The Furry Monkey

01 january 2012
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!

It's that time of year again, where we reflect on what has happened in the previous year, and think of people we share our lives with and those we have lost.

I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would stlll be here, writing my diary (blog as they are now called!), after all this time. Seriously I never expected to make 5 years, as I almost died a few times during treatment at different stages, and also was told that when my NHL was diagnosed, I should already have been dead. A nice thought huh!

Still, I am here and alive, not quite kicking as I'd now fall over but I'm still here. Yes, I admit, I have loads of problems which I never had before the NHL diagnosis, but hey, life throws us these curveballs and we have to take them in our stride and get on with it.

Or as they now say "Keep calm and carry on"!!!!!

I'd like you all to know that you all mean so much to me. In fact some of my more remote friends are better friends than some I had before the NHL!!!! They stopped speaking to me when I was just diagnosed and haven't spoken to me since. I've dealt with it in my head, and I've now realised it's other people who can't and I can't do anything to change that.

My friends are very special to me and mean a lot. You all keep me going with your lovely emails and jokes and for the 'real' people (as opposed to the 'virtual' ones) it's great to meet up every now and then and have a real good chat and catch up over a coffee.

I've made so many wonderful friends who have stopped by my website - for whatever reason, whether it is direct or indirect that they have been affected by cancer, or like some just looking for some jokes to cheer them up!! (Reminds me, I must update that soon as I have loads of new ones to share with you!).

At the moment, due to the recently diagnosed DVT in my leg, I don't spend a lot of time on the PC, it makes my leg ache more, so I try to keep it to a minimum. Although I can still surf whilst in bed (that sounds odd doesn't it!).

Thanks for being with me through this journey and I hope to chat with you all for many more years to come.

Happy New Year to you all and I hope it is a Healthier one for some of us! We deserve it don't we....!

Love, Karen x

 

05 january 2012
an interview i did....

I was recently contacted by a lovely guy who is a journalist and wondered if I'd agree to do an interview with him. It still amazes me that so many people read my website, after all it started as just a simple way of letting people know what tests I was having and this was BC (before Cancer!).

He has certainly read a lot of my site and asked me some brain testing questions on how I feel about certain things. Having cancer has changed my thinking on a lot of things. We all wish we'd not taken our health for granted so much, but we only realise it when something is taken away, sometimes permanently.

However, as I have a very PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) I take it all in my stride, each time another new diagnosis comes along, I just add it to my ever growing list and tackle it head long each time.

It's my way of dealing with things, yes, I've had my fair share of crying (remember I don't have tears) into my pillow or in the shower when no one can see.

I do count each day as another bonus, and my recent Birthday and Christmas/New Year also remind me of the time I've had - it's all a bonus, as you might've read earlier I should've been dead by the time it was diagnosed, so I'm grateful. Not all of them are good, some are full of pain, but each one is a bonus, and I'm thankful for them, good or bad.

Here we go into another New Year and I wonder what will happen this time?!?!?!?!

Maybe I'll be given a rest from a new diagnosis, fingers crossed for a while huh!

 

19 january 2012
anti-coag clinc - blood test

I don't normally go to the Clinic now, I have been sent to the Blood Test Department - and now instead of the blood test taking about 10 minutes, it now takes at LEAST 90 minutes or more....! Argghhhh!!!

There is normally only one person and of course with people coming from all different clinics to have blood tests, it takes ages!!!! You need a copy of War and Peace to sit in this clinic!! LOL!!

My INR is down again, 1.8 this time. I think it's only been at the correct numbers once in all the time I've been going! Not good, but hey ho, they don't seem to care. I put notes in the questionnaire saying I've been having nosebleeds, bleeding gums etc and after not getting a reply, last time I decided not to put anything on it, not even a response at all, and no one noticed or said anything. Shows how much a waste of time it is with the questionnaire then!

 

22 january 2012
anniversary of my friend lyn

I can't believe it's been three years since Lyn died. Boy do I miss her. I think of her often and wonder why she died from this cr@p disease. She never smoked, always covered up in the sun because she was a red head and had pale skin. She ends up with a Melanoma and it killed her.

It just doesn't make sense does it. RIP Lyn, hope you're having fun with Bobby and Bertie!! (Her dog Bobby and my cat Bertie!).

 

23 january 2012
clinic at hospital

This was a disaster from beginning to end. I had to see this guy and basically he sat there looking all pompous at me and blatantly called me a liar! I told him the Anti-Coag Consultant had told me not to lose weight and this guy told me I was lying! They are both in the same hospital but would he call them to confirm it? Of course not. He decided to write to my GP, calling me a liar, and asking for written proof of this.

I said "If I knew you wouldn't believe me I'd have brought the piece of paper with it on and underlined by them".

He also said I should've had a letter - well I didn't get it - and guess what - yes he called me a liar again.

"You still live at this address yes?" "Yes" I replied, "Well you should've had it".

If I'd had the letter I wouldn't be asking why I was sent to St Georges which was a waste of time would I!!!!

He also said he wasn't a DVT specialist, but Surgery, so what the hell does he know about the treatment of a DVT when he's not been trained?!?!?!

I was NOT impressed with this treatment and his final comment was "Well there's nothing I can do with you until you've finished the DVT treatment - go and make another appointment". Nice huh!

As you can tell I'm not keen on seeing him again! So much for the caring profession!