Endometrial cancer

Lampwork54
Regular Contributor

Re: Endometrial cancer

Sorry Budgie - meant to say all travelling from Berwick.  Long drive to Laverton!

Budgie
Super Contributor

Re: Endometrial cancer

I hear you.
Reply
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PhilPepper
Regular Contributor

Re: Endometrial cancer

Hi Lampwork 

 

I am very pleased to see your post. I was thinking this thread had dried up.  It seemed you, Ginger and I had dealt with our cancer treatments and just started getting on with life. Maybe we did?

 

I've been getting past my chemo blues.  Struggled to get though the last 3 out of 4 cycles. Apparently I am 1 in 20 who lack an enzyme to handle Capecitabine. They warned me at the start it could kill me and they were right. Don't care now. It's in the past, I'm on the mend and I consider my cancer treatment done and dusted. Still have to reverse my stoma in a few weeks and I have ongoing blood tests, CT scans and colonoscopy to spend my health insurance on in the coming years, but right now, I am considering myself cured. Just need to wait for the chemo side effects to vanish.

 

So recently, I started a new Job and I've been claiming back some independence and normal life activities. Then last week, things got turned upside down. My wife was seriously injured and was lucky to survive. I've had become the carer instead of being cared for. I had to be the one sleeping at home alone while she was in hospital. Thankfully she is recovering well and has been home since the weekend. It is still a contrast how I was facing a potentially slow death where I had to decide how to spend the rest of my days, while my wife had no time for such thoughts. Opposite ends of the same spectrum. The similarity though, how friends and family come out of the woodwork in support. Not just for the victim, but for the other family members too. It has helped me on my journey and I know my wife has been overwhelmed with the support and well wishes she has been receiving.

 

Someone said to me last week, that it's been a terrible year for us and we should be keen to sweep it under the carpet and start fresh next year. I look at it as being a challenging year. We've both been through a lot, both faced death and some serious treatment. But we've been very lucky and emerged as survivors. We have had a life/ death experience that most people could not imagine. I think it's made us both stronger and better people. Yet we are not counting our chickens too early, we both have a long journey ahead but I think we'll definitely be in a better position to deal with it in the future.

 

Anyhooo... i glad things are working out for you. It was good to hear from you again. Stay well, enjoy the warm weather and get ready for Christmas. The grand kids are already counting down.

 

🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅

🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲

🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁

☃️☃️☃️☃️☃️

🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌

 

All the best 

 

Phil

 

 

 

 

Budgie
Super Contributor

Re: Endometrial cancer

I'm glad to hear that your feeling better Phil, & hope your wife makes a very speedy recovery.  It just goes to show that you really can't tell what's going to happen , so we need to live our lives to the fullest & enjoy each moment we have together.   

I hope the stoma reversal goes well with no complications.  

Take care & eat lots of cheese 🧀

 

Budgie 

Lampwork54
Regular Contributor

Re: Endometrial cancer

Hi Phil,

 

What a rollercoaster for you!  Until your partner goes into hospital you don't realise how awful it is for the one at home.  My husband jumped off a table at a party with his sun glasses on - somehow misjudged the depth and did somethings to his feet, shins and legs.  Couldn't walk.  Few days in hospital.  Not life threatening and I found it to be really stressful.  I am really glad your wife survived and is getting better.  It certainly puts everything into perspective.  We only have right now.  No one knows what is around the corner and that's probably a good thing.  

 

I'm also glad that you've finished your chemotherapy.  Yes, consider yourself cured and move forward and onward somehow.  Every day is the best day from now on because you'll both be very grateful to have survived and possibly learned great coping skills for whatever happens in the future.  2019 has been a challenging year!  It's also been a year full of love, support, happiness - perhaps bit harder to find - joy, laughter and dark humour.  Not all bad.

 

I had a lovely phone call from my youngest son yesterday on way to meeting.  He asked me how I was and he gave me a thorough scolding.  Had I taken recent blood tests?  Was I taking any iron?  Yes, I put the sachets of liquid iron near the kettle 3 weeks ago but hadn't taken any.  Why?  I don't have juice to put it in.  Why?  I'm too tired to go to supermarket.  He told me to send him shopping lists, for goodness sake!  What was I eating?  Told him not much.  I'd had to ask my husband to make me eat a small meal with him every night recently as I could go days without eating and would often lie to him that I had already eaten before he came home.  After that confession, I made heaps of mashed carrots, endive, red cabbage and potato - separate (not together) meals,  about 2 weeks worth of spaghetti bolognese, easy to eat and frozen meals ready for weeks ahead.  Can't face soup although am about to make a big pea and ham soup.  He asked me if I had been back to Naturopath?  No.  He was getting a bit annoyed and said that if I was one of my own children, what would I do.  He says I'd be dragging them to the Naturopath and force feeding them by now.  I have to lift my game or he's going to be really annoyed.  He's going to make me one of his super soups.  

 

It actually gave me a wake up call. I need to do better.  Went to supermarket on way home from meeting.  Bought juice and actually put the liquid iron in it and drank the whole thing!  I am going to do better.  Somehow I was waiting for appetite to return but it still hasn't and I find it incredibly hard to eat when not hungry.  It's just so unnatural.  I think in the meantime I have to set some eating goals and at least try to drink the fortified chocolate milk drink.  I can't seem to face them yet have a whole carton still waiting to be used.  

 

I've also learned to stop pretending I'm fine.  I'm not.  This is the hard part of the journey I guess and frustrating because you think it should be all over by now.  The Professor of Radiotherapy told me there's no exact time and date that the after effects will cease.  It's now about managing one kind of food intake until the appetite returns.  What if it never does?  Ha Ha!  I've just worked out that I am 2 months exactly post treatment so it might still resolve.  

 

I have news on teeth!  First fitting 13th January and lots of appointments through to March.  Bad news - no teeth for Christmas!!  I will have to come up with a very soft and easy to eat Christmas food this year but also celebrate that I'm here for Christmas so I'm looking forward to it.  I absolutely love Christmas and my grandchildren do too.  It's a lovely time of year.  I hope you enjoy Christmas with your family too Phil and treasure your wife.  Such a lucky escape.  

 

The company that bought our business paid everyone 3 days out of 10 days in their fortnightly pay run Tuesday just past.  Liquidators had only enough to pay that amount.  They then terminated most of their employees on the same day with no holiday pay or long service leave.  People were devastated.  Young families with mortgages and bills.  Out of work just before Christmas and unlikely to quickly find a new job before Christmas.  We were ok.  We will survive a 3 day pay and we weren't terminated.  Apparently we will get a full fortnight pay next fortnight.  If new company buys us we will move over to them in January and be paid all the way through as we have clients and work that has to be finished.  That's a blessing under the horrendous circumstances.  

 

It's going to be a hard Christmas for many people.  All the bushfire victims will struggle as well.  We all need to count our blessings because in the scheme of life, we're all very lucky to be here today.  

 

You'll be very happy to know Phil that I can now eat a cheese toastie if I break it up into tiny pieces.  Life can only get better. x

 

 

Lampwork54
Regular Contributor

Re: Endometrial cancer

P.S.  My bees are arriving today.  Very excited.  Will post pictures.

Budgie
Super Contributor

Re: Endometrial cancer

How wonderful. Have you had bees before? Homegrown honey - YUM! 🐝🐝🐝
Lampwork54
Regular Contributor

Re: Endometrial cancer

Bees arrived this morning.  Very exciting times!bee hive.jpg

PhilPepper
Regular Contributor

Re: Endometrial cancer

Thanks Budgie. 

 

Soft cheese is my goal. As soon as Pepper is stitch back up and poked back inside. Soft cheese is on the menu.

 

😁😁😁😁😁

Eddymu
Occasional Contributor

Re: Endometrial cancer

Enjoyed reading this whole post guys. I also had endometrial cancer and had surgery and radiation treatment- had to live away from home for the entire time. Was feeling a bit down in the dumps this evening and it cheered me up no end. What is the new normal- I’m not sure. People assume all is back to normal but it’s not. 

Thanks for your entertaining thread. 

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