My last post was back in October, and in Lawley Land, when things are quiet, I tend not to write a post as there’s not much to write about. It’s a good thing really.

So, the purpose of this post is just to recap on what has been going on over the past few months of 2017.

I’ve been regularly attending sessions at the Garden House Hospice for a number of reasons:
Reflexology - I normally have 6 weekly sessions, every 3 or 4 months, with a lovely Complementary Therapist who uses specific aromatherapy oils depending on how I’m feeling that day. I always come out of each session feeling very relaxed.

Music Therapy - This is usually every 3 weeks where I meet with a Music Therapist. I give her music I want to use during the session, and she plays the piano and I sing! I’ve always loved singing, but I don’t have the confidence to do it on my own, only in a choir, or with my family, or in the therapy session. The session gives me space to do something I love, allowing me to make mistakes, sing out of tune, and just enjoying it.

Doctor Consultations - I see a palliative doctor every 6-8 weeks who keeps an eye on my mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. He is the one who I talk to about my painkillers, and keeping on top of my pain levels. He is great, and I always feel more positive after seeing him. However, back in September it was obvious that things weren’t right, and he diagnosed me with Depression, put me on the relevant medication, and got me on the list for counselling.

1-2-1 Counselling - I’m currently in the middle of a course of 12 sessions. I’m trying to get my head around the fact that however normal (!) I may look on the outside, I am not a normal 40 year old, and my life expectancy is substantially shorter. This is really hard to do, and I’m not there yet. It’s taking a while. I live between scans, and at any point the rug can be pulled from underneath me. It’s a case of trying to live as much as possible when things are stable, and take things as they come when they don’t.

In other news, we went up to the North East to visit my family in October half term. I’ve been suffering with extreme fatigue, but there was one thing that I know I wanted to do when we were there. And that was to go to Beamish Outdoor Museum. I used to go frequently with school as a child, and I was keen for my kids to see it. I knew the site was very large, so in order to get the best out of it, Ross and I decided that we would invest in a wheelchair, the idea was that instead of using energy walking about, I could use it engaging with the family. Very generously, Ross’s Mum helped us out financially, so that we could buy one, and as a result we had a lovely day at the museum.

As the year plodded towards the end, we had a few family outings: Imy’s school music concert and Carol concert, Felix’s Christmas Show, a trip to the cinema to see Star Wars in 4DX where the chairs move and you get sprayed in the face with water, a trip into London to watch a Pantomime organised by Ross’s work. In it, were Elaine Paige and Diversity! Two things ticked off the Bucket List!

Before we knew it the Christmas holidays arrived and Ross produced his usual, amazing Christmas Dinner, enjoyed by us as well as visiting Uncle Max, Dad and Julie. The rest of the year we weren’t quite sure what day we were on, but our diet consisted of chocolate, gin, with a treatment day thrown in.

2017 started well. There was a dip in the middle, another dip in September, which I’m still coming up from, but it’s ended ok. Let’s hope for a quiet 2018.

Jx