Lived Experience Forum

[Faith-and-Hope]

💐💕 @Emelia8 ..... love to Holly

[Anastasia]

Will be thinking of you and your Dad today for your appointments @Emelia8 🙏💞

[Owlunar]

@Emelia8 

Hi Em - you always write such sensitive messages it was great to read back a few pages to catch up with your news - 

. 

And there is such a lot - I am sorry to hear that little Holly is having a rough time - rough for her and rough for you. I hope the prognosis improves. I know our time with our furry friends can be short - I still remember my old cat - I miss her presence still - but then - I had her for 15 years and she was mostly in good health and it is a good thing to have wondeful memories. I just hope Holly continues to recover. Reading back it seems that might not be the case but we can hope

It must take a lot of mental and emotional energy - as well as physical - to recover from cancer - I am not surprised you are still sore from the radiation. I do understand about having a completely numb are but it still hurts - that is nerve damage I am sure - and natural after radiation - but unpleasant. Do you still have some use of your arm? I certainly hope so.

And your Dad - I really don't know much about skin-grafts - having one bleed doesn't sound good. However he otherwise seems to be recovering well which is good - 

Your life does have a lot of hard parts - that's true - but you seem to be very resilient - something I have learned to be. I can't imagine being any other way.

Thanks for your tags when I was off-line for a short while - we have had wonderful weather in Melbourne recently though I have been told rain is expected tonight. I have been sitting near the door way - gorgeous afternoon - and noticed a cool breeze spring up off Port Phillip Bay in the last half-hour. According to the authorities La Nina has finished so we can enjoy an Autumn Flush - and after a summer which so few glorious days - this is fantastic

All the best Em - I do hope this numbness in your arm clears up - you do deserve a good break here and there

Dec

Autumn in Melbourne is beautiful

[NatureLover]

@Emelia8  am glad to hear your furbaby has had an easier night breathing the last couple of nights...I hope it continues. Also glad you have a psychologist appt today...are you back in your regular rhythm of them now? I hope your appt went well. 💜

[Emelia8]

Thanks @Zoe7 💕🐶 but sadly I dont think Hollys breathing issues are going to suddenly resolve. Much as I would like them to. At present I would be happy if it didnt continue to get worse every day. Which is why I was happy when she had a better night the night before last. Last night wasnt as good, but not as bad as some of her other nights. Night times, its just like she is getting choked ... she gags, coughs, wheezes. Its awful to listen to and I feel so helpless, not knowing what to do. I am looking into some natural therapies, which may help. But want to run them by the vet first. Will see how it goes.

Thank you @Faith-and-Hope ... and my beautiful little Holly also thanks you. She really is the sweetest little thing, and I fear that I wont have her for much longer.

@Anastasia... my psych appointment this afternoon went okay thanks. And I see her again in 3 weeks time. I am yet to hear how my Dad got along with his GP check up, but will ring my brother tonight.
Hope you had a good day?

Hello my good friend @Owlunar 🌺 So nice to see you around a bit more again. Hoping thats a sign that you are feeling a bit better and managing the pain from your shoulder. Thank you for taking the time to read back on some of my older posts to catch up on my news over the past week or two.

Yes all of that Dec ... cancer diagnosis subsequent surgery and other treatments definitely take a big physical, mental and emotional toll. I'm so tired of it all.

The nerve damage down the back of my upper arm is from the surgery, as opposed to the radiation. The underarm lymph node surgery and the breast surgery itself required numerous nerves to be cut. So it is pretty common. The pain within the breast itself, especially the sharp pains, is more likely to be from nerve damage resulting from the radiation. Thats my understanding anyway. Certainly the numb arm was there from the surgery and prior to radiation. My surgeon did say that it was likely the numbness would be permanent. And thats okay, I'm used to that. Its just the soreness that bothers me really.

Yes I have full use of my left arm again now. The nerve damage does not interfere with overall use. I had initial difficulties with my left arm as a result of the surgery and lymphatic cording, but a few sessions of physio and ongoing exercises remedied that eventually. And of course I had torn my rotator cuff only a few weeks after surgery ... that definitely had me 'winged' with no use of my left arm at all for a couple of weeks. Again the physio helped that. I'm now just left with severe joint pain overall, especially in the mornings, as a result of the ongoing anti cancer pills. Unfortunately thats one of the common side effects, and not something that will improve. Given I have several fairly serious injuries (back and shoulders) the little pills are having a field day.

Yes I suppose I must be pretty resilient, as you say. My psych said something similar to me today actually. Seems odd when others see me as resilient ... I dont feel it, I assure you. I feel like a broken down crock, and unable to pick myself up.

We too have had some lovely autumn weather this past week. Autumn is my favourite season I think. But, as I speak, it is now raining. We dont need more rain here after the dreadful floods. Its only just dried out enough here to be able to mow our block. And grass is growing as you watch it.

Thanks for the beautiful autumn pic from Melbourne. Reminds me of Canberra in autumn .. it too is very pretty.

@NatureLover ... I just posted my above post and then yours came through.  Will tag you on here now.  I think I have answered all the questions you asked, in my replies to others above.  How is your week going?  Did Mondays work go okay?  I read your post to a new thread about OCD.  I will try to be here for next weeks topic tuesday.

Thanks all.

Emelia 💞

[NatureLover]

Ah, @Emelia8 ...I must have got the times you posted wrong, re your furbaby's breathing, if she had a bad night again last night. Am really sorry to hear 😞

Monday's work went well thanks, the new manager and the bullying lady were both away and I was able to have access to the computer and catch up on all my work, which felt very satisfying. 

I hope you can attend the Topic Tuesday, that would be great 🙂

[Zoe7]

I can imagine how much you are feeling for little Holly @Emelia8 She is your baby and seeing her in such distress would be so difficult. When Cat went missing the other night I was beside myself and when we found her she was so distressed that it broke my heart. Luckily I have her back and she is beginning to be herself again so I feel for both you and Holly 

[Anastasia]

Hello sweet @Emelia8 

I hope your Dad's and your appointments went well yesterday. I also wish him well for today 🤞 I'm up shortly to rid some mould, garden and then be at the hospital when visiting is allowed. A busy day. Not sure what to expect with my boy today, fingers crossed Em. This emotional rollercoaster is not much fun. Love you x

[Snowie]

Good morning @Emelia8 

Hoping today goes well for you.

Much love and hugs 💖💖

[Anastasia]

Just a quick reminder that I am here for you hunny ❤️

@Emelia8