Thanks for the offer Nexxo but I think I'm doing OK. I came to terms with my own death some time ago. Each day I think 'I can manage the pain so I can get through this day' and compartmentalise each day as another day closer to it finishing. I believe Ann would benefit as she's continuing to do her normal job as well as attend each meeting with me, keep the meetings, treatment and side effects diary and worry about me all the time. She's working in the evenings and weekends to catch up with work which can be a high pressure job at times and is suffering from insomnia. I'd suggested she get a couple of months unpaid leave from work but for some reason doesn't want to. She's got it a lot harder than me. I've suggested she pm you but at the moment doesn't want to but again thanks for the offer.
No worries! Yes, partners have it extra hard because all the attention is on the patient's needs and theirs tend to get overlooked a bit. As such cancer psychology support should be extended to the whole family. Perhaps she finds work a welcome distraction; some sense of normality and routine when everything else in your lives is disrupted. She may also worry about finances, which are a big deal for families with cancer (not everybody enjoys good sick pay...). Macmillan can be helpful, but there are also local support groups (Macmillan website lists them), often run by CNSs in their spare time.
She says you're spot on with that observation. I'm retired so no other pressure on me and fortunately we have no money concerns.
That's a bummer about the lidocaine. I have that in patches and is the only thing that keeps me behind a desk. You could try difflam spray. I have a tendency for severe throat infections that are so painful I can't swallow, and that's the only thing that does anything for it.
If the lidocaine is doing nothing, you could ask for fentanyl patches, they even do them as lollipops. They were an excellent source of comfort for my grandad during his palliative care.
I tried Difflam Spray and also the Rinse neither had any effect. I also tried Ultra Chloraseptic and that 'burnt' my throat. In the end I gave up and waited and earlier than expected the pain started easing off. It's still there but has reduced a lot.
I've found my superpower. A bit of context first though. My taste buds have been damaged by the radiotherapy, probably temporarily, or so I've been told and a lot of things, particularly dairy products taste off. Foods with strong flavours generally taste OK. However my sense of smell seems to be enhanced, I can smell things quite strongly even from a distance. Unfortunately my superpower is that I can smell dog sh*t on pavements even when it's not visible. I can also smell raw sewage presumably from broken pipes underground. I could make a fortune contracting out to Anglian Water to detect breaks in their sewage pipes, that's if they were bothered in the slightest about them. This is a superpower I can't wait to lose.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfume:_The_Story_of_a_Murderer_(film) I recommend you watch this film!
I had that super power for over 25 years. And the ability to start heaving. Being autistic ain't what it is cracked up to be.... The meds have seriously dulled my abilities, thank F.
Congrats on not being dead, that really puts a down on your day I'm told. Hopefully it's plain sailing from here on out...
That sounds like, well, bloody great news. I love a thread with a happy ending. I love happy endings in general but that's a different story. It's particularly cheering me up as it's nearing the anniversary of my dad so hearing of you kicking the big C in the nads is most heartening. I hope you and Ann can get confirmation in November and finally relax for a great Christmas.
