Arise Sir Wiggo!

and Sir Quentin Blake for services to illustration and also introducing every mum, dad and all of their children to the magical world of 'the giraffe, the pelly and me' and many more.
I suppose the knighthood for the old man for services to the kitchen must have got stuck in the post.



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Hopping over the pond for help

I saw my lovely nieces yesterday. They both live in America and I remembered that earlier this year I had read an American blog on

Breast Cancer Topic: Multiple Sclerosis and Breast Cancer

community.breastcancer.org/topic_post?forum_id=68...

It was great to discover that I was not such an oddity and there are folks out there with the same problems. I just wanted to see if there was any way to explain why I feel constantly tired.

They are a friendly bunch and I will work on the 'humor'...

Aug 30, 2012 09:01 AM Dotty wrote:

I am a British mum, aged 54, diagnosed with breast cancer last year and relapsing remitting MS 24 years ago. My mother, sister and brother had BC but I was told it was not 'familial'. I could not find much help in England and have read your posts with interest! I have found the only way to get through this horrible time is with an enormous sense of humour. (www.everythingsgonetitsup.blogspot.com) I have hidden the MS from the rest of the world for the last two decades but now I'm bald, with a stick and one breast missing, I'm not sure how much longer I can hide either condition. Could Fatigue be caused by either BC or MS or is possible to have both? Can anyone help? Thanks!

Beckers

So Cal

Joined: Jun 2012

Posts: 824

Aug 30, 2012 04:01 PM Becker wrote:

Dotty- I have had MS since 1997 and although I have had a milder course of MS, I feel the fatigue from MS almost daily. I am especially tired now due to recent bilateral mastectomy. BC treatments can make you fatigued as well. Hard to sort through it sometimes isn't it? I used to take Provigil for MS fatigue. I have an appt. soon with new neurologist and will get some more. It is strong but definitely gets me through. Best of luck to you on this journey.

Rebecca

Dx 3/2012, DCIS, Stage 0, Grade 2

Dx 3/2012, IDC, 1cm, Stage I, Grade 2, 0/1 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2-

Surgery 04/10/2012 Lumpectomy (Both)

Surgery 08/09/2012 Mastectomy (Both); Reconstruction: DIEP flap (Both)

Stanzie

Ga

Joined: Mar 2010

Posts: 1,937

Aug 30, 2012 04:13 PM Stanzie wrote:

I agree yes with MS there is fatigue and with BC especially going through treatments and perhaps a bit of depression(?) fatigue again. I have used provigil and it is certainly a life saver but I found once I no longer had estrogen that it wasn't enough so my Doc put me on Adderall. It helps me more with the fatigue and being able to move but provigil helped more cognatively, I think, kind of cleared out the cob webs at the same time helping with the fatigue. Since the Adderall is the type of med that the presc. has to be mailed every month and my Doc's office isn't good about checking messages I have the provigil to help me through or when I need more cognative help... hope this makes sense.

Dotty, just remember at the least the bald part isn't permanant - can't wait to look at the blog you listed - humor always helps! 

Dx 2/1/2010, DCIS, <1cm, Grade 3, 0/1 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2-

Spica

Eastern OR

Joined: Sep 2011

Posts: 84

Aug 30, 2012 04:29 PM Spica16 wrote:

Hello & Welcome Dotty!

Well, yes & yes & yes. MS definitely causes fatigue, and can be one of it's major symptoms. BC treatment definitely can wear you out, although over time, it does get better. And, of course, you are blessed with the Double Whammy, so fatigue is multiplied and fortified.

You've been able to hide your MS for 24 years? Wow, that's great! Sounds like it has been kind to you, and you have wonderful coping skills. Why hide your conditions? Wear them proudly - you are a survivor and a warrior, and an inspiration to others! Not only have you made it through the wretched treatment, with scars to show, but you are now on the other side and back into life. Swim away, Dotty! As far as MS goes, if you are still mobile, you are holding the beast at bay. I think the references to the 2012 Olympics on your blog are so appropriate. You, too, are a winner!

I, also, am a uniboober, with a stick, but no longer a bald head. Oh, it was a shiny one for a while there!  My hair is 3 inches long and sticking out straight. I look like my dog's hedgehog toy! I checked out your blog - I like your hair-growth video! The tennis ball and guinea pig comparison is funny! You already know the secret to getting through all this - a good sense of humor!!!

Welcome to the group. Hopefully, we can answer your questions, and look forward to your ideas and input. But most especially, your humor!!!

Take Care ~ Shar     

             

Dx 8/22/2011, IDC, 4cm, Stage IIb, Grade 3, 1/11 nodes, ER-/PR-, HER2-

What did you get for Christmas?

An over excited bride to be, an over excited traveller to Brazil, a very funny Christmas day complete with Eastenders style row about washing up? An excited sixth former to be, an excited groom to be, more bloody rain, killing gloves, killing slippers, killing jumper knitting pattern, a golden goose and absolutely no frigging idea what day it is.

plus;

Five brilliant Olympic friends,


Four bearded ladies,



Three extra pounds,



Two scented candles, and



One diamond ring (not mine).





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Anything can happen in the next half hour

So I spent most of my teens fancying a puppet?! He was very handsome and it was Cary Grant doing the VoiceOver. It really was.

http://youtu.be/bV8YbLvGrb0

F.A.B. Gerry Anderson, thanks for the fun times and Lady Penelope.

http://youtu.be/KtN2bgw-2-k


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all I want for Christmas

per chance to dream...

So, Jonas Kauffman's wife may not want to share but now 'the Killing' is over, there will be loads of jumpers with no-one to wear them?

And who isn't sick of this bloody rain? Holidays are essential and even more lusted after when you can't have one.

Back to Christmas, what about a Toast frankincense scented candle? I've left burned out candles around the house along with empty perfume bottles and some very leafed through holiday brochures. 

An undrafty house would be great and Nigel Slaters kitchen.

Might as well expect a present from the cat rather than any of my children. Little darlings...

Hope you have a lovely Christmas. x

Christmas story

It's 'the Killing' and a perfect killing at that. Easy really, who would suspect anything? 'It was the brussel sprouts what got her'. I think I'll just carry on hiding them under the tinsel. If you want to kill anyone, its this simple;

Doctors say Brussel sprouts should come with a health warning after a man was hospitalised by eating them. The leafy green vegetables contain vitamin K, a chemical the body uses to promote blood clotting, and it counteracts the effects of anticoagulants (blood thinning medication).

The man, from Ayrshire, was prescribed anticoagulants after suffering heart failure last year and his dose was monitored once or twice a week to prevent blood clotting. When his blood started to clot close to Christmas last year, the man was admitted to the specialist heart unit at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire.

Doctors could not work out why the medication was not keeping his blood thin until they discovered he had been eating too many sprouts. Consultant cardiologist Dr Roy Gardner said: "Patients who are taking anticoagulants are generally advised not to eat too many green leafy vegetables, as they are full of vitamin K, which antagonise the action of this vital medication."

The case was reported in a festive edition of the Medical Journal of Australia. Jill Young, chief executive of the Golden Jubilee Hospital, said: "Whilst we think this is possibly the first-ever festive admission to hospital caused by the consumption of Brussels sprouts, we were delighted that we were able to stabilise his levels."

And the world didn't end so after the Christmas party she was last seen in ASDA "wandering aimlessly, quite of her own accord, she tried to get to the end of the aisle, forty shillings reward"...

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Golden Globe awards

I took this photo this afternoon using my iPhone. My good friend Carol, who is a brilliant photographer said she thought this is a brilliant photo. She could want a big Christmas present from me or she could just be being nice, cos she is.

http://www.carolsharp.co.uk/

Now really, I know when I'm beat. However, how many of Carols photos feature alien spaceships, who are about to invade us?

"Silly little planet. Anyone could take over the place with the right set of mammary glands."

Fortunately for us all, apparently...








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A bleeding dangerous episode

Q. I take the anticoagulant warfarin and I have read that drinking cranberry juice may increase my risk of bleeding. Would that hold for cranberry sauce as well? I love it.

A. There is still no consensus that cranberries interact with warfarin, but British health authorities have issued a warning about this combination. It is likely to apply to cranberries and cranberry sauce as well as juice. A small taste might not hurt, but we would discourage you from overdoing. The consequence could be a dangerous bleeding episode.
Some people use cranberry for type 2 diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), scurvy, inflammation of the lining around the lung (pleurisy), and cancer.
...course they bloody do...
Who knew?
It's beginning to look like a dull Christmas. No turkey, no cranberry sauce, no Brussel sprouts (hurrah) and no binge drinking, so I had better start now.







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Kiss me quick

With the wide spread disappearance of orchards in the UK it has been commonly accepted that the mistletoe was in decline. However recent research has shown that this is only partially true.

While populations of mistletoe have been decreasing in the West Midlands and central England, there are now more specimens growing in the south of England. We are also seeing it growing on a broader range of host plants such as poplars, false acacia, and hawthorn etc. It is also increasingly found clinging onto lime trees and sometimes even rose bushes.

 
Mistletoe's are in fact a parasite, unable to grow without feeding from a host plant. It manages this by producing a specialised root system that searches for and then taps into the host plants own vascular system. This enables the mistletoe to draw water and nutrients directly from the host, although it is able to create some of its own sugars using limited photosynthesis. The mistletoe also releases growth regulation hormones into the host causing localised swelling and helping to increase the yield of nutrient and water.

More than just a Christmas favourite, the English mistletoe is also believed to have important medicinal properties. Currently undergoing research, there are already compounds identified and isolated which are helping scientists with their search for a cure for cancer.

Who knew?




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Rats!

Just when I thought I'd cracked the warfarin... its not as easy as I was hoping. I'm doing something wrong, just not sure what it is. As a result the INR, which has to be level, is currently not.

The goal of anticoagulant therapy with warfarin is to administer the lowest effective dose of the drug to maintain the target international normalized ratio (INR). Warfarin, a vitamin K antagonist, is an oral anticoagulant indicated for the prevention and treatment of venous thrombosis.

Things that increases your metabolism such an exercise including walking or eating anything more than usual and a change in stress level can lower you INR.
Too much exercise bike?

Eating citrus fruit within several hours of taking warfarin can also lower INR. Activities that make you sweat more than usual can also lower INR.
Anastrozole hot sweats?

It is best to keep track of everything you eat and your activities for awhile and see how your lifestyle affects you INR. It may take some time for you INR to stabilize but +/- 10% - 15% is common and nothing to worry about. Forget dieting?

You can eat and drink ANYTHING you want, including things high in vitamin K as long as you are consistent.

Thank Christmas for that then.



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Have you got yours yet?

Not that they want you to remember but did you know that there is a Christmas postage stamp concession for some disabled people after the price increase earlier this year.

Royal Mail announced a significant increase in the price of first and second class stamps in the UK.They also gave some details about a scheme for lower income groups to get cheaper stamps this Christmas.

Stamps have been allowed to rise by over 30% in this case, thanks to a relaxation of the price controls by the postal regulator Ofcom. Prices have risen in order to help the ailing Royal Mail to compete in the growing postal deliveries market.

With the rise came an announcement that, this Christmas, low income households would be able to purchase stamps at the aforementioned 2011 prices.

The reduced price stamps will be on sale from November 6 and the scheme will be in place until the last posting date before Christmas for First Class stamps.

Households on pension credit, employment and support allowance (ESA) - or those still on incapacity benefit - are eligible. They will be able to buy up to three books of 12 stamps - 36 stamps in total - in one purchase. Royal Mail believes around five million people will be able to take advantage of this offer.

To receive the discount, people will need to provide evidence that they are in receipt of benefits, e.g. the Annual Uprating letter or the Award Notice letter from the DWP.

This offer is only for Christmas 2012.

It's unclear how they intend to record that a customer has purchased their full entitlement of 36 stamps in order to prevent them purchasing more at the concession rate on another occasion.

Royal Mail said that it would write to every UK household explaining how the scheme works.

I haven't received anything, maybe Royal Mail couldn't afford the postage? Or maybe their letter got lost in the post...


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Talking turkey

Another one got away. No chance again of eating turkey this Christmas, "it's boooorrriiiiinnnggg" says the old man... but it's not fatty I plead "it's really boooorrriiiiinnnggg" but it's better for you I beg "it's really really boooorrriiiiinnnggg". Arguing with the old man who has become MasterChef overnight is pointless. As he fries his black pudding in butter whilst trying to hide the liver underneath the ever so streaky bacon, I suddenly remember, I have an escape route. The drugs, ha ha.

I'm still on various amounts of warfarin with lovely Queenie, so I can't eat liver and they've stopped the clot forming tamoxifen, a bit too late unfortunately. Instead I have years of anastrozole which I have to take with 3000 mg of calcium with vitamin D, to help avoid osteoporosis. (Anyone fancy a bet?)

My doc arranged for me to have a bone scan at a private clinic... Wow, what a difference. Given all the rubbish they have to endure, the NHS are amazing but until some of these rich MPs also have to endure A&E in an emergency, when they are too ill for a private clinic, nothing is going to improve. At least I won't get clogged arteries, not sure about MasterChef though.



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Knitty gritty goes large

Everyone said stop but I just kept on going. The scarf is quite heavy but the customer liked the challenge, what other scarf gives you a work out just by trying it on? at least Lenny likes it.

And when life gets a bit too serious then why not do what Dustin does? Come on, how many Dustin's do you know? OK, so I don't actually know him but he would take this song on his desert island.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQSqgozKZcU

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Happy tits

Let your tits have a ball this Christmas, or earlier if you are that way inclined. Let's be honest, it's been a rubbish year for the tits, so spread a bit of happiness and invite them to the ball.

Put your Blue Peter homemade cracker hats on, start stirring things up, get your balls out and feed the birds...


http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/wildlife-gardening/how-to-make-fat-cakes-for-birds/34.html?print=true



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Support the Arts!

Quick, grab some awesome Art, now is the time to dig deep down the back of the sofa and invest in something which will make you and the artist feel happier every day.

www.aoh.org.uk

And sorry if you are feeling a bit left out but next year you will have to buy not only knittygritty scarves but also my prints. I'm going to a print making workshop for people affected by cancer (Arts for Health).

Currently I feel like producing an enormous mono print homage to Mark Rothko.

I'm sure I'll feel more jolly by Christmas.

And don't forget:

www.vandashop.com


























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Idiopathic, me?

Warfarin is not fun, it involves lots of blood tests which take seconds and then hanging around hospital with loads of other ill people for hours catching bugs, but at least I don't have to stab myself with heparin anymore. And much to the old mans annoyance, I now have a very good reason to avoid the following foods:
• beef liver,
• pork liver,
• green tea,
• kale,
• turnips,
• Brussels sprouts,
• parsley,
• and spinach.

Ha ha!

Here's some ideas for really useful Christmas presents for anyone you know who's a bit under this horrible British weather.

You may not have such a good chum as Zelda who can get you to a Greek Island for a gorgeous holiday but you could be like my sister and get all the ironing sorted out? fantastic! Or send around a lovely man to clean your friends oven? Thank you Chitra. brilliant! And everyone needs a neighbour like Rozanne, who has dropped in with various meals. Yummy! You could be like Alexa and be a super-online supermarket, many thanks! Just call your friend if you are off to the supermarket and do an extra shop for them. Joy has given me heaps of wool, yes you are all getting scarves again, and she's made me laugh (a lot). And the old man has been the best Taxi driver ever.

So there's a few thoughts, why not give something useful this year?




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Time for the rat poison

right off we go...

Spent another morning at my new home. Royal Sussex County Hospital, being told how to take Warfarin (rat poison) safely... lah dee dah. All I have to do is stop eating anything healthy. I must avoid binge drinking so I think a life of permanent drunkenness is preferable. I should avoid anything with vitamin K in it. And I must carry a card AT ALL TIMES saying 'shoot the bitch'.

(Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in the blood-clotting process. Vitamin K deficiency is rare because vitamin K is stored in fat and also produced by the digestive tract. However, if you are taking the blood-thinning medication warfarin, or other medications that Vitamin K affects, you should avoid foods that contain vitamin K, which can lower the effectiveness of blood-thinning medications and increase your risk for developing blood clots. Consult your doctor before adjusting your vitamin K intake.)

Avoid eating green leafy vegetables, such as cabbage, spinach, kale, lettuce, parsley, Brussels sprouts (hu-bloody-rah) among others. Green leafy vegetables contain high levels of vitamin K and should be avoided when possible. Although cauliflower is not green, it should also be avoided. (Again, good) Choose other vegetables, such as squash, onions, cucumber and carrots. But not too much garlic.

Thank you Mooch and Mags for cheering my day up with a new hair colour and head massage.


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The sky didn't fall in

but now I know how Daniel Craig feels. Constantly beaten up.
We never made it to Seville, or the easyjet flight. I would have exploded mid-air apparently. Instead of settling down to some serious Andalusian antics, me and the old man, yes it really is him...




opted for a fun filled day at the hospital instead, blood tests, five attempts to put a cannula in cos my veins have collapsed, x ray, MRI scan, admission to acute medical ward, MRSA test, hospital supper, no signal on my phone, AAAGGGHHH!
James arrived in time to stop Nurse Ratchett putting me into a hospital gown and giving me more drugs.
Cos they had hacked up my arm, I think they felt a bit guilty so they let me out of hospital as long as I promised to return the next day for the warfarin. They found a shadow and it is a pulmonary embolism plus infection. Whilst waiting at the hospital the next day, the oncologist sent a message to the PE (clot) doctor not to start the warfarin...
I've been given loads of heparin darts so if the man from DWP, who I'm seeing next wednesday, doubts the words of the oncologist or neurologist or the acute medical team then I will just stab him with my heparin darts.
I've been told to take it easy for a few weeks, how can I? I've got all these doctors appointments to go to.




Poor Harry, what a great half term he has had.
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Mother of the bride

Oh decisions, decisions, not sure I can cope with all the grown up clobber which MOB's are supposed to scrub up in. I was going as Harpo Marx, but then I saw Willy Wonka and he looks so fantastic, but then so does Johnny Depp, and Polly adores chocolate, so in addition to everything else, somehow I've got to find a paddleboat to take us all to the church... I'll get the Oompa Loompas to sort it out.

And apart from the bride and groom, the guests are all going as Oompa Loompas,
the false tan can be shared out and there will be no snozzberries, not on my watch.


Al and Pol, there is still time to run away, but then you'd miss all the fun.



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If you don't ask...

Thanks hub,







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Pearly King and Queen

9.10.1982 was our wedding day. Thirty years ago. To help remember the pearl anniversary, the old man might also receive some unsubtle hints.

I like lilies...

And if he needs any other ideas, this is a great website:
www.vandashop.com

In case you want to know what to give and when, here's how long you have to wait for a decent glass of wine.

Year
1st Paper
2nd Cotton
3rd Leather
4th Linen
5th Wood
6th Iron
7th Wool
8th Bronze
9th Pottery
10th Tin
11th Steel
12th Silk
13th Lace
14th Ivory
15th Crystal
20th China
25th Silver
30th Pearl
35th Coral
40th Ruby
45th Sapphire
50th Gold
55th Emerald
60th Diamond
65th Blue Sapphire
70th Platinum
75th Diamond & Gold
80th Oak
85th Wine

Flower
Year Flower
1st Carnation
2nd Lily of the Valley
3rd Sunflower
4th Hydrangea
5th Daisy
6th Calla
7th Freesia
8th Lilac
9th Bird of paradise
10th Daffodil
11th Tulip
12th Peony
13th Chrysanthemum
14th Dahlia
15th Rose
20th Aster
25th Iris
28th Orchid
30th Lily
40th Gladiolus
50th Yellow rose, violet
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Embrace the gray?

What do we think?

Fine if you can walk around with a mobile red background and a designer purple linen floaty thing and get your teeth whitened and lose quite a few Tamoxifen induced pounds, otherwise it's frequent and expensive trips to the hairdressers for the dying game.

OK, here's a plan... I'll avoid the hair dye until Christmas. Not sure I can face 2013 with gray curls but now it's October, there's always hats.



Also since the balance is still a bit questionable, I wanted something to cheer up my enormous NHS stick, which is only really useful for whacking naughty small boys. oh, I only did it once, and I missed anyway.


Now this is good, a tippling stick, for my medication only of course.

www.walkingsticksonline.co.uk have handbag sized folding sticks with stripes and dots and floral and leopard skin there's even this tartan one at www.amazinghealth.co.uk

and listen to Poetry Please this Saturday, Roger McGough dedicated a fantastic poem to me appropriately called Disobedience by AA Milne!




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Hurrah!

We raised £220.05 for Macmillan nurses.

Thanks to everyone who cooked, decorated and ate all the lovely cakes. Harry's chocolate brownies tied with Daisy's mums chocolate and almond cake for the 1st place and the yummiest, but every cake was fantastic and appreciated by all, ...particularly Glynn!

The plants and seeds were also popular with the skinny visitors. The rest of us ate and drank for tomorrow we diet.



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Quick reminder

It's going to be big!

The cupcakes are delicious so come and try one tomorrow! Free coffee and tea. There's also plants, candles and jewellery - all you have to do is give a donation to Macmillan, and that can be as huge as you like.




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