Chill time

Sharon, my stoma nurse came today and is lovely. She says that getting hungry suddenly is down to not being able to eat much fibre and so carbo load. She's going to get me a special support belt and protector for playing table tennis. She said I wouldn't be up for much for another few weeks.

What a day

From a hideous low point this morning we are both as euphoric as is possible for 2 people who have been repeatedly numbed by the process and potential of cancer. Mr Kapur said he would talk with the oncologist about whether to go for chemo as belt and braces (as Rob pointed out, braces are much easier with a stoma bag!).

The District Nurse was lovely and the metal stitches came out easily.

Please note the change in the Blog Title as I now officially have no cancer!

Clear Lymph!

Mr Kapur phoned to reassure me about the blood clots. And did he reassure me - biopsy results show LYMPH GLANDS CLEAR! There are also good margins in the area of the tumour (no spread). Not bad given that the tumour was graded D (where A is small). Champagne nurse Shell!

Scary bloody morning

Peed a big clot of blood and terrified of spread. GP Mike Laurence very reassuring - probably the result of catheter trauma. District nurse will check when she comes.

Bragging Rights

We whooped the tractor boys 4-1 in the Old Farm Derby. Grant Holt scored a hat trick and was magnificent as was Henri Lansbury. The Ability Counts stand was warm and the toilets very handy! We got a taxi to the ground but the match energized me enough to walk back; less arduous than yesterday. Stitches out tomorrow.

Comfy seats

Shell has swapped our seats at Carrow Road for 2 in the Ability Counts stand; inside, with lifts and toilets. Come on you yellows!

Log blog

Shell the homemaker is relentlessly making fires to keep us warm and cosy. Our wood supply has been a victim of the weather but this afternoon Kate & Rob secretly replenished the woodpile. Thank you!

Tiny Steps

I went for my first walk outside since the op, cleared the path of snow and chopped some firewood. Just kidding! I only walked to the petrol station and back but felt like I'd done all three.

They're back - get the fire on!

My heroines returned from their mercy mission and I now have trimethoprim as well as flucaloxacillin to treat an infection where my canula was. The girls dried off in front of the fire (I'm hot enough and not in a good way!) Sorted in less than 2 hrs. Fingers crossed I didn't pick anything else up at the N&N.

Cranberries are for turkey

The UTI, lurking since my catheter got unplugged in the painful contortions of last Sunday, finally kicked in. Plenty of fluids have kept it at bay but all the cranberries in the world were not going to stop this stinger last night. Nurse Shell had the doc fax the prescription to Riverside Boots and set off with rescue husky Peggy through this morning's blizzard. I'll let you know when they're back.

Lovely Day

Next official appointment is with the District Nurse to remove my stitches on Monday, then on Tuesday the stoma nurse comes to tell us the results of the lymph node biopsy. Until then we'll have a relaxing time and prepare me for tacking Carrow Road steps on Sunday. When I was saying anything to get discharged I offered to watch from home on BBC but the Junior Docs were adamant I should go the match - good dinner party anecdote I guess.

Got the Ashes highlights online and been waited on by nurse Shell. Reading yet another book in which a character has colon cancer. The upside of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest is that Lisbeth Salander, ill in hospital, still manages to kick ass. And I'm sure the Swedish hospital she's in would have had a swankily furnished room specially for poo bag training.

Richard, a fellow patient, gets out today. We played scrabble in the day room yesterday while we waited for my drugs. He had a similar experience to mine and was surprised at the pain when the epidural finished (tho his was worse because the epidural came out prematurely). His cancer was picked up early by using the national screening programme kit. I hope we bump into each other again in several years time at a clinic giving us both the all clear. He was rubbish at scrabble though.

Home

Shell, open fire, red wine(it's a tiny glass!) and it's snowing outside. Peggy's shown no interest in jumping on the bed or my belly - Heaven!

Toilet Training

If I can show the nurse l can manage my stoma bag l can go. No
pressure there then. The location for the test is a gents toilet with
no clean surface on which to put my sterile bits and pieces....of
course l pass. Various drugs were delivered by hand by Brooksie and
Bex came 2 say bye. I AM OUT!

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Free?

The doc will let me go today if I pass my stoma training. Can't be
rocket science bagging poo?

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Unhealthy Places

Feel great this morning apart from not getting enough sleep. A lot of
bodily fluids got cleared up last night, dozens of drip alarms bleeped
as did constant nurse call bells - sounded like a bad Philip Glass
track and the smell defied comparison. I gotta get out!

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More Comment

A fully qualified A1 Harridan she removed my drain tube, which had evaded less seasoned staff members, with one swift snap shooting it thru the air like Annie Oakley's whip. She is not adequately rewarded by the NHS and seemed disproportionately elated with the packet of wine gums I offered in thanks.

Thanks to all the food parcels for Shell You can be sure I will have her on a full perfect hostess training programme when I get home and she will be available for parties/
Civil Partnerships. She has already begun a line in Mini Trifles - a delightful alternative to mash.

Seems like the team haven't been fooled by my suggestion of tomorrow for discharge. I am shattered by walking to the loo 5 times so far today (ok vanity dictated I ditch the Zimmer). Looking like Thursday or Friday.

Which seemed just as well as I and a few of my ward mates watched Peggy waving from the car park. My tummy probably needs to heal a bit more before being closer to that dog.

Are we really getting H Lansbury? Waggsie, Nick - we should be told

Out soon!

Mr K says l can go nxt few days. Few more tubes out today. Doc said
'what Derby' & team sniggered. Told me not to cheer if Norwich score.
I said no if.

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Walking

Huge turnaround today down to harridan Pauline who raised an eyebrow at my pain index and insisted that at this stage i should be thinking about walking to the bathroom. Catheter removal dangled as a carrot has been very effective. I got up and washed with stoma nurse Theresa and after lunch walked with physio Johnny. Pain much more bearable.

comment?

wow ta 4 comments girls & Nick. Footbl is gr8 medicin - if we'd won I'd probly be home. think my days of chesting the ball maybe gone tho. No water drinking by med team that i kno - anaesthetist's homebrew more likely. Spot on about potato - the week menu has mash with all meals (macaroni cheese?!)
xxx

Ouch!

Epidural security blanket gone & spasm pain has turned ward blue.
Morphine didnt help. Gonna get better pain relief

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