The highs and lows of living with a brain tumour.
At the first chemo appointment, the nurse had told me to keep a note of any side effects each day. Once the puking episode was sorted, there weren't really any side effects to note down for the rest of the first cycle, so I started writing down daft stuff like 'steam is more visible' (as... Continue Reading →
With perfect timing, we arrived at hospital about 10 minutes before shift change, so had to wait whilst everything was handed over to the one Registrar who'd be in charge of four cancer wards for the night, poor kid. As there's a dedicated cancer hospital in Newcastle, there's no need to go via A&E, you... Continue Reading →
The day after the biopsy began with all the usual poking and prodding that comes with hospitals. Two healthcare assistants, Wendy and Jean came to offer me a bed bath. It seemed a bit previous, having met them mere seconds before, so I politely declined. They offered me a bowl of water to give myself... Continue Reading →
A few seconds in to a dream, Steve the recovery nurse brought me round from the anaesthetic. Bald on the top, with silver hair at the sides, and fairly rotund, Steve was the most beautiful and wonderful man I have ever met, bar my husband. He asked how I was. "BRILLIANT! I'M ALIVE!" I shrieked... Continue Reading →
The days before the biopsy are a bizarre mix of the ridiculous (my hilarious neighbour trying to convince me that there has been a spate of women running off with their robot surgeons) and the way too sensible (applying for a Power of Attorney so A can at least access all my financial affairs if... Continue Reading →
A makes me promise I wouldn't Google brain tumours. Dr Google is renowned for his shit bedside manner and extreme preference for worst case scenarios, so just this once, I'm happy to do what I'm told. The first thing I do Google is the stages of acceptance. No idea why though. The five stages we generally... Continue Reading →
A porter arrived to take me for the MRI early on Monday morning, before the scheduled appointments started. Several of the ceiling panels in the neuro-imaging waiting area have been replaced with backlit pictures of meadows and flowers, which is a pretty, nice touch for people being wheeled in and out. Perhaps not *quite* as... Continue Reading →
Saturday morning arrived with me trussed up like a Shredded Wheat in an array of wires after sleeping attached to a gazillion monitors. A team of 3 managed to disentangle the mess, and then a steady stream of visitors arrived, including A and the kids, coming back early from visiting his parents despite my protestations... Continue Reading →
After leaving hospital, we headed home, against my mum's better judgement. She wanted me to stay with her and my dad so they could look after me. I was wrung out and just wanted my own bed. Friends reassured me that half the people who have a seizure never have another. It's just one of... Continue Reading →
Not today, Satan. Not today. 