Anniversary Musings

There's nothing like an anniversary to make one think and assess a situation. My husband and I are today celebrating 10 years of marriage and it feels wonderful. I have been thoroughly spoilt, I've had the best (but busy) day and I feel completely emotional! And now I guess I have to watch some football thing... :)

Anyhow, the key thing I am thinking is that I want there to be 10 more years and then some. My latest scans showed that the cancer is getting worse, but slowly I think, and the liver is still what we need to be careful of. None of the cancers can be treated or cured but we are going to manage the symptoms as they come and go to ensure I am comfortable and not in pain, can get on with and enjoy life stuff as much as possible and just try to be a little normal! And I think/hope that the fact I am feeling so much better in myself, I'm getting stronger physically and mentally, I can do more and do it more easily and I am getting on with life means more than the scans. I have so many wonderful people supporting me as well which means everything. And so maybe, just maybe, hoping for 10 more years isn't completely unreasonable.

And life goes on....

Once I got home, it was time to try to get back to some semblance of normality.  This wasn't the easiest at first.  We had to have my electric hospital bed downstairs and carers coming in twice a day at 7.00am and 9.30pm, which is a little restrictive but necessary.  We also had many, many phone calls and professional visits and appointments to manage - again necessary but a little overwhelming.  But people were doing their best for me and it was (and still is) very much appreciated - everyone was wonderful.  The best bit, of course, was visits from friends and family and it was lovely to catch up in my own home!

Fun at the beach!

I probably spent a month or two rehabilitating, as well as determining a plan of action to get on with life. I made plans with my manager about how to return to work, I joined the school's PTA, I started blogging money-saving ideas. And we did stuff as a family as much as we could.  As long as I was wearing my brace, I could pretty much carry on as normal.

Of course, there were a few blips here and there; my immune system is shot to pieces coping with the cancer, I guess.  The worst was high calcium levels, when calcium from the bone leaks into the blood system, making me exhausted, sick, loss of appetite, lack of concentration and confusion.  These episodes resulted in my ending up in the local hospice who are simply incredible.  They looked after me by giving the medicine and care needed to get me better and they got me home safe and well.  It's the most amazing place and we are so lucky to have it in our area.  It's a charity, so most of its budget comes from fundraising so any donations help!

On the whole, I was getting on with things really well.  I was phasing back into work and enjoying going into the office and seeing everyone - oh, and doing the work too!  We were doing loads of fun stuff as a family and I was being social with friends. Everything was - sort of - normal!