NO REST FOR THE WICKED

All my weeks are busy but this one has been non stop, which probably is just as well as I didn't have much time to dwell on my scan at City Hospital last Tuesday which I have been worrying about as I have symptoms and pains that I can't explain. I have been having protractive dental work since March this year. My last chemo in 2006 caused shrinkage to the gums with the result that my bridge became loose. No one tells you this can happen,but sadly it is just another possible side effect of chemo which has turned out to be a very expensive one! I have a wonderful dentist called Nigel who I have been with for 30 years and trust implicitly He told me I could not drink red wine or eat curries as they would stain the temporary bridge which I have had for 6 months. I forgot one day and after eating curried parsnip soup I woke up the next morning and to my horror these bright yellow teeth were smiling back at me in the bathroom mirror! This week I finally have my permanent bridge and I can now eat curry and drink red wine to my heart's content! With shiny new teeth in place off I went for lunch at the Ginny Ring Craft Centre in Hanbury with my Yoga teacher Gill and my friend Kay.We have been friends since childhood and she lives in a beautiful cottage in the woods and as I drove through them the remaining leaves on the trees were a spectacular blood red and where they had fallen it was like a carpet of crimson. If only I had my camera. I am blessed with many friends, some I have made since I had cancer. My friend Wendy, is also my healer and John and I were invited to dinner last Saturday, Her husband Ray is one of the few surviving Spitfire Pilots of World War II and what tales he has to tell. My favourite evening is a candlelit dinner at home with good friends. Well we had the candles and they certainly did us proud with a wonderful meal and great company. Before I knew it Tuesday had arrived - the day of my scan, but I also had my "Living with Cancer course" to run and I always say that helping other people helps you to forget your own problems, so off I went to Sutton Coldfield where I am always inspired by the courage of these people and encouraged by how they have all gained so much from this course, hence a little scan was not going to stop me. All too soon I was heading for the Jewellery Quarter Birmingham to pick up my lovely husband John who had caught the train from Solihull so he could be with me. He has spent hour upon hour over the last 7 years waiting with me in hospitals for scans, results, chemo etc. and never once has he complained - well not very often!! Just having someone there with you is so comforting and I value his support so much - hope he reads this, 'cause I don't always tell him enough! I always say a little prayer as I go through the CT scanner in my hospital pyamas made to fit a 6ft hefty man not a 5ft 4ins small lady, but this is no time for vanity and the kindness of the staff makes such a difference to your experience . Finally 8 hours after leaving home that morning, tired and weary we arrive back at 7pm, but no rest for the wicked. I have a ladies' Rotary supper to attend in Balsall Common. It is so easy to think "I'm too tired,I can't be bothered." I never do that mainly because I don't like letting people down, but also I'm so grateful to still be alive that I embrace every opportunity to enjoy everything that comes my way. The spirit's always willing but sometime this poor body trails behind. As I drove home at midnight down the dark country lanes to Solihull listening to Radio 4 I thought "that was another lovely evening spent with friends" and the stresses of the day just melted away.