Bye bye 2016

Hasn't been all that bad ...

I went back to work at the beginning of the year, was going well until I bloody fractured my neck of femur ... any who...

Then me and the boy brought a house -finally!! 

 

A house we said we didn't really need to do much to... in fact the only room we didn't like was the bathroom  and in a shocking twist of fate it's the only room that we haven't touched... so after smashing out the ceiling in the kitchen, ripping down all of the wall paper in every room, a complete re-wire (not on the spreadsheet or on the budget may I add) a new kitchen, front door 

 

 

 

 

and loads of beautiful (vital) pieces from Betties Brocante Tamworth ( https://m.facebook.com/ShabitattVintage/?locale2=en_GB ) 

 

we had our first Xmas day together, me Arron, Fabio-Winston and Denzel Washington.

 

To be fair 2016 has been pretty dam good, we now have 2 nieces and 2 nephews - welcome Georgie Porgy

 

 

  Here's hoping to many more....

I also revisited my youth and went back to Maga, with my gorgeous Rebecca, didn't remember it back when I was 17 ..... not sure I remember it at 33 either.... we'll actually the hotel this time around was much improved (thanks  http://www.bhmallorca.com/ )

 

  

I become god mother to 2 beautiful girls ❤️

 

 

Not to mention the arrival of Laiken Fletcher Crook💙

 

I went to Lords and got twatted on Pims as you do.....

 On the subject of booze in 2016 I found my new vocal talent.....

 Later followed by a beautiful tribute to The Thong Song.....

And the day after this I said Yes !! - must have been my vocal talent that made him realise...

 

 

And then We fully embraced our new home, and when I say embraced, I mean that we pretty much live at the cocktail bar, and have convinced ourselves that it's actually cheaper to eat out....

Actually there was a period of time where I did actually start to cook, and as much As I tried to convince everyone it wasn't just a phase .... it lasted about 2-3 weeks max ... bored now ...

 

We had a fab weekend away to Dublin and I descovered that I like Guinness ...

And that letting your boyfriend (fiancé) and best friend pick your drink each time you go to the bar will only ever end up in disaster....

I dont like whiskey ... at all

 

But I do love going to the darts.... dressed at Daphne

 

And at last I get the letter to say I'm starting my reconstruction!!! Finally!! But as always there was a shocking twist of fate and my blood pressure decided to be a complete moron and go through the roof, operation cancelled, 24 hour blood pressure monitoring and 2 new pills to take daily....

Back on the waiting list.....

Oh and my leg is healing nicely... apparently... but the crutches remain ...

 

 

Fabulous.

But I did managed to get in another few days in the sun, well when I managed to get up .....

 

 And then X-factor began, which everyone knows is the official countdown to Christmas 🎄 

First Christmas in our new house 🏡 

We decided to have it just the two of us, and the guys obviously.  And of course we had our London weekend (fave weekend of the year)

 

Lots of shopping, bubbles, delicious food, bubbles, F&M (que Arron almost having a mini stroke), games, room escaping oh and an arcade just for adults!! 

 

 

We had to do our very own Xmas big shop... cheese and cava mainly, but Arron did manage to pull off an epic Xmas dinner, even if it was enough to feed all of the Fletchers and Iliffe's...  it was the first time in years that I felt normal again, I even went to work Xmas morning.

 

Yep he has ketchup with everything... looser

 

 Sometimes I think that I'm too happy... and that's actually really bloody scary.... keep waiting for something bad to happen, doesn't feel normal...

Anyway now Christmas is over it's full steam a head for The wedding... well after US Vacay.... and maybe, just maybe my reconstruction... that's if they don't cancel it again...

Hope not, I'm desperate to try on some dresses....

Yes Yes Yes!!

I'm engaged!!! Eek still feels weird saying that- ooh I have a fiancé ..

Not that I'm going to call him that, I'm not a knob.

Who would have thought it, all it took was copious bottles of cava, an afternoon at drag queen bingo and a burrito with an extra spicy chilli...

7 years of not so subtle hints, and boom here's my ring...

 

 

So now that Xmas is over it's full steam a head on the planning front, but unless we win on the lottery I genuinely have no idea how people do this! 

We have picked our church, it's totally gorgeous and everything I've ever imagined but that's pretty much it, well apart from an insane amount on Pinterest...

Who'd have thought it Arron Iliffe wanting to get married!!

But I'm so glad he does....

 

 

 

              
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

    
 

 

Patience is a virtue

Yeah said someone, a woman most likely, with nice long hair, boobs and a functioning womb...

Urghhhhhhh

I finished radiotherapy 16 months ago, that's a long time, and I still don't have any boobs, none.

Yes I know "the worst bit is done now" and "I bet it's nice not having treatment and having a break" but it's also a pain in the arse not having any tits either.

Having being told that I would start the process this summer, forgive me for being a little racked off that in the middle of September I've not had so much as a pre op date yet. 

Don't get me wrong, I've met my surgeon IN MARCH and he seemed lovely agreed to do the surgeries that I "want" but that's it, nothing since.

Having chased them up myself, various times, I've now been told that they're waiting for another surgeon to either go off sick or book annual leave to free up a theatre space, this will then be offered to my surgeon and if he has no other commitments and gets back to them quick enough I might be offered a slot - apparently he's been offered a slot before and didn't get back to them in time and so they let another surgeon have it!!

Yep that's right. Great. No idea when - a weeks time? A months time? This year? next year? I've saved my holiday entitlement from work as I don't get sick pay, so do I take it now in case I end up loosing it? Or wait just incase I get a date? Oh yes this really is the good bit now isn't it!! uurrrggghhhhhhh

I would just like to be able to grab something out of my wardrobe without having the daily debate of whether I need to wear my bleeding softies, can you see my concave chest or can I get away with it?

one things for sure, I need the process starting, because IM GETTING MARRIED!!

oooh I feel another blog coming on....

 

Patience is a virtue

Yeah said someone, a woman most likely, with nice long hair, boobs and a functioning womb...

Urghhhhhhh

I finished radiotherapy 16 months ago, that's a long time, and I still don't have any boobs, none.

Yes I know "the worst bit is done now" and "I bet it's nice not having treatment and having a break" but it's also a pain in the arse not having any tits either.

Having being told that I would start the process this summer, forgive me for being a little racked off that in the middle of September I've not had so much as a pre op date yet. 

Don't get me wrong, I've met my surgeon IN MARCH and he seemed lovely agreed to do the surgeries that I "want" but that's it, nothing since.

Having chased them up myself, various times, I've now been told that they're waiting for another surgeon to either go off sick or book annual leave to free up a theatre space, this will then be offered to my surgeon and if he has no other commitments and gets back to them quick enough I might be offered a slot - apparently he's been offered a slot before and didn't get back to them in time and so they let another surgeon have it!!

Yep that's right. Great. No idea when - a weeks time? A months time? This year? next year? I've saved my holiday entitlement from work as I don't get sick pay, so do I take it now in case I end up loosing it? Or wait just incase I get a date? Oh yes this really is the good bit now isn't it!! uurrrggghhhhhhh

I would just like to be able to grab something out of my wardrobe without having the daily debate of whether I need to wear my bleeding softies, can you see my concave chest or can I get away with it?

one things for sure, I need the process starting, because IM GETTING MARRIED!!

oooh I feel another blog coming on....

 

Spa days are the best days

Today I went to Hoar Cross Spa courtesy of an amazing charity called Ellie's friends. https://www.hoarcross.co.uk/

I went alone and it was fabulous.

Just me and 5 magazines, perfect. I doubt that this would be something I would have done alone BC but it was great, I didn't speak to anyone apart from the bar tender and waitress - bliss.

I had a gorgeous 3 course lunch, I sat there, alone, and people watched, whilst pretending to read my magazine. 

I flitted between hydro pool, salt water pool, hot tub, plunge pool, sun loungers - I even made time for a full body massage (highly recommended- I think this ought to be done at least once a month from now on). 

Total selfish indulgence and I can't recommend it enough, I'm already planning my next visit, alone !!

I would like to say a massive thank you to the people of Ellie's Friends - https://www.elliesfriends.org/ and if your business / place of work can offer any freebies to this charity I know there's a load of cancer patients who deserve something lovely in the shit storm that is life after during and cancer xx 

I'm soooooo ready to go back!!

Stress, fracture

 It seems that this whole cancer thing is never ending, 2 years on from diagnosis and it continues to keep on giving.

I decided that I would get into shape, cancer treatment doesn't make you thin, in fact it's quite the opposite, plus apparently eating twigs and exercising means that you don't get cancer...

I started running, and I loved it. Absolutely loved it, it was the only time I didn't think about the rubbish bullshit - mainly because I was thinking about crap I must look running, but still.

So then I go and bust a muscle in my thigh, as you do, and then have to fork out for weekly physio sessions and sigh when I see my gym membership go out each month. 

So after hobbling around Butlins on a hen party and somehow completing the crystal maze (which involved me getting into a wooden barrel and rolling across the room)... I might have caused a stress fracture in my hip. Brilliant.

So routine MRI came back no change (whoop whoop), and I got a call to say that the pelvis MRI needed to be re-looked at. Nothing to worry about, could just be the imaging, all would be ok, especially as I wasn't in any pain at all (right side). Then I get another call to say that the orthopaedic team had reviewed the scans and it looks like I might have a stress fracture in my right hip/pelvis, and they want to do a bone scan of the area, again I was told not to worry, it's nothing to do with cancer, completely separate issue. Brilliant.

So now, of course, I have pain in my right side. Excellent.

Today was the bone scan, of my pelvis. Oh no wait, it was for my whole body. Why would they want to do that when its non cancer related and is purely to see if I've broken my hip like an 89yr old?? 

Weird but ok if that's what they want then fine. Stupidly I turned my head and I think I saw a bright spot on my rib, fricken great. Whatever.

Now my result appointment is this Friday, but the scan won't be reported on until Friday or Saturday, I don't think for a second that I would be telephoned and told not to attend if it's not done before I go to clinic on Friday, that's because they only look at the scan when they're about to call you in. So I popped along to the Chemo unit and they've said that the oncologist will look at it tomorrow and will call me. If the images are ready to view.

Hello scanxiery, it's been a while - well actually about a month.

So that's it, I'm done, no more scans for me, I've had 3 bone scans, 2 CT's and 7-8 MRIs, I'm done. No more.

For now I've just taken my little pill and will hopefully drift off soon.

Fuck you cancer.