Last Tuesday 8th January, I went to the specialist Podiatry Clinic for the removal of quite a big chunk of both big toenails. I was really scared because everyone said how painful it was. I had already decided I did not want a student practising on me. My mum came with me and sat with me whilst they injected the local anaesthetic. They did it on both sides of my toe nails and it wasn't until the third injection that it really hurt. I'm so glad it was only the one injection that hurt that much or else I think I would have refused to have the second toe done!! The actual operation bit went well but I wouldn't stop bleeding which seems to be my problem frequently. It didn't hurt and even the next day when I went back to have the dressing changed, it didn't hurt.
Wednesday turned out to be a bit of a hectic afternoon. I was expecting one of the hospice nurses at 2pm but that time went and no-one called round. At 315pm, the other hospice nurse turned up. We only had time for a quick chat as at 330pm, the fire brigade and hubby turned up. This was to assess our home because of the home oxygen and for them to put up enough 10yr battery fire alarms. The hospice nurse went as it got too complicated with 3 firemen clomping round the house and wanting to discuss our escape plans!! At the end of the fire brigade's visit, the one in charge asked me how we knew about the free fire alarm scheme and I told him it was because we had home oxygen. He had not been told that so we had to spend another 10 mins discussing the safety implications of that. It's thew same old chestnut isn't it - no communication again!!
Thursday evening the twins were invested at Scouts and came home with a handful of badges to sew on. My mum gamely sewed them on for me as I do struggle because of the numbness in my fingers to sew properly.
Friday, I went to the lymphoedema clininc and took this oddly shaped made to measure sleeve with me. The only person I think it could fit is ET as the fingers were overlong and the wrist cirumference was 13cm. You try and make a 13cm circumferecnce circle and see how small it is - even AJ's wrist is bigger than that!! Apparently, it cost £155 to be made so the secretary is going to try to get the German manufacturers to make the sleeve again correctly at no extra cost!! To think that I always imagined Germans to be very precise and infallible but this is obviously not true!!!
Woody was in much demand this weekend. He had been invited for tea and to go to the panto and also to another boy's sleepover party and Laser uest the next day. My plan was for him to miss the sleepover and just go to the laser quest. However, Woody had already asked his friend if he minded what time he turned up for the sleepover and he said he didn't so off he went at 10pm for a sleepover!!! Laura went off to a friend's house to play and see the new puppies.
I'm still very tired and need to sleep most afternoons. I'm trying to get to bed earlier so I can have 10hrs sleep as getting up at 7am is too tiring for me at present. I've also got some very odd and big bruises on my arms and legs so I suppose my platelets are low. My lips are very pale so probably anaemic as well. I've also got this worrying pink area on my right boob. There is no lump or pain or discharge, just an odd pinkness. Wondering if it is a new skin spread or if this is an inflammatory breast cancer presentation. Whatever, I'm scared!!
On Monday, my friend from Oxford came down and we met at M and S and this time we went to the restaurant. It really is a restaurant as you have to wait to be seated and there is waitress service. The soup and bread was lovely and the chocolate pudding with chocolate sauce was definately delicious.
We did a quick whiz round Sainsburys for some food and then home. AJ and Woody had friends back for play and tea. They were such well behaved boys it was lovely to have them.
Yesterday, 2 of my previous work colleagues came round to see me. It was lovely to se them and catch up with the gossip!!
That leads us onto today - chemo day. I saw the female oncologist as she is the radiotherapy lead and I feel I need radiotherapy to my shoulder and left hip again. She looked on my bone scan done in October which didn't help us much as it shows I have bony secondaries in my ribs but not my shoulder blade where it hurts the most. Anyway, she agreed to me having more rads to my hip and my shoulder. The MRI , by the way, showed no brachial plexus injury so it must be rads damage that is causing me this peculiar numbness in my fingers and thumb.
She couldn't work out what this pinkness was on my boob so she decided we would wait and see what happens next with it. Apparently, the lymph nodes in my right arm it have all shrunk again so the chemo is working there as well which is good news.
The bad news is that my white blood cell count is very low - 2 and I have 1 neutrophil!! My haemoglobin is only 8 so really at needing a blood transfusion level. Hoever, in discussion between the 2 onc consultants, they decided to miss out this week's chemo and hope all gets better. My platelets were fine though but as the onc said they may not have been last week when I got these bruises. They have also agreed to me having a long line put in which is a nuisance and a blessing at the same time. This is when they put a line into a central blood vessel in your chest. I had one in 2006 and it made the whole process of having blood tests and chemo so much easier and faster. My poor veins have become so sore that even after my blood test yesterday, my whole arm hurt down the vein from my wrist to my elbow. I have to be in the hospital about 830am next week and will need a lift and company. Any volunteers out there??!!!