Tough Old Chicky Award
Comments
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Agree about hospital tea - yuk and lukewarm.1
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I’d love to have a cuppa with your friend love she sounds like a legend lol ! Margie xx0
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She is indeed. We are almost at first draft with her book. She's thrilled, but I want to get it off to the printers before she changes her mind again
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Just found this thread, so many lovely words here .
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Well that sucks. The divine Ms. M has just discovered she has another couple of tumours which were picked up during her 12 month ultrasound. Fuckity! They are local but inoperable--partly because of position and partly because of her age.
This is the bit that pisses me off; her surgeon, 12 months ago, told her not to bother with rads as 'We got the whole cancer' which was directly against the advice of her MDT meeting. We only found that out yesterday. She had refused chemo which seems to have been translated as refusing further treatment. She's cross and I'm bloody ropable.
I went with her to meet the Rad Onc yesterday. I had to smile, and then laugh out loud.
'Do you get any exercise?'
'A bit.' she replies
'A bit' translates to 4 x 2 km swims a week. 2 X 30 km bike rides. A week. Then there was the 25 km bush walk on Saturday. At Falls Creek. In the snow.
'Do you drink?'
"A bit. A couple of glasses of wine or a brandy and a glass of red."
"A month?'
'No, every day.'
She is absolutely priceless. Now we have to figure out the logistics of traveling the 170km daily round trip for rads. 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off, 2 weeks on then a 1 week booster session if she is coping OK. She will also be their first 90 year old patient to do the breath hold technique. She was a bit concerned at first as she misheard and thought she had to hold her breath for 10 minutes and was very relieved to find out it was only 10 seconds.
'Oh, I can do 20 meters underwater, that will be a doddle.'
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Oh, that SO sucks, @Zoffiel
Fuckity Fuck indeed! How often do you hear 'we got it all'? It happened to my neighbour too! NOT! What a Shame the team didn't push harder for the rads back then .... but what's done is done, I guess.
I LOVE her spirit tho - WOW! She would clean up on me with her exercise regime! I am glad that you are on her side & there for her. I am guessing she doesn't have any family close?
All the best for your divine Ms M - we'll all be rooting for her xxx
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Extraordinary, from start to finish, in good ways and bad. All strength and power to Ms M. Add my voice to those who are wishing her all the best. And to you too M for being such a good friend. K xox0
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If I had a glass of something good, I'd raise it to her! Tell her that there's another one wishing her all the best.
What do you get that her original advice from the surgeon had more to do with her age than anything else? Or am I just being cynical?1 -
Thanks ladies, I'll pass on good your good wishes. I took her to see the accommodation unit and we now have tacit agreement that she will consider staying Tuesday and Wednesday nights during her second weeks of treatment. Part of the problem is her dog, so the Hound is going to have to cope with a visitor if it's necessary. She Will Not Be Pleased. Too bad, it will be on with the big jammas and out in the kennel for a couple of evenings.
Ms M has family close to where she lives and is a local institution so there is no shortage of people willing to help with transport. It's a matter of getting her to accept it. We will see. The breast care nurse wasn't very helpful and kept patting her and asking if she was OK while pointedly avoiding providing any meaningful information. The reaction to that once we got out into the car was also priceless; she has the 'little old lady with hearing problems' thing down pat when it suits her, but god she makes me laugh when the gloves come off. A brilliant mimic--a skill no doubt honed after 20 years as a publican-- her rendition of a useless sycophant had me blowing G&T through my nose on the way home. Yes, that's right, we decided a drink was in order and grabbed a couple of 'travellers' to assist with the shock
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@Zoffiel
Add my voice to the Devine Mrs M.
I wish her well.
As for hospital tea - I hate those lukewarm drops served in scratched plastic mugs harbouring God knows what!
However the best cuppa black tea was made for me last Sunday evening in our local hospital's emergency department. It was hot, sweet and black. Made by the best male nurse from South India. Did he know how to make a cuppa. (Also was excellent at putting in an IV catheta, didn't feel a thing! And he had read my notes and knew not to use my right arm). Worth having a major asthma attack just to get a good cuppa. Did not like the threat that if I did not improve in 4 hours it was an RFDS airlift to Darwin Hospital. Now I like Darwin but not from a RFDS Plane and a Darwin Hospital bed. So I sucked on the Ventolin and atrovent nebulizers, slurped up the 2 bags of IV magnesium and put up with the double dose of prednisolone. It was either the threat or the treatment. I improved. Now home high as a kite on Ventolin and sleepless with prednisolone (and cranky, bad tempered, irritable and weepy -hate prednisolone). Thank God for the Night Howlers!
Take care all
Annie3 -
What a lady! One of the best cups of tea I ever had was at 5am the morning after my first mastectomy. I was uncomfortable, hadn't slept very well, hungry, etc. The tea round came by - it was hot, strong and amazing. And in a china cup! It is a very clear memory and it's therapeutic qualities were amazing. No early tea round for the last op in May. Do they not do them any more? @Zoffiel your friend sounds like a national treasure.2
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Sounds like one heck of a woman @Zoffiel.
Reminds me of a conversation I had today with a gorgeous 93yr old lady. She was annoyed that the OT's thought it was odd she was still driving. She says " I have to keep driving so I can drive my husband around, I am the younger one you know (he was 95) . She wanted out of the hospital because nobody on the farm could do anything properly (according to her) and she needed to make sure the cattle were ok.
Wish your gorgeous friend all the best. sososo3 -
@kmakm
Thank you for your loving thoughts.
What triggered it. Oh life just bit me on the bum again. Dust, dry air, pollen, or once again doing too much and not resting enough. Trying to please too many people at the same time.
Am improving. Could do without the steroids giving me "roid rage". And the 3 am wake with coughing. Ah well at least there are we Night Howlers to keep me amused. And I like your 4 7 8 technique.
The good thing is the Medico's are at last sitting up and taking notice. Well last Sunday's is. We will see what the round of CAT scans, blood tests and heart echogram brings.
Take care and sending warm Kimberley wishes to you (it is getting warm!)
Big hugs
Annie1
