Calling all triple negative breast cancer patients in the UK
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Hello Mary,Gill, Sue and all others,
I am trying to get the thread back to normal and was wondering how you all are.
Please let me know if you have given up.
I have been reading some of the posts from when I first started the thread and I feel the quality was so good that it is a pity to see it all die.
I have bumped up the thread High Calcium and the thread Hyperparathyroid and Breast Cancer. We also need to keep Calling all TNs going. Too many threads on the same subject cause too much division and confusion. It is best to look at triple negative breast cancer as a whole.
It will soon be thirteen years since I started the thread.
I hope to hear from you. I need cheering up a bit in this complicated world.
Love and best wishes to everyone.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hi Sylvia, Gill, Sue
Sorry you're feeling down, Sylvia, there's lots to worry about in this world, that's for sure. I've been busy as a bee for some reason. I will attend a wedding this weekend, the son of my stepson. He and his bride are 20 years old, that seems so young, but they've been together for a quarter of their lives.
Haven't done any distant traveling this summer, I will wait till off-season when lines aren't as long and crowds not as thick
I was sorry to hear that Raymond has congestive heart disease. My husband was diagnosed with it at age 61, and it was hard for him to stick to the diet and liquid requirements. He liked to drink beer, and if I wasn't home to nag him he would indulge, and these occasions would sometimes lead to a hospital visit. He also had a lung condition, which added to his problems. It was hard for him to stick to a lower-sodium diet, i cooked so much low-sodium food that, to this day i cant tolerate much salt. I imagine Raymond is much better off because you both already follow a much healthier diet. But yes, fluid tends to build up in the ankles and legs, and I remember once a home-health nurse thought he might also have lymphedema. That wasn't proved, but possible. The fluid wasn't being pumped efficiently by the heart, and circulation in ankles and legs Is difficult anyway. Elevate legs whenever possible, it feels so good to me when my legs are somewhat swollen, as they were last spring when I returned home after a long flight and then a long car ride. Walking is also good, and I know you and Raymond will handle this as well and better than anyone.
It has been so hot and dry here this summer, today is dark, cool and rainy, it feels great!
I shall talk to you later,
Love Mary
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Hello Mary,
It was nice to hear from you. Perhaps it is good to keep busy in order to keep one’s mind off all the nastiness of this world.
Raymond is doing very well and thankfully the heart failure is mild. Apparently, according to what I have read, heart failure is a common side effect of triple bypass surgery. He is just taking his usual medication of low dose soluble aspirin and a low dose of beta blockers. He has been advised to take some diuretics but we have doubts about this, as they do not seem to do anything. His weight is stable. We think it is lymphoedema, just the same as I have in my right arm from treatment of breast cancer. There is no cure. Apparently doctors do not know much about lymphoedema. I remember reading that book Lets Talk Lymphoedema by Professor Mortimer who is one of the foremost experts on lymphoedema. I also joined the Lymphoedema Support Network and subscribed to their magazine for a while. Our podiatrist thinks that it is lymphoedema as well. It makes the leg where the saphenous vein was removed quite heavy. The main problem is breathlessness, especially when not walking on completely flat surfaces. Exmouth is very hilly! We do not take long walks as much as we used to.
I would recommend that all breast cancer patients read that book about lymphoedema.
Raymond and I were very interested to read about your husband.
Our weather here has been very variable. We had a hot June, one of the hottest on record, but July has been wet and cool, one of the wettest on record. August has started cool and wet.
I do hope we shall pick up on the thread but I think it will be difficult. I have started to re-read the active topics sections and see that lots of new threads get posted about breast cancer, but they are not the long-lasting ones that I have got used to. There seems to be a lot of different drugs for treatment rather than the few that we all had in the past, but doxorubicin, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide and the taxanes, docetaxel and paclitaxel, still seem to be much in evidence.
In America use of scans is much more frequent than in the UK.
Breast cancer treatment and cancer treatment on the whole has a lot of catching up to do here in the UK. The whole of the health system here is broken and I do not see how it will ever catch up because we keep increasing the population. This is certainly not the country that Raymond and I grew up in.
I just keep going on in my usual manner. I do not take any medication and just take my usual vitamin D supplement. Raymond and I both keep to a healthy diet and do the very best we can.
Let us hope that our group will slowly find its way back home. I just hope everybody is doing well.
Take care of yourself, Mary.
I should have mentioned the latest news here about breast cancer here is that AI can review mammograms more quickly and efficiently than humans. If things go on like this we humans will become redundant. Instead of The Doctor will see you now, it will be The Robot will see you now!
Love and best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Sylvia,
I'm sorry that Raymond's medication has caused his blood pressure to drop. I hope this hasn't caused dizziness or fainting. I'm afraid that it's often a case of having a medical issue, taking a drug to counter it, then taking another drug to counter reactions to the first drug and so on.
I agree, the site feels cold and unfriendly now. Too much unnecessary information, overly complex and you have noticed the stats for the number of views is wrong. I think we have lost our old friends for good, though it was nice to hear from Paula. Kidney stones are so painful.
Last week I had the misfortune to eat a Cornish pasty in a café here that clearly hadn't been prepared properly. Food poisoning is my biggest fear when eating out and I only go to places with good hygiene practices. However this time someone must have made a mistake and I became ill and this in turn set off the problems I was left with following C- Dif . So a very unpleasant week for me and my digestive system still isn't back to normal.
I'm very pleased that your brother is being cared for. Beds are in such short supply almost everywhere. Rishi Sunak lied about bringing waiting lists down and when caught out, he blamed striking doctors for the millions waiting. The doctors have never been on strike until very recently, yet waiting lists have been growing rapidly since 2010. Nothing but lies and no-one effectively calling the Government out except Carol Vorderman and the BBC wants to ban her.
There's no chance of finding a gardener here, so I've turned one half of the garden into a weed free-for-all. Buttercups, dandelions, bindweed and giant willowherb love it! Good for wildlife I'm told.
My five years since diagnosis will soon be upon me. Never thought I'd get this far with metaplastic. So glad that I took matters into my own hands with surgery and forcing the hospital's hand with chemotherapy. Who knows where I'd be if I'd waited patiently on the list. The hospital is seriously underfunded and the staff very overworked now that so many have left.
That's all for now Sylvia. Please take care of yourself and I hope Raymond's health improves soon.
Love,
Gill xxx
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Hello Gill,
Thank you for your post.
I do agree with what you said about the site. It has definitely lost the friendly, homely atmosphere. I also feel strongly that I want the correct number of views put back on out thread. Why should we have had this done to our thread but it has not been done to others? Bureaucracy and technology is going too far. I cannot believe what is happening throughout the world. Free speech is fast disappearing.
I was sorry to read that you have been unwell after eating a Cornish pasty. I think we all need to be very cautious with our food. We have no idea how fresh anything is and there is far too much over processed food. We try to stick to basics.
I do agree about the doctors. It is a joke that over-paid politicians dare to try to blame doctors for the state of the health system. We need doctors but we do not need politicians and there are far too many of them in parliament and they all talk too much. As for the so=called House of Lords, it is high time it disappeared, along with all the arcane ceremonial that is just laughable.
Congratulations on approaching five years since diagnosis. Keep up the good work.
Have you noticed the post from a woman who said that she had been denied her cancer treatment because of her views. It is bad enough having your bank account cancelled because your views do not fit but having your treatment cancelled is just too much. It is criminal. I have not heard an echo of it here but nothing would surprise me. When I have finished this post I shall look for it and let you know.
Yesterday Raymond and I were looking at the Microsoft news and found something about a new Covid variant that is spreading across the UK. It affects all ages. I am going to try to find some more information.
That is about all for now. The thread is still not improving enough but it was good to see Paula and Mary back. I have heard nothing back from my PM to adagio/deltag in Canada. It makes me angry that we have lost so many friends because of the technical upheaval.
Love and best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Gill,
This is the thread that I was reading with great interest. I shall leave you to form your own opinion. I am not quite sure what to make of it all but I do believe in freedom of expression.
'Oregon Clinic Drops Breast Cancer Patient Over "Gender Critical" Views.'
With reference to the UK and all the news about bank accounts being cancelled, I do think that our government should have passed a law immediately that made it illegal for banks to cancel accounts because they did not like people’s views that were different to those of the bank. Banks should deal with money, not ideology. You cannot function in this society without a bank account. The banks should certainly not be gathering personal information. I wonder how people with cancelled accounts are managing. Where exactly is there money?
By the way, looking through the active topics I saw something about women who have had breast cancer treatment age more quickly.
I am out of time so I shall look up about Covid later.
I have managed to get our thread and Calling TNs together on the first page of Active Topics. We must try to keep them there. Remember that the accurate number of posts is 16,535. That seems about right. The views were about ten times the posts so that probably means 100,000 or so. I am waiting for the Moderators to put the right number of views.
Love and best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Gill,
I had a quick look on the internet about the latest news on a Covid variant that is spreading in the UK. This Covid variant is called Eris EG.5.1. This variant has descended from Omicron and it was classified as a variant on July 31 2023. There is a lot of information about it, including its percentage among other variants. Apparently it is in India as well. Apparently the variant affects all ages, but especially the elderly.
The main Covid variant is called Arcturus XBB.1.16 variant.
The symptoms are very much like a cold, including sneezing, runny nose, headache etc. There is talk of something probably coming in the autumn when the flu jabs start. There is the usual advice about wearing masks and keeping your homes well ventilated.
It will be interesting to see where all this goes.
Studying my PMs this morning I was very much surprised to see that there are PMs going back years. This seems like another technical failure. Over the years I have regularly deleted my PMs so what is going on?! This should not be happening. It makes me wonder about the privacy of PMs. I go from shock to shock.
Like you I think we have lost our nice group. There is no sign of Kath, adagio/deltag, HelenLouise and so on. It seems to be you, Mary, Paula, Sue and me. There is not much news about triple negative either.
A new week looms and you can hardly bear to think about it. War, chaos and mayhem reign.
I hope you are having a peaceful Sunday. Exmouth seems dead and the same old news drags on.
Thinking of you and sending love and best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Sylvia,
I read a number of articles about the the patient in Oregon being denied treatment due to her trans gender views. I believe there's much more to this story. Making her views known is one thing, continuing to complain made her a nuisance in a busy clinic. Time and place is everything.
The new variant of covid is worrying when we have such an incompetent Government to cope with. There are zero plans in place for a Winter crisis of any kind. This level of unpreparedness was unheard of pre 2010. Is there the funding for epidemiology departments to work on unravelling the structure of the new covid variant, effective ppe, sufficient trained staff, are there plans for vaccination centres, will the old vaccines work? The answer is 'no' on all counts. Barclay and Sunak will blame striking doctors, it's never their fault. I'm very worried.
No doubt you've read about the 'brilliant' idea of patients referring themselves for scans to cut out the need for a GP referral. This is ridiculous on so many levels that it doesn't bear discussion. Can you imagine the number of imaging departments with crowds of the worried well demanding their scan?
I had to go into the city yesterday afternoon and there were so many boarded up shops, old sleeping bags in shop doorways, litter everywhere, sales everywhere and some very grumpy people. The chaos in Government is leaving ordinary people desperate, unhappy and deeply worried about what their future will be. I'm glad that I'm long retired, but fear for our children and grandchildren. I nevervthought I'd be glad to be old.
I'll try to answer your comments more promptly next time. Just so many calls on my time, but I know it's the same for you.
Take care of yourself Sylvia. Love to Raymond.
Much love,
Gill xxx
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Hi Sylvia and Gill,
I was reading Gills story of going into the city and seeing boarded-up shops and signs of destitution. I live rurally, but I think that is the case in many of our cities as well. Covid, and the "management" of it, was like a Cancer that caused fear, and loneliness, and made the bad even worse, in opinion. The thought of another such pandemic is too scary. The mis-management of problems by self-serving politicians is a huge problem.
Sylvia, I saw you made reference to an article about premature aging after chemotherapy. I stumbled upon a scholarly article on this subject. They could have saved time and asked me! In my opinion, the chemo I was given found every weak spot in my body and settled in. In my case, mostly musculo-skeletal system, peripheral nervous system, and sun-damaged skin, i do think my skin on arms and legs Is that of a much-older woman. Aches and pains abound, but I think it's important to keep going. I was also gifted with neuropathy in legs and arms after chemo, so that does impair my activity.
I also realize it's not the same for everyone, many people sail through the chemo and aren't too bothered by it, but many don't.
That being said, today I am going to get a steroid shot in my right knee, it gets me through a few months.
I hope Raymond is doing well, and I'm glad his CHF is mild, I hope Michael is doing well too. I'll talk to you soon,
Love, Mary
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Hello Gill and Mary,
I have been very busy but decided to see if anything was happening on our thread today. I was glad to find that you had both posted. Thank goodness the weeknd is nearly here and I shall have more time to answer. I still feel sad about the departure of so many of our group due to all the upheaval. Everything is still too sterile and just not homely.
I am still waiting for the moderators to put in the right number of views, but will it ever happen?
I have just been having a look at the latest email from Chris Woollams with a lot about how bad sugar is.
Keep well both of you and do not let all the bad news drag you down.
Lots of love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Gill,
I am not sure what is going to happen about a Covid vaccine. They could well integrate something into the flu vaccine. I do know that some people have letters or phone calls about appointments for the flu vaccine. I do not know what I shall do because I have no trust in anything these days.
I do agree how bad things are everywhere. I am glad I am towards the end of my life. The future looks bleak.
I really think we should make a decision to end the thread. It will be thirteen year on September 12th since I started the thread and I cannot see any future for it.
I am not going to forget the errors in the number of views that have been cut off. It looks as though nothing will be done about it. The technology seems very clever at messing things up, but no good at all at putting them right and yet with the views on this thread it is just a question of simple arithmetic and logical reasoning.
I have looked at the August 14th email from Chris Woollams and a lot of it is the updating of most-read articles with new research. The most important statement is that sugar damages you.
Take care of yourself and take time for yourself.
Love and best wishes.
Sylvia and all the best from Raymond xxxx
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Hello Mary,
I definitely agree with what you said about the mismanagement of problems by self-serving politicians being a huge problem. Our Prime Minister was not even elected by the people. So much for democracy!
There is no doubt in my mind that we all have damaged bodies after cancer treatment, but what was the alternative? At least we have lived after treatment even if quality of life has been much reduced. We cannot know what would have happened without the treatment. We shall never know.
I did not suffer really very much during my treatment and carried on much the same as usual. However, I do have neuropathy in my feet but it does not bother me much. I also have lymphoedema in the right arm, but it does not notice much and it does not bother me at all. I did take some alternative treatment especially Iscador for five years and I shall never know how much it helped, along with other alternative treatment, but I do not think it did me any harm.
As we age, we shall never know whether anything we develop came from our cancer treatment or whether it is part of old age.
Raymond is plodding along and trying to cope with what is basically a non-functioning NHS.
Our country is in a mess and not recognisable as the country in which we grew up.
That is about all for now.
Love and best wishes.
Sylvia and all the best from Raymond. Xxxx
By the way, our views should be about 150,000 over the past thirteen years and not the frankly silly 4,269 now being printed.
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Hello Deltag (adagio),
I was so delighted and amazed to find your PM to me, Mary and Gill, and have decided to post it on our thread as a sign of victory over technology and a celebration to know that you are alive and well. We are all so happy to see you back here and to know that you are doing well.
The forum has changed so much and is almost unrecognisable.
I shall leave you to try to catch up on the thread and to see what has been happening. I hope your return will encourage others to brave the maze and return to the fold.
I shall keep on fighting to get the proper number of views returned to our thread. All our hard work deserves this.
Sending you love and best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Mary,
I have no idea what is going on with this forum. I did post on here on August 21st in answer to adagio/deltag but she did not reply.
There has still been no correction of the wrong number of views. It is so insulting.
There is not much joy in anything at the moment. The UK is in a total mess.
I do hope to hear from you. There is nothing from Gill. either, so I hope she is alright.
Love and best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hi SylviA
I'm back, I have no idea what happened the other day, everything seems OK now.
Yes the UK is in the news a lot, as here, it sounds like everything is at the Crack of doom.
I had a blood Labs done recently, my doc does this annually and I had complained about not feeling well. I was having a lot of allover pain, but I really think I am sensitive to barometric pressure, i'm better now. My blood tests were unremarkable, about the same as last year, so that's good. Thus I have not called Doc back, seems ppointless right now. Yay!
Well that explains why I couldn't find anything else about Adagio. I hope everyone is okay!
I just had an injection in my knee, and now must take my car for a regular service. You are wise to eschew car ownership!
Talk to you soon,
Love Mary
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Oh Sylvia, I want to say I'm aware of your upcoming birthday, Sept. 1, if I remember correctly. Mine will follow on the 5th, I have a full day planned. The years have flown by haven't they!
Later,
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Hello Mary,
Thank you for your post. I was glad to know that there were no problems with your blood test.
Thank you for your birthday wishes. I am not really planning to do anything special.
I do think it is time to bring the thread to an end and I am not going to post any more after September 12th when it will be thirteen years since I started it. The forum is too different and it seems to be people keep creating new threads. Gone are the days when everything seemed more together under Titan's Calling all TNs and my Calling all triple negatives in the UK and we were posting on each others threads. It is too 'facebook' for me.
Most of the people we knew have departed, probably in frustration.
I am very angry about having all the views discounted that built up over the year. it is not right and nothing is being done to correct it.
I have sent a personal email to Gill to see if she is alright. I know that she is busy but she was also not feeling up to par.
This country is not functioning and the two main political parties are useless. They just snipe at each other all of the time.
As for our healthcare system, it is just not functioning. Raymond tried to get a face to face appointment at the surgery today and was told that there are no appointments, but you can join the triage queue. It is eight weeks since he had an echocardiogram, received a written report on which there are follow-ups, but the GP has not been in touch and no appointment has been available.
The invasion of our coasts continue and nothing is done. All we get is pontification.
Take care. Lots of love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Gill,
Thank you for your email. I do hope that you will find more time to yourself and that you can relax.
There is nothing we can do about the state of our country. Nothing works and the politicians do not seem to care. I shall not be voting ever again.
As for the thread, I think it is finished.
Thank you for all the support you have given.
Sending you and Michael best wishes.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Sylvia,
I've just seen Mary's post. Happy birthday Sylvia. Another year gone and a difficult one. Let's hope that the next 12 months are brighter for you and Raymond and that the health of your brother and cousin will at least be stable, if not much improved.
It's a great relief to know that adagio is well, not sure where Kath's got to. I think we're down to you, Mary and me on the thread now. Very different to when I joined almost five years ago. I've been trying to recall our friends from the past. Helenlouise, Marias, Susy, viewfinder, cocooncat, and many more from acrooss the globe. I remember that cocooncat had a recurrence of her triple negative cancer not that long after her treatment had ended. She was young with two very young children. She left the thread soon after and we didn't hear from her again. I often wonder about her. Sometimes we never hear again because people have died, other times they just disappear for no apparent reason. It's frustrating and concerning in equal measure.
I've decided to telephone my old breast cancer support nurse and ask for an appointment with my former breast surgeon. I'm seriously considering reconstruction now that I'm almost 5 years out with no recurrence. Full reconstruction using my own tissue will take 7 or eight hours. At 68 years of age that seems a long time under anaesthetic and as always there's the risk of infection to consider. Implants have never appealed much, but that would be the quickest and easiest option. Implants have risks as you know. The third option is to have surgery to tidy up the excess skin that was left after mastectomy. I have no idea what would be best.
We often try to find out what's happening with the treatment of triple negative or in my case, metaplastic, breast cancer. There's very little being reported. In the instance of breast cancer treatment in the UK, the lists are long, initial diagnosis is no longer timely and surgery is taking far too long, so new ideas regarding treatment is no longer relevant unless you're rich enough to pay. What an absolute mess the NHS is in. I3 years ago it was the best health service in the world. The Conservative Government has now made it the worst health service in Europe. I despair of anyone who still supports the Tories.
I'm off to try to contact the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital now, which I may or may not achieve. Then it's back to paperwork for the archive.
Keep well Sylvia and enjoy your birthday🌻
With love to you and Raymond,
Gill xxx
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Hello Gill,
Thank you for your latest post and also for your email to me.
I am dealing with a lot of personal affairs at the moment, as I am trying to support my cousin, and now both brothers. The youngest brother has now developed shingles and is unwell. The stress has been too much with my cousin and I do not know where we are going. The other brother is slowly recovering but it is going to be a long job.
I do agree that our thread has come to an end. I cannot express how upset I am about this. The change to the forum has just killed it off.
Mary managed to post once after all the change, but she has now sent me a PM to say she is not back to being able to post.
What kind of mess is this?
I shall try to post to her tomorrow but I am too tired to do it now.
Like you, I often think of all those interesting people that have come through the thread in the past 13 years and wonder how they are doing in this strange and unpleasant world that we are living in. I never thought that I would see an uneclected person as Prime Minister in this country and yet the powers that be drone on about democracy!
Thinking of you and sending love and best wishes.
It was 13 years yesterday that I started this thread.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Sylvia,
I'm so sorry that you have so much to cope with at the moment. I hadn't realised that both your brothers were ill. Your cousins problems were never going to get any easier for you to deal with. The distance and broken care services have caused you far too much stress and you can't do everything.
I'm still getting my packing done for the cruise and will be very glad to be escaping from the UK. I certainly won't be buying a newspaper or or the reading the latest news on the Internet.
I think you need to put yourself first for a while. Too much stress is extremely bad for your health.
Take care. Love,
Gill xxx
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Hello Mary,
Out of curiosity I was just having a look at what used to be our friendly home on this forum. I saw that there has been nothing since Gill posted on September 14th to say she was going on a cruise. I was wondering how everything had gone for her. I am not sure how long the cruise was for or whether she will post here again on her return.
I was wondering how you were getting on and also wondering if you had been trying to post again for a chat.
I do not know how you feel but it is very strange to me not to be doing the thread anymore after so many years.
I went to Active Topics and found Calling all triple negatives in the UK on about page 7 starting from page 1 and going on for ever and ever!
I was disappointed to see that the huge mistake in the number of our views has still not been rectified. How can the so-called experts be unable to rectify their own mistakes? In everyday life that could have huge consequences.
The same dreary news continues daily and it is all so hopeless.
Raymond and I continue as best we can, but there is not much joy in daily existence. Our country is in such a mess.
Sending you love and best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Gill,
I was wondering how things are going. How was the cruise? Where did you go?
Things just get worse in our country and the politicians do not seem to care.
Hope all is well.
Love and best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Good morning, everyone -
Wow I am totally exasperated by this new website. I have tried to get on and navigate to my private messages and to comment on the feed with total frustration! I think I have finally got my profile back and running and it appears it is allowing me to comment. I was having a really hard time even finding this feed.
I have also tried to edit my diagnosis and treatments because everything was wrong and every time I go to edit to the dates and hit update the changes are saved. What is going on?
I have been out of town quite a bit for the last couple of months, but I wanted to comment on a few posts.
Mary, you said you haven't been feeling well and having all over pain, have the doctors been able to help or determine what is going on?
Hopefully I have been successful at updating my profile on this site - Paula
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Hello Paula,
It was nice to see your post and to know that you had succeded in finding your way through the maze that this forum has become. It seems to have completely messed up our thread and most people have given up, including Mary, Gill and I for the most part. I do not like the way they have tallied the number of views and have not changed them despite my having asked them to do so.
I do not know whether this thread will ever take off again. I have been doing it since I started it thirteen years ago and devoted myself to it.
It lacks the human touch now.
I do hope all is going well with you.
Love and best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Paula, Mary, Gill and all the other friends we used to have on here.
I am posting to say that I do hope others will find their way back here but I do have my doubts. I just want to say that the number of views would be somthing like 132,440 and the posts 16,555. A lot of dedication, comfort, encouragement and hope went into all of that and it should not be destroyed at the click of a tech button!
I shall try to contact Mary and Gill tomorrow on their personal emails to see how they are faring and tell them, Paula, that you have posted.
Please bring us up to date with your news.
Does anyone know how to make this forum lively and homely again with some personality?
Love to you all.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Sylvia,
The thread's so quiet. Many other threads are pretty much the same. I agree with Paula's comment.
Arrived back in the port of Southampton on Sunday morning to see a grey England with poor roads, bad tempered drivers and rubbish thrown everywhere. Certainly bought me down to earth with a bump. We sailed on Cunard's Queen Victoria, first to Lisbon and then around the Spanish coast. Enjoyed every minute and didn't bother with the news for the entire 12 days. We've booked another cruise on the same ship for April 2025.
I hope your brother is recovering well and your cousin's care is sorted out - or at least better than it was. I know that you will be working hard to juggle all your commitments and look after Raymond's health.
My appointment for my annual mammogram arrived in the post yesterday, but no news about my appointment with the surgeon to discuss breast reconstruction. He promised that the could be done after 5 years, but I'm not holding my breath. I'll give it another 2 weeks and apply some pressure. Sadly, it's the only way, though I dislike being awkward.
Still sorting out the unpacking and washing and need to catch up with the work piling up in the archive.
Take care Sylvia, give my best wishes to Raymond.
Love,
Gill xxx
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Hello Paula,
I feel your exasperation with the new improved website! Hopelessly over complicated and not at all user friendly.
It's good to hear from you and know that you're well. Of course, we have no idea what's happening to any of our old friends, me, Sylvia, Mary and yourself appear to be the only ones left.. I wonder how many previous posters have just given up on trying to navigate their way through the site?
Take care Paula.
Love,
Gill xxx
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Hello Gill,
It was nice to see your post. I was glad to know that you enjoyed your cruise and I can understand your feelings when you arrived back in this dirty old country. There are just no standards any more.
Everything is much the same here with us here in Exmouth. Raymond is not so bad but is having too adapt to a much slower pace of life. Exmouth is nothing like the nice little town into which we moved back in January 2002. It is really rather sad.
As for the forum, it is never going to be the same. It looks as though Mary has been unable to find her way back yet again and we know that Paula struggled. Adagio has also disappeared once again and Kath has definitely gone missing.
I continue on as usual but often feel rather down.
Best wishes to Michael. Keep well and keep sane!
Love and best wishes. Raymond sends his regards.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Sylvia,
It's sad that many towns, particularly those on the coast have become so run down. It's the same in Norfolk and isn't helped by the speed of coastal erosion. No-one wants to risk buying property in an area blighted by great chunks of land falling into the sea. I hope food shopping is still viable in Exmouth and that the pharmacy is coping with the cuts inflicted on them by the Government. Several pharmacies in Norwich have closed - so much for the health Secretary's suggestion that pharmacists take on extra work normally done by GPs.
I'm sorry that Raymond's had to slow down and adapt to a quieter lifestyle. That can't be easy after an active life. I hope you're not overdoing things. It's difficult to say no to some people, but there comes a time when we have to put ourselves first.
NHS waiting lists are now beyond ridiculous. I doubt very much if I'll ever get the reconstruction I was promised. I wouldn't want my surgery to push someone with cancer further down the list. I heard yesterday that there's a cut in recruiting medical staff, this is the exact opposite of what Sunak promised. He'll have sold the NHS by the time the General Election comes around.
It's depressing that the thread is so quiet, though no doubt Mary will drop in before long. It looks as though Kath has disappeared for good.
I'm sorry you're feeling down, feel free to contact me any time. So many people I've talked to are feeling anxious and worried about the future. Everything's such a mess. There doesn't seem to be anything to look forward to.
Well that's about all for tonight. Take good care of yourself Sylvia.
Much love,
Gill xxx
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