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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 397955" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Janet, here in Australia (also in the UK and other countries) our dating system is reversed. We put it as day, month, year (chronological order from shortest interval to longest) so to me at first it read that your father had died in February and been buried in July! I was about to ask why the delay...</p><p></p><p>This year has been challenging.</p><p>First thing - right after Christmas mother in law admitted she had been having heart flutters all through Christmas Day lunch. She told us on 27th December so we took her straight to hospital. She was there for a week or more, then home on new medications. The new medications made her unsteady and in early January she had a fall at home, was lucky to not break her hip. She spent a few hours on the floor before she crawled to the phone to call us. We went right down and called the ambulance. End result - she was in hospital for a few weeks and only allowed home if we were there to look after her. A lot of accommodations needed to be made and she has fought most of them, including the walking frame and especially the emergency call button she's supposed to wear round her neck. It also meant that from mid-January, we've been down at mother in law's every night cooking/eating dinner. Otherwise she won't eat properly, if at all. Too much bother.</p><p></p><p>Next - I had a routine mammogram a couple of weeks after mother in law got home form hospital the second time. Then I got a call back - I remember it was a scorching hot summer's day right at the end of January. We'd just had Australia Day and difficult child 3's birthday. The callback took me most of the day, during which time the car was parked in the sun. But I was feeling cold when I went back to the car - they'd found a cyst but couldn't aspirate it as they expected. Took a needle biopsy instead.</p><p>Results next day - breast cancer. Invasive ductal carcinoma. Saw the surgeon a few days later, had the lump removed a week after that. The lump was the size of an olive; they took out about a golf ball. Right breast. Pathology - the doctor got it all but it was a near thing, she nearly missed the margin because it was so hard to work out where it was. Sentinel nodes negative! which meant the cancer had not spread beyond the breast. Next step - five weeks of radiation treatment, although it stretched to six weeks. No need for chemo.</p><p></p><p>The radiation treatment finished in June.</p><p></p><p>I had been involved in a stage production but it fell apart partly because of my cancer, and also because of other unrelated problems.</p><p></p><p>Through all this, husband drove me to and from the hospital even though we had lots of people prepared to help. I was extra tired, of course, plus difficult child 3 needed some one-on-one lessons this year as the subjects were especially challenging for someone with autism. So we would go to the cancer centre early, then as we were already hafway there, continue on to the school. husband would sit in while I slept in the car on and off.</p><p></p><p>Sis-in-law visited and we had a little break from dinner every night, but it was still family dinner every other night. </p><p></p><p>It was a struggle but difficult child 3 got through his school year, including Work Experience, which he did at his school (again while I was having treatment - it was easier to do it then than at another time).</p><p></p><p>mother in law has been getting more frail and weaker, and now has problems which seem at least kin part due to not eating properly - it seems she's only eating in the evenings when we're there, and not eating enough at other times. But when she had both of our daughters (and their husbands) staying with her over Christmas, they made sure she ate a cooked breakfast each morning. </p><p></p><p>So here we are at the end of a difficult year from any perspective. Professionally, I've had a lot of demands on my services this year and have not been able to follow through as much as I wanted. I entered two competitions and won one. My book (self-published ten years ago) has a new market and is selling well locally. In the last couple of months I've published another book (for someone else) and have another waiting in the wings. Plus my own writing is getting a wriggle-on, thanks to a new writers collective I've been invited to join - it's exclusive, a maximum of six members so it's an honour to have been asked to join. Their ongoing support and demands have kept me working through all the fun and games of this year.</p><p></p><p>difficult child 3 has got his Learners Permit (a concern - could he manage to curb his impulsivity when behind the wheel?) and has been doing well. He has to log 120 hours behind the wheel, including 30 hours at night, plus reach his 17th birthday, before he can be tested for his drivers licence. Then it's two years on the red Provisional and another year on the green Provisional before he earns his "blacks" - a full drivers licence. While on his Provisionals (Ps) he's limited to 80 km/hr plus not permitted more than one passenger under 25. Any mistakes - loss of licence. It's really tough here. Despite this, we expect him to want to test for his licence soon after he turns 17, as soon as he gets his hours up. We're planning a drive to Canberra in the next week or so, that will get him another 6 hours at least. Then when school goes back, I generally get difficult child 3 to drive us there and back - that's another 3 hours.</p><p></p><p>Let's hope 2011 brings some tranquility and good fortune.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 397955, member: 1991"] Janet, here in Australia (also in the UK and other countries) our dating system is reversed. We put it as day, month, year (chronological order from shortest interval to longest) so to me at first it read that your father had died in February and been buried in July! I was about to ask why the delay... This year has been challenging. First thing - right after Christmas mother in law admitted she had been having heart flutters all through Christmas Day lunch. She told us on 27th December so we took her straight to hospital. She was there for a week or more, then home on new medications. The new medications made her unsteady and in early January she had a fall at home, was lucky to not break her hip. She spent a few hours on the floor before she crawled to the phone to call us. We went right down and called the ambulance. End result - she was in hospital for a few weeks and only allowed home if we were there to look after her. A lot of accommodations needed to be made and she has fought most of them, including the walking frame and especially the emergency call button she's supposed to wear round her neck. It also meant that from mid-January, we've been down at mother in law's every night cooking/eating dinner. Otherwise she won't eat properly, if at all. Too much bother. Next - I had a routine mammogram a couple of weeks after mother in law got home form hospital the second time. Then I got a call back - I remember it was a scorching hot summer's day right at the end of January. We'd just had Australia Day and difficult child 3's birthday. The callback took me most of the day, during which time the car was parked in the sun. But I was feeling cold when I went back to the car - they'd found a cyst but couldn't aspirate it as they expected. Took a needle biopsy instead. Results next day - breast cancer. Invasive ductal carcinoma. Saw the surgeon a few days later, had the lump removed a week after that. The lump was the size of an olive; they took out about a golf ball. Right breast. Pathology - the doctor got it all but it was a near thing, she nearly missed the margin because it was so hard to work out where it was. Sentinel nodes negative! which meant the cancer had not spread beyond the breast. Next step - five weeks of radiation treatment, although it stretched to six weeks. No need for chemo. The radiation treatment finished in June. I had been involved in a stage production but it fell apart partly because of my cancer, and also because of other unrelated problems. Through all this, husband drove me to and from the hospital even though we had lots of people prepared to help. I was extra tired, of course, plus difficult child 3 needed some one-on-one lessons this year as the subjects were especially challenging for someone with autism. So we would go to the cancer centre early, then as we were already hafway there, continue on to the school. husband would sit in while I slept in the car on and off. Sis-in-law visited and we had a little break from dinner every night, but it was still family dinner every other night. It was a struggle but difficult child 3 got through his school year, including Work Experience, which he did at his school (again while I was having treatment - it was easier to do it then than at another time). mother in law has been getting more frail and weaker, and now has problems which seem at least kin part due to not eating properly - it seems she's only eating in the evenings when we're there, and not eating enough at other times. But when she had both of our daughters (and their husbands) staying with her over Christmas, they made sure she ate a cooked breakfast each morning. So here we are at the end of a difficult year from any perspective. Professionally, I've had a lot of demands on my services this year and have not been able to follow through as much as I wanted. I entered two competitions and won one. My book (self-published ten years ago) has a new market and is selling well locally. In the last couple of months I've published another book (for someone else) and have another waiting in the wings. Plus my own writing is getting a wriggle-on, thanks to a new writers collective I've been invited to join - it's exclusive, a maximum of six members so it's an honour to have been asked to join. Their ongoing support and demands have kept me working through all the fun and games of this year. difficult child 3 has got his Learners Permit (a concern - could he manage to curb his impulsivity when behind the wheel?) and has been doing well. He has to log 120 hours behind the wheel, including 30 hours at night, plus reach his 17th birthday, before he can be tested for his drivers licence. Then it's two years on the red Provisional and another year on the green Provisional before he earns his "blacks" - a full drivers licence. While on his Provisionals (Ps) he's limited to 80 km/hr plus not permitted more than one passenger under 25. Any mistakes - loss of licence. It's really tough here. Despite this, we expect him to want to test for his licence soon after he turns 17, as soon as he gets his hours up. We're planning a drive to Canberra in the next week or so, that will get him another 6 hours at least. Then when school goes back, I generally get difficult child 3 to drive us there and back - that's another 3 hours. Let's hope 2011 brings some tranquility and good fortune. Marg [/QUOTE]
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