Stroke Update, Eyes, Breast Pain and Here Come the Side Effects.

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Dee Rutty

It is now just over a week since Ray’s last visit to the hospital so I thought it was time I updated on his progress. There is no change in his speech, he still has the lisp which sounds quite cute, there is something very endearing about it. There is also no change with the difficulty chewing and swallowing. Ray wakes up in the morning with pain, but once he has taken the first dose of Tramadol and then continues to take it regularly, it is bearable and under control for the remainder of the day.

Ray had an appointment with his GP on Monday as his sickness certificate had expired, Dr Hussain has now signed Ray off work until the 9^th of February 2015. Since having the continual pain, and with not being able to do much, Ray has been feeling low, so they discussed him having anti-depressants, Ray felt it was best for him to start taking them before giving it a chance to take hold so now has these to take too. It is fortunate we decided to buy a Prescription Pre-Payment Card, as Ray now has four different types of tablets to take each day.

Ray taken on our holiday to Cumbria in June

This morning two letters from hospitals arrived, one was a copy of the report sent from Wycombe Hospital to Ray’s GP, it has details of his diagnosis in proper medical terms, so here it is:

Left hypoglossal nervy palsy – due to left internal carotid aneurysm dissection at skull base.

Ray has felt well enough to come with me for my Radiotherapy since Wednesday, it is so good to have his company, in this and at home. I think I would be feeling very lonely without him, although I would like the circumstances to be different, I am grateful he is home with me.

The other letter was for me, from King Edward VII Hospital, with an appointment for the Pre-Op Assessment Clinic on 14^th January at the Prince Charles Eye Unit. This is in preparation for the removal of the Scleral Buckle in my left eye. All being well, the operation will be done around two weeks later, ah, just in time for my birthday then. I hope that the removal will not cause so much disturbance as occurred when it was fitted. I had a general anaesthetic for the fitting, for the removal I will be having local anaesthetic only, I am very nervous about this, but I have resolved that if Ray can get himself in the MRI Scanner, then I can cope with being conscious for my eye operation. Fingers crossed!

This photo was taken a few days after the operation.

And now, back to breasts! You may recall that I had asked one of the Radiotherapists about the discomfort in my right breast, the staff had reviewed my scans and apparently it is being caused by two Seroma in the breast putting pressure on the remaining breast tissue. If the seroma get any larger and begin to distort the measurements then they will need to do something about them, but for now it’s a case of grin and bear it.

Yesterday evening I began to feel some itchiness in the skin between my breasts, it has persisted today. Putting my bra on this morning, I noticed that the skin was tender where it touches my skin particularly around the bottom band, so begin the side effects of the Radiotherapy.

I mentioned it today at my treatment session, the advice was to switch to E45 cream and to make up Camomile Tea, wait for it to cool and bathe my skin with it. I will try these suggestions out, sitting here this evening, even my ‘crop top’ bra is making me feel sore, trouble is that going unsupported is uncomfortable, swinging about on the loose is not pleasant for tender boobies.

Today’s update – Angelic Warrior.

Posted on December 10, 2014December 30, 2014 by Dee Rutty

So Wycombe Hospital, Medical Day Unit Assessment Clinic (MDUAC), here we are again. It has to be said that all the staff we have met, related to both my breast cancer, and Ray’s stroke have been awesome. At the MDUAC today Nurse Bridget was taking care of Ray again, she was great last time we were there and was lovely today too. Ray was being sent for his MRI as early as possible so that we could leave on time for my Radiotherapy, he had 10 mg of Diazepam, Ray was less stressed this time which was a relief. However when he was having the MRI he couldn’t cope with it and had to have the scan aborted. He was brought out to calm down, and after some discussion and persuasion we agreed that Ray would give it another try with me going in with him. So I had to quickly fill out a medical form and strip off everything I had on made from metal. So in we went, Ray was set up with headphones ready for his AC/DC ‘Back in Black’ CD and had the cage put round his head. I was given a plastic chair and ear defenders, at the last minute I remembered that I was still wearing my metal framed glasses, so I took them off and put then down next to my chair. I spent the whole time Ray was in the scanner holding his hand and stroking his leg, and the good news is that Ray managed to stay in the scanner long enough for the images to be taken, Yay!!! So I am his angel of mercy 🙂 a calming presence to keep him strong 🙂 When I went to put my glasses back on, they had moved four feet away across the floor from where I had left them!

So the results are that Ray’s problem has not got worse which is excellent news. He has a dissection of the Left Carotid Artery (I think it is the ‘Common’ one) causing an Aneurysm (a balloon-like bulge in the wall of the Artery), the Artery has three layers and it is the innermost layer which has become damaged and allowed blood to get between the walls. This Dissection is a tear under which blood has collected causing a restriction and reducing the oxygen to the nerve (nerve 12) and also swelling and pressurising the nerve, this nerve controls the left side of the tongue and throat. At present it is expected that the Dissection will heal but this will take around six to eight months. If there is no improvement then Dr Burns will consider putting a Stent in to the Artery or to Seal it up completely. They are both risky procedures but the first is less risky than the second so will only be carried out if absolutely necessary.

Dr Burns wants Ray to rest as much as possible until the new year, he has advised against doing any entertaining over Christmas, just to keep things calm and quiet. Ray will have a follow up appointment in January to see how things are going. Another good result is that Ray has at last been given some decent pain relief, he has Tramadol, the drug he had requested at the Doctors on Monday but they were unwilling to prescribe it as it is a controlled drug. So on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the most painful, Ray’s pain today has gone from an 8 to a 2, this is so much better for him as the pain was really getting him down. Dr Aubrietia came to see Ray and we talked about Ray’s limitations whilst he recovers. Ray is not to do anything involving twisting his head quickly, so no driving or golf, no sports generally, and as he was too embarrassed to ask, I said what about sex, it appears that this is also off the menu unless we can manage it without raising Ray’s blood pressure! Just as well there is so much more to our relationship that sex 😉 After Ray was discharged from the ward, we headed off to Mount Vernon Hospital for my first Radiotherapy Treatment. Fortunately it was a good journey and we had time to buy some more reduced charge parking tokens and to have a coffee and cake in the café. I have become so accustomed to being treated in the Breast Unit that I forget that the Radiotherapy Department deals with all kinds of cancers, there was another lady waiting for her session who was having the treatment for Bowel Cancer. After a shortish wait, I was called in, I was asked to strip off everything from the waist up, and then to lay on the platform, I told the Radiographers that this was just perfect as I have been looking forward to a rest all day! The two Radiographers spent a long time checking the measurements, moving me around so that my Tattoo dots were lined up with the laser light correctly. Once I was positioned for my right breast, they left the room, took an x-ray to check that all was correctly placed, then began the treatment.

The procedure was the same for my left breast, the actual Radiotherapy didn’t take long at all, I was allowed to have a sheet of paper to cover me up, and this actually helped to keep me from getting frozen. Once the treatment was finished, I got dressed and Ray and I set off for home. We got back just after five.

After a stressful day, I went and laid down for half an hour before dinner as I felt so tired, it was wonderful to stretch myself out after spending most of the day in an uncomfortable upright chair. I need to get myself off to bed so good night all, may the Angels hold you as you sleep ❤ 2012-06-03 17.54.17

A Scare In the Night-time

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Dee Rutty

I have not been sleeping very well over the last few days, as a consequence I have been lacking in energy and motivation, Ray and I have been slowly working our way through getting the remaining kitchen contents back in to the kitchen, but there is still a little way to go before we can start eating in the dining room again.

Friday morning Ray and I had a few errands to run before heading back home to wait in for the new appliances to arrive. I was so tired I went for a late afternoon nap. The cooker and washing machine arrived while I was asleep, when I woke up Ray had been trying to level the cooker on his own. He shouldn’t have been doing that as it meant that he had to get down on the floor to adjust the feet whilst lifting the front of the cooker, bad boy!

It is fantastic to have an oven which works properly and a washing machine that doesn’t leak water and manages to complete a full spin cycle, simply marvellous!

When we went to bed I was wide awake, I read for ages but still didn’t feel sleepy and then my legs started getting restless so I gave in and went downstairs for a few hours. I eventually felt tired enough to go to back to bed just before 3 am. I had just got under the covers when Ray sat up, I asked if he was okay, he said no, he felt nauseous, had tingling down his right arm and his head was very painful again, all these symptoms were the same as those he had for the first TIA on 18^th November. I phoned the CSRU to ask for advice and was told to call for an ambulance, so I called 111 and the ambulance was on its way. We both got dressed just in case Ray needed to be taken to the hospital and went downstairs to wait. When the Gavin and Charlie the paramedics arrived, they went through all the usual checks for Stroke patients, took Ray’s observations and called the CSRU to talk through with a doctor if Ray needed to be taken in or could stay home. There were several calls back and forth after which we talked the issues through with Gavin and Charlie, we decided that there was not really anything to be gained by taking Ray to A&E and if Ray had any further problems over the weekend that we should call 999.

On Monday Ray will phone Dr Aubrietia on Monday to let her know what had happened to ask if he needs to be seen before the pre-planned check-up in 3-4 weeks’ time and any other things he needs to know about after this, his third TIA.

After Gavin and Charlie had gone, Ray and I went back to bed, needless to say we both felt rough on Saturday and didn’t do anything. During the morning I started with a stomach upset which has now thankfully improved.

Today Ray and I have got the dining room sorted out and have had our meal at the table for the first time in weeks. Megan has vacuumed through the house and cooked Sunday Dinner, she is the best daughter. Josh has put all the emptied boxes back in the loft for us, we are lucky to have such helpful ‘children’, they are great!

Our beautiful Megan

Our Handsome Josh and his lovely girlfriend Liza

A Quiet Few Days

Posted on December 4, 2014December 4, 2014 by Dee Rutty

A new week and a new month, so now we have December, Radiotherapy month begins. On Monday my lovely friend Jan came to visit, she brought a bunch of daffodils, a little promise of spring to cheer a gloomy December day.

We told her all about our adventures over the last week or so, we probably bored her silly! The rest of the day was uneventful, ah, but I am forgetting, our oven decided that it had been limping along for long enough. And now, just before Christmas might be a good time to throw a wobbly and switch off the gas to the main oven in a thoroughly unpredictable manner, as we discovered when Liza and Josh took their pizza out to find that it hadn’t been properly cooked. That explains why yesterday’s roast Pork wasn’t ready when it should have been.

Later, in the afternoon John, the vicar at Ray’s church came to visit, he is such a calm cheerful person, a welcome gift of peacefulness after a stressful week.

Tuesday, we received our first Christmas card!! Thank you Sarah 🙂 Ray and I took Shadow for a gentle walk to the park, then home to think about the cooker issue. Ray knew that the problem was a malfunctioning thermostatic valve, so we went to the two electrical appliance shops in town to ask about getting it repaired, but both said that it wasn’t worth the expense and it would be more cost effective to replace it.

After having a chat about it Ray and I decided that some money we have been saving for a nice holiday we would instead use some of it to buy a new cooker. And as our rather aged 11+ years old washing machine is also whining and complaining to such an extent that it aborts on the spin cycle and beeps out an error message, we will replace it at the same time.

So Ray spent the afternoon researching possible replacements on-line and we chose which cooker and machine to order.

Wednesday we were due to go back to Wycombe Hospital for Ray to have the ‘Full Darth Vader Mask’ MRI Scan with full IV sedation, but Dr Aubrietia phoned to say that Dr Burns (Stroke Specialist) and Dr Jackson (Neurologist) had been looking more closely at the scan images they already had, and were sure that they could see where the problem was. So Ray did not need to have another MRI Scan, the plan is that both Doctors will take the scan images with them to show to another more senior specialist at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford next week. If he agrees with their opinion then they will be able to decide on a treatment plan. So now we wait, but at least we are saved the stress of getting Ray in to the ‘Darth Vader’ Scanner mask again, for the time being….

Thursday, another quiet day beginning with a walk with Shadow. I have noticed over the last few days that I have had pain in my right shoulder and that my upper arms are feeling tense. So I have been making more of an effort to do my exercises to help ease the muscles and tendons. I got out of the habit of doing my twice daily routine after all the trauma and rushing about last week. Hopefully I will be able to loosen everything up and build up to the recommended three times each day ready for Radiotherapy next week.

I have noticed that my right breast and shoulder area have been giving me trouble intermittently, and to a lesser extent, have had discomfort in my left breast. I find that it strikes after I have lifted anything with some weight to it, carrying milk from the supermarket trolley to the car and then in to the kitchen is a common culprit. I am still taking Co-Codamol before bed as this is when I get the most pain in my right shoulder and aching breasts, during the day I am managing with Ibuprofen as and when required. It amazes me how many everyday actions use chest muscles, even yawning can pull on my chest. I’ve been getting a lot of pain in my legs, my thigh bones are hurting when I get up off the couch and the pain when I get in to bed keeps me awake. I have no idea what this is all about, perhaps it is just to do with getting older.

But I am otherwise healthy, have the best husband in the world, and a loving family and friends who are all there for me, without them things would be very different. I have so much to be grateful for, there are so many things money can’t buy, like a good laugh with Ray over our sex life – sadly on hold, as well as the ‘breast’ issue, I’m worried about raising Ray’s blood pressure and pulse rate, I don’t want him collapsing on me!! And Bear hugs are still off the menu, however, we can manage a cuddle, a snuggle, and a smooch, under the present circumstances, who could ask for more than that?

A Better Frame of Mind

Posted on November 30, 2014 by Dee Rutty

After yesterday’s mammoth essay, today’s post will be an easier read, I promise!

This morning, as Ray and I had our customary coffee in bed, we were talking about what has been going on in our lives over the last few weeks, and I resolved to be more positive today. Yes, Ray and I do have significant health problems, but as Ray says, they could be worse, my Bi-lateral Breast Cancer was caught early and Ray could have been much more badly affected by his TIA. Ray’s tongue and throat semi-paralysis have not improved since they first appeared, this means that he now speaks with a lisp and has to be careful when eating and drinking as there is a risk of debris going down his Trachea (Wind Pipe). Ray’s speech is variable, sometimes he just has the lisp and at other times the impediment is more pronounced and I have to ask him to repeat what he has said, although I am slowly learning to decipher more easily what Ray is saying. Eating a meal takes him a lot longer than it used to, the Doctors have not been able to say if these problems will improve with time.

After breakfast, Ray and I went to get some groceries, and since neither of us are able to carry very much we only got the essentials and distributed the weight over several bags.

Ray and I on my company Summer Party, a boat trip down the Thames, before Cancer and TIA were part of our daily lives.

My chest pain has eased today, I have managed with Neurofen Plus, but the swelling in my right breast is still the same. This afternoon Ray and I didn’t feel up to doing any kitchen sorting, so instead we have watched ‘Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang’, perfect Sunday afternoon viewing 🙂

My body must be recovering from the stresses of the past week as I have managed without a nap this afternoon. We have just finished eating a lovely Roast Pork Sunday Dinner, beautifully cooked by Megan, who has also offered to cook Christmas Dinner. She doesn’t like our suggestion of her boning, stuffing and rolling the Turkey, though actually, that does sound rather rude!

I Just Want To Cry, Why Does This Have To Be So Hard?

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Dee Rutty

It is seven days since I last posted, days which have been potentially among the most stressful of my life.

This post is mostly about TIA (Transient Ischaemic Attack or Mini Stroke), the subject has rather taken over from my breast cancer over the last few days and has had a massive impact on how I am feeling both physically and emotionally.

Sunday, there is no change with Ray, he still has pain in his neck and head and his tongue is still not working on the left side. I have insisted that we are going back to the Doctors on Monday.

Dr Hussain completed the same checks on Ray as he had with Dr Firth on Thursday morning, but the tongue semi-paralysis didn’t start until the Thursday afternoon so he looked carefully at Ray’s mouth and tongue. Dr Hussain was concerned about this development and phoned the CSRU (Cardiac and Stroke Receiving Unit) at Wycombe Hospital asking for Ray to been seen urgently. Ray and I went home to wait for the call. Mid-afternoon Ray had just made us both a coffee and the phone rang, it was the hospital asking us to come in straight away, and so we abandoned our drinks and set off.

Ray was checked thoroughly by the nurses and doctors, had an ECG and a CT (Computerised Tomography) Scan of his head. His symptoms are very unusual apparently, so there have been lots of different doctors asking what happened and when. They decided that Ray had probably had a TIA (Transient Ischaemic Attack or Mini Stroke) and that the best course of action was to have an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Scan to confirm it, but the Radiographers had left for the evening, so we were asked to come back again the next day.

Ray were at Wycombe Hospital all day again on Tuesday, we started at the TIA Clinic and were then taken to the Radiography Department for the MRI Scan. After a short wait Ray was asked to remove anything containing metal and was taken off for his scan. He wasn’t gone very long before one of the Radiographers came to say he had finished, but when I walked round to meet him he was in a terrible state. Ray gets claustrophobia but is normally very good at keeping it under control, the MRI Scanner was just too much for him, and as Ray had a panic attack the procedure had to be stopped. So when Ray felt well enough we were taken back to the TIA Clinic.

So the only other option was to send Ray for a CT Contrast Scan, this would be to identify any breaks or blockages in the veins in his head and neck. The contrast scan uses Iodine-based Contrast Material given by injection into a vein (intravenously), contrast agent is used to enhance the images produced by CT scans.

Whilst waiting, I sat and read my book, it gradually occurred to me that the scan seemed to be taking a long time. Then one of the Radiotherapy staff came and asked me to come through as the Radiotherapy Department Doctor would like to speak to me. I was taken to an office where the Doctor explained that Ray had an adverse reaction to the Iodine Contrast Material and had suffered an anaphylactic shock (a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction). But was now stable after receiving IV antihistamines and steroids and would be on close observations for the next eight hours. I was stunned, the Doctor asked if I had any questions and I had no idea what to say. I was allowed in to see Ray, he looked terrible, he was on oxygen, his eyes were red, they looked like he had a bad case of conjunctivitis, and his eyelids were very puffy like he had been punched in both eyes. Ray’s skin was all red and he was very hot to the touch. Apparently his blood pressure and oxygen levels had dropped dangerously low he had a rapid, weak pulse and had vomited.

Ray remembers that as soon as the scan had been completed he began to feel unwell, he told the staff he was feeling odd and continued to describe each new symptom as it happened so that they were able to assess his condition and what drugs were needed to counteract the reaction, he says the staff all reacted very quickly. He remembers there being three doctors and five nurses/radiotherapy staff all working to deal with the anaphylaxis, at one point, one of the doctors had Ray’s legs up in the air resting against his shoulders to maximise the flow of blood to Ray’s brain.

Once Ray had recovered sufficiently he was transferred back to the CSRU (Cardiac and Stroke Receiving Unit) where we had spent Monday afternoon.

A student nurse stayed with us for the first half hour, during which time the rash on Ray’s skin became lumpy as the reaction cleared through his system. After his observations had settled down, Ray was moved to a more comfortable bed where we stayed for the next few hours. The Neurology Consultant came to see Ray and said that it was now essential that they get an MRI Scan, he suspects that an artery in Ray’s neck has torn which is causing the symptoms but that before he could decide the best treatment he needed to have the scan images to assess the damage. He told us that Ray would be kept in overnight and would have the MRI Scan on Wednesday, Ray could have Valium (Diazepam) to relax him enough to tolerate being confined in the machine.

My lovely husband, this was taken after all the rash had subsided, I should have taken one when he first came out of Radiology but I had other worries 😦

I should explain that Ray and I are both 51, not an age you would expect to be worried about having a stroke, Ray has not smoked since his 20’s, he exercises regularly, is comfortably cuddly and does enjoy red wine so not even a high risk candidate.

It was agreed that Ray would be transferred to a ward and go on the list for a sedated MRI Scan the next day. Josh drove from home to bring two AC/DC CD’s that Ray had asked for to listen to whilst in the scanner to help block everything out. Josh and Liza popped in to see Ray briefly and as soon as they had left to go home a nurse came to take Ray up to ward 8. I went up with them so that I would know where to find Ray when I came back the following day. I then came home, had a quick snack, a short chat with Josh, Liza and Megan and then took myself off to bed.

I didn’t sleep very well, I never do when Ray is not home, and I felt quite rough when I got out of bed. I had intended to gradually ease myself back in to driving but have been thrown in at the deep end and my right breast, armpit and shoulder are aching.

Ray phoned, he was very upset, feeling low and worried about the MRI Scan, after talking with him for a while he was a little better and asked me to get in touch with his Director. Soon after having breakfast I telephoned Ray’s work to update them, responded to some messages and went back to bed for an hour or two.

I felt much better when I woke up, I telephoned the ward to ask how Ray was getting on, he still hadn’t had his scan but was otherwise OK so I just had time to have some lunch and head out in time for visiting time at 3 pm.

The MRI Scanner had been really busy so Ray didn’t get to have a scan, so we were sent home in time for dinner. We will be going back to hospital again tomorrow and having another attempt at having the MRI Scan.

So Thursday morning we are up and out early to get to Wycombe for 9 am to check in with the Medical Day Unit Assessment Clinic (MDUAC). Ray was booked for an 11:00 am MRI Scan so was given 10 mg Diazepam an hour before, Ray tried to relax on the bed with AC/DC playing very loudly, I could tell what track was playing even with him listening through ear buds! Ray was very stressed about having the scan, the Radiographer assured him that they would be using the ‘Cage Frame’ rather what she called a ‘Full Darth Vader Mask’ which is what had been used on Tuesday’s MRI. Whist Ray and I waited outside the scan room he was still listening to AC/DC and had given the radiographer his CD to be played while he had the scan, I tried my best to calm him by gently massaging his shoulders. When Ray was taken in to the scanner I was able to watch through the window as it was all set up for him, he asked for the headphones and his music as soon as he was on the scanner bed. When they were all set up the radiographers came out of the scanner room and closed the door, at which point I went to sit and wait for him to be brought out. At last Ray was brought out and we returned to MDUAC to wait for the results, after a while Dr Burns, the Stroke Consultant came to see us. The scan had still not produced the detail they needed so he would speak to the Neurology Consultant and decide the next step would be. He came back a short while later to say that they had decided to do a Lumbar Puncture, which among other things would confirm if there had been any bleeding in to Ray’s brain. Dr Burns Registrar, Aubrietia, would be doing the procedure the same afternoon and if the result was inconclusive Ray was booked in to have the ‘Full Darth Vader Mask’ MRI next Wednesday with full IV sedation. Ray had to lay flat for 1 – 2 hours, the MDUAC closed at 5:00 pm so Ray was transferred back to the TIA Clinic room on ward 8 to wait for the initial results from the Lumbar Puncture.

Dr Burns came to see us, the pathology results had confirmed that there was no bleeding in Ray’s brain, there were two other tests being done on Ray’s spinal fluid but as these would not be completed for a few more hours he allowed me to bring Ray home. So thankfully, we have a few days off until Ray’s next appointment next Wednesday. Fortunately Ray has recovered well from the Lumbar Puncture, other than feeling sore and tired has no other ill effects.

So Friday and today we have done as little as possible, we have done a little bit towards getting things back in to the kitchen cupboards. Today Megan helped out, she used Ray’s circular saw to cut some more shelves for the wall cupboards, so we can get those finished off when we can stir up the energy.

This past week has been awful, the stress and anxiety about Ray and the to-ing and fro-ing to the hospital have taken their toll. By breasts are sore again, the swelling in my right breast was subsiding but has now in creased to the same level as during the first few days after my operation. My shoulder muscles ache and I have pain in my upper chest from the driving. I have had times when I have felt so exhausted that I just didn’t know what to do with myself.

Saturday – This morning I found my anger, Ray and I are only 51, we both have life altering/threatening conditions and I’m angry about it. Ray and I work hard to keep our heads above water, we are looking forward to spending our retirement together and this keeps us going. Now illness is challenging us in many respects, I have been on half pay since my operation, but the outgoings are still the same, so I may have to consider my options. I know that I am not well enough to go back to work full time yet, and after four days of driving a distance similar to that of my journey to work, realise that I will probably not be able to work half days and then drive for my Radiotherapy Treatments without becoming completely exhausted. Some tough decisions to be made.

Bathroom Bliss, Poorly Husband and Visit from a Friend

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Dee Rutty

Wednesday was reasonably peaceful, I got some more things back in to the kitchen, there is so much still in boxes that I am not sure it is all going to fit in the cupboards! It has been a slow process, I have learned to make sure I rest between periods of activity. And the bathroom is as good as finished, all that needs to be done now is the ceiling light to go up and the extractor fan cover to be fitted. The Electricians arrived to do this on Friday afternoon, just as we were on our way out for a hospital appointment, so we had to leave them to lock up when they had finished. It looks great, so good to have a shiny new bathroom suite.

And the kitchen looks great too, but I’m not sure if my shabby chic accessories will look right in a sparkly new room

Tuesday evening, Ray had a migraine and went to bed early, he went to work on Wednesday but was still unwell and came home in the early afternoon and went straight to bed. He has been vomiting (sorry, TMI) and hasn’t been able to keep any solids down since Monday. His vision is disturbed, he says it is like he has had too much to drink and he has pain up one side of his neck and his head feels pressured.

So Thursday morning we went to the Doctors, Dr Firth checked him over thoroughly and the outcome was stress induced tension headache, she prescribed Diazepam to relax the muscles in his neck and he has a sickness certificate until Monday 1^st December. Her advice is to spend the time relaxing, for us to go for gentle walks and for him to do things he enjoys. I have been worried about him for some time, he is such a kind man and is literally generous to a fault – the fault being that he puts other people’s needs before his own, and is so conscientious at work that he burns himself out. He has been saying that he is fine and that he is just getting on with things, but I know that he is suffering in silence and that there would come a point where the stress will hit him, and now it has. Ray went straight back to bed when we got home.

I had a visit from my friend Margaret, we used to work together until she retired last year, it was lovely to see her and catch up on her news. She brought a gift of a Cyclamen, one of my favourite winter flowering plants, just hope I can keep it alive, to say my record with house plants is rather disappointing would be an understatement!

Thankfully, in the afternoon Ray stopped being sick and managed some toast in the evening. On the Doctors recommendation, I had popped to town and got one of those neck cosies that go in the microwave to warm up, it smells of lovely lavender, and Ray says it did help ease the pain in his neck so that was good. I must admit I went in to ‘Florence Nightingale’ mode, dashed about with drinks of water and medicines for Ray, got carried away tidying up at home and doing a supermarket dash to stock up on essentials, I carried too much shopping and suffered for it in the evening with painful twinges in my breasts, and after saying I have learned to pace myself! When will I learn?

Friday – Ray is much improved, he still has a headache and sore neck but it is not as bad as it was yesterday and he has been able to stay awake all day. I had another appointment at Mount Vernon Hospital this afternoon, Ray felt well enough to come with me, and I was very pleased to have his company.

This was a group appointment for of myself and four other ladies, all of us due to start Radiotherapy in the next few weeks (and our partners/friends). We were shown The Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre and one of the volunteers gave us drinks and explained the services they offer. We were then collected by one of the Radiotherapy staff to have a tour around the Radiotherapy Suites and watch a presentation explaining our treatment and follow up care. We all had a chance to ask questions, the main points for me were:

As I am having treatment for both breasts, the time I spend in the Linear Accelerator will be double that taken to treat a single breast as the machine has to be set up to treat one side and then moved to treat the other. The Linear Accelerator is the machine providing the radiotherapy treatments it will look just like this:

Ray was concerned that as I will have a break of four days in treatment over Christmas that the Radiotherapy might not be as effective. We were assured that this will have been considered by the care team and they would have ensured that it would not have a detrimental effect on the outcome of my treatment.

I will need to make sure I always use a high factor sun cream on the treated area when going out in the sun from now on as the skin will be much more sensitive and burn very easily. I’m going to struggle with this as I dislike the way sun protection cream make my skin feel, it makes me feel oily, sticky and dirty, yuk! Do any of you know of a sun cream which doesn’t do this?

During and after treatment I will have to cultivate the habit of using moisturiser at least twice each day to help my skin cope, it has to be perfume free and as simple as possible, I can use 99% Aloe Vera so I’m happy with that 🙂

I don’t need to take any of my jewellery off, just all my clothes from above the waist… as any of you who have had treatment for breast cancer will know, you have to get used to bearing your breasts and having them pushed and pulled about by all manner of medical staff, there is no room for modesty here! I am becoming quite blasé about it now, my biggest issue is that it is often cold in the hospitals, especially in rooms where there are big pieces of technological equipment that need to be kept in cool, air conditioned environments to stop them from overheating and breaking down. I will be heading for the café for a seat by the radiator with a warming cup of coffee to thaw out before coming home.

My breasts may become swollen so I will hold on to my more generous post-surgery bras (or as Ray would say bramassivos) in case I need them again.

It is just over five weeks since my operation and I still have a blue patch on my left breast, I thought that it would have cleared by now, I think next time I go to hospital I will ask about it if it has still not gone.

Today Ray and I are both feeling low, we didn’t sleep well last night, plus Ray has a headache again and his tongue is numb down one side. So we went to town to get some groceries and to Healthright for more Aloe Vera Cream and some perfume-free deodorant in preparation for my Radiotherapy, we are now relaxing. Ray was watching the Rugby, well, I say that, but how he can watch it through closed eyelids I’m not quite sure, must be magic! But then shortly after writing this, I nodded off too, my laptop slid off my knees and on to the floor, fortunately it didn’t do any damage.

Megan cooked Lasagne and Garlic Bread for dinner, very tasty! We have watched ‘Strictly’, the dancing was fantastic tonight! And are now watching Atlantis, lightweight viewing is just right for a Saturday evening.

Tamoxifen Friday

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Dee Rutty

Thursday afternoon I collected my first pack of Tamoxifen tablets, Tamoxifen blocks the effects of oestrogen on the breast cancer cells, a bit like depriving a plant of fertiliser, to stop them from growing. When I picked them up from the chemists, a feeling of hopelessness overcame me, it was another reinforcement of my diagnosis, that scary ‘cancer’ word. I sat in my car for a while just thinking, brooding about it.

Friday morning I was to have the first tablet, I feel really reluctant to take the medication, this will be a daily routine for at least five years and I’m not happy about it. My body must be sympathising with my thoughts as I really struggled to get it down, my first attempt to swallow the tablet didn’t work, it stayed stuck in my mouth. It took several sips of my drink to wash it down, I could feel it lodging in my throat, not pleasant at all.

I’m not relishing the most common side effect of Tamoxifen, a resurgence of hot flushes, they have already increased since I stopped taking HRT, so having those made worse is not welcome.

Sometimes, I wonder about it being preferable for this disease take hold, rather than having the constant worry of it coming back.

My mood is low, earlier I watched a video on Facebook of cats failing at jumping, it was so funny I actually laughed out loud at some of the cats, poor things. The cat’s jumping, then missing their intended landing spots and falling down did help to raise my mood. It sounds a bit cruel now I’ve written it, but they did land on their feet (mostly)!

Before watching the cats I had just felt like crying.

I have my appointment with the Oncologist on Monday so have got my notebook out ready to do some research over the weekend and jot down some questions.

Saturday – Earlier this week, my friend Jenny invited me to go with her to a craft fair at Queens Park Arts Centre where I used to go for Belly Dance Classes. Yesterday I told her I wasn’t going as I didn’t feel up to it but this morning I felt much better and Megan wanted to come too, so Ray offered to drive all of us.

So leaving Ray in the café, Jenny, Megan and I found some pretty things, among our purchases, Jenny bought a knitted Father Christmas for her Granddaughter Ruby, Megan got a pretty necklace and I found a small bag in the same fabric as my sewing machine case, just the right size for sewing odds and ends.

The journey, and being out for longer than I have been for a while was tiring, so I have rested this afternoon.

The Craft Fair has helped to inspire me to start making things again. At the end of every day I have been getting frustrated with myself that yet another day has gone by without me having done anything creative. I know that being creative will be beneficial to my state of mind, but the knowing, and the acting upon it are miles apart, I need to bridge the gap.

So to overcome the temporary problem of not having a table to work at, I have put a ‘wanted’ on Freecycle for a small fold away table, now keeping my fingers crossed that someone will have one going spare for me 🙂

Getting Behind the Wheel – Driving Forwards

Posted on November 4, 2014December 17, 2014 by Dee Rutty

Monday, I treated myself to a day doing very little, I’m finally learning that if I have a busy day then the next should be a restful one.

Tuesday, sunny weather equals sunny mood, and this promotes some positive action, so I set myself the challenge of a short drive, the first since my op. I needed to take a form the hospital gave me to pass to my GP requesting that I be prescribed Tamoxifen for the next five years, and also to complete a ‘Prescription Exemption’ application form. Patients receiving Cancer Therapy are entitled to free prescriptions for the duration of their treatment so I will be eligible for exemption for as long as I have to take Tamoxifen or any other anti-cancer drug therapy. While I was there, I asked if one of the nurses would be able to aspirate my seroma, and luckily it turns out that one of the nurses can do it, so I have booked in for tomorrow, it will save me a trip to High Wycombe which is brilliant!

The short drive went well, I have fixed one of those seatbelt ‘comfies’ on my seatbelt so that it doesn’t pull tight across my chest and it did a good job. I think that I will try going out every day, gradually building up the distance in preparation for returning to work.

I haven’t been able to take Shadow out since my op, I miss walks through the woods it is so pretty at this time of year with all the colours, I took this photo exactly a year ago.

One thing that I am really pleased about is being recovered enough to be able to have a cuddle, there have been times that I have really needed a hug but have been too sore to even get close to anyone, so having a gentle cuddle, especially with Ray is fabulous! Snuggles are the best!

This evening I have helped Ray to finish emptying the Kitchen Cupboards ready for the chaos to begin tomorrow. Think I may be retreating to our bedroom, ah but maybe not, the electricians will be taking the floorboards up to do the rewiring, hmmm coffee shop or go visiting might be the solution 🙂

More Downs

Posted on November 2, 2014December 17, 2014 by Dee Rutty

Saturday – the weather was lovely, Ray drove me to collect some craft bits which had been offered on Freegle, as it was so warm and sunny we stopped off in Amersham for a wander round the shops. I saw an ex-colleague who retired recently from the company I work for, it was lovely to see her and have a quick catch up. She hadn’t heard about my diagnosis and was shocked when I told her. When I talk about the cancer I don’t really feeling anything, I am wondering if/when my emotions will find their way to the surface? Just as long as they don’t get ugly!

We didn’t do much in the afternoon, I did have a snooze, probably need to report when I manage to stay awake all day – it happens so rarely it would be more newsworthy!, had a lazy takeaway meal in the evening watching ‘Strictly’ and then Dr Who.

I had a ‘down’ spell at bed time, there is a seroma buildingup in my right arm pit again and I am growing impatient to be ‘back to normal’. It can be a struggle to stay positive and upbeat, sometimes I don’t have the energy to maintain it.

Sunday – Ray and I have to get our kitchen emptied as it is having a re-fit starting on Wednesday. Ray has done the bulk of the work, I managed some light packing up, but other than that was ‘director of operations’ for the day. I do not like feeling that I am not pulling my weight, not doing a fair share of the cooking, shopping, household chores etc, Ray has enough with his job, and not being able to help him really upsets me.

My life has been challenging for the last two years, in the early summer of 2013, Ray’s mum was terminally ill with Metastatic Ovarian Cancer. In the midst of her final weeks I had a problem with my left eye, it transpired that I had a Detached Retina and had to have emergency surgery to save the sight in the eye. Our son had moved back home earlier in the year and on the day that Ray moved our daughter back home from Woolwich, his mum passed away.

Over last winter I developed Depression, this was the fourth time I had needed anti-depressant medication, but the black dog was reluctant to release its’ grip this time. It took building up to the strongest dose and lots of time to overcome it, it is a good thing that I will be taking anti-depressants for quite a while longer. Being told that I have cancer throws up the question ‘what next?’

Now that the ‘flurry’ of the diagnosis and operation have passed, I find that I am beginning to have spells of dwelling on the ‘what ifs’ – what if I need Chemotherapy – what if the cancer comes back… some days are worse than others. I am grateful for days when the sun shines, the gloomy, wet days can be problematic.

But tomorrow is another day, a fresh start, I will probably need to take a trip to have the seroma aspirated again, but will work round this to give myself some time to focus on a Creativity e-course I have joined. It started on Saturday – I didn’t…. so I am behind schedule with it, but hope to catch up over the next few days. Hoping motivation and inspiration in abundance find me soon!

deerutty

Daily Life – coping with Depression and recovery from Breast Cancer

Tamoxifen