Hi Skypup, 6 years almost to the day since my original surgery. I'm very grateful to have had that time, and like you, very mindful that time is running out. That kind of mindfulness is based in the now - it's no longer the head knowledge I had when I was deemed incurable, but a physical and emotion...

Ashlee and Bev, know that one way or another, we are all right behind you.

Hi all, I'm checking in after a period of lurking. Thanks for asking after me, Skypup. Sad to see Ashlee having such a rough time. I'm not doing so well either, though it's more of a gentle fading away on the couch. The hospice team made their first visit this morning, at rather short notice (they h...

Dear Ashlee, you have been a model of courage and dignity. Thank you. All the best as you face whatever lies ahead of you now.
Carolyn

Wow, really sorry to hear this. The outcome & the experience are dismaying, at least for now. I hope they come up with something better.

Hi all, I'm also feeling the fade. I'd like to think that it's all in my head, and that if I just get over myself, I'll be OK. But it's not all in my head, and sooner or later (I'm hoping, later) there will be a whole set of realities that I don't want to deal with. In the meantime, my world is gett...

Hi, chiming in on the cute baby photo! Gwen, maybe you could add a photo to each new page, so we get a dose of joy every time we scroll down. Or anyone else's uplifting photos - pets, gardens, whatever makes it all worthwhile. Cheers, Carolyn

Hi Ruby, I'm working on something for my kids, too. It's hard. What I want is somehow to tell enough familiar stories that they can still see themselves and me; so that they will remember my voice, my way of seeing the world. And so that they can extrapolate from there to what I would say to them in...

Hi all, just checking in to say hello, and to let you know I'm thinking of you with all the various trials and tribulations you're dealing with. I hope things settle down for you soon, Bev. Having things fall apart on so many fronts must be exhausting. I'm doing OK at the moment. A beautifully sunny...

Hi Cherie, I have an ileal j-pouch - no external bag, no colon, no rectum, the end of the small bowel remodelled as a pouch and attached to the anus. It works pretty well, once you get used to the new normal. Definitely preferable to the loop ileostomy I had for a while. I got a lot of useful info f...

Sign me up for the Christmas club!
Cheers, Carolyn

Ashlee, I hope that finishing chemo and work brings you many peaceful, gentle days. I've pretty much come to the end of chemo, too (limited by what is funded by our healthcare system), unless I want to revisit XELOX. Which I don't. I've just had radiation to one of the larger chest wall mets, which ...

Becky, best wishes to you and your family as you deal with this news. I hope you get the pain under control, and get to enjoy time with your loved ones. Carolyn

Congratulations! Lovely news, lovely photo.

Carpet? I say, go for it, as long as you choose something you really like. You're investing in practical house maintenance (and you 're looking to be there for a while yet), and you're investing in well-being, if it gives you pleasure. Now that I'm spending more time at home, I'm really enjoying hav...