LifeTides

On February 3, we met with a stand-in consultant; my new one hadn’t started. And I was impressed she had done her homework and made many notes. And she asked lots of questions.

I said my tummy area was large and tight again. I thought maybe it was the fluid buildup or it was growing. On examination, she confirmed the nodes were very bulky in the tummy area. Disappointing, but I wasn’t surprised.

February 5 was the start of a memorable weekend. We had family up to stay. We had not seen each other since before COVID started. So we had some catching up to do and memory-making.

We started with a photo shoot in the woods, and Caroline from Caroline Trotter Photography came down. We took a short walk and were in the woods in no time.

What fun we had, and Caroline was brilliant at keeping us organised and relaxed. I can’t recommend Caroline enough for family shoots and creating those memories.

What happened after? Well, we BBQ as you do on a fresh February Sunday afternoon. We invited a few friends down so the family could meet them.

The firepit was lit, and we were all wrapped up well. Richard got the food underway, and everyone got stuck in. It was fun and filled my heart with joy. It all felt so right.

On February 6, we went to the Scottish Deer Centre as it’s only a couple of miles down the road from us. It gave us the time to mix and chat through things. They even saw a Wild Haggis. However, while making more lovely memories and having a laugh, it crossed my mind that this could be the last time we see each other as they live in England.

The following weekend, other family members arrived, but for a shorter time. We didn’t want to travel too far after their long drive, so we visited the Japanese Gardens. It was less than an hour’s drive and a dry day.

The garden had changed since we were last there. New buds were appearing the garden was coming to life. The light in this place also changes and affects how the place looks. It was lovely.

We went out for dinner that evening and gave them an update on where we were with our planning and my health.

I loved seeing everyone and would do it all again at the bat of an eyelid. I was tired but delighted.

Throughout February, we caught up with lots of friends. We even had fish and chips at Anstruther. We sat outside to eat them. They were delicious, and we had good company with Caroline, Christopher and Mugo.

Caroline has been getting her walking in as she is doing a massive challenge in April. A Nepalese Trek for Maggie’s. Caroline is self-funding, so all donations go directly to Maggies. Awesome.

If you can manage, can you help grow the donation pot? This charity is very close to my heart, as we have been using them since I was diagnosed in 2017.

I started to feel unwell around the 18^th, and doctors did a few tests to see if I had a bug, but I hadn’t. However, my body was rebelling, and I wasn’t eating properly. We had an appointment to visit my new consultant on the 21^st. It was great I knew her, although she’d never treated me. We had seen each other about. She was stepping in to stay with me for the rest of my journey. It comforted me as she is lovely and easy to talk with.

I got a prescription to help with my tummy troubles and some more steroids. We would use them as a burst every fortnight to see if it would pick me up.

We met again on the 28^th, and I felt much better, so she was pleased. She would write to my doctors to get them to call in on us and set up the Palliative plans.

The Palliative care plans make it all very real, but head and spirit are in a good place, ooh and were off for another weekend away, woohoo. So my mission which I have accepted is to stay well and be strong.

Take care x

Carole

“We cannot change the outcome, but we can affect the journey”

Thank you, Ann Richardson