On this entry I intend to leave a summery at the bottom of the page that will abbreviate the nearly 200 pages going back to around August 2008, you will need to look at the older posts to see in full and you can do that by scrolling through using the button at the foot of the dialogue, it will take time though, my summary will mainly focus on the last couple of months of living with Cancer. There will also be a piece about my farthest recollections and events that in some way or other came to shape me into what I have become but first of all I will tell you about Monday the 17th of August 2009.
Monday started off well enough, good nights sleep, up-early ready for work waiting to find out what time my nurse would arrive to take out some stitches and change my dressings. The nurse arrived about 12:30 removed my dressing to find that I had an abscess where the tube comes out of my chest, this then chose to burst, lots of gunge. The nurse calls 'The Christie' who say I have to come in quickly. I call Norma who is at work who is home at record speed having jumped into a taxi that work sorted out for her, off we go to the hospital.
On arrival I go as instructed by my nurse into the day ward, where although a lot of people sitting waiting I am taken into a side ward within a couple of minutes, my line is diagnosed as infected, a small operation to remove my line and swab's taken to see what type of anti-biotic are required to clear up my infection. I am kept under observation for an hour or so given my medication then allowed to go home. The removal of the line did cause me to wince a few times due to the tenderness of the inflamed area but to be honest as I sit here at 01:00AM on Tuesday the 18th of August 2009, I feel better than I have in a long time.
In the side ward seating area Norma and I met a nice couple, he is roughly my area and has come to the end of his chemo but is getting some side effects, I hope he gets in touch with me as I can learn a lot from him about what to expect.
The Gentleman has had a driving job which due to his current situation he has given up, he did say that he thought he would not work again, I hope I have changed his mind about that, yes he may not be able to go back doing long hours driving but nothing wrong with a change in career, Customer Service can be done from your own home, you find a lot of companies employ home workers now and to be honest small companies should think about starting up home workers, just think all you Bosses out there, NO RENT TO PAY as your employee does not need expensive office space. Think about it.
Anyway that was my Monday and today is another day I have to see my nurse again today and tomorrow to make sure the infection is under control.......................
Amongst the many people who are out there rooting for me a couple have been really morale boosting or spirit raising, just to name a few from the recent past, Nik, Norman, John, Paul, Mike, Ted and Dave, cheers guys. Please if I have not mentioned your name do not get upset, I know you are also there for me.
This next piece is about things and events that shaped me into what I am today, if I put a date in it is not an exact date just an around about that date;
My Sister and I quite often have what observers would say a who can remember what and who is right sort of contests, much to the amusement of our other halves, YES NORMA AND GEORGE YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A GOOD LAUGH AT US. Hee Hee :O)
So my version is this.
George my Brother in Law, is by far the best man I have ever had the pleasure to know, I have had run In's as a teenager with George but to be honest I have always looked up to him, anyone who knows him will know what I mean, a great man, and how the hell he has not been knighted for his services to the people of the Isle of Man and other countries baffles me, he also is the Father to Jeanette supposedly my Niece but I never saw her as that she is always the Little Sister I never had and I am so happy that she has married another good man and they have a great little man called Albert, who is a nutter, they all recon he is just like me at that age, poor child. On we go.
I will mention my Sister Lynn, my Son Richard and his family some other time, May do an embarrassing piece on them just for a laugh, love you lots all. XXX
I can remember buses in the Lord Street, bus station, in Douglas, Isle of Man, in the late 1950s and they had Lions and Tigers in them. Presumably a Circus was in town and in them days old buses would have been converted to carry the animals around Britain, I would have been about 5 at the time but I remember it as if it was yesterday, it was prior to the shelters being built and opposite the old customs house.
Suppose I would have been about 7 or so and my Mum would take me down town on a Saturday afternoon to shop, a treat for me would be to go into M&S and be bought some chocolate wafer biscuits, then around 3:20 I would be pestering mum to take me home on the bus so I could watch the wrestling on the TV, sat down with my packet of biscuits. Dad always worked Saturdays big day for our Family business, illegal Bookmakers, we did become legal many years later.
No one smoked in our house, so I always knew when Auntie Florrie was visiting you could smell her cigarettes from the garden. POO!
I remember as a child sitting on the stairs of our house the warm summer sun around 4:00 pm coming through the stain glass windows, the windows show a little boy sat down on the grass looking out to sea on a warm sunny day, was that boy me. the windows are still there but a house was built next door and took away some of the effect, so Kids especially Albert & Kyle just sit there about 4 steps down from the top of the stairs and dream of being that little boy sometime.
I remember, summer holidays off school, one in particular a real hot one, I think 1959, a gang of us got some matches and decided to make a little fire, a whole field burnt down in about 30 minutes. Was I worried, you bet I was as I am sure a lot of little lads were. No one came after us though.
Winters when I would have been about 9,10,11 would have at sometime spent at the white city amusement park, finding ways into closed down for the season rides, such as the ghost train, scaring each other and then being chased by the owner of the park.
By the age of 12 I had become a criminal, like my Father and his Father we made a living as Bookmakers, at the time it was illegal to have betting shops but in 1965 (roughly) i was working in one of our shops when we got raided by the police, My Dad, Sister and I were arrested and taken up the police station, our lawyer was already waiting for us when we arrived, My Father and Sister were bailed almost immediately but me, no my Father and Lawyer said they would not stand bail for me, so I was locked away, not for long, the authorities released me in the end without charge, fear of embarrassment we always thought.
I would have been around 12 when I joined my first strike, all the school children bar a couple who's father worked on the buses, walked to school in protest about changes in the pick up points and increased fares to get on the school bus, we were featured on the new Border TV station had our pictures in the papers.
Probably around this time, I had another picture taken with my niece Jeanette on a kiddies ride down the Mouragh Park in Ramsey, this I think was used to advertise the park. I was very embarrassed and had a lot a school friends take the Micheal out of me, for that one.
Over the years I have had a number of run ins with the law, fights, drinking under age etc of which I got fines and grew out of that stage in life but being quite well known on a small island had its draw backs.
My Mum, Dad and I used to talk about how if the police could not get one of us they would pick on another in the family and they did.
Twice I have been held to help the police with their enquires into murders. Once for the 'Golden Egg Murder' circa 1973. I had been eating in the Golden Egg Restaurant and was friendly with the owner, I just happened to be the last but one person seen speaking to him, I was interviewed for a couple of days, until finally they got the Chef to admit he had done it. The next one was 'The Back Strand Street murder' couple of years later, this one I fitted the description and was taken in repeatedly over a couple of days and made to prove my alibi's almost to each minute of the day, over and over the police went, statement after statement, I was never brought to charge but recently I read a book covering this case and realise who amongst the people I hung around with had probably caused me all the trouble. In the end a lad called Michael Kelly who I had been good friends with since about the age of 5 was taken in for the murder, Michael was I think married at the time living as he always had up in Onchan with a child if memory serves me well. The police moved the family out of their home, repeatedly questioned Michael in the end Michael committed suicide, the case was closed. I do not know who committed that murder and have always wondered if they ever got the murderer, I always feel that my friend Michael may not have done it.
Next event would have been my first marriage, to Harry, whirlwind is how the newspaper headlines covered it, yes it took about 3 weeks end to end, I would always say that Harry chatted me up in the Hawian Bar under the Casino and we just hit it off, Richard our Son has brought us a new family, lots of Children and a lovely Wife, I only wish I could spend more time with them, who knows.....................
My New Wife, Norma is Great and the best thing that has happened to me, we would perhaps not have said this if we had met earlier in life but we met at a certain time and have been very happy. Norma comes from a very large and extended Family, they are great and I love them all as much as I love my own family.
This then brings me to here and now and my summary;
Over the pages of this blog you will see how I would write about my support of Lewis Hamilton in F1 racing, My life long support of Manchester United, places I have worked, more recently Norma and my plans to retire to Cortes de la Frontera in Spain, holidays, my love for the Isle of Man and other stuff, all of which has been overtaken at least for the time being by the word CANCER. I am not giving up on our dreams, they are just delayed a bit till I get this out of the way.
- October 2008, virus going round work, stomach cramps, dioreah. Some minor beading from the bottom.
- Holiday in Tunisia with Family, was it March or was it May 09? They got me to promise to see a doctor on our return to Britain, of which I did.
- Tests with my local GP, referred to hospital for more tests.
- Colon cancer diagnosed, more tests.
- Liver cancer diagnosed, more tests at this time operations on the cards.
- Further tests show that the cancer has spread, no operations possible, terminal, chemo to be given and tests after 3 months.
- A week ago chemo started, few side effects, nothing major, 5 more chemo sessions to go.
- Top of the page, you are up to speed..............................................
It is now 03:00am on Tuesday and if this has rambled on a bit, well you chose to read the ramblings of a guy who on September the 4th 2009 will be 56 years young and who is now getting tired..........................................................
Traa dy liooar and Love to all.
No comments:
Post a Comment