Pikeman, Maurice, Chris, John, where are you all at?????You cannot just leave us all hanging here. We worry about you when we don't hear anything from you.....Please let us know how you are......Vicki Lynn

Vikki, may I grovel at your feet !

God's honest truth is that I don't know what my problem has been. Monday (Jan. 17) was the first time I'd been out of the house since Christmas Day.

I'm not sure whether I've been wallowing in self-pity, or had contracted an infection or it was just the chemotherapy tailing off.

Whatever it was I awoke on Tuesday (Jan. 18) feeling top of the world.

No matter what my problem was it fades into insignificance compared to what the people around the Indian Ocean are having to deal with.

Hope you're feeling at least a little better.

I'm trying to catch up with all the postings I've missed but I find it even harder on this new site than it was on the old one. I'm sure that aomewhere down track I'll make an inappropriate comment comment purely because I've missed a posting.

Ah well, such is life.

Bye and God bless

Naughty Naughty Pikeman, hiding away, it's this rotton bleak weather, a bit of DUVET syndrome, the daffs will be out soon and all will back to normal; greetings and big bear Hugs

Hi Garance, I didn't know that you had Daffadills in England? We have them in Arkansas.
Cathy

Hi all, not been about lately as just didn't fell like doing anything. I seem to be tired all the time. eating is still a drag. Still hopefully it will get better. Hope everyone had a great Xmas and wish all happy new year. Pikeman glad to see your back on the site again.
Maurice

Hello,
I am quite new to this site as it is only a couple of days since I discovered it. Have been a cancer patient for 2,5 years now (cured of cancer but suffering from side-effects). I really like your talk - and would enjoy joining in. Jola

HI Jola, You can join in anytime?

Hi! Here I am and really willing to talk. Jola

Hello Vicki
An amazing thing happened to me, originally I was due to go into BRI (Bristol Royal Infirmary) for a major neck dissection on the 7th February. On 20th January I was at the Dental Hospital in Bristol and at the sam time as being told I was to lose 6 back teeth I was casually informed that the operation was now not on the 7th Feb but would be on the 1st Feb and that it was at Southmead Hospital in Bristol with a completely different team and surgeon! As you can imagine I was not best pleased and created holy hell about this but in the end accepted it as it was an earlier op! Then I was told I would be going into this new hospital on the 25th January to have a peg fitted on the 26th so not much time to organise anything.
I duly arrived on the 25th and met Mr Irvine the new surgeon who looked at my throat with an endoscope and said he could not see anything... later that day he told me that he would investigate further during the peg operation. After that operation on the 26th he told me there was 'some tissue there' but he would have expected me to have a lot more problems with my tongue and swallowing at this stage if I did really have anaplastic cancer as diagnosed in the December biopsy operation.
He then said he wd give me another op on the 27th and take more biopsies from different parts of the tongue and at th same time get the original biopsy slides re-checked. To cut a long story short a top pathologist looked at both sets of biopsies and on the following Monday 31st Jan (day before the big op) I was told that the original diagnosis was wrong and that I had a type of naso-pharyngeal cancer which can be treated by 2 weeks solid chemo with 2 weeks rest inbetween and then a further 6 and a half weeks of radiotherapy and a day each week of chemo at the same time...so miracles do sometimes happen - I wonder what would have happened had these changes of hospital/surgeon etc had not transpired???? I know chemo/radiotherapy is not a walk in the park but put that horrrendous operation on top of everything was a lot to put up with and I feel for you guys who have had that but I feel like I have had a very lucky escape - must be the luck of the Irish!!
Regards
John Flaherty

Your story is truly one of the scariest I've heard. The 'what ifs' don't bare worth thinking about. Good luck with the chemo/radio. EAT WHILE YOU CAN!!!

Oh my Lord John, Someone was watching out for you indeed. I am in total shock after reading your post. If you do not know how extremely lucky you are let me be the first to tell you--U R 1 Lucky MAN!!!!!!!! I mean the thought of you having to go thru all this and it was a mistake,,,OH MY GOD! You will do just fine. Just remember when the days do come and you feel like crap,,,It could have been a WHOLE lot WORSE. And I do mean A WHOLE WHOLE WHOLE lot... With that said,, I want to also say HELLO to my buddies, MAURICE & PIKEMAN,,,,What a wonderful site to see you both back on the site. Listen Maurice,,,I know how you are feeling. But please don't stop talking about it all. This is how those that come on the site--LEARN. Don't you think that they are wondering and wanting to ask questions about all this that has happened to them. Perhaps reading a post they will know and see that whatever it is-- is okay..That it is normal for all of us....So please share your feelings and your thoughts...Pikeman,,You are my dear. I have missed you so, I pray that you are doing okay, Let us know,,you can teach so much, but not if you are silent..Jola,,,WELCOME WELCOME,,you are more than welcome to join in anytime you wish. That is what we all are here for,...To learn, To cry, To laugh, To complain, To yell, To scream, To help.....I pray that that is what we are doing.....Always Vicki Lynn

Hi Vicki, I've been here. We have been packing.
Plus throwing things out. We are building a house in Orlando. I can't wait to get there.
Cathy

Greetings all, especially Vikki & Garance.

Just read John's horror story, really he should be able to do something about such a fiasco. Can you imagine the stress that must have been caused.

Cancer treatment does seem to be a bit of a lottery depending on where you live. It would seem that I've been very lucky as I have nothing but praise for the treament and support I've received so far.

Still hoping to hear from Maurice - or have I missed a posting somewhere?

God bless