Work, lunch and blood test.

I went into work today, so pleased to be asked to go on the team night out. We will be going bowling and then off for something to eat. I learnt about swapables which are apps on Orange, android and an ice cream sandwich (????) ...... yes, you heard right!!! It is a version of android which is a google system that works with phones and tablet computer. Also included in that are ginger bread and lollipop, what ever next : )

After work I met my friend, Mandy, for lunch. I met Mandy at Endsleigh garden centre, she is such good company, we have been friends a long time.

After lunch it was off to the Dr's for a blood test. I will get the results next week. Work next week is Monday, Tuesday and Thursday again. 2 hours each day, the week after it goes up to 3 hours. I am amazed at how much has changed with mobiles in 2 and 1/2 years.

READ MORE - Work, lunch and blood test.

Mothers day activities with Kieran.

I have work this morning, Just for 2 hours, I am enjoying being back and am making new friends.

This afternoon I am going to see Kieran in his school. The school has a mothers day activities afternoon. I am looking forward to it, not many more days left like this as he is growing up so fast. I might just squeeze one in next year : )

Kieran talked to me about when he leaves school this morning. So lovely, he said "I bet your happy that you may see me leave school next year and see my leavers assembly". Yes I am happy, it is just over a year away, I don't usually like thinking that far ahead but thought how lovely of him to think of that. I am so proud of him, he has had a lot to come through and is coping well.

I am very happy about getting to another Mothers day and I know I always say it but I do have the best gift ever. I hope to see many more, I am very proud of my children. Siobhan is doing well with her business, Rich is settled with his new family and the Bean, well, always surprising me. I am also very proud that I am still here with you all. Theo has ben a gem, I hope he continues to look after me. : )

READ MORE - Mothers day activities with Kieran.

Work again today.

I was only in work for an hour and a half today as I had a medical assessment at 12pm.

All went well with the Dr. He is going to write a report to occupational health. It looks like I will be on reduced hours for 8 weeks and then build up to the normal amount.

I went to Kieran's school and sorted out the issues that he had and then went home, had a bite of lunch and crashed out on the sofa. I slept like a log, must have needed it.

Tomorrow is going to be lovely, I am in school with Kieran having a mothers, sisters, aunties and grandma's afternoon. I will be making cakes with him. I will take the camera and get some pictures. I am so pleased to be spending another mothers day with my children.

READ MORE - Work again today.

Lovely sunny day.

Stork and Amber sunning themselves today.

Stork is fascinated by a ladybug. : )

Yesterday I felt miserable, could have cried all day long. I feel so lonely even though I have my children and my friends around me. I look at my hair all curly and I know I shouldn't moan as there are people worse off than me. I feel so unattractive and unwanted. Having this illness sometimes makes me more angry than other times. The usual questions, why me, why now, why anyone? Well, it is me, it is now and anyone could be exposed. I have to get positive again. I am going to focus on LA and make sure I have a fabulous time. Going first class on the plane will be wonderful, something else to tick off the bucket list. Meeting Barbara McQueen will be an absolute honour, she is the widow of the king of cool, Steve McQueen. Meeting Linda again will be fantastic and meeting USA warriors that I only get to speak to on FB.

Today the sun has been shining beautifully. The cats were sunning themselves in the garden, so lovely to be able to sit there and watch them play.

Kieran went to his friends for a couple of hours. I picked him up as he missed his bus and dropped him back home then went on to my friend Jayne's house for a lovely roast, well mine is all veg but still lovely.

Tomorrow I am back to work but first, over to school.

Tuesday I ahve the medical assessment were I will have to think about Theo again. He has been quiet which is great but I hate being reminded that he is around.

I have been feeling so tired in the afternoons, fell asleep today, I must need it. Going back to work has been tiring although I haven't done much. I think it is getting back into a more structured day.

READ MORE - Lovely sunny day.

Home today.

No work today, just going to chill out. Next week i will be at work for the 2 hours each day again, that is Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Got Kieran's school mothers day afternoon which I am looking forward too.

I have been in touch with Virgin about my mesothelioma and am going to have support from them to get from check in to the gate, oooohhh, might be on one of those buggies watching all the other people walk to their destination. I know I will feel a fraud but as the lady said on the phone, it is a 15 minute walk to some gates. Will get support in LA too.

It will also help with my anxiety as I know i will panic not getting to the gate, Heathrow is huge.

Not long to go, I am so excited.

READ MORE - Home today.

Work again today.

I am back in work again today, 10-12 not on the phones but learning about all the changes in the 2 and 1/2 years I haven't been there. I am enjoying but am feeling the fatigue afterwards. This week has been quite hard but I will get through, it ready for the next one.

I have seen many of my friends, so good to be in touch again.

I am going to see my lovely friend, Becky, afterwards. She has just had a little baby, a sister for her little boy. She is a sweet girl and I have missed her. Not sure if she will be returning to work. I am sure we will have a good chat and a catch up later.

I have my E-ticket for LA, at last!!! I rang and rang yesterday, got no where. One call from Linda in the US and there it was. She is so good, can't wait to see her again.

Visa nearly sorted and insurance cover, always a difficult one, to be sorted. £144 for the year which is good but I need to find out if I am covered as terminal illnesses are given thousands of pounds for cover. It is to do with having less than a year to live. I think I maybe outside of that bracket, my oncologist seems to think so anyway. If not, I will find one that will.

Oh well.... time to go and do my hair, it's driving me crazy but it is growing fast. I am getting to a good point with it now so it is safe from the clippers, I do so miss my wigs though.

READ MORE - Work again today.

Morning from a facebook free house.

I logged on this morning and found that facebook was down. I will now have to get a life : )

I am not working today, back in tomorrow. I can certainly feel the difference. I feel wiped out when I come home and I can hear all my warrior friends shouting at the screen, "take it easy" as that is what I do ; )

The meso meeting is today, it will be good to catch up with all the local warriors. Siobhan is doing so well setting up the website for the group. We went to see Kate, the specialist nurse yesterday. The charity is going well too, All added to companies house, Richard from the National asbestos helpline (NAH) and I are seeing our plans come into fruition. We both hope it takes off and is a success.

Still waiting for my E-ticket from Virgin. I am a panic merchant and will be OCD'd up soon if it doesn't come through. I have a new passport so hope that it will calm me a bit and stop me continuously looking at the date!

So much going on this month, all for the good : )

READ MORE - Morning from a facebook free house.

Work today, off tomorrow.

I went to work for a couple of hours yesterday and off agin today. I am doing 10 to 12 at the moment. I am waiting to see what the medical assessment Dr says as this will gauge what my work place puts in place for me. It is good getting back to work and I have to say that Orange have been amazing, so very supportive.

kieran is doing well with his travel training, he is keen to go on every route possible with the buses. I am not sure i am ready for that yet. I know he wants to do it but one step at a time : )

Siobhan and I are meeting the specialist nurse at the mustard tree this afternoon. Siobhan is creating a web page for the new group. The new charity I am setting up with Richard from the National Asbestos Helpline is moving forward too, we have it all registered at companies house, just a matter of time now before we launch it. Such an exciting time.

READ MORE - Work today, off tomorrow.

ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THIS BLOG IS A SURVEY CREATED BY MESOTHELIOMA UK.

IT IS A PATIENT/CARER EXPERIENCE SURVEY. PLEASE FILL IT IN AS IT WILL BE EXPIRING SOON.

MESSAGE FROM LIZ DARLISON, MESO UK.

"On behalf of Mesothelioma UK I would like to thank you very much for taking the time to complete the survey. I confirm that any details that you give on the survey that may identify you will be anonymised.

I would like to also thank the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund for providing a grant to assist with the funding of this project. If you would like to receive a summary of the final report please provide your email or postal address at the end of the survey".

Yours sincerely
Liz Darlison
Macmillan Consultant Nurse

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What a great week.

Work yesterday was good. I had 2 hours of finding out what had changed and seeing more faces I knew. So good to be back, I have missed being in work. I have a medical assessment on 12th March with the Dr appointed by occupational health. Until I see the Dr, things will be very easy as my manager wants to be guided on how to re-train me.

I am back in again on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 2 hours each day. Yesterday I came home and fell asleep on the sofa. I will soon get used to the work routine.

Today has been pretty quiet, Kieran was supposed to be with his dad for the weekend but they have had a disagreement so he is back home. While writing this, Kieran has decided to go back to his dad's. I think he just loves the bus rides. He got a bus from his dad's, went into the city centre, got a bus to ours. He is now getting a bus to Crownhill, a village near us and then down to St budo. So I will be Beanless this weekend.

All is very quiet, I am just going to enjoy it before Monday's return to work. I am looking forward to Friday as Kieran has a mother's day afternoon at his school for Mum's, Sister's and Aunties. Should be fun : )

Good luck to my lovely friend Mavis who had her scan yesterday, I hope all is good with the results.

READ MORE - What a great week.

Back to work.

My verion of the Phantom of the opera, Masks on sale at Plymouth Garden Centre.
A dear little toad found in our garden.
New cat flap, not sure they like it.
Kaz, the canteen manager and I in Orange call centre.

Yesterday was a lovely day, the sun was shining and I made arrangements to go to lunch with my friend, Mandy. She is an amazing lady who does her own dialysis at home.

I admire who so much. She has coped with a lot of illnesses and inspires me to be as brave and strong as she is.

We went to the local garden centre. We had a chat about our families and watched 2 little robins look for scraps at the tables, I got home around 2 and got myself ready to see my other friend, Carolyn. I haven't seen her for a while so it was another catch up.

I got home in time to meet Kieran, he has been travel training and is doing very well to sort out his bus to and from school. We have road resurfacing work going on at the moment so he has a longer walk to the bus stop.

Today has been exciting. I went back to work!! It has been 2 and 1/2 years since I last worked. I have to say that Orange has been very supportive with my time off. I went in today to do a return to work and check out what has changed in the time I have been away. It was lovely to see so many friendly and familiar faces who had a cherry smile and a welcome.

I am going back in tomorrow for a couple of hours. I am on a phase return which means I will gradually build up to my hours.

I got home to see that Mr Right price windows had been and changed our back door window. We had glass in the bottom part of the door and I thought it would be better to get a cat flap put in the bottom as the door has to be left open so the cats can get in. We have a cat flap in the conservatory but having the back door open all the time makes the house very chilly. Not sure the cats are too keen, they hate change.

One of my childhood heros died yesterday. Davy Jones from the Monkees passed away. He was my very first love, I would have been about 8 years old when the Monkees were on TV in the 60's and I fell in love. RIP Davy, may sleepy Jean live on in heaven x x

Tributes also to David Rathband, he was blinded Moat, an idiot who decided he would play God. Moat took the easy way out and killed himself but this poor man was left with torment and pain. No one would blame him for wanting to get out of this prison. RIP David, such a brave soul. Be at peace now x x x

READ MORE - Back to work.