Day 9

Feeling remarkably well and have way more mobility than I was led to believe I would have.

I am stretching out my panadol now to 8 hourly, with little effect on pain. I am managing for the first time to get out of bed on my own and last night for the first time I slept on my side. It appears I can do most things to take care of myself but unable to do anything to take care of the household or family, although I did assist with tea last night as I hate being a burden.

Yesterday morning I had a very short walk and a long catch up with my newest dearest friend at the Lockleys oval (which is going to be the western sports hub of metro SA [$7.6 million worth] go Demons! WAMs have already barred the north eastern corner on the balcony!). Anyway I digress, I put the call out for any WAM to join me and control Murray while the boys endured footy training with the coach, AKA my husband and of course Chez who’s been ill all week and under pressure from work offerred to help. As it turns out my dog is an Angel (more on that later) and didn’t need much controlling but my other Angel is Chez and has been my rock through all of this and I cherish her. She is a diamond in the rough.

WAMs corner on LFC balcony

Double trouble: regular groodle Doogie and Murray romping around.

Another WAM came to say hello at the oval, pretty sure her husband made her come and check me out to report back! I have to say the look on her face was of somewhat confusion and far out it’s a failure. Priceless. I was quick to explain it’s first phase only and the real work begins now in the stretching of the skin. Steve can squeeze them in about 4 months time!🤣

As serendipity would have it, a visit from my oldest dearest friend in the arvo brought tears of laughter with Jo as Todd always seems to manage with her and a delicious, nutritious meal, kick starting me back onto the health wagon. So terribly thoughtful she is working 6 days a week and still manages to cook a meal for me. Honestly where do these Angels drop from and why do I deserve to have them in my life? A delightful visit and catch up with a friend I’ve had for longer than my memories go back (43 years) who was one of my rocks last cancer (my other rock was Dan who this time has visited twice in hospital, messaged ferociously to check in on me, understood my bad trip on the pelexia, and is getting me season 4 of This is us!).

I’m just putting out there all my love to all my friends, from the WAMs, to the LFC footy blokes, to the work colleagues from past and present, my immediate family and my far and wide family, my Thursday night girls, my distant but close to my heart friends, my fellow cancer thrivers, my old school mates, my neighbours, my followers, my ex gym friends, my FB friends, Foster’s school teachers & footy coaches & players parents, Todd’s work colleagues and everyone in between.💝

Now I alluded earlier my dog was an Angel, but I have failed to mention the escape he put together the weekend before my surgery. We had taken him to Lockleys oval on Saturday (again during footy training) where a dog owner had praised me on my well behaved dog. Sunday rolled around and we must have left the front door open while we unpacked the car (& no-one had shut the front gate) and a little later we realised we were missing a fur ball. We started searching to finally find him at the top of the stairs to linear park, gratefully being held by another human while he made calls to our mobile. He saw us and thought it would be appropriate to let Murray go since we were in his line of vision but instead of Murray running to us, he did a fast switch fibre and ran straight back up the stairs towards the river. Foster and I followed him up, coaxing and cooing him to obey command and ‘COME’ to no avail. He ran in and out of the water and I summoned Todd to participate in the chase (meanwhile the original catchers looked upon us in dismay and reproach for having such a disobedient pooch). The dog then spied his favourite swan family to harrass and he immediately took chase. Oh god, this could get bloody. With the boys in tow and Todd looking like (from quite the distance now) his patience was as thin as rice paper I knew this would end badly. Eventually Murray paused to have a roll of his wet fur over some horse shit where Foster’s dexterity and instinct took over and he laid a most auspicious tackle. The trio plodded home with Murray dragged and thrown into the yard and Foster threw himself into the shower! The next day Todd’s work colleauge said “we saw you and Foster on the river yesterday, but noticed you were busy so didn’t say hi”

I guess it’s hard to shut a gate when there isn’t one! It’s on the to do list.

Happy days xx