Song of the day: Songbird - Eva Cassidy
'Do one thing every day that scares you' Go on try.
Another week....so what did I get up to?
I was feeling pretty good apart from a bit of tiredness and bizarrely a sore throat just on the left side. Normal stuff I guess.
Today was an oncology appointment for an update with Dr Davis. She was relieved to only be on the receiving end of one (very full) page of notes! As with all of these appointments she wants to have a squeeze of my boob to see how it's getting on...it was good to hear 'Victoria, where has it gone?'. Clearly it was still there but great that it was going in the right direction. Using some callipers she estimated it was now 2cm x 2cm...another reduction. Yay! We discussed my next chemo drug (we know that FEC has FEC'd off), Docetaxel. I'm holding onto the view of that of Nadia from the Haven in that younger woman generally have milder reactions so fingers crossed this will be the same for this new drug. You may be wondering why I have to change drugs. Apparently this is a fairly common combination and the drug I'm moving onto helps people where the disease has spread to the lymph nodes. Fingers crossed it's as effective as FEC. In previous meetings, Dr Davis hadn't wanted to discuss the radiotherapy part as it's way off but as we know I'm a planner so I just wanted to know rough timing for treatment. So I got my answer 3-3.5weeks. Great. Now I know. If all goes well and to plan, we might be back to 'normal' for Christmas....wouldn't that be wonderful, also to enter freshly into 2015. Here's hoping. We also discussed the surgery briefly, as with the tumour shrinking so much would a lumpectomy be viable rather than the full mastectomy...sadly due to the location I think the full mastectomy is going to be the result so lets plan for that. I was also offered a job as a PA/ life manager due to my exceptional organisational skills....good to keep my options open!!! ; )) (Don't worry DG!).
My mum had come with me to this appointment, which I think was good for her to see what goes on. After the appointment we went home and signed her up for the Race for Life on 15th June....I think there are still spaces for the 2pm race in Richmond so anyone else fancy joining us and my work crew please sign up!!! The more the merrier! I am still so touched by the Waitrose and JL ladies who are taking part with me and of course all of you who have sponsored the team and I!
Normally I wouldn't do this but I feel that the circumstances mean I can.....here's the sponsorship links:
http://www.justgiving.com/team-v-waitrose
https://www.justgiving.com/victoriawelinder1981
The weather was amazing so Daniel and I took a walk after dinner....beautiful.
Photo no.141 - a sign of summer
Photo no.142 - beautiful roses from a lovely lady...Felicity P-J!
Tuesday 29th April
Song of the day: Gold - Beverley Knight
Today's song of the day reminds me of all my friends who are fellow Beverley Knight (or BK) fans...Eoin (bit pedestrian perhaps!) and Kirsty (we will meet up this year!!!).
The morning was spent blog writing and making the legendary Luca's pasta sauce...it's clearly not really called this but I was taught by the wonderful Luca Achilli so for me it'll always be called Luca's pasta! I also had a great catch up with Laura who is doing a wonderful juggling act with a newborn and a toddler who is about to enter the terrible twos! Hats off to you and Mr Deutsch!
The best moment of today was when I had meeting at work with someone who I know really well but hadn't seen to tell her of what was happening. She mentioned that my hair was looking great....I replied with 'It's not my hair'! To which I got a very confused look back (of course!). I'm so sorry Vickie for giving you the shock of your life!
Daniel's got back into playing tennis, which is great for him. It also means that it gives Ces and I a chance to have some girlie dinners together without the boys as Rob plays as well. Daniel and Rob have been in a partnership longer than him and I....I know my place! ; ) So Luca's pasta was transported up to chez Hamilton for dinner this evening! Brilliant! Ces is one of the biggest supports that I have. Thank you so, so much for everything.xxx
Wednesday 30th April
Song of the day (VW): Crazy - Seal
Song of the day (LH): Say something - Big World
Big day today - half way through chemo MRI scan of my boobs! Fingers crossed! I guess I know it has been reducing due to Dr Davis' callipers but still I didn't know what was going on inside....so this would tell all!
Before leaving for the MRI, I had a good chat with B who I met at the Haven. We both exchanged some top tips and I muted for the first time my consideration of whether I should have a double mastectomy. B was full of good advice, namely don't make a knee jerk reaction and also talk to your medical team as well. OK!
My faithful mum came with me and had a book in tow, as it was another waiting room for her. Thanks mummy! xx
Photo no.143 - MRI chic
A familiar face greeted me for the MRI...Hannah who had done my original CT/ MRI so it was nice to see her again. Plus she was the first person to put a cannula into me so I'll never forget her! I had a but of a headache so the choral music being pumped through the headphones in the MRI was a bit much, so I opted for spa type relaxation music. Not that it makes much difference as you find that you pretty much listening to the rhythm of each MRI phase. Thankfully it was all done and dusted fairly quickly and aside from the persistent sore left throat I wasn't feeling too shabby. On that note, I decided to go up to oncology for someone to check my throat out as unusually I was unable to get a GP appointment that day. The result was yep, it's sore but just take some dequadin....ok. Note to self review in the morning and potentially see the GP for a second opinion.
I've also decided to split chemotherapy into 2 phases....phase 1 = FEC, phase 2 = Docetaxel. So phase 1 done and phase 2 is 3 sessions (fingers crossed!). It's funny how these simple mental tactics help.
Thursday 1st May
Song of the day: Human - Christina Perri
Happy 43rd wedding anniversary to my parents!
So another month of treatment done as we move into the month of May. Yay!
My throat was still hurting so I went to see the GP and guess what...back on the antibiotics. I was happy with this decision as I don't want my body to work harder than it needs to, plus as you know 23rd June is the goal so anything that will help me get to that date is gratefully received!
Today was good news Thursday......
I called the Janes in the afternoon to see if my MRI results were in....which they were! Some of you will know this already from my Facebook post on this day but here they are again....tumour has shrunk from 31mm to 18mm, there is no further spread in the affected breast. Good work VW! Due to driving up to the Haven I had to call (handsfree!) from the car, so was unable to take any notes. You know what I'm like, so as soon as I got to Fulham I asked for a paper copy to be sent...I know, they must despair of me!
Time for Shiatsu....I love these sessions. Trish has got a really calming voice, her Irish lilt definitely helps. My only wish is that there would be a room you could go to nap afterwards as it's so relaxing. Sadly not, so it was out into rainy Fulham to go and track down a tropical greens juice from Whole Foods....don't let the ingredients put you off (spinach, kale, pineapple and mango), it's lush!
Next stop Hyde Park Corner to pick Daniel up from work and then up to Oxford Street for me to covertly buy his birthday gift whilst he found a space. No more to say on this until 15th May! I also treated myself to some new perfume from Jo Malone. I love their scents and the way you can blend a couple to make your own perfume.
Food time! We've wanted to go to Meat Liquor for ages but the queue always puts us off plus feeling a bit old, it's so loud in there! However, a rainy Thursday meant that the queue was minimal so with Kim in tow we decided to give it a go. A first for me...deep fried gherkin with blue cheese dip. Even as a non blue cheese fan this dip was awesome. They tempt you to these while you queue so it gives incentive to stay....!
So here are some pics from our celebratory dinner for good news Thursday!
Photo no.144 - wine in a jam jar....bit too pretentious...a tumbler yes. Or just a wine glass would be good!
Photo no.145 - me and my beau - yep, we were sat by a red neon light.
Photo no.146 - burgers on a tray (dinner for 3, before you think this was all mine!)...no plates or knives provided...luckily a roll of kitchen roll was provided as this was messy!
Photo no.147 - time to eat...burger eating tactics #1
Photo no.148 - burger tactics #2
Photo no.149 - burger tactics #3
Photo no.150 - the best bit...they had a photo booth....hilarious!
The great thing about this place is the music...which ended up with me and the Homer hit factory having a song off...here are the tracks involved...enjoy!
Pretty young thing - Michael Jackson
Love come down - Evelyn King
Teardrops - Womack & Womack
A wonderful evening to celebrate the positive news with 2 awesome people. Good times. We got home with time to have a peppermint tea (so rock n roll) and watch an episode of Rev. I'm loving the new series.
End of day thought...I am so thankful for each day and today has been a top day. Thank you.xxx
Friday 2nd May
Song of the day (LH): Nobody knows - The Tony Rich Project
Song of the day (VW): Flawless - George Michael
Today I needed some shower music to brighten up the start to my day. If you're ever in need of this then I would recommend the first few tracks from the Trevor Nelson Collection 2 in addition I'm loving Pretty Young Thing by Michael Jackson. My throat was starting to feel better, which was great. I worked at home during the morning...which my blog fans is the reason I've fallen behind with writing. There's no work pressure but I've had one brief that I've wanted to and enjoyed writing so I'm sorry for the neglect here!
On the way to physio I listened to an interesting interview on the radio with the Archbishop of Canterbury. He's had a fascinating life but suffered some personal trauma and I found synergies with myself in the way his mindset approached the situation. He talked about being single minded and that's exactly how I look at the current situation and the way it makes me feel about approaching life. After physio, I ventured into the office in the afternoon but had a deadline to get out as it was my responsibility to pick up the pizza bases for dinner!
Friday night was ristorante Regan night and we managed to get all 5 pizzas into a domestic oven....it has to be said we need to work on the timings as this means that the cooking time needs to be significantly longer but between the 2 houses we could be making 10 pizzas! Nice!
Photo no.151 - pizza ristorante!
Photo no.152 - the result...ok the pics not good but it tasted pretty darn amazing!
Saturday 3rd May
Song of the day (VW): Suddenly I see - KT Tunstall
Song of the day (LH): Lovin' you - Minnie Riperton
Relax.....bank holiday weekend! Yay!!!
The sun was shining, so we took a walk by the river. From our house we can do a lovely circular walk along the river past Bray, then crossing over the river near Monkey Island to then walk back through the village. On a day like this it's bliss.
Photo no.153 - Thames walking - this one is for you Ces and Rob, as in the background is Queen's Eyot!
Even though the air wasn't particularly warm, our terrace is a bit of a sun trap so there was only one thing to do when we got back...lounger time! Though I had to keep taking breaks as I realised that my face was turning a pinkish tinge...I know, I know I need to be more careful as chemo affects the skin's ability to cope with the sun rays, so never fear!
We were even inspired to do some gardening...when I say gardening I mean planting a few things in pots and trimming existing plants in pots back for the summer. There is something strangely relaxing about this.
So overall a fab day in the sunshine but it was not over yet! We headed over to Leonie and Phil's for curry night...such a healthy few days for me! ; ) Actually the curry was healthy and delicious with lots of spinach, which is great as I need to ensure my iron levels are up! Leonie and Phil live on a really steep high and their driveway is also pretty steep. I'm always conscious about pulling the handbrake on and leaving the car in gear...this evening I did the handbrake part and thought about leaving it in gear but for whatever reason decided against it. About 30 minutes after we arrived the doorbell and a lady had kindly stopped to let us know that our car had rolled halfway into the road, a pretty busy road it has to be said. Lots of other cars had driven past and beeped angrily it turns out but one person took the time to stop and actually do something positive about it. Thank you lovely lady! I was worried that I was going to be in trouble with DW so left it to him to re park the car so that it would stay put for the evening, which it thankfully did. I was also thankfully not put in the sin bin over this!
The other person I got to see this evening was my delightful godson, Sammy, who I've not seen for ages! He's hilarious and brightens up any evening. It transpired that he had eaten a sugar unicorn that was in his Christmas stocking earlier that afternoon, so was on a sugar high! His giggling was contagious and I still find it difficult to keep a straight face when Leonie/ Phil are telling him to calm down as he's so funny....poker face at the ready!!!
Post Sammy going to bed, it was time for games and 2 new ones for us. Consequences, which is where the group make up a story. Depending on how drunk the group is the more interesting the story gets...I was the driver for the evening so I had the pleasure of observing the drunken ones...not that my inputs were any more intellectual it has to be said! Game number 2...Rapidough. Amazing! I can't believe we've not played it before. It was so much fun...girls vs boys. Girls won 2-0! Woohoo! Read it and weep boys! ; ))
No dinner with the Cormack-Cooks/ Welinders would be complete without cheese club getting their fix. DW and Phil created cheese club I believe in December 2012 over a Christmas cheeseboard. Since then members 001 and 002 have gained an international member 003...it seems apparent that girls aren't allowed to be official cheese club members as Leonie and I have not received our membership numbers yet!
Photo no.154 - cheeeeeese! Complete with stinking bishop and boy does it pong!
Overall a brilliant Saturday and a huge thanks to the Cormack-Cooks for hosting a splendiferous evening! xxx
Sunday 4th May
Song of the day (VW): Let's stay together - Al Green
Song of the day (LH): Ordinary people - John Legend
Do you know one of the few things I'm a bit resentful about this situation...the fact that I can't really lie in anymore...9am doesn't count..I mean a good 11.30 get up time. Maybe it's just a sign of growing up but nevertheless I still dream of a good 12 hour sleep!
We had been due to meet Luca and Moira for brunch but unfortunately Moira had come down with a cold so we decided not to meet, as I was on a low immunity day. This meant we had a relaxing breakfast at home, which was very welcome. Then we headed up to Putney as I was booked in for a wig wash...yep, I've decided that the lovely Benoit can wash and style my wig for the foreseeable future. It's a luxury I'm willing to pay the price for! We are always late getting to Chez Stephan but for once we were early and guess what they were running 30 minutes late....pay back! So I relaxed in their sunny waiting area reading Decanter magazine, which I have to say was thoroughly enjoyable.
Post wig wash there's only one place to go...Tried and True for some lunch and the perfect Americano! They've got a really cute terrace at the back, so it was wonderful to sit outside, have some great food and enjoy the sunshine.
Photo no.155 - wig wash...less poodle-like this time!
On days like this I find you just want to stay outside, so we drove up to Richmond and went for a walk in the park. As it was late afternoon/ early evening by this point car parking was a breeze, which I suspect would have been a nightmare a few hours earlier. You know by now how much we love this place, so here a few shots...
Photo no.156 - engagement spot....someone didn't want their photo taken!
Photo no.157 - this was a new discovery for us. This is the ground level view through to the city of London (the iPhone camera isn't powerful enough for you to see St Paul's cathedral, which we could). The more famous point to see this from is King Henry's Mound but these gates are beautiful and the trees frame the view spectacularly.
Just past this gate there was another gate, which was another discovery for us. It took us into a bit of the park we had never been to and no one else was in there so it seemed as if we shouldn't be in there...in winter covered in snow it would feel like walking into Narnia...so magical.
Photo no.158 - bluebells and buttercups...simple stunning.
Of course it was Sunday so even though we'd had long afternoon out, I still had a dinner to cook! In Richmond, we decided to treat ourselves to dinner from Whole Foods. Their fish counter is the best I know apart from a local fishmonger. On the menu tonight was Dofu ru Haddock, brown jasmine rice, and a citrusy salad courtesy of Ching-He Huang. Looking at the counter, I decided to buy some sea bass instead of haddock...it was amazing!!! The salad dressing is also amazing for the citrusy salad...lemon juice, orange juice, soy sauce and ground nut oil...sounds strange but is delicious! All complimented with a Portuguese white wine!
Photo no.159 - a simple sunday supper!
So week 8 done! Half way...yeah though still a way to go. I'm definitely back in my super positive mindset mode but am holding back some energy as this is a marathon so pacing is necessary (Dazzler/Tricky you taught me this at Peppermint Hippos!). As always a huge thank you for everyone who spent time and done things for us. Your love and support is what is getting us through this. Big love to all...particularly DW!xxx
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