Tough Old Chicky Award

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 :)

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.'