B didn’t waste any time!

After a meeting with one of our consultants, the myeloma nurse, the second ward sister present, refeering I think, me, B, and as circumstances turned out, Auntie Ann and friend Chris T not G, I got home leave until Sunday night.  Let me tell you I was glad to get back for a rest – I have no idea where the weekend went.  I didn’t even have time to get dressed Sunday.  I mean yes, some days I just choose (cba*) not to get dressed, but Sunday I fully intended on putting outside clothes on but it just didn’t pan out and yet I didn’t seem to get that much done.

Anyhoo back to Friday and my return to my usual place of residence.  After him appearing all upset about the current situation I arrived home to find that B had already allowed another bird to move in!  AND if that wasn’t enough Bud was obviously fond of her too.  Okay Bud didn’t actually say so but the fact that he hadn’t tried to eat her speaks volumes.  Here’s the floozy showing off her ass…

I mean I am just basing Bud’s fondness on the fact that he hasn’t invited her to dine with him with her being the main course at least.  I for my part at welcoming her to the family provided access to the greenhouse in case she wanted a dry sheltered spot.

Before

After

B bought some bird seed when he shopped on Saturday and I liberally applied it round the garden included into the green house. Now although I never saw Pigina venture in there herself, the friend that brought me back in to The Royal last night saw her wander in there for some seed. She actually spent Saturday night perched on an upright paving slab near the shed – Pigina that is not Chris G.

Chris thinks Pigina might be at risk of getting eaten by a bird and indeed that’s how she comes to be staying with us in the first place. I however an of the opinion that she flew into the window. I am basing this on the greasy looking pigeon size splatt on the back bedroom window…

It’s about central – you might have to tilt your head at an angle.

Now I have really no idea where the time went at weekend. I had BIG plans and yet didn’t seem to get much done. What I did manage was to finish a Myeloma Buddy I started on Friday.

Gingerbread Buddy

One of the other things I did was a bit of tidying up, now bearing in mind that B tends to let stuff pile up on the dining table while I’m away – heck he attempts to let it build up when I’m at home.

The flowers were kindly given by a neighbour over a week ago – they appear to have kept well!

And look at this item of unsolicited unaddressed post we received…

So where are we with regard to the myeloma well, as a nurse said when she was asking me what the consultant said this afternoon, ‘so really everything is still up in the air’ and basically it is.  I saw an oncologist this morning regarding radiotherapy on my arm, as I thought, but she also mentioned it for treating the myeloma in the spinal fluid.  Chemotherapy injections into the spinal fluid would have to be put on hold whilst the radiotherapy was taking place as the combination would be too toxic.  The doc suggested radiotherapy to either my skull or my skull and spinal cord, I opted for the latter however do not have to make a final decision until later in the week.  There could possibly be one injection before and then they could be recommenced after.  I’ve opted to get a bone marrow biopsy done tomorrow, well I guess that would be today now, Tuesday anyway.

Anyhoo let’s just cut to some good news. Yes we do have some!  I asked about starting overnight peritoneal dialysis today and the PD nurse came for a chat.  Following on from a conversation he’d had earlier with the renal consultant when she came to see me it turned out that they thought the frequency of the PD could be reduced, either by doing it times a day for seven days a week or four times a day but for less days.  I’ve opted for four times a day Monday, Wednesday and Friday with nothing on the others other than draining the overnight fluid off.  I asked B for his opinion when he came in and he, after initially stating that it was up to me, said that Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday would be more practical – and he is of right of course.

I got swabbed today as I’ve been a bit snotty, yesterday and this morning, and may not have thought anything of it but for another couple of patients coughing last week.  I was told it was nothing that should concern me but we’ll see.

The internet is a wonder thing when it works right – I won’t say how many times I tried to post this last night but it wouldn’t play ball.  Hence me sitting here now having my breakfast in my usual half asleep daze thinking ‘Oh yeah I couldn’t keep my eyes open so I left it!’

I really didn’t mean to go on this much and really just wanted to let you know I was still here and actually feeling pretty good.  I did mean to share this last thing however.  I learned something today.  I learned it as I went for a wee just as B arrived back with my singapore chow mein from across the way.  I whizzed (get it whizzed) to the toilet and in my haste to get to the grub was in ‘wee position’ before I took full account of my surroundings.  In fact I was mid wee.  What I learnt was that if you are mid wee and notice something unpalatable on the floor at the side of the toilet then the natural reaction to flinch away from ‘the something’ kicks in before the reaction to ‘stop weeing’!!!!!!!  Fortunately I had plenty of jim jam bottoms.

*  cba – can’t be a&sed

Lots of Buddies

We’ve had a spate of Myeloma Buddy production going on over the past few months.  If I’m a bit stuck for something to take out with me or just need something small I knit a Buddy.  When I was thinking of posting the pics I realised that I’d never said where the orange Myeloma Buddy army went last year.

The 100 Buddies were ordered by Myeloma UK – orange or rather ORANGE being their corporate colour.  They are available direct from them and are listed in their site shop right here.  They’re also for sale at their Info Days.

While I’m at it there’s also a link to my Buddies in the FUNdraisers section of the IMF site (International Myeloma Foundation that is not the better known but less fantastic International Monetary Fund).

Mmm, wonder what one would look like in fabric?

Other creative spaces are here.

When I went for dialysis today I asked about the results of the 24 hour wee collection from Monday.  Apparently the level of toxins in it that my kidneys had filtered is not yet normal but is going up.  The blood test showed my calcium level is on the low side even though my Calci-chew dose was increased three weeks ago from 2g a day to 4g so the nurse said she’d get a doctor to review it when I went in on Saturday.  

Keep going there’s a giveaway right at the bottom!

Right since Sunday the following things have happened – I decided to do them as a list to aid reading (okay it was really for me so I didn’t have to link completely unrelated points).

♥  We ate tea at a friend’s Sunday evening – well more correctly I pushed my Fusilli Bolognese (sorry Margaret if that breaks any Italian dining etiquette ie, not using spaghetti) around my dish until it looked like I’d eaten a bit and the other bit had been retrieved from under the table after a piece daring leapt from my fork and landed on the new carpet leaving behind a trail of carnage on my T-shirt and trouser leg.  I did sponge it off  – kind of.

♥  I settled down on a settee and didn’t even pick up my knitting – which was commented on yesterday when I was informed I hadn’t looked a bit well then but looked better yesterday.

♥  My temperature Monday morning was 38.1 so I decided to go to the open surgery at our GPs.  And why didn’t I ring the hospital some of you may be asking – or not – but I’ll tell you anyway.  Because it was Monday, Mondays are busy, B is on holiday this week and I’ve managed to sabotage three out of his last four holidays with appointments or impromptu vacations at The Royal so rather than spend several hours there I thought we’d go to our GPs (who you will remember I think are wonderful) in the full and certain knowledge that if it looked anything too iffy they would send me along to the Royal.

♥  We left the house after I had managed to give Bud his ear drops in his correct ear, give him his antibiotic (more on that another time) but was wearing the trousers with the sponged pasta sauce stain, an un-ironed T-shirt and my night time knickers.  WHAT?  Look some people wear the same knickers (well not the same but you know what I mean) night and day, some don’t wear any either night or day {slight hyperventilation} but I like a sensible won’t show you up if you get knocked down by a bus, comfy fitting but not too loose!?!?!, doesn’t display a VPL (visible panty line) pair for the day and a comfier, slightly larger more outlandish pattern – flowers, the odd little bow, frog, little ruched bit (nothing kinky) pair for sleeping in when there is no chance of getting hit by a bus.

♥  I got broad spectrum antibiotics and told to come back if things didn’t get better – and I was informed I was somewhat cheeky when I enquired as to whether the GP had bought herself ‘Top Doctor’ cup (allegedly it was a present from a patient)

♥   Took Bud on short walk with B – napped rest of day so missed out on B taking me for new TV (ours is state of the ark at 17 years old and misses off words at side since most things are now in widescreen)…

New fridge freezer…

as that bowl (which is way nicer in real life) isn’t for decorative purposes but for the leak that it’s had for quite a few months now, and…

a new tumble drier because that muck on the top apparently isn’t going to remove itself!  Okay so it’s really because it’s lost all sense of appropriate heat settings and although it does most on cool it still occasionally does a ‘hot as hell’ setting without warning

♥  No knitting but tidied up crochet Share a Square squares

♥  Tuesday – temp 38.0 but dropped to 37.5ish for rest of day, Bud, B and I had short walk, felt better later in the day

♥  Bud stood in his own poo in the garden and was ever so good at having his paw, washed, washed and disinfected, but was a bit traumatised at having his bum wiped, well it was more of a swipe as he battened down his tail tighter than a submarine’s hatch so I had to improvise (Addendum – this was before we knew it was on his paw!)

♥  Didn’t go to support group as temperature and anything associated with it was mine, all mine I tell ya!  Had been looking forward to it – it was a talk by Blood Pharmacist (you know I mean Haematological Pharmacist but I can’t spell haematological)

♥  Did manage a little bit of knitting

♥  Phoned hospital this morning even though temp only 37.6 and I felt better than Sunday/Monday I felt worse than last night and just not right.  Left home at 9:10.  Got home at 15:45.

♥  By the time my temperature was taken it was 36.9 (for the love of dog), bloods were taken and we were isolated what appeared to be the Marie Celeste ward by which time I felt decidedly better and B put forward that we could go home.  Attendant Health Care Assistant said we could, but did he really want to have to bring me back later in the week

♥  Did a little bit of knitting

♥  Saw junior doctor, and during course of conversation mentioned that it had dawned on me whilst I was sitting there that the way I felt was similar to the way I felt in February when the myeloma numbers jumped up and since it was 31 July the last time my paraprotein was measured she agreed to it being done once we reached matching lingo (serum immunoglobulins) and said she’d chase up this morning’s blood results

♥  Had kip – just to prove I wasn’t faking – B had been asking me crossword clues and I nodded off and then briefly woke up and asked him, to his amusement, what the next one was before dropping off again

♥  Health Care Assistant came to check on us and where things were up to and said that the doc had said that the serum immunoglobulins were measured on Friday so no further test needed today

♥  Doc came back later to say it wasn’t good news and that IGa results were in from Friday and it’d gone up from 0.65 ish in August to 17 something (sometimes don’t you just hate it when you’re right, not always just sometimes) and that my blood counts had dropped a fair bit since Friday

♥  We bumped into the transplant doctor coming out of the lift, who knew where things were up to, and he said that obviously where treatment would probably have been needed to reduce the plasma cell content of the bone marrow prior to transplant it would definitely be on the cards now.  ‘Are they keeping you in?’  Slightly high pitched ‘No’ from me.  Dr S said I’d probably see the consultant on Monday and he’d chase up the MRI request

♥  I take bad news better alone – B was at home when I found out in February that it was back but today he sat and leaned forward with his head in his hands and I had to ask him if he was alright – as did the doc – he told her to just deal with the patient and she (patient) would inform him later.  And when I asked if he was okay while we waited for the lift when he answered ‘I just don’t want to lose you’ I had to fight back tears while entering a lift full of strangers.

♥  Although we didn’t eat out we got drinks and Eccles cakes in the cafe

♥  My Auntie Ann and I were supposed to be going to the Myeloma UK Infoday in Manchester on Saturday but when I asked the doctor if there was any chance I did have an infection I could pass on she pointed out that the bigger risk was to me with how my counts had dropped (although I’m not neutropenic).  So if anyone is reading this who lives close enough to go I have three tickets up for grabs.  Just drop me an email (feresaattenuata@yahoo.co.uk) or leave a comment to that effect and I’ll email you and they are yours – free of charge – well if you do me a little report saying how it went!  Just kidding.  Actually if anyone takes me up on my offer and does a little report I’ll pop in on here AND give them a free Myeloma Buddy.

♥  I also learned this week that CD/TV in the local ads in the paper doesn’t stand for compact disc/television but cross dresser/transvestite – which could get confusing especially if you were trying to stick one on your living room wall!

My crafty entries

Here’s the stuff I’m entering in tomorrow’s Village Show.  You’ll have to excuse the doll’s somewhat un-chaste demeanour – I wanted you to see her underskirt (which is a full one) and her bloomers.  I have to admit I didn’t make her – she is my Auntie Eleanors’s creation.

Please bear in mind if you comment that I don’t want to read the words ‘over the top’!  I was going to cut it back and save some for next year but then I thought ‘Hey, seize that carp, you might get hit by a bus before then.’

I am fatty-gued

and fat boy is no help ‘cos he’s in a rut!  Hey, before anyone puts fingers to keyboard to defend my husband they were B’s words not mine.  Apparently B’s in a rut with Bud as he hasn’t taken him out this last week.  I may, I repeat may, be feeling a soupcon tired due to overdoing it or it could be the aftermath of a migraine which may or may not be the result of overdoing it – or dark chocolate or, to quote a friend earlier atmospheric pressure!

When we were on holiday we walked Bud at least once a day and as it turned out I walked much further than I usually do at home and I felt better for it.  So last week I made a concerted effort to walk Bud twice a day with the first walk being nearly twice as long as our regular one.  And I also endeavoured to do spend an hour a day in the ‘garden’ – as in gardening not sitting! – this had mixed results.  Monday I spent 45 minutes and then had to stop and come in and take an extra painkiller.  I started off with a little weeding, resisting the urge to use the strimmer (weed whacker) so that I didn’t do myself a mischief, but as one thing led to another I ended up moving some wood and my back raised some serious objections.  So the other two hours I spent I did do less physical stuff.  By Friday morning when we went to the Royal a migraine was threatening and by teatime it had well and truly set in but by Saturday afternoon it was somewhat easier.

Mmmm, thinking about it, it could also have been brought on by subconscious stress at the thought of going back to the hospital.  I had thought on Thursday night ‘poo, we have to go to the hospital’ and thought it again whilst walking Bud on Friday morning.  I’m not normally bothered.  I knew I’d be alright when I got there, the staff are lovely despite some of them sticking sharp objects into veins, and usually I have no trouble looking beyond this to going out for lunch.  It was only for Zometa but I think it was possibly after two weeks away without even the prospect of getting poked with anything (minds out of the gutter I meant a needle).

Anyway I have managed to finish the baby blanket and knit a matching Myeloma Buddy and here they are…

It took 400g of white Sirdar Snuggly DK and 200g of red.  I used it double on size 5.5mm needles and crocheted the the little bobbles on the same size crochet hook.  And for those of you from across the pond (and I guess anyone else who wondered what the heck it was) I would like to point out that the red shape in the middle square of the top row is a rugby ball.  Say it with me rug-bee ball – it’s not a football – they are round!

You may have noticed one of the pictures is not knitting related but since it was red too I thought I’d throw it in.  The odd one out shows my tomato crop.  I’m not too sure what to do with it yet – grill it, use it in a salad, make a pasta sauce – the possibilities are endless! ;D

Buddies, buddies everywhere I think I need a drink!

A celebratory drink of course so I think I’ll have a Lime and Soda.

Now although I don’t normally add Myeloma Buddies to the Myeloma Buddies page until after the recipient is in receipt I didn’t want you all thinking that I’d been skiving when I wasn’t gallivanting off to the hospital over the past, very nearly, three months so I’m making an exception in this case.  Although you will have to wait to find out where this little Buddy party is off to.

So after lots and lots of knitting, sewing and stuffing (ahem, minds out of the gutter please) here’s what 100 orange Myeloma Buddies look like…

The first 50 were the hardest taking from the beginning of February until 3 April.

The next 50 took me 25 days exactly.  Which I know only amounts to two Buddies a day even though some days I knit five Buddy bodies, arms, assembly and personality insertion averaged it out to two per day.

Each one has exactly the same number of stitches and rows, and the same eyes and mouth in the same places and yet each one is unique in its own little way.

Oops, bit of a scuffle broke out at the front.

Ahhh, all sorted.

I just need to give them all ribboned tags tomorrow and they’ll be on their way as hopefully will the little bit of a rash which has appeared on my back today but then again I think it might be shingles so maybe not!

Other creative spaces can be found here.

Stuff I managed to make on my spur of the moment holiday

Whilst I was on my impromptu holiday I finished this…

It was two thirds done already and I think it may need blocking after its washed. BLOCKING!  I don’t usually block anything.

And I did these from my mystery Crochet Club 2011.  The thing is I was sure I’d already done one corner but I can’t find a fourth one despite shaking the bag they were in about 20 times as if it may appear as if by magic.

I couldn’t do any more because of the 2.5mm crochet hook crisis.  However I had two hand delivered to choose from today by the lovely people from here. This is the one I picked…

so now I can finish January’s bits and I notice February’s have been sent out too! I’m such a bad club member/student!

I knit a bunch of Myeloma Buddies too but these cannot yet be revealed.

And I read a lot of The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.  I am now on part five of the trilogy and have to admit Part Four – So long and thanks for all the fish – didn’t make a whole lot of sense – could’ve been me!

And this is where my own little Buddy has been lying while I typed this…

talk about making yourself comfy, he’s got one of B’s pillows either end – I won’t tell if you don’t!

 

Final Countdown

Wow – I’m done and ended up just two pressies short of a Christmas – I did start them last night but it was after 23:00 – and I didn’t think I had the relevant concentration to do them justice.  I had a few things to finish today but knew they wouldn’t take that long…

Some more paper baubles (I should probably have taken a pic of the card before I cut it up – that might have been an idea – it was very nice)

A buddy from my ready made ones

A crochet cube lined and stuffed

A fleece (yes all I had to do was hem it)

For the mother in law, who tends to never use/wear presents I thought food!  So I made double my Christmas baking…

Chocolate fruit Christmas cake made into individual cakes after seeking advice from Lorna.

Coconut bread – B’s favourite

And some Apricot Crumbles which I’d never made before and mine are blackcurrant.

The best bit – all are edible – which is always a plus with my baking – it’s either really good or really, really, really bad.

And my next to last present – a Christmas table runner…

So other than one more present, which shouldn’t take long, I only have a date with our little furry family member and a set of reindeer antlers – don’t worry I’m not going to use the staple gun.  I couldn’t find the staple extractor and since Buddy sleeps on the bed I didn’t fancy waking up with an antler up my nose! 

Made – 25/29 with 5 hours 15 mins to go – so that means two get bought (e vouchers) and the other missed the Christmas post date so with the snow as well there was no urgency there)

Panic level – 0/10

Buttons & Buddies

Okay to bring us up to date with everything that is finished, there is now a button heart…

Which caused me some confusion as to how to transfer the heart shape to the linen because I wasn’t convinced my disappearing fabric pen would live up to its name.  Then I thought, doh, just sew the outline…

And of course, my Christmas present giving list couldn’t be complete without some Buddies…

One in Sirdar Snowflake, so it’s fluffier than the average Buddy but the rows were a pain to count

and a Rudolph and Snowman.  I did this snowman in Sirdar Snuggly DK for a change – its a lovely soft baby yarn but a little bit too soft for a buddy.  It had a tendenancy to stretch if overstuffed – a bit like me after Christmas lunch – especially since my Auntie Ann takes it as a personal challenge to see how much she can get on a dinner plate!

Made – 16/29 with 2 days to go (I know that can’t be right because I don’t seem to have that many started although some are for couples but still!)

Panic level – 5ish/10 (Fiona – I think it may be so low because we have a Lavendar Farm up the road, I don’t know what they sell as I’ve never been but have meant to – so what better time than when panic buying for Christmas – and Marks & Spencer open 24 hours – I just need to check if Marks and Spencer were related and if so – hey a family business)

 

Creative Space – Brown Paper Packages Wrapped up with…

masking tape!  My name is Paula Kilgallon and I have a brown paper and masking tape fetish!

This week my creative space is, or rather, was full this afternoon of these…

Buddy parcels.  Wrapped up ready to got to the post office and then off into the wide world.  I can’t show the contents because some people who read this may very well have ordered some!

B said he would take them to the local post office for me, basically so I didn’t drive the car again this week in the miniscule amount of snow that we have had.  Then this afternoon when he saw them he got a bit windy –

B:  ‘ALL THESE!’

Me: ‘Yes’

B: ‘Do I have to fill in any things?’

Me:  ‘If by that you mean customs labels, yes for some of them you do.’

B:  ‘Can they wait until tomorrow?’

Me:  ‘No!’

B:  General chunering.

Me:  ‘If you wait while I wrap another one I’ll come with you in my break!’

B:  ‘Okay then.’

B will even inconvenience himself to avoid me driving our his car!

Other creative spaces can be seen here – they may very well to crafty people who have their own cars so there is unlikely to be husband bashing!