About Me

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I'm Carole, living in London, happily married and mum to two amazing boys.I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Rectal Cancer in April 2010. Surgery took place in November 2010 and I now have a permanent colostomy...Spinal mets were then diagnosed in October 2011...In January 2012 I was told of further spread to the hip area (multiple lesions)..My life expectancy is now 6-9 months. Walk alongside me on the last part of my experience with this..

Friday 29 April 2011

This made me smile today.......




It would appear that one prince is just not enough for bride-to-be Kate Middleton.

An online company claiming to sell "Will and Kate" wedding memorabilia have made a royal mug out of the occasion by advertising a cup with the wrong prince on it.

Miss Middleton is printed on the "limited edition heirloom" smiling away in her infamous blue engagement dress - right next to Will's brother Prince Harry.

The limited edition souvenir by Guandong Enterprises Ltd is to commemorate the "fairytale romantic union of all the centuries" and retails at £9.99 plus postage.

It is not clear whether the blunder is a witty joke or a right royal mistake.

On the website, the mug is advertised as "the finest bone china" featuring an exquisite design of the "happy couple".
Deadline News

Thursday 28 April 2011

Beating Bowel Cancer Month.....

April - Beating Bowel Cancer month.....it's nearly over now but that doesn't mean you can become complacent!

This is a US video below, therefore mentions being 'over 50' and having your colonoscopy.

In the UK there is a different, non invasive, test that is for 'over 60's' (England and Wales) so ensure you do this even if you have NO symptoms.
If you have symptoms and are younger than 60 then GET CHECKED OUT!


In the meantime, watch this video and maybe it'll make you smile



Tuesday 26 April 2011

Takes Your Breath Away.........

Every once in a while you see something so beautiful that it literally takes your breath away...

Whilst browsing around on other people's blog's I found this amazingly talented artist, Tara. On her blog is the most beautiful drawing of a cat - Tara recently did this drawing (Yes, it's really a drawing) using coloured pencils.

I think it's just so beautiful and wanted to share her blog with you all.

One day, when I'm back in the land of the financially sound, I'll be getting one of these of my own gorgeous little cat, Dizzie

Have a look at her work, if you know anyone that might be interested in getting their own pet drawn by Tara then do pass on the details of her blog.
She resides in the US but will post worldwide....

Now, look at this drawing and tell me what you think.........




If you click on the archive link, you can see the work of this drawing in various stages.


What takes your breath away?
What makes you use the words 'beautiful' 'amazing' or 'breath-taking'?

Friday 22 April 2011

April and Easter comes around again......

April is a funny month for me - not funny 'haha' but funny as in 'peculiar'..... I really don't know how I feel about April anymore :-(

Last year I started this blog - in April.

Easter was earlier last year - I know this because I was laying on the sofa for days wishing the GP's would open before Tuesday, 6th April because I was in so much pain and felt so totally crap. Easter was Friday 2nd to Monday, 5th April 2010

6th April was when a GP finally listened to me, stopped telling me I was simply depressed and got around to listening to all the vague symptoms I'd experienced over the previous few weeks/months.
6th April was the day when I left the GP surgery and absolutely knew (despite the GP's reassurances) there was something to worry about.

14th April was my first appointment at the hospital, my first biopsy, the first time a surgeon avoided eye contact with me when I asked directly 'Have I got anything to worry about'?

14th April was the first time my blood was taken to be tested for 'tumour levels'

20th April was my CT scan to check for localised spread

21st April was my Colonoscopy

22nd April was my Ultrasound Endoscan

28th April was my MRI scan to check other areas for spread

28th April was also the day I had my 2nd appointment at the hospital when I was told you have Stage 3 rectal cancer and unfortunately because of the position of your tumour we will need to remove the whole rectal area and provide you with a permanent colostomy

Actually whilst writing this I've realised that I do know how I feel about April - I now f**king hate April - but not nearly as much as I f**king hate cancer......... :-(

Yes I have moved on, yes I've had my treatment and my surgery, yes I'm recovering from it *still*, yes, I can live with the bag but I still hate April....

In a few days I'm going back to work, back to some kind of normality and hopefully I can put most of this last year behind me - but there's still that lingering doubt at the back of my mind that this fight isn't over yet.

And I think I will now always hate April and I will definitely always hate cancer :-(

I don't really know why I wrote this post, mostly I don't understand my own thoughts these days - but I suspect that anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer will understand it.

That's it for now - much love to all and thanks as ever for the support you've all given me over this past crappy 12 months.

Friday 15 April 2011

Just wanted to share these with you all.....

My lovely handsome eldest son, James, and beautiful daughter in law Leanne just returned from a wonderfully relaxing holiday in the Dominican Republic.

After all the stress we've had with me over the past year, this was exactly what they'd needed to get away and recharge their batteries..they had a great time and I wanted to share with you a couple of their pictures to prove it :-))













I'm just SOOO happy that they had a nice, relaxed time and were able to get away from it all for a brilliant break.

James and Leanne, I love you both more than words could say - it's great to be able to post 'happy' stuff which shows life continuing the way it should do.

My only complaint is that you didn't take me with you LOL :-)))

Tuesday 12 April 2011

Goodbye David.......Safe journey

Today, our Friend David lost his battle....

David, you fought a hard fight and couldn't have done anything more...I shall miss your words of wisdom, humour and fighting spirit enormously. I will never forget you.

Thanks to everyone for the prayers and thoughts.

Hugs to you Geraldine and the rest of the family

xxxx


David's journey is in my blog list 'You Win Again'....

Monday 11 April 2011

Want a Great Badge?........

April is Beating Bowel Cancer month and to raise funds and awareness the charity 'Beating Bowel Cancer' are giving away a 'bum badge' with every donation made during April....

If you want one of THESE great little badges .....





then go to www.beatingbowelcancer.org/donate.

Also find Beating Bowel Cancer on Facebook, 'like' them to continue raising awareness of this very treatable if caught early cancer.

Thursday 7 April 2011

Blog worth noting..........Mums That Work.com

Recently I was asked to write a 'Guest post' on a blog to help to raise awareness of Bowel Cancer.

I agreed to do this because the more people that know it CAN happen if you are under the screening age (currently 60 yrs of age in England/Wales and 50 in Scotland) the better.
Reminder: April is 'Beating Bowel Cancer' month here in the UK.....If you have symptoms it doesn't automatically mean you have cancer but any symptoms do need checking by your GP.
Don't be fobbed off - persist if you're not happy with the diagnosis initially.
Unfortunately many GP's are still spinning the 'You're too young' line :-(

The blog that I wrote my post on is here http://mumsthatwork.wordpress.com/2011/03/

Loopy (Lisa) has also written a piece on this same site...you can find Lisa's blog in my blog list on the left 'Rectal Cancer - How to Kick It's Sorry Ass!'....

Also Paula has kindly commented on an article about the 'Look Good, Feel Good' workshop that she attended last year. Paula's blog is also in my blog list entitled 'Hodgkins Lymphoma'

Gillian the lady who has set up 'mums that work' is trying to raise awareness of all types of cancer, illness, disability and all issues that can affect us including domestic violence, being a carer and numerous other subjects. Her blog makes interesting reading.

If you have a story to tell that may help others - doesn't have to be about cancer - then contact Gillian via her blog to discuss. You can also contact Gillian via Twitter if you prefer.


Wednesday 6 April 2011

Life is like...............

Yesterday Dj was looking very thoughtful and was obviously pondering something. I asked him what he was thinking and he said

'I'm thinking about life actually'

Hmm, bit 'deep' for an 11 year old really so intrigued I asked him to explain.

He said:

'Well, I was thinking that life is like an Airfix model actually, you start off with all these bits that go together somehow but it has to be built and improved, because just looking at the bricks is not the full picture.
So someone has to put it all together and build it up bit by bit and then eventually you end up with a working model.
It takes ages to get it finished and then you put it on display out in the rain and the weather chips away at it bit by bit, storms come and knock bits off, the rain damages the outside sometimes and other times the sun beats down on it and changes it's appearance and also insects get into the inside and live there
Then finally one day a BIG storm comes and knocks it all into a 1001 pieces again it's broken and then someone has to start again and build a new one...
So I was thinking that 'we' are like Airfix models, in pieces as babies and then in pieces again at the end but during this building process people learn to build new, more complex models and then the process starts all over again.
Although you might not have the model any more you never forget it'.....

Deep thoughts .........


Time for an Update on ME, ME, ME.....:-)

So, what's been happening with me then some of you have recently asked?....

It's true, I've not really said too much lately - not about my cancer anyway. I've always got plenty to say but sometimes I avoid talking about me, me, me all the time :-))

But this is my blog and today I'll tell you about me!

Wound - still the same, still not healed properly, still sore and uncomfortable but bearable.

Stress levels - greatly reduced since I took myself off for my surprise trip to sunny Rhodes - thanks Sis and M xx

Counselling - I've decided I don't want to do this now. I needed a holiday it seems and since I've done this I don't want to go through the counselling process right now.

Colostomy - part of my daily routine now, no big deal and something I just have to do in much the same way as other people need to poo daily.
The only difference is that I can actually watch mine exit and YOU can't (sticks tongue out and laughs)
I found bags that seem to work okay for me. They are called 'quiet' bags from the Hollister range. If anyone wants details you can email me via my profile page.
At night I use small tiny little 'caps' as the stoma seems to shut down after about 1am.

Weight - increased and now back to my pre surgery weight of 53kgs.

Diet - eating pretty much what I want to and still sorting out things that disagree with me. The list is pretty much the same as last time - Broad Beans and Puy lentils give me stomach pain, Green Beans give me excessive wind, Coleslaw also gives me a stomach ache....most other foods are okay.

Symptoms - still quite tired at times, have a strange pressure pain in the original tumour site, temperature fluctuates quite a lot (this could of course be due to being thrown into early menopause after the Radiotherapy), joint pains are still there mainly on the left side - shoulder, arm, knee and hip, headaches have returned but are responding to normal over the counter meds, sleep is still an ongoing issue...I find it hard to sleep but maybe that's just the way it is now - my new 'normal'

I'm planning my return to work, hopefully around the 25th April. This will get me back into some kind of normal routine and then I've got my first post op check up on June 13th...good job I'm not superstitious eh :-))

And that's about it really. Much luv to all xxxx

Monday 4 April 2011

Prayer and Positive Thoughts needed.....

If you are someone who prays and has faith OR if you don't but believe in the power of positive thought then please spend a moment over the next few days either praying or thinking of my friend David who is currently struggling so much.

He is a very brave man who has helped many others in their own journeys, despite his own ongoing battle with cancer.

His blog is in my blog list on the left 'You Win Again'......

Sis, I know you'll light him a candle too.

Many thanks xxxx

Sunday 3 April 2011

To ALL the Mum's out there.........

To ALL the mum's and especially to ours :-)

Happy Mothers Day Mum from us all...Carole, Rab, Sarah, Manoli, Eddie and all the kids too.






Have a lovely, restful day....See you soon xxxx

Saturday 2 April 2011

I'm SO SO angry and upset........

This has nothing to do with cancer....well actually is does - just a different type of cancer. This is the type that affects all of us in some way or another, it's a type of cancer that no amount of Chemo could control, Radiotherapy wouldn't help - I'm not even sure that there is a cure of any type as this particular cancer has grown completely out of control....

The 'cancer' I'm talking about are some of the youths in our society. Some who haven't got even the most basic of morals, some who think they can take from anyone because the world 'owes' them something - however they are not prepared to put anything back into society, just take, take, take.
Youths who think they are owed respect (but probably can't even spell the word, never mind truly understand it) Youths who will probably never work, never have any success in their lives and never know true values.

I'm tired of hearing about their poor little lives, one parent family status, poor background, yet another baby on the way to yet another 'baby mother'.
I'm tired of people like magistrates constantly making excuses for their behaviour and giving them chance after chance to go out and do the SAME thing all over again with virtually no consequences at all.
I'm tired of the rest of us having to support them and their rotten to the core families who have 'raised' them whilst living (sponging) off the rest of us.
I'm tired of people saying 'but they've not had an education'...well why bloody not! They get the same chances as the rest of us - you automatically get a FREE education in this country and they waste it by refusing to attend because they are too busy being involved in crime to get their backsides into school. There are people in other countries who would do anything to get the opportunity to provide an education for their kids - but not these losers who've had it easy their whole lives.

So, what's caused my total rant you may well be asking? I'll tell you.....

Today, my precious 11 year old boy who HAS morals, is attending school and tries to always help others was robbed and attacked TWICE in 15 minutes.

He went out with his friend to kick a ball around on the local common for a few hours, buy themselves some bubble gum and just get some fresh air on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
Dj has never been a 'street' kid, doesn't play out locally on the streets because the dregs of the earth play out round here. He has only recently been allowed to start meeting his friend and spending a few hours outside because we are trying to encourage some independence for him...but he's not allowed to just 'hang' on the streets at any time.

Firstly a gang of four much older teenagers (one of them female) robbed him of his phone (a VERY basic phone with no picture or video facilities - this phone simply sends texts or makes a call) and his wooden catapult which was a present that I'd got him in Rhodes recently...
He did exactly what I'd told him, didn't argue with them and walked away. I've always said material things mean nothing - we can replace them but we can't replace him - luckily he remembered this and simply turned and walked away.

As he was making his way home to tell me about what had just happened to him he heard running footsteps behind him and turned around to receive punches to his face and head by a 'different' gang (although both I and the Police suspect they ARE connected)...
This second group consisted of 3 teenagers (with their faces covered and hoodies up) and he was then ordered to turn out his pockets and forced to hand over his £1 coin...
Yes, having a whole £1 coin on you now gets you punched in the head until you hand it over.
He was then told 'Right now F**k off home'!
Leaving my boy there crying and distraught they swaggered off down the road to spend his pound and must have felt so proud of their afternoon's work.

He arrived here with his face all red and swollen on the right side and was shaking with fear. These bastards robbed an 11 year old child for a pound.
I'm not a vindictive person, I make a point of not wishing bad things onto people but today I WANT something to happen to them instead of the numerous good people that find themselves battling with what life throws at them.

Does this make me a bad person? If it does, right now I don't care.

Bastards!

The police were brilliant and arrived within 5 minutes. They then took him out in their car for over an hour, driving round seeing if he could spot any of them.
I apologised for calling them for something that is 'trivial' considering what they have to deal with around here, but they assured me that it is NOT trivial.

We had some discussions whilst driving around and they also are sick and tired of these types of crimes being treated leniently. They told me that as they get older these scumbags progress from street robbery using punches, to robbery using knives then finally they start to use firearms in their activities until they either kill or maim someone.

Down the road from us this week a 5 year old girl was shot along with a male relative whilst standing in a local shop...This made National news.
Two youths ran into the shop trying to escape from others chasing them - when the others arrived they opened fire into the shop and this child was gunned down...5 years old in a shop!....
Today the Police told me that the people responsible for such appalling crimes start with 'easy' robberies such as the one on Dj today.

So every Magistrate that doesn't apply the force of the law onto these thugs when they are caught early in their chosen 'careers' is responsible for the injury and sometimes the murder of innocent bystanders. All because they want to make excuses for these lowlife, cowardly scumbags.

I know we are now finding some ways to put some cancer's into remission - but I fear that this particular cancer cannot be cured.

Friday 1 April 2011

This will take just 3 minutes of your time....

Watch this video and it could save your life.........




April is 'Beating Bowel Cancer' month...familiarise yourself with the symptoms and remember that you don't have to have ALL the symptoms. If in doubt, check it out

And this one added today, 5th April 2011, will take just 10 minutes of your time....


This video above may not be available to those outside the UK....but for those inside the UK it's worth watching.