Weekend
Laura had a sleepover which went well and meant that the boys room, Laura's room and the living room got tidied!!! The girls arrived at 530pm and we had a chinese takeaway. They were quite well behaved and I did manage to sleep before the girls settled. They also let me sleep in and Laura cooked lots of omelettes for her guests so I was very impressed with her but the poor kitchen looked rather a mess but never mind.
Pete had the double bed with AJ so had a restless night as he is not a peaceful sleeper.
I slept in Laura's room and Woody was at his grandparents as he wanted to help his Grampa with the stall on sunday morining. Good job he has lots of thermal underwear from scouts as it was so cold.
He bought us all things from the market which was really sweet of him.
Hubby took AJ out to do the usual 'wodgy' hunt. I think I might have explained this before but when it is really icy, the children love to stand on the puddles and break the ice up and then slide the pieces across more ice. It makes the most amazing 'ding' noise. They also like to break the ice over their heads!!! All a bit mad but great fun. Pete got brilliant photos of all the ice and of AJ playing and breaking the ice up. It was amazing how the ice had formed. Some had formed in circular patterns and others were really angular. Isn't nature amazing!
However, on the way back when they were going up a hill at only 20mph, they hit black ice and ended up spinning at least 180 degress and maybe 540 degrees and so ended up on the wrong side of the road and actually completely off the road. They slid down the ditch and hit a tree and the car ended up at a 45 deg angle. The photos of the car after it had stopped were amazing as the whole of the back of the car was up in the air and it was amazing that they didn't get hurt and actually the damage to the car was not as bad as you would have thought.
They waited over an hour and still the recovery vehicle hadn't turned up but a landrover who was going off roading stopped and pulled Pete and the car out and it was actually driveable. There is damage to the drivers wing, door and front light but otherwise it escaped with little damage but is very sad to see the poor moggy in its bashed up state. Poor AJ was apparently quite upset at the time - well who wouldn't be - but now sees it as an adventure.
Pete had not really organised himself before he went out as he had little credit and little battery on his phone so by the time he'd contacted the insurance company to be rescued and texted his friend and brother, he couldn't contact me.!! This happened about 1045am. The first I heard about the accident was a phone call from the insurance company trying to locate the road Pete was on. I could picture it in my head but couldn't give instructions on where to find them. Luckily, Laura's friend's dad was here and I knew he knew the roads well in the New Forest so he took over the phone call and helped the insurance people. He also volunteered to drive out to find them but I thought they would be OK but thanks so much for offering. They insurance company were supposed to phone me back but never did and I had trouble trying to locate the specialist insurance company rescue helpline who were supposed to be sending out a rescue truck. TPete had his phone off so couldn't get hold of him to find out what was happening. Eventually at 1245pm AJ, Pete, his brother who had gone out with supplies turned up home.
Rest of sunday went quietly!!!
My pressure sore is improving but did give me a shock as it must mean I'm quite poorly for that to happen so quickly and I don't really feel that bad at present.
Spent quite a bit of time this morning - monday - doing some more to the memory boxes and my life story. I quite enjoy writing that - I just hope it will be read. It's social history really as I've written about how we didn't have central heating or a phone at home and how everyone used public transport and also to see how we are dressed. There is a picture of us as a family at the playground when I'm about 4 and my Dad is wearing his shirt and tie and my Mum looks very smart to be at the playground but in the early 1960s that was how it was. I only have one photo of my Dad and myself together and that was on my Christening Day as then it was the men who used the camera but there are family group shots. Actually, there are few photos of just Mum and me but having photos printed was very expensive then. Luckily, my father had slides rather than photos and when I had them put on a Cd Rom and then printed the quality is amazing and much better than the black and white photos that were developed.
Woody didn't go to school today as a bit coldy but really overtired I think. Laura went but her cough is so bad I'm not sure she will make it into tomorrow and I had to pick her up from school as she was tired and had fallen over this morning twice on the way to school as the pavements were so slippery- poor thing.
Mum arrived about lunch time which was the same tine as the carer came to make me lunch and my mother in law was on the phone to organise what we were doing about christmas. I'd only met this carer once before and then I had a houseful of people so I'm sure she wonders why I need help when people are there even though I usually spend monday lunchtiime on my own as the 2 friends who help me have usually gone by then.
A friend came over just after lunch so that was great to catch up. Then I went into the local shops to buy a few bits. I still find driving rather difficult and it seems to be my steering that I'm struggling with. My reactions feel OK and my judgement over what I'm doing and what others are doing, I just seem to not be able to judge the steering right.
We then had a family card opening session which was lovely. We had no actual post today which is suspicious - usually this time of year, I get post everyday but we have noticed that quite frequently we get post on alternate days. We are waiting for loads off the internet for christmas now. so hope they all turn up.
Tomorrow, I'll be at the hospice and mum has various jobs to do in the house for me so hopefully will be in if the goods arrive!!! The queue in the post office collection place is horrendous and is shut between noon to 5pm!! If it is another company delivering then it could be left at a depot 3-5 miles away so do hope we manage to be in.
Nearly asleep now so will review and edit tomorrow. Tuesday evening - edit done. Have I still left typos??

School Friends and Horrible Day at Chemo
On Wednesday 2 of my friends from school in Folkestone came to see me. It was lovely and hard to believe that 30 yrs has passed since then. It's always the same with really good friends isn't it. It always feels like it was only yesterday that you saw them. They bought me some of those lovely Gordon Ramsay chocolates that I keep hinting how much I like them and some long furry slipper boots which are so warm and comfortable. My feet are blissfully happy in them and they cover the gap between my fleecy long nightdress and the floor so thank you so much. They were made by a company called 'gluv your feet' and I would recommend them.
We had a lovely lunch out and then they had to go but hopefully will see then soon. It was only after they left that Pete said he'd have liked to have come out to lunch to so he culd find out the real tales from our school days and not the special adapted ones I tell him!!!!
AJ had been out with hubby earlier in the day to the behavioural place so that he gets to know the staff so that we can finally sort out his constipation and other issues in Januray. He seemed to have a lovely time and came home with a really good book which explained how all of your body works with all these lift the flaps bits. It was so well presented and probably aimed at the 7 - 10 age group. He liked the book but was very pleased that the school day at the unit was very short wth lots of playtimes!!!
Thursday morning started off badly as I must have gone to sleep in one position all night as when I tried to get up, I had little feeling in my left leg apart from pins and needles and it wouldn't move properly or take my weight. It was very scary. The carer had to support me to the bathroom until my leg came back to life. I had to take oromorph straight away as it was so painful. It came back to life slowly but was so weak that I could only hobble and it wasn't till mid-morning that I got the usual movement and feeling back. The transport arrived 15mins before I was expecting them and then I had to sit in the back on the driver's side meaning I had to get my left leg in first which is always difficult. Eventually, the transport helper assistant who was in the front asked me if I wanted to sit in the front by which time I'd manouerved myself into the back and the driver was getting my belt on so there seemed little point in moving.m I wasn't expecting to be 3 of us in the back and I was the only one with mobility problems!!! (I found out later the transport assistant was new so next week I will ask to sit in the front if they expect me to be squashed into the back). It was a really painful journey to the hospital and in the wheelchair to the chemo suite.
I spoke to the nurse who I had spoken to yesterday about getting a recliner in the chemo suite and she sent me through to the treatment room. The chemo nurses were not happy that I was 'blocking' a treatment chair and all day kept saying 'we could see more people if we had more treatment chairs' which felt like a dig at me. They could see I could hardly walk and I told them I had a pressure sore and that I had asked last week for a bed or recliner and was told there was none and to go in to the treatment room. I felt they thought I was lying about my pain, and my pressure sore. I never asked for any help off them. I got my own water and tea even though I was struggling with getting my leg to work properly so I was not demanding anything of them. It could just be me feeling vulnerable and misinterpreting them but last week, the nurses were saying they needed more nurses and never mentioned treatment chairs. I felt really neglected and abused really. I've got a bed booked for the next 2 weeks so that is a relief and my mum is here next week so that will be a great help.
I nearly missed having the zometa (bone strengthener) as pharmacy had put the vial of the drug in the tablets to take home so it was a good job I'd woken up and looked in the bag. It was run through extremely quickly as transport were waiting for me.
I was also sick in the chemo suite today after they sped the taxol up as again no-one had checked it during the hour it was running so was way behond time - they can't use the machine as it has to go through a filter. No-one came to see if I was alright after I was sick, it was left with me for about 10 mins and I must have just gone straight back to sleep but knew I felt really hot and ill and was waiting for someone to come back so I could explain how poorly I felt. That was the only time I asked for help and apart from getting me the sick bowl, no-one offered me any more anti-sickness drugs or if I felt OK. It was my 13th taxol so you wouldn't expect to suddenly be sick after being fine for the first 12.
It was a horrible day and I just felt that I'd been made out to be an unecessary nuisance and got no care. I could have missed my zometa and I think it was worrying that I was ignored after being sick and gone back to sleep. They knew last week I was using oxygen and wasn't this week so surely they should have checked that my oxygen levels were ok as I'd been sick and was obviously in a deep sleep. Felt really uncared for and misunderstood.
At least, I got home by 5pm but I felt too upset and sick to eat properly so had a strange mixture of fruit salad, creme brulee and shredded wheat. I had eaten a forticreme mousse at the hospital so had had some proper nutrition there as well as a tuna wholemeal roll.
Got to sleep at a reasonable time last night and felt much better this morning. I've even been out on my own in the car on my own and did a little shopping locally so felt very proud and it has given me some confidence back.
Unfortunately, when I got back I tried to rush around a bit too much and made myself breathless as the man from the stairlift company was coming and I needed to move a few coats and shoes so he could measure properly. It was then that I found that hubby had unplugged the oxygen so got in a panic and had to move the oxygen condenser out of the understair cupboard and then the ironing board fell on me so got even more exhausted and breathless. It didn't occur to me to use the portable oxygen but when I looked later there was hardly any left so need to get hubby to change cylinders.
That reminds me, the oxygen company dropped off a paediatric oxygen cylinder on thursday afternoon. I have no idea why Pete accepted it as it is so tiny nor did he give them back the empty cylinders. Today I phoned the oxygen company to be told that my prescription said paediatric cylinders!! I said they'd sent me adult ones previously but the person said the law had been changed and told me to phone the surgery and get the prescription altered. I still don't understand what this has to do with a 'law change'!!! This I did but neither the receptionist or myself could understand which box to tick. She told me to phone the company!!! AAARRGGHHH. I phoned the oxygen company and she agreed to phone the surgery to sort it all out. I'm fed up with having to sort all these things out myself.
The other thing is the carer noticed my pressure sore is beginnning to break down so will have to be very careful now how I sit/lay but it is so difficult doing things on your side and if I lay on my left side to use my right arm then I'm laying on my left arm which is swollen with the lymphoedema and the skin breaks down very easily there.
Going back to write christmas cards now. I actually quite enjoy doing that.