor on Genomic mapping was on BBC TV from Oxford Dec 5th 2018, highlighted how genomic testing helps people in their treatment. genomicsengland.co.uk gives a map and telephone
contacts for people to become part of the genomic research programme. The aim is to get the results from your individual gene mapping and problem in 35 days.
There is a brilliant video on how the gene panels are matched from all over the
world and form your profile, which will help other people with your problem and
Other research contacts are nihr.ac.uk which are for every disease listed and have regional contacts in each area. Hope you are feeling better now.
Dear Denise,
the purpose of PPP has been a discovery of my inner self and to love and cherish the holistic mechanism of my existence.
In a spiritual sense I feel blessed to be alive and to try and confront my obstacles and challenges, but also experience beauty in life and just surf the waves of my mood pendular (bi-polar 1)
My senses appear to have become dimensional where my emotions take over, but I am happy to feel so much more than I used to...
I have such a warm relationship with my aunt, who has taken on the role of my compassionate surrogate mum. We both are on a similar wavelengths... both extremely creative and enjoy the moments of 'just being and seeing', not necessarily too much talking, but using our creative writing as release button, obviously in my native language.
My aunt and I are both survivors...she survived breast cancer!
You are in the back of my mind, beautiful mum,-wishing you energy and strengths...
Hello Jasa Your words really resonated with me ( and I’m sure many others ) with such sincerity . Yes these big uphills do at least give us an opportunity to look at life’s beauty and focus on how much we can learn in terms of as you mentioned “ compassionate therapy “ , gratitude, and acceptance . My main mentor during my career in psychiatric rehab was Marsha Linehan whose books and workbooks were inspirational . Although additional
Theories abound ; all very good but her approach is hard to fault , and although this is truly the first time I’ve had to really practice , you probably know that a lot of her theories and practice is tied up to Zen Buddhism ?I love the sound of your Aunt ; your relationship is very precious and I’m sure it’s energising and comforting for you both . It’s such a gift to find someone with whom you have this appreciation of each other’s inner workings . You must have days when the negatives seem to supersede the positives but Zo bet s chst with your Aunt really helps . Please give her my best wishes !
Have a good day, Jasa you really are a star !!
Love xxxDenise
Hello Denise
Thank you for such kind and thoughtful words. My inner soul is sparkling after my yoga session and your lovely words. x
Hi Denizt, lovely to hear your updates and the shared experiences you have found helpful. You are doing amazingly with everything you are battling and we are sending all our well wishes to you. Take care, from a rather chilly part of the country here today (winter is coming and the fire is on!) xx
Drama last night ! Hi Hannah .never a dull moment it seems .. after 3rd day in bed with chesty cough , my temp suddenly went up and feeling pretty rough I called the onco nurse who said “ get to A and E and have iv antibiotics as it could be “FATAL” !!. Luckily my son in law popped in after work and we hot footed to Bournemouth general , where I received incredibly efficient care / iv antibiotics lots of iv fluids, and I tried not to think about the word Fatal !!
Honestly you couldn’t have better doctors ( although she looked about 15 yrs old) and super nurses . Altogether 5 different antibiotics iv and oral including the big guns Co Amoxiclav .. after several hours during which time my temp went up and down ( bit scary ) they discharged me sensibly owing to the bugs in the hospital .
Amazing treatment , but probably too much excitement for one night.
Hoping for a boring dull day today , and catching up on sleep , vitamin C , and green veg ! Fingers crossed
I haven't written to you before but just wanted to say that you are an inspiration. You seem to have had such a lot to cope with. I am fortunate enough not to have had cancer but do remember saying to friends that I would settle for boring, when I was going through other rotten stuff. So here's to boring days with the occasional lovely highlight and serendipitous happiness and though it is wintery how nice to snuggle and keep warm with your favourite indoor interests.
Hello Judith . So nice to hear from you today , thanks for that . It’s amazing the difference in a day / for every condition especially PPP , and I’m sure cancer , it’s obviously vital to get as much rest and sleep as possible and After a couple of naps , more antibiotics , paracetamol etc , loads of fluids , things don’t seem as grim as yesterday when not surprisingly I had
Fleeting doubts as to whether I had the stamina to complete the next 15 treatments . ! Im so so lucky to have found Health Unlocked , at first to follow up on PPP and PND which I went through which my first 2 sons , but now the wider breast cancer community is so supportive , encouraging , and energising . It’s a marvellous forum and gives inestimable help. You sound like such a lovely person , and I wish you the best of health and happy days
We are all thinking of you and I hope the imminent arrival of your new grandchild will give you strength and hope. Take good care of yourself in this very cold spell <3 xx
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Take care. xx
Question about preventative medicine
Resilient kids and recovery
That Disconnected Feeling..
Virtual hand holding maybe?
