Shopping

Today I have had yet another shopping trip.  This time to WomanZone the mastectomy underwear specialists.  Took a friend with me who also benefited from their expertise.  Very friendly and very relaxing, a must for anyone, not just post operative underwear.  I have added their link to left for more information.
Race for Life
I have just seen on Facebook that my friends from work are taking part in the Chester 5K on Sunday 13th June.  If you want to sponsor Team Laura then please visit http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/teamlaura and please remember it is going to a good cause for research in Breast Cancer.

Good Friday

Well this is turning into a period of surprises.  My husband has gone to the lengths of baking today.  Not quiet to recipe but we will have to see what it tastes like.  In the meantime I have been sitting watching Sound of Music, I know it is cheesy but it is Easter after all.  Still suffering from heartburn of the major kind and now living on Rennie.

Inside the Actors Studio

I love films, costume dramas, theatre anything like that and so when I found the programme Inside the Actors Studio running on Sky Arts 1 it was an opportunity to see an interview with an actor.  The episode I watched had Forest Whitaker - he was amazing.  The best bit is when James Lipton goes though the questions at the end with the star in question, they were devised by a French TV producer? Bernard Pivot, after the Proust Questionnaire.  Here are my answers.

1. What is my favourite word?
   Love
2. What is your least favourite word?
   Pain
3. What turns me on?
   Poetry and literature
4. What turns me off?
   Manual work
5. What sound or noise I love?
   Water running/waves crashing
6. What sound or noise I hate?
   Industrial noises/emergency sirens
7. What is my favourite curse word?
   F*** with any addition depending on the situation
8. What profession other than your own would I like to attempt?
   Actor/teacher
9. What profession would I not like to do?
   Lawyer
10. If Heaven exists, what would I like to hear God say when I arrive at the Pearly Gates?
    Thanks for being there I could not have done it without you.

Now getting to grips with being off work, but miss regular contact with people.  Just relaxing before my nephew comes up for the Easter weekend.  Eggs and fun for all.

First Treatment Update

Well that was a different weekend.  I have had better, but with hangovers I have had worse.  That is not to say that I have not had any ill effects from the Chemo.  I have had really bad heartburn which I did not know if I could treat whilst on the cocktail of anti sickness drugs.  One of the anti sickness drugs was a steroid and made me so jumpy I was more like a cat on a hot tin roof.  To help I stayed above stairs and left my saintly husband (those who know him don’t say I said that) to look after the running of the house.

He made sure I was supplied with food and drink and told me off when I was a bad patient and did not take my tablets.

I went to see the MacMillan nurse at the hospital on Tuesday and she gave a quick check up.  The scar is looking good and she even commented that I looked great even after going through the Chemo only on the Friday.  Went in to town on a little shopping trip and bumped into yet another ex-work colleague.  We passed the time of day caught on up on work stuff and went our separate ways, still it is always nice to know that you are remembered.

I have finally caught up on the third part of Clarissa on BBC Radio 4 with the divine Richard Armitage playing the libertine Lovelace.  I have also caught up on Flash forward, not that I am any wiser from when we left it last year, but to see Joseph Fiennes and Jack Davenport seemed to be enough.

I will admit that I am getting a little forgetful in my daily routine, but there again it is the Easter break and normal service will resume after the Bank Holiday weekend this weekend.

Some Administration has to be entered into before I sign off.  Prays go to my late father-in-law who would have been celebrating his birthday today, god bless him.  Big hugs my cousin and her husband for the new addition to the Latimer family little Eva, welcome to the world.  To my Pops and my Uncle happy birthday both, enjoy a drink with friends.  To any one I have forgotten in the Birthdays and announcements I apologise and will try to remember next time.

Age for screening

You are invited for breast screening once you are 50 plus. It is believed that it is difficult to determine abnormalities in younger women.  If there is a family history you can insist on being invited earlier.

First Treatment

Today is my first Chemotherapy treatment.  I have to travel to Clatterbridge, which is over 40 minutes away.  I will admit that this is where I am now getting really nervous even scared.  I know this is usual and expected but I don't normally suffer like this.
The best thing has been all the text messages I have had from friends wishing be luck.  To them who have found this page a big thank you.
Update
Back from the hospital and doing well.  It was not as bad as I was expecting.  Now waiting to see how I react to the treatment.

Friends

This has been an interesting time as you can tell. It would have been a lot more awful without friends and I want to thank all those who have taking the time to write cards and send them, take time out of your day and busy schedules to visit me, even to the expense of bringing flowers, chocolates and other goodies.

The past couple of weeks I have been building up my trips out.  I have now finally got back behind the wheel of a car and went to the Trafford Centre shopping, you will be pleased to note that I was joined by another driver just in case it was too much or I could not cope with it, I have now bought a hat and will require a few more as I don't want to get bored of it or that it appears in too many photos over the summer.

I have also been to two National Trust properties.

• Quarry Bank & Styal Estate
  Here we followed various school groups round and played around ourselves with the hands on exhibits.  Very enjoyable as all National Trust properties are.  We also visited the newly opened gardens.  They were handed over to the trust in 2006 and opened in 2008, there is still work to be done but it was a wonderful spot by the water.  It will look lovely as the various flowers bloom, at the moment they are limited to the Snowdrops (those that are left), a myriad of Daffodils but not enough for Wordsworth me thinks and the odd Crocus.  There was a view of things to come with a lonely Tulip on show.

• Dunham Massey
  Our first stop at Dunham Massey was the restaurant for a light lunch.  We also went on one of the guided tours around the house.  When we mustered at the meeting point I bumped into an ex-work colleague from the paper, which was a shock.  We chatted and swapped a little gossip, as you do.  The tour was really good and informative of the family and the development of the estate.  On our way out we then saw the local inhabitants feeding.