) Just pleased I'm close and am able to help her, all enabled by a prolonged absence from work so my resources haven't been drained too badly and the inestimable help and support from everyone here and on the support line.Kate, Julia, Bee - I'm probably just channeling your incredible strength. I've sadly just had to refer a close friend of my sister to the site as her Mum was recently diagnosed. I don't doubt you'll all rally round as you have for me, but I'll give you the heads up if she pops up. Poor love only lost her Dad a year ago, which means she and her Mum are also still working through the grief. In her mum's case it was 6 months of increasingly uncontrollable pain, 1 scan they declared clear 3 months in and point and pick treatment of symptoms until they insisted on another scan which showed up 2 tumours in different parts of the pancreas. So, so shockingly inept I can't gather the words.
As regards Mum's BP, you may well be right David. She's got a portable BP machine from docs to take average readings at home to rule out the white coat effect so will keep you posted.
Also a fun trip to the dentists today as she's got a new plate that's been contributing to her struggle with eating and nausea and her wonderful, wonderful dentist (as an indication of the relationship she has with him she was discussing the complete lack of transformation spinach and other green vegetables go through before reappearing again at the moment - wondered what the guffawing was while I was in the waiting room!) has put it all right for her, so despite worse tingling and cold sensitivity and fatigue, she's very very positive.
The only Issue with the trip was her chemo brain affected directions to get home. A 90 minute journey took 2hrs and I know we don't have much dual carriageway in Norfolk, but we managed the whole journey without finding any and the average distance travelled on roads with grass growing up the middle was disturbingly high. Most directions took the form of "Oh we should probably have turned there" or "I remember that junction, we should have gone right". My favourite one was her telling me the upcoming level crossing was the smoothest one in the country, so I barely slowed and hit it at 50mph. After having my ass leave the seat and my teeth nearly shaken from my head she started peeing herself laughing and said "or maybe it's not". Best I could summon as a response was "YOU THINK?!"
Mum under the influence of recent chemo is now rechristened "Sat Mad" and Tom Tom is deffo coming the next time she wants me to drive!
Love to all
Sarah
XXX
