The best laid plans........

[IreneD]

...........well, 7 of us should have been coming to the end of a 3 week break in our house in Canillas but had to cancel 2 days before we were due to travel, so are still in the rainy U.K.

My youngest daughter had terrible, terrible pain and - to cut a long story short - had to have an emergency op. to remove a 12cm. dermoid cyst, twisted 4 times on it's stalk connected to her ovary. She also had her ovary removed.

She is making a good recovery, thank goodness, and is having to put up with black humour from my dreadful family! (A dermoid cyst is vile, it has teeth, hair, blood etc in it! Shudder!). My middle daughter's OH was asking where Dermot was? (Dermot the Dermoid!) - was he still strapped in the car, why wasn't 'he' the favourite 'child' etc.etc. Good job she has a sense of humour - she was referring to it as her 'mini me' when she was in hospital!

Anyway...........I feel as if I've been picked up, shaken till I rattle and then put down in an entirely different place! I've never been so scared in my life, but, as I say, all is well and daughter is signed off work for 6 weeks, so is having a good rest.

[Paula]

UUUghhhh, sounds like a little Alien Irene

Good she is okay and all sorted out, probably would have been a bigger worry to you had it happened just after you arrived whilst all on holiday.

[Rick Gale]

Glad it's all turned out ok.

Life has a nasty habit of pulling the rug from under your feet.

Good friends of our retired a year ago. Came into some money. Bought a large motor home and started touring all over uk and Europe. In Jan she started getting discomfort "down there". Tests were made at local hospital and she was assured all was well and it would go away. Couple of months ago she was taken into hospital to have a polyp removed and again was assured there was nothing to worry about. They then set of on three week trip in motor home. Hospital didn't have their mobile number for some reason. When they got back there was an urgent letter from the hospital, which arrived just after they left, saying they had done a biopsy and the tumor was malignant. She was rushed in for an hystorectomy. The hospital are saying they are pretty sure they got it all out but just in case she has to have a course of chemo and radio.

We are just hoping she is going to be OK

[frank]

We had a call from a friend today to tell us her husband, like all over 65(? or is it 60?) was sent this kit where you have to send off 3 stool samples, and although he has never had any complaints whatsoever, he was told there was blood in his stools. He was told it was bowel cancer, taken in straight away (NHS works well at times), a six hour operation, and has just been released from intensive care. So hopefully, all has has been caught in time, and top marks for the much maligned NHS.

[Mowser]

Hope all goes well Irene. You know what they say though - if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.

[Mowser]

This is a depressing thread. Anyone want to hear about my piles? Thought not.

[Scot]

I'm not contributing to this as I could fill the whole section Just like to say I hope everyone has a speedy recovery.

[IreneD]

Thanks, peeps. Daughter had to go to a hospital an hour away, as our local hospital no longer has a gynae facility, and then waited two days for her op. - with morphine keeping the pain bearable. She was 'only' emergency and not life-threatening, so was moved from one 'list' to another for a very long two days, although was monitored frequently in case the situation changed. But the surgical team were brilliant - I wanted to give her surgeon a medal! and the care she got afterwards was excellent, so I can't complain about the n.h.s. at all, in fact I am very grateful indeed. I agree it would have been much more stressful in a Spanish hospital, with the language problem etc. (I do feel for you, Scot - I have been reading about your health problems)

Sorry to hear about the other poorly people, I hope they get excellent care, too and make full recoveries.

[Scot]

My right leg kept pulsating yesterday. Don't know what the heck it was doing but it was, literally, putting me off my stride. However, after I read your post, thoughts of Dermoid Cyst occupied my day and it took my mind off my own problem - so thanks

[K chameleon]

Best wishes to you and yours ladies.

[Big Col]

Hope all goes well Irene.

Wishing your daughter a speedy speedy recovery.

Look after your self and family

Big col xxx

[BENIDORM]

IreneD,
Good to hear that you and your family are so positive and have such a good sense of humour.

Best Wishes,
Gordon..... x

[IreneD]

Glad to distract you, at least for a while, Scot

I usually Google things I don't understand but my mental images are bad enough of 'Dermot' so I think I'll stay away from more investigations! Lol!

Thanks very much for your good wishes, much appreciated!

xx

[Rick Gale]

Allthough it might seem a little strange for me to be discusing the heath problems of one of my friends with total strangers on a publicly viewable forum I find it helps me, and also readers may pick up a little snippet of info from other posters, which may help them through their own problems.

So here's an update on Carol (not her real name)

She went for the first session of chemo today. Apparently they give two drugs. If there is no adverse reaction to the first one after an hour, they give the second. Within minutes of the first drug Carol suffered a violent adverse reaction and had to have an adrenalin injection to stabalise things. It took all day to settle down before she could go home. She now has to wait a week so they can try a different drug next time.

[Scot]

I'm with you Rick - it is helpful to share your worries. I don't speak about my illness to anyone because no one is interested. I haven't even told my own mother as shes well into her eighties (which means she doesn't notice anything different about me and thinks SHE's the one deteriorating as I keep offering to "help" her down hills, stairs, etc ). I sometimes used to type my fears on here and it was helpful. However, there are one or two fit and well regulars who don't want to share but I'm here, whenever, wherever, whatever!!

I hope "Carol" fares better on the next round.

[chrissiehope]

It's a worrying time to be going thro - been there, done that (tho without the bad reaction). I'm also a great one for talking, so go for it Rick .

Thinking of you & 'Carol'

[IreneD]

I do hope your friend will be O.K. Rick. That reaction must have been very frightening for her, and for those who love her, too. As I know only too well, seeing someone you love in distress is agony.

I hope things go better next week, although of course, she will be very nervous something similar might happen again.

[Rick Gale]

Thanks for those supportive comments, team. I'll pass them on.

It's wierd, but since she was diagnosed there has been so much in the news about cancer including that very effective TV advt where they cut from one person to another very quickly.

Now we have the news that John Hartson is out of intensive care and starting his own chemo.

As I said to my OH the other day... one day one of us is going to have to say to the other... "I've got some bad news"

Hey this is getting depressing. Must gee myself up as going to the local open mic tomorrow to do a bit of rock n' roll

[chrissiehope]

...It's wierd, but since she was diagnosed there has been so much in the news about cancer including that very effective TV advt where they cut from one person to another very quickly.....

it's a sad but true fact that there's always a lot in the news about cancer - it's just that until it affects you, you don't really notice it

[Scot]

I cannot watch that ad where they have to cut from one person to another quickly - I have to get out of the room before the last two ladies speak It's the saddest ad on tv but it's really effective.
Hope all is well with all of you!

[Rick Gale]

I thought I'd give you an update about Carol.

After the failed Chemo she had another scan and they found a tumour in her bladder. She then had some Radiotherapy and after that another scan found the cancer had spread to her bones. They are starting another chemo course at the end of this month, but it will only be a holding operation.

Did anyone see that edition of watchdog where the Rouge traders section had a go at Adrian Pengelly.
I thought the attack on him was disgraceful. Matt Allwright (who I think is great) couldn't find one person who would say they thought Adrian had ripped them off, in the fashion of dodgy roofers/drive layers etc, and the clips in the haunted hose and with the horse were a joke.

My mun went to Adrian for six years, having been given "months" to live when she got stomache cancer. I was skeptical, but she felt he helped her immensly which is all that counts.

Carol has started going to him and we just hope things work out. Caol and OH are doing a mad round of visiting all their many friends and relos.

Aint life a bar steward.

[chrissiehope]

What a shame - do give Carol our best wishes as she copes with everything

[Scot]

Yes say hello from us all here. I'm not sure about this Adrian chap but whatever makes people feel good and positive at a difficult time, then why not?

[Big Col]

Hi Rick
After reading your post, im sitting here just thinking how lucky I am, Last year was a terible year, this year I know im getting stronger, and although still recieving treatment, I know how lucky Ive been

Please Please give Carol our best wishes,I know I dont know carol, but give her a hug from me
Tell carol to Keep strong, and keep fighting all the way.

And Rick! you sound a rock mt8, you look after yourself as well

Big Col

Ps best wishes to Irene and Chrissie, and keep smiling


.

[Rick Gale]

Thanks for the imput, team.

I'll pass the good wishes on.

We have had their old dog (Kelly, who is so sweet) with us this weekend while they are visiting their son in Cambridge.

[IreneD]

Hello Rick - sorry not to have replied sooner, but we've been away. Shut our shop door for the last time on the 28th October so have now finally retired and we went on a cruise in the Eastern Med for 2 weeks - just got back.

So very sorry to hear about Carol, please pass on my thoughts and positive vibes for her and her family. I know of someone who went to Adrian, too and he was convinced Adrian kept his cancer at bay for many years and improved his quality of life. Any way to at least help with the mental anguish at the very least has got to be a good thing.

Col, thank you for your kind wishes - I'm pleased to say my daughter is doing great although still gets very easily tired but I'm told by people I've talked to who've had gynae type ops that's to be expected and she may not get back to her normal self for a year! (I know some cheerful people! Lol!) It's good to hear you are doing so well yourself.

[Rick Gale]

Thanks for that Irene. Was the cruise good? Hope you have a long and happy retirement, what sort of shop did you have. Must have been quite a wrench closing up... or were you glad to see the back of it.

Carol and OH are currently sunning themselves at an all inc hotel in southern Tenerife. We couldn't have Kelly for 2 weeks as we are soooo busy at the mo, so she went into kennels.

[IreneD]

It was excellent thanks, Rick! We've been so busy winding things up, finishing jobs (installing kitchens and bathrooms)clearing the shop, storing goods we haven't yet managed to sell etc. - it's been manic! I am extremely happy to retire but not convinced my OH feels the same way - he put a lot into the business plus he's used to working long hours whereas I've only been part-time in recent years. He did have a part-time driving job lined up but that has fallen through.........I think he will be wanting to keep busy (plus we could do with the money) so I think he'll look for something part-time.

Took us a couple of days to slow down but we got into it and enjoyed seeing interesting places - Istanbul was amazing, we also saw Florence, Pisa, Rome, Athens, oh lots of lovely places!

The weather was pretty awful the first week, which was a shame - I hope Carol is getting some sunshine and managing to relax and enjoy her holiday.