Category Archives: Me in…

Me, Right Now…an update

Posted on by
12

Four weeks ago today I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer.

A lot has happened to me during those weeks, but the last visit to the hospital on 29th July resulted in the knowledge that by removing my womb, my cancer went with it. Wonderful news!

I’m so glad I remained positive and cheerful throughout those 4 weeks, the many trips to hospital and the many phone calls both made and received. I am sure it will help me with the next steps.

The surgery also removed everything in the pelvis area that ‘you don’t need, including your appendix’ the surgeon told me. Unfortunately, I have been left with a “high risk” of the cancer re-occurring in the one place I have left. The top of my vagina, now stitched closed at the join where my cervix was and the lymph nodes in the pelvic area. So, the oncologist has advised me to have 25 sessions of radiotherapy to give me the best chance. As soon as I am recovered from the surgery the next stage will begin. 5 daily sessions at the Bristol hospital for 5 weeks.

I am praying for strength and positivity to get me through. Can I ask you to send your prayers/positive thoughts out to me again? You have all been so wonderful to me during the past few weeks. I have had so many cards, e-mails, comments on my blog and get well wishes on Instagram that I have been truly overwhelmed.

Before I went in to hospital for my operation I punched hearts out of card stock and wrote on the back of each one the names of my family, friends, blog friends, IG friends and people I hardly know then I put the paper hearts into a pretty box and took it with me. A box of love sat on my table for 5 days. Now I have put them into a box frame and hung it on my wall right here where I can see them each time I spend a little time on my Mac.

Thank you again for all the love. You are very special people x

Every heart carries a message of love

Box-of-love

I am still posting to Instagram, you can find me here.

Me on Tuesday and SoC5 Week 6

Posted on by
26

Some of you very kindly asked me to update you on my progress.

All tests, scans, bloods and paperwork are now complete ready for my surgery on Thursday 16th July. This week!

Thank you for all the lovely comments and e-mails of love and support. I will take them all with me in my heart.

I have a ‘Pair’ Scheduled for Helenas meme tomorrow and hopefully I will have the last digital postcard for Summer of Colour 5 ready before I take some time for R&R for a few days.

I’ll keep you posted.

IMG_6262

Summer of Colour Week 6

I couldn’t sleep last night so I made a digital postcard for The Summer of Colour5, week 6, the last week. I have really enjoyed making the cards and posting to those of you that kindly said yes. If you would like a postcard of this weeks colour I will gladly post one to you.

This weeks colour pallet is Orange+Orange+Blue but I mis-read it as Blue+Blue+Orange

SoC5-week-6-birds

Thank you so much Kristin for once again hosting this lovely annual celebration of colour.

Me Right Now

Posted on by
20

My whole world changed on the last day of June 2015, just a week ago tomorrow. Since January 2015 I have been having some health issues. Oh! how disconnected that little phrase sounds. Investigations followed a visit to my GP: bloods, scans, examinations, operation, biopsy then result.

There’s no easy or gentle way to tell you that I have been diagnosed with Endometrial Cancer.

By the end of the week I will have had a CT scan and will have a date for my surgery: total hysterectomy. My consultant told me it will be a success and I will go on to live a long and full life. He also said I was young (in the operation & recovery sense I supposed), I feel the poor man is either loosing his sight or needs new glasses!

I am absolutely fine, strong as an ox mentally if not physically! I believe the operation will successfully remove the cancer. Obviously, there is the possibility that it has gone elsewhere, but a scan in my local hospital on Friday 10th will have the answer to that. Unfortunately I won’t know until just before my Op.

I am choosing to believe what my consultant told me.
I am choosing to believe that once free of the bits of me that are causing pain and sleepless nights I will be well again.
I am choosing to go through a rough few months with a positive mind set.
I promise to be a good patient for Paul who is my rock (this will be the hardest thing for me).

Ben & Lotta have been wonderful; as have my family and friends who sprinkle my day with texts, phone calls and laughter. Ben made me laugh so much after he looked up the details of my operation and said, “Oh! definitely no brother or sister then?”. A very funny 26 year old young man…

To people that don’t understand blogging, posting this is a strange thing to do, but as I have so many of you and your families in my constant thoughts, it seems natural for me to ask you – my blogging friends – to add me to your thoughts and prayers.

I am keeping my hands busy and my mind occupied, which is why I’m still posting to Instagram, still taking pictures and still blogging: all be it at a reduced frequency. I do feel I overloaded myself in June! Typical of me!

Please send all positive thoughts and good vibrations here

IMG_9834

Me in April

Posted on by
12

Bluebells-Leigh-Woods

Bluebells in Leigh Wood Bristol.

When I look back at my photos for April, weather-wise, it was dry and sunny most of the time.
I like April, it feels fresh and new somehow. Probably because the verges are bright with daffodils, then the wild primroses, followed by the bluebells.
There seems to be hope in the air as the garden comes to life and the birds are nesting and singing.

I returned the greenhouse to a greenhouse. Over the winter it becomes yet another place to ‘chuck’ things, the grapevine is a tangled wildness and beneath it all, garden chairs!
I spent a little time in the garden every day with the new secateurs. (“Oh! Wow! Is this what they are supposed to do?”)
I am bringing on some geraniums and other colour for the baskets & pots and have planted some night scented stock seeds.
April saw Easter and a house full of family and chocolate.
April brought an evening at the theatre watching ‘The Full Monty’ on stage. A wonderful, joyful, uplifting play which had the audience, including me, screaming with laughter.
My camera, (dslr & phone) have been in constant use. I have taken a lot (even by my standards) of pictures this month having taken on a number of photographic challenges.

Capture your 365 with Katrina Kennedy. Katrina sets a daily prompt, which I mostly follow. This is my 5th year so I think I can say it is a habit.
I started #The 100 day project on Instagram. My intention is to post a piece of digital art every day for 100 days. I have missed making digital art since Bonnie at Pixel Dust Photo Art stopped running her gallery. I am loving this practice so much.
Every few months I like to do a daily A-Z of the month, April this time! I posted this self imposed challenge to Flickr.

Another self imposed Instagram challenge “This made me smile” has seen me posting to IG every day this month. These two challenges were ‘up & running’ before I found The 100 Day project. I think I have the hang of IG now.
Ben’s birthday brings memories and wistful sentences starting with “where has all the time gone?” and “do you remember…?”
He was away for his birthday, having a great time visiting art galleries in Amsterdam 😉 He surprised me last week by taking me for a cream tea in a beautiful hotel, ‘somewhere’ on Dartmoor. He thought it would be nice to spend the day together (+ dog). Ben is brilliant at stopping the car for a photo op every few minutes!
Now to plan a lovely day playing and editing the photo’s.

April was a good month for me. Thank you to Sian who’s good idea this is.

Bluebell wood

Bluebells in The woods at Kewstoke, WSM.

Me in March

Posted on by
7

March came and went, well, like a March hare really

March is such a strange month for me.

On the down side March is a month full of anniversaries that I find hard to ignore.
Mum, Dad, Grandmother, Grandfather, Nephew and Brother all passed away in March.

On the up side in March we had St. Patricks Day, Mothering Sunday, the first day of Spring, the clocks went forward and the kerb sides are awash with spring bulbs which brightens up the world around me. The mornings are lighter; the birds are nest building and singing later into the evening. We had some lovely weather and some great days out in March.
We only have one family birthday to celebrate this month: Happy Birthday Simon J.

I am always pleased to see the last day of the month if I’m honest. I will ring my brother or he will ring me today to say Hi, we made it! And this year we have a lovely family Easter to look forward to.
I have also been page folding during March but that’s for another post.

It’s April 9th today, that’s one quarter of the year gone already! Happy Days. Easter has come and gone and left us some fabulous weather. I hope it’s good for you too.

Primroses