Dear Jean and Eve
I'm beginning to think that the boys get better looking after than the girls!!! I was doing all the cooking within a couple of days of getting home! I didn't do the shopping though, but was on my own a lot when hubbie went off to work, 'business as usual' being our mantra
Quite clearly I needed a wife!
Hope frank is…[Read more]

Dear Eve
It's such a tough journey isn't it? You try so hard to keep optimistic and forward looking then it gets up again and bites you on the bum. I really do feel for you and Slim.
Thinking of you, keep in touch
Love Helen

Hi Ali
I've been to stay with friends for a few days and shopped with my son, we are out for our 30 th wedding anniversary dinner tomorrow, so he needed a while outfit! Poor student see.
The vaccination thing is different everywhere and must be a bit of a pain. Like everything connected to mm nothing is simple, bmb for me this week….. I'm…[Read more]

Hi Jean
Lovely holiday thanks, bit of a shock to the system coming back to yet more snow! I had low phosphates and calcium after SCT and had lots of bags of the stuff very slowly so had to drink loads to get the fluids in, not easy when you feel sick!, I've also been on calcium tablets ever since as it stayed low, it's a very odd feeling of…[Read more]

Hi Lesley
I coloured my hair as usual during my chemo treatment and only stopped when I had my transplant date, the hairdresser did use a mild colour no bleach, now I'm going the whole 9 yards, it does wonders for the morale.
Love Helen

Hi Ali
Thank you, I'm feeling really well now so it's a bit of a pain to have rising numbers, bmb after Easter to see what is going on, fingers crossed that it is a long time before I have to start treatment again.
I'm just back from sunny Lanzarote, back to the freezing sleet and snow, can't believe it's still so cold. Has your mum managed to…[Read more]

Hi Jean
I see Frank is doing ok still? Any sign of coming home yet?
Love Helen

Dear Eve
I'm just back from the sunshine to the current snow! and in catching up on the various post I am saddened to hear of Slim's 10% rise. When are you back at the clinic to find out what happens next? I always feel so close to you as our diagnosis days were so close together. I go for bmb after Easter. It is all so disappointing…[Read more]

Hi Andy
Ha ha, you would have laughed at my son then, he went to a fancy dress party recently ….. As the genie from the cartoon Aladdin……. He is very large! Anyway the girls shaved and waxed his head, arms, legs, neck and dear knows where else……. I didn't ask……. then they painted him with blue latex paint … It was very painful he…[Read more]

Hi Babs apparently that includes relatives, friends, fundraisers, carers and patients. Our support group met this week too, there are some very nice people at it, one or 2 also read the site.
I feel very well so it's rubbish that my numbers have decided to start climbing again but I knew it might happen. Just have to wait and see what happens…[Read more]

I know the answer to that……. It is about 3000 members registered ….. And you all know far too much information about me!
Love Helen

Dear Babs and Eve and Dai as its your thread
You both made me laugh today, not something I've felt like doing for the last few weeks, I'm afraid I'm avoiding looking at the elephant at the minute!
With all this talk about hair again, you saved me some bother …. as i was thinking of pulling up my 'keeping up appearances' thread yesterday, to…[Read more]

Hi Jean
Things seem to be progressing according to plan, how are you all doing while you watch him? I hope it's not too difficult for you and Frank continues to be interested in the football,

Vikki – I know what you mean about pain, at our hospital, if you live close by, you can be an outpatient and just come in every 2 days for bloods after…[Read more]

Dear Dai
Sounds as though you have covered everything, hope it all works and you keep infection free
Love Helen

Dear Ted
The mm cells develop in the bone marrow by hijacking the antibodies which are part of our immune system.
In smouldering mm there are not so many mm cells but you are more still inclined to pick up infection.
when they reach a critical mass they stop other cell production and wreak havoc then it is the time for treatment and mm is…[Read more]

Dear Jean
I didn't want to see anyone when I had my SCT, from about day 4 to 12, I have little recollection at all, I went back to my August 11 posts today to see what I did…….. Very little until 28 days seemingly, and my son says that on the days he came to see me I just grumbled at him and sent him home again! Do remind Frank to take the…[Read more]

Hello Ted
It is nice to see you, I think your surgeon and haematologist need to get their heads together and plan what is the best pathway for you. See if your clinical nurse specialist can fix it. It may be that if your immune cell numbers are still normal there may be no trouble doing surgery and if the surgery is not urgent there may be no…[Read more]

Hello Jet
Keith and I each did a spot at last years Newcastle info day. I found it very scary. Keith had his second transplant a week before i had my first, so we each talked about the run up to diagnosis/relapse. His was a seemingly effortless talk and he talked about his involvement with the PEER group too. I confess to copious notes and I did…[Read more]

Well how's he doing then? Did they win?
Love Helen

Hi Babs
Mine came back very curly and much thicker but very dull, it stayed like that for about 6 months then it went straight, much straighter than before, so I dyed it blonde and wear it short and spiked. It is now very high maintenance, takes ages to do.
Love Helen