Sad news - please read

Please pass on every positive thought I can give to her and wish her as speedy a recovery as possible. Ensure her that every one of us on GOY will be wishing her all the best and thinking of her.

I hope that she gets better soon. Wishing her well and thinking of her.

I too wish her well and send positive thoughts. She is an incredibly knowledgeable lady in the plant world.

Oh, that is bad news. I wish Bamboo well and she is in my thoughts for a good recovery.

Sue, please send her all my best. She is an incredible women and her knowledge and being so willing to help others like me without a clue has been priceless. It is a large part due to her and her coninual help and advice that got me hooked on this site and ignited the passion I now have for my garden and the thirst for more knowledge. She will be sorely missed. I will have everything crossed that it all goes well and she is on the road to recovery soon.

Such a shock to hear this. I hope all goes well for her.

Sue please let Miriam know David & I are thinking of her, I'd intended to let her know my heart surgery takes place next week... None of us is getting any younger sadly

Goodness MgM - I knew you had a problem but not that it had reached that point. Wishing you too a safe and successful op - let us knw how you go on.

I may not be able to contact Miriam while she's in intensive care but will relay all the messages as soon as its feasible. It might be possible to relay everyones messages through her friend if I can reach her on the phone. She was hoping to be able to use her phone or tablet in the hospital so hopefully she'll be able to see them herself when she's well enough.

So many posts like this lately. It's very sad. I hope everyone concerned will be all right.

Stera please pass on my best wishes to Bamboo, this has come as a shock, tell her I'm thinking of her, willing a good outcome and speedy recovery.....

So sorry to hear this news and very much hope that the next few days will see a big improvement in Bamboo's health.
Good wishes for your heart surgery, Mgm.

Oh no, how sad. I do hope that everything goes well. We are both thinking of her.

That’s terrible news: she has always been such a star on this site with her depth of horticultural knowledge. Thank you for letting us know, Sue, and I’m fervently hoping for a good outcome for Bamboo.

As everyone else says.

That was a real shock to hear and it sounds as if she has a rough time ahead of her. I send my sincere wishes for her recovery and shall be thinking of her.

Very sad news, I wish her all the best,and a speedy recovery.

Very sad news, as everyone said a very knowledgeable lady. My thoughts and prayers are with her

I'm so sorry Bamboo is ill and has to go through all this. She has been so helpful to me so many times and even very recently. I do hope all goes well with the op and things turn out better than expected. Please give her my very best wishes. Like many others, I'll be thinking of her often.

If we all send her positive thoughts for a good recovery hopefully it will reach her! I am indebted to her for her patience and knowledge with me as a novice gardener and all her sound advice. Please send her my best wishes.

Good news: She is out of Theatre and back on the ward - not intensive care after all! Her friend in London will be visiting tomorrow and will tell me the latest. I will pass it on as soon as I hear. Hopefully she'll be able to access Goy - that's what she was hoping, and see all the messages herself. Otherwise I will have a go at passing them on.

Hi sue could you pass on to bamboo my best wishes and hope she gets better very soon and get back on here miss her views and expertise.

I'm pleased she's not in intensive care. I hope seeing these comments help her feel a bit better.

Hi Sue, so sad to hear this news, I was only thinking of her the other day, after I realized that she hadn't posted any comments for a while, I hope she makes a speedy recovery, and that all our best wishes help her to bounce back to full health, thank you for letting us know, Derek.

Oh thats sad news. I hope that Bamboo will make a full recovery. Best wishes to her.

Please add my best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Hurry up and get well Bam, spring is coming!

Thanks for the update Sue and so glad that it went well. Give her our love.

Please add my best wishes for a speedy recovery to good health too. and thanks Sue,for keeping us informed of the latest good news..

A speedy recovery with tons of positive vibes being sent. Always appreciated the great advice.

I too hope a speedy recovery is on the cards for her. I knew she wasn't well but not as poorly as this.
pass on my love and best wishes too.

Stera thankyou for the update, sounds good so far, will be hoping and praying she is back with us very soon...

Best wishes to Bamboo and positive thoughts for a speedy recovery .Thank you Sue for the information

I am thinking of her, Stera, & wishing her a speedy recovery.

I am echoing all the above thoughts. My thoughts and prayers are with Bamboo.

Well the op has been successful and the cancer was apparently not as widespread as she feared. They seem pleased with the results.
She's not out of the woods yet but the first hurdle has been overcome.
I haven't heard yet whether she can access Goy in the hospital but if she can't I'll get all your lovely messages to her somehow!

Thank you Sue for the better news. It's good to know that Bamboo is in good hands, so hoping she is starting on the road to recovery.

She will probably be able to access this from hospital, although I doubt that will be her priority. But I hope she will know that we are all supporting her, even if she doesn’t read our comments. :) i was visiting a friend in hospital last week after she had a malignant tumour removed, and she could use her tablet, so hopefully it will be the same for Bamboo.

Add my prayers and best wishes to the list!! I hope she's soon back gardening and talking with us!

I had no idea Bamboo was ill. I am glad the op was successful and my prayers are with you on your journey to recovery Bamboo.

Sorry to hear that an thank you for bringing it to our attention. I'm getting out there today and planting something as an intercession for her wellness.

I wondered why I hadn’t seen, Bamboo, on here for a while. Please give her my very best wishes for a speedy recovery. She is so very knowledgeable. Tell her we’re all rooting for her.

My very best wishes are sent along with everyone else!

Bamboo's friend in London has visited and thinks that she will be able to use her tablet soon. She's been told how many supportive messages you've all sent so lets hope it won't be long before she sees them for herself.

Mgm - why not try a PM? She may well see it in time.
When is our op?

What sad news, best wishes to Bamboo and thanks for letting us know Stera.

Bless her. She is such a knowledgeable woman and tactful even when disagreeing. So sensitive too. I have wondered about her and now that I know, I wish Bamboo a good recovery from the surgery and the ensuing treatment, which I know can be gruelling. We will all miss her very much and be delighted when she returns to GOY.

Wishing Bamboo all the very best x

Sorry to hear she's so ill but good to hear she's fighting back and on the ward. Such a kind, generous and knowledgeable gardener. I am grateful for all her positive comments and help since I've been on goy. A real goy doyenne. Wishing you all the best Bamboo when you read this from your bed.

I'm just so sorry I didn't see this blog until today. ? I'm glad for Bamboo that she has had her op & that things were not quite as bad as feared! But I had no idea she was ill! ?

Like many others I'm also grateful for her advice. She has helped me out on occasions & I found reading her replies to others that asked questions to be very informative & interesting!

Wishing you a speedy recovery, Bamboo, & my prayers are with you.

Bamboo, hope all goes well for you. Like all others, my thoughts and best wishes are sincerely offered. This site is a treasure of information, of which Bamboo has always given great advice from her wealth of experience. Long may it continue, all being well.

Maany thanks to you all for your lovely, kind comments - excuse my typing, its not an easy thing to do at all at the moment! Two things though - I discovered today they don't actually have an ICU here, though its mentioned inthe paperwork, its just the recovery room. Today, for instance, a young woman has gone down at midday for an even more appalling surgery than mine was,and she has not returned, is being kept in recovery. I hope she makes it but honestly, its not terribly likely - but she's desperate because she has a 14month old daughter,andwill grab any faint chance of continued existence, which I fully understand. She's in my bay, so I'll know when/if she returns, poor woman.

Second, I'm still here - not quite out of the woods yet, but hopefully getting there. Now I'm looking at not driving for 3 months minimum, and wondering how on earth I will manage at hoime on my own... but I expect I'll get through it. Its the worst ordeal I've had to go through so far in my life, I must say... being conscious afterwards was pretty horrendous, wish I'd been kept knocked out for 5 days or something! But we all have our ordeals to get through,don't we...

It was very uplifting to read all your comments,and thanks hugely to you all,and special thanks particularly Sue, who has known about this for a while but kept it all quiet.

I hear the needle lady clanking as she approaches,about to draw more blood - no wonder I needed a transfusion today... oh and here's the blasted blood pressure/temp/oxygen levels machine, never a dull moment in here...

Cheers everyone

Cheers will be echoing around in the homes of Goy members tonight Bamboo. It is lovely to hear from you and know that whatever happens from now on we have you back in our sights. Take one day at a time and those blood letting ladies and others with their monitoring machines will keep you so busy time will pass quickly. When you get home there will be someone to help if you need them and no doubt you will be kept busy answering questions from members. Take care.

Well done Bamboo! ?

brilliant to hear from you. don't suffer pain in silence they should aim to keep you pain free. get lots of sleep to build up your strength. I am so pleased the surgery went well. lots of love x

Great to hear from you Bamboo - even sitting up in bed feeling sore. So relieved that you’re making progress . . . but being home on your own obviously won’t be any fun. I do hope you’ll find some friendly help when the time comes (or someone to go and stay with?).

Sending good luck wishes and a (gentle!) hug.

Hi Bamboo, I'm so glad you're on the mend, GoY wouldn't be the same without your advice, whether some people take the advice or not!!!.
You should be able to have district nurses visiting you to give you any help you may need, I don't know what the arrangements are in London, but in my area, you can get a maximum of 2 nurses, visiting 4 times a day depending on how much help you need, so please don't worry about how you're going to manage, you won't be on your own, just concentrate on getting fighting fit, wishing you all the best for a speedy recovery, regards Derek.

Hello there Bamboo, so good to read a post from you and know that you are going the right way, if all the good will and vibes winging your way work we'll have you bouncing out of those woods in no time, I know you have a ways to go but sincerely hope you are not in too much pain, don't try and be brave, accept all the relief they offer and let someone else care for you for a change.
Willing you onwards and upwards Bamboo, hang onto that fighting spirit..Big hug from me, Sue xx.

Thanks very much Bamboo for sending us your message. It sounds as if you have been through a terrible time but it is wonderful to sense that you are dealing with it in a very courageous and positive way.
Well done you, just keep on getting better.

So glad to see you posting on GoY once again, Bamboo! ?? & to know a little of your progress! As Scotsgran says there will be lots of cheering amongst GoY members to see that you have made a post! ?

Take it easy & concentrate on getting better! ?

I'm pleased to see you are able to log on Bamboo. I am not able to come on line much at the moment but I wish you all the best for a full recovery.

I hope you'll get some help after going home.

Lovely to hear from you Bamboo,Like everyone else I wish you all the very best for a full recovery ,and I send a gentle hug.

Glad you are now feeling able to post a reply,and that you make a full and speedy recovery,Bamboo....I'm sure you will find there is help available for you,when you get home..At least there should be..keep on being positive,and looking forward ,each day will be another day nearer to getting stronger..and you can look forward to spring..:o)

Praying that recovery will be achieved without further surgical intervention. Please make sure that you ask for help, in this day and age it doesn't just turn up except for close friends and family (and sometimes not even then).

How great to hear from you Bamboo although you are still poorly and have a long journey to full recovery. You have enriched our lives with the beauty of your sensitive responses. The above posts tell it all: you are loved on GOY. All good wishes for your recovery. xxx

Perhaps you have available in your healthcare system a medical social worker who would give you recommendations on home care help during your recovery. There are many who are alone during illness these days and systems of recovery follow up and home care are being created. Also there are many religious and secular organizations who could provide help and the social worker could give you referrals and connections in that regard too.

Good to hear that Bamboo is on the road to recovery.

Good news that you are on the mend.

Agree with Loose Strife regarding help from hospital social care staff. Our ex-evacuee lives alone and our son and DIL laiaised with hospital to ensure that she had a carer calling every day, as well as nurses to check on her twice a day. Help is there!

Hi Bamboo,
So glad the op is over and let's hope that's the end of it so that you can concentrate on getting your strength back. Slow and steady wins the race! I'm sure you will want to get home but if you can go to a convalescent home for a couple of weeks or so, it would probably be a good idea, giving you a real chance to rest and be looked after. I hope you are not in too much pain or discomfort and I hope the young mother pulls through. All the very best to you, Penny

Hmm,well, all this hospital help and social help isn't actually available in London,along with any question of convalescence homes - I was told quite categorically prior to surgery that the hospital would take care of me while I was in there,but once I was out, it was up to my 'friends and relatives'. There is no district nurse service in the Greater London area, and has not been for a few years now. Modern medicine, here in the great metropolis at least, is very much like field medicine - rush you in there, sew your leg back on, then sling you out to get on with it on your own.

Luckily, I knew this beforehand, and one of the gardening clients I had for a few years up to a couple of years ago runs a very good private care agency, so having warned her already, I'm intending to pay carers from her agency to come daily to help with things I can't manage, in particular, personal care. Shopping's not a big deal, internet for lots of stuff, maybe a neighbour for a little bit... hoovering, well, I could pay someone to come and do that once a week maybe. I can cook, wash up and do light household duties, so hopefully, I'll get through. I have one ofmy sisters staying with me until Monday, then she can come back at the end of the week if necessary.

Hopefully, this infection in the wound will clear... once the physical healing's over, chemo is the next dreaded step....

The young mother,by the way,did pull through - she was still on morphine when I left five days after her surgery,but otherwise in reasonably good condition, considering the extent of surgery she endured.

Again, thanks for the all the kind wishes

Thanks for the update, Bamboo . . . glad that you feel up to writing (just about). Let's hope your friend's agency can produce someone you can get on with.

Please don't try to do too much in these early days, and get as much rest as you can, frustrating though it probably is! (wonderful grammar there :)))

Oh dear I know what you mean it is a bit like a conveyor system at our hospitals as well, aftercare is a joke, makes one wonder how some get it all and the rest of us have to cope and I do not just mean when it comes to health care..Better not carry on about that it's not what you want to hear...Its great to hear from you again , I'm gonna send a PM Bamboo, they are actually working again, lol....

Hi Bamboo, that is a ridiculous situation regarding the nursing care in the community, I only know what the maximum care allowed in our area is because when my late wife was discharged from hospital on 16th December, she was assessed as needing the maximum allowed, she didn't actually get them, as she was readmitted on the 19th.
I hope your friends and relatives can do whatever you need, for as long as you need it, wishing you a speedy return to good health, regards Derek.

Good to hear from you Bamboo. It is good to know you have the contacts to find the help you need. We live in Scotland so our NHS service is different but we found a visit from the District Nurse opened the doors to other help too. The local chemist delivers prescriptions when necessary. It is the silly things that we take for granted that cause anxiety when they go wrong. One of our fire alarms started beeping because of a low battery. Neither of us could replace it but the firemen from the local full time station are geared up to come and remove older versions and replace them or extra ones where they are needed. The fall assessor came out to assess our needs and arranged to have safety bars fitted in the bathroom and at the back door. We were supplied with a list of people who can come and take down and rehang curtains etc. for us. Knowing who to call really helps us feel secure and able to cope. We look forward to hearing from you again soon.

That's terrible Bamboo ! Quite disgusting really. I'm glad I don't live in England :(

A district nurse calls here every week to check Beryl's swollen legs and arthritis, and also a nurse calls regularly from the Lymphodema clinic in Llanelli hospital because her legs are so swollen. Nothing seems too much trouble for them. They also ask me how I'm coping with being a full time carer. They seem very concerned about it all.

I do hope you can get some help from somewhere. You'd think London would be the best place of all, being the British capital ... but from what you say, it's rubbish.

What a dreadful situation Bamboo. I thought it was bad enough round here. It's unbelievable. Whatever must happen to those people who have no friends or relatives within reach? So glad that you have found someone who can be of some support anyway. So sorry to hear that you now have an infection - is there no care for that either?

Thank you for telling us that the young mother survived the op.

Its good to see you back with us again.Hang on in there...

Thanks Homebird - I'll take this opportunity for a bit of an update for those who are interested.
I haven't actually found the Macmillan nurses of much use for organising help, to be honest - they're very useful for moral support and encouragement and general talk, but not actual help, but then I suppose, if its not available, they can't organise it. Its six weeks on Thursday since the surgery, and apparently I have made a 'remarkable' recovery - still can't drive or hoover, and worse, can't put on duvet cover on my double bed, but am not in pain and haven't been for a while. Back's dodgy though - it was on and off before the surgery, hardly surprising its playing up now really. The only thing is, I still get really tired and don't seem to have very much energy - my batteries need recharging!

Still wrestling with whether to have chemotherapy or not, but can't at the moment anyway, got an infected tooth that needs to be extracted first - and getting appointments at the dentist isn't the easiest thing to do. Still, gives me a bit more time to decide...

As for help (and District Nurses) I saw the Palliative care team today - just checking what's on offer in case I decide no chemo. They laughed when I complained I was low on energy and tired, said I was expecting too much and they didn't expect me to feel much different until 12 weeks from the surgery. But to my surprise, if you live alone, they also offer support and help if you're going through chemo but not actually dying nor need any intervention yet, provided you're registered with them, I was amazed, so it seems there are still district nurses, but they largely work for the Palliative care service here in my part of London, not available the rest of the time. So now I'm under their wing - even though I might actually live for a goodly while yet. I rather wonder why the Macmillan nurses didn't mention it - but then worked out the word 'Palliative' probably freaks out most cancer patients, so best not mentioned I guess, they're very careful about that sort of thing, they never mention dying or death. I do, quite freely, but they don't! The Macmillan nurse at the hospital last time said I was very unusual - most patients don't read their histopathology report, don't ask a lot of penetrating questions and just do what the hospital suggests they should in terms of treatment, whereas I'm asking all the time and not just going along with things. Course, when she said 'unusual' I suspect she also meant 'difficult', ha ha! So if I'd not asked to see the Palliative service, I still wouldn't know about the support they offer...

Hi Bamboo, nice to hear from you again, I'm very pleased to hear that there may actually be some help available for you, [I like the last part of your post].
I agree with your comments about the Macmillan nurses, when my 5 year old great nephew was dying of cancer 18 years ago, they were very nice and supportive, but other than that were pretty useless, you would think that they would at least be able to get other help in place for patients.
Carry on getting better, and look after yourself, and the decision over the chemo' is entirely up to you, I don't know what choice I would make, and hope I never have to. regards Derek.

Thank you for the update Bamboo. I applaud your spirit. Knowing exactly what is going on is half the battle because it means you are in charge, no matter how vulnerable you feel. It is a shame that the more money thrown at the NHS the worse the overall service appears to become but thank God we have fine front row staff who do their very best under huge pressure to help us through. I was shocked at the apparent indifference shown to my OH last year when he was rushed in to hospital following a fall. Ten hours standing in a corridor, while he lay on a trolley, waiting on a decision on his treatment was gruelling. It was not long till I saw how short staffed nurses were giving their all to wade through the numbers in the waiting room. Late in the evening he was transferred to the Eye hospital several miles away where a consultant came from home to advise us what she thought the best options were. He was operated on the following day and on the third day when I went in at visiting hour an ambulance was just about to transfer him back to the general hospital where we were told they had a bed waiting for him. After another wait until just before midnight, on a trolley, again with me standing because there is no room for chairs in the corridor in A&E, he was given a bed in their department ward. The following morning he was transferred to a medical ward. In all our contact with nursing and medical staff we were treated kindly if we expressed a need for anything. The staff never stopped. We are so grateful that people still want to train for these jobs.
Whatever you decide about the chemo remember we are all rooting for you.

Oh boy, Homebird, I'm thinking very carefully indeed - always hated the idea of chemo, but there are some cancers, and those at earlier stages, where its definitely worth having it - not at all sure what I've got is worth having chemo for, just on the off chance it might give me more time - or not. Everyone's different ... so no stats available for outcomes for what I've got cos its very, very rare. Sod's law that, trust me to have something very unusual... the Oncologist actually said it was very unfair - I dunno why, horrible stuff happens to people all the time, and life's not fair anyway, is it. And it could have been worse - I might be a lot younger and have children to care for, now that's truly awful... And ultimately, no-one gets out alive, do they....

Derek: I think the trouble is there's not much available in terms of help, which is probably why the Macmillan nurses, whilst supportive, friendly and available, aren't of any real help...

Scotsgran - stories like yours all round the country, sadly - I hope your husband is okay now..

So glad to hear from you, Bamboo, and that you're getting some support, and have some sensible people to talk to. It must be difficult making big decisions on your own, but I'm glad that you're not rushing into anything.

Of COURSE you're feeling very tired - that's your body telling you to rest! I know it's frustrating, but please do rest as much as humanly possible. Thinking of you, and wishing you a complete recovery, even if it does seem slow. x

Bamboo, you are so brave, I admire your courage, you've done so well - onwards and upwards :-)

Ooh, dunno about brave, I've had my moments, I can tell you - not much choice but to get on with it really, is there, but its nice of you to say so, Dawnsaunt.

Awww Bamboo, I guess so but a big pat on the back from me :-)

like every one has said, glad you have some help. unusual read unique not difficult. I'm also unusual in asking histology questions etc so many people are too scared to ask for clarity. but for me knowing exactly what I was up against was essential for me to rationalise and work with the hospital. OH only wanted the basic info as he is more of an 'ostrich'. thankfully 38 yrs on things are 'ok'.

as you said we all have to go at some time but I'd like to have some say in my destiny.

rest up as much as you can, major surgery does knock you for six. lots of hugs, gentle ones of course. :o)

Bamboo you had me worried for a while there, I've looked in every day to see if you were about, you are not difficult you are blunt and a spade is a spade, also probably a tad stubborn, I applaud that in you, its held you in good stead so far so you keep that up, pleased you have at last found some help and support though and of course that although feeling tired you do sound as though you have got over the surgery quite well.
Keep resting Bamboo and get those batteries charged up again, it does take time to build ones strength back up again, oh I nearly forgot, hope you get that tooth sorted soon, that's worst than having an achey back any day... Thinking of you, take care now....

tooth being sorted starting today, thanks Lincslass... and no, I've not shuffled off quite yet -fully intend to get at least this spring and summer under my belt if I have any say in the matter, maybe a lot longer, who knows, none of us knows really, do we...

A lot longer - well that sounds good to me. Be kind to yourself - it took me 6 months to get my energy back after just a hysterectomy. You are bound to feel tired, a radical op is a huge shock to the system.

I don't know what to say Bamboo, just keep going x
and good luck on whatever you decide about the chemo.

Good luck and best wishes from me also

Rest is so vital, Bamboo. Never mind the household chores. Just eat the best foods even if not much appetite and keep looking forward to spring, one step at a time. I had a cancer op 10 years ago and remember the overwhelming exhaustion so just take it easy. x

Thanks pennyfarthing - Not always so tired now, its easing a bit - so long as a I get a proper night's sleep, which I don't always

Bamboo, I notice you’ve been back on the questions a bit. How are you doing? I have to say, I admire your forthrightness and straightforwardness about all of this. We could do with more honesty in general when it comes to mortality. As you said earlier...we all have to go out the same way at some point , and life is never ‘fair’. I hope you are a little more energetic though. Did you decide to go with the Chemo? And if so, how far through that are you now? Anyway, I have been thinking of you and hoping you are getting the help you need now.

Nope, no chemo, refused it after lengthy research, thought and consideration, couldn't see the point as its basically ovarian and I'm stage 4b, (I think the next stage is death!) and I wasn't at all convinced I'd get any longer with it than without, plus I didn't want to feel unwell and be in and out of hospital throughout spring and summer. I did do other things though - changed my diet, excluded a lot of things, included certain things that fight cancer to try to delay its return. So I kind of live 3 monthly, cos that's when the checks take place, all the bloods that determine whether its growing again or not. So far so good, next check September ... but I now have a huge incisional hernia which I'm told will require yet more surgery. Not looking forward to that much, but with it unrepaired, I have to be careful about strenuous or weight bearing activity, so its a bit tedious. Oh, and ironically, the new way of eating has halved my high cholesterol, especially the ldl or 'bad' cholesterol, which technically means I'll live longer, sod's law that, isn't it...

Well, the way you are going I wouldn’t be surprised if you do!! And I would have done the same as you regards the Chemo. I think.....well...clearly it WAS the right decision. Once you get that hernia fixed you’ll be able to do so much more and hopefully enjoy each day as it comes. 😀

So glad to hear that you have been at home & probably enjoying your garden, albeit with limited activity out there & I hope you will continue to get better. Probably a good plan to refuse the chemo if it makes you feel grotty all the time. We hadn't heard how you were since March so thank you for the update. Can't help being curious about your previous diet. :-) what were you dining on if you had to make so many changes? Anyway, good luck with your next check up.

Sorry to hear about the hernia Bamboo but I approve of your decision to forego the chemo. My cousin opted to take the chemo and had a dreadful time while a fellow sufferer opted out and was still out and about and enjoying her life until only two weeks before she died. Both were in their late eighties and survived for five years after their last ops. It is difficult to make decisions given the lack of certainty about the outcome you can expect but I'm glad you are happy to have made the right choice for you. I admire your courage in sharing your health issues with us. I hope God plans to let you continue to share your knowledge and company for many a year yet. OH has his good days and bad days and will never drive again but given he lost an eye in a dreadful accident we count our blessings that he is still here. Thank you for keeping us in the loop.

Feverfew - you're gonna be sorry you asked that! Apart from the cakes, sweets and tons of cheese, my normal diet wasn't that unhealthy actually. Or I thought it wasnt compared to many people I know... But then I did lots of reading and research, and found out that dairy, if you have cancer, is an absolute no no cos it makes it grow faster, so all the lovely cheese had to go, along with milk. Meat I only eat about once a month if that now, and then only organic meat, and oily fish once every fortnight (not supposed to eat any really). I don't really miss meat, I used to eat more fish/shellfish than meat anyway, but it was cheese I craved, until I found nutritional yeast, and that satisfies my craving for a cheesy taste. Also started eating lots of beans and legumes, a lot more nuts (specially walnuts and pecans) and included milled seeds, especially flax, twice daily. Eggs rarely, maybe once a fortnight. Its food as medicine folks! And everyone goes on about sugar causing practically instant cancer; well its not a good thing to eat too much of, but the occasional sweet thing is fine, so long as its only rarely, so I still have the odd treat,so long as it has no milk products in it. Far as I can tell, dairy, meat, eggs and fish are worse than sugar for cancer, if you actually have cancer that is. And I introduced veggie smoothies (luckily I had a Nutribullet I'd never used)...and upped consumption of vegetables bigtime, as well as fruit,, especially berries. Lost a lot of weight though, which I'm not thrilled about, in fact, I began to wonder if I'd starve to death before the cancer got me when I first made the changes, not to mention almost wanting to eat my own elbow, I was ravenous, but then I included coconut in all forms and stopped the weight loss. No wonder most vegans are thin - but I do Whole Food Plant Based rather than straight vegan, just to try to keep my immune system functioning as well as possible. Might not make much difference, but its worth a try... but I have to say, when my blood count doubles or rises dramatically, I'll be off to Waitrose for a coffee and walnut cake and a lump of brie in a heartbeat...

Scotsgran: I think its easier to decide against chemo when you're older, but a lot of people are just terrified of dying however old they are, and so will go along with any treatment the docs offer - and chemo, by and large, is all they've got currently. Considering chemotherapy was created from left over nerve agents after the last world war because there were no treatments for cancer, it made me stop and think twice... But chemo is effective for some blood cancers, so it depends what form of cancer a person has really. Interesting that statistically, 1 in 2 of us will get cancer now, when it used to be 1 in 3, and not because of an aging population - its younger people too. We live in a toxic world and eat toxic food, basically...

So keep on gardening everyone - those who tend the soil and plants keep a modicum of healthiness (in terms of the planet) going...

CottageKaren: I think chemo has to be an individual choice - it depends which cancer (who knew there were 30 forms of ovarian cancer, not me for sure) and what stage it is, and also what stage of life one is at - there's a social/information site called Ovacome online, which is a charity all about Ovarian cancer, with hundreds of women who belong to it. From looking at that, the majority seem to live on average about 5 years after diagnosis, some less than that, some more and that's with all the treatments, and repeated treatments too. And on there, they write about things that happen to them from the chemotherapy, and its not pleasant to say the least. But, if you're, say, 45 and Stage 2 or 3, and have children at home, well, what are you gonna do? You'd have the treatments, wouldn't you, even though they destroy the body at the same time as attempting to destroy the cancer... I'm just grateful it happened now I'm old (if it had to happen at all) when I have no dependents, not even any grandchildren, cos that would have made the decision much, much harder. I always knew I didn't really want chemo, but actually refusing it was quite hard to do... Some of the women on the site have treatment because their families want them to, even though they themselves don't want it - the pressure from loved ones is enormous. Cancer is never easy for anyone... and ovarian cancers are not called 'the silent killer' for nothing - any symptoms are vague and easily explained away by other, minor malfunctions, so by the time its diagnosed, its usually well underway.

Very well put Bamboo. You are absolutely right of course. It all depends. :)

Lovely to hear that you are doing so well, Bamboo, and all down to your own resourcefulness. It's brilliant of you to have done the research (I know that even that takes dedication and energy).

It's very good of you to tell us all about your decisions and the changes you have made to your diet: I've no doubt the information will help many of us to think seriously about accepting certain advised treatments. Thank you!

All good wishes for your continued recovery :)

Also...as a dear friend of mine has just had surgery and ‘mop-up’ chemo for bowel cancer, could you direct me to the diet info please? Especially the dairystuff. My friend is a vegetarian, but eats a lot of dairy.

Cottagekaren: Lacto ovo vegetarians do have a problem if they are allergic to nuts, beans and seeds, so if your friend is, there's not much to be done frankly.

There's a book by Patrick Holford called Say No to Cancer - in there is a chapter titled 'Why is Milk a 4 letter Word' and that is worth reading. Essentially, its to do with its oestrogen and growth hormone content - growth hormones in dairy help cancer to grow, proven in studies on prostate cancer - the more dairy a man eats, the more likely he is to develop total prostate cancer. That can be extrapolated to other cancers, in particular, ovarian -had I known about dairy, before I got cancer, I'd certainly have significantly reduced my cheese consumption over the years.

There is a useful website called www.nutritionfacts.org with loads of videos - all the information is backed up by scientific evidence, and the information is regularly updated. He has done one on dairy, but I can't now find it, although the one on choline (which is in dairy and eggs) and TMAO relates to cancer. The basic precept of that website is Whole Food Plant Based (as opposed to vegan - they still eat refined white flour for instance; both vegans and vegetarians still get cancer, just less than the rest of us, and usually colo rectal cancer) - and that means little or no meat, dairy, fish or eggs, and that's for people who don't have cancer. Some of the videos relate to cancer specifically, especially colo rectal (bowel) cancer - here's one about eggs as a sampler if you want to watch it, or your friend does

https://youtu.be/pKgrjQeRvb0

A wholefood plant based diet is primarily linked with changing one's population of gut bacteria...which might just change one's health status.

Sheilabub: thanks for your good wishes. I'm not trying to persuade anybody though, its just that Feverfew asked - people have to do what's right for them, not what's right for someone else.

No worries B - I realised that you were just answering Feverfew's question. Your words didn't come across as trying to persuade, but I did find them interesting, and possibly of help to others.

We mustn't wear you out, but there is now a danger that you will be treated as the 'expert' on all things related to cancer :((

No matter - I'll just refer everyone to the answer in this thread to cottagekaren!

Thank you so much for that Bamboo. Thats so helpful. I have forwarded all of that to my friend. :)

Karen we were warned off cow products years ago but can have goat - wonder if this might be so for your friend? You can get milk, yogurt and butter. And there are nut and oat "milks" for cereal, if you hate soy milk. Has she tried nut butters? Almond and cashew are really nice. There's a nice sheep's cheese too. It took us ages to discover all this so I hope it might be useful for your friend.

Thanks Stera. Like most people, my friend has tried all of the alternatives but hasn’t managed to get in to the habit of using them all the time. But I think the articles and info. That Bamboo has given us will certainly motivte a lot of us to ditch the dairy!

The only way is to stop buying the other things...

That is so true Stera. And when other members of the family dont want to join in, it becomes almost impossible to create new habits.

Hi Bamboo, so glad you're feeling a lot better, even without the chemo, and hopefully will carry on ''beating the cancer'', there is a saying that ''we are what we eat'', and we don't always eat what we should, only what we enjoy, so whatever works for you, carry on doing it, and you'll be answering questions for us, for many years to come, my very best wishes, Derek.

My clinical observations of the physical appearance of sexual precociousness of children of Spanish ethnicity certain areas of New York City made me inquire as to the cause of this being in their diet which involved the inclusion of chicken on a daily basis. My guess was that the chickens were being fed on feed which included growth hormones to speed up their weight and time to market. This idea of mine was affirmed by a study published in the “New England Journal Of Medicine” in the late 1970’s. A physician noticed the same thing in children of Spanish Ethnicity in Florida and found the same correlation between chicken being sold with a high growth hormone content in the meat and early sexual development. It was found that the growth hormone was not fully destroyed in the cooking process. I do not know of any studies which followed these children into adulthood as far as development of carcinomas but I fear that there would be a positive correlation there too. I might add that currently in the USA growth hormone in chicken is now longer allowed but it is still permitted in cattle feed.

This was so long ago! The 1970s this was demonstrated and researched? And what has been done about it since? Honestly, it makes me despair. As far as our governments and the food producers are concerned, we are just tax and wealth making slaves. It's time for a revolution, and it starts with education.

From all the research I did, its clear there's a much bigger problem with American food than there is ours, largely due to the Precautionary Principle which operates in Europe, but not in the States. Even food labelling in the States isn't great (or so I'm reliably informed) and GMO is almost a given, but not labelled as such. I'm guessing the Precautionary Principle will bite the dust once the UK is out of the EU, which is a significant worry - or would be if I thought I'd be around for another 20 years, though as a matter of principle, I'll be sorry to see if it is ditched along with many other protections we currently enjoy, often without realising we do.

And you're right about growth hormones being given to beef cattle, Loosestrife - and the stringent rules about when to stop both those hormones and antibiotics to cattle before slaughter which prevail in Europe are nowhere near as stringent in the States, unfortunately. I know your chickens no longer are given growth hormones, but isn't there still a problem with arsenic in their foodstuffs? Or has that been sorted too?

The Food and Drug Adminstration in the USA initially banned 3 of the 4arsenicals on the market given to chickens, turkeys and pigs to increase growth, and shorten time to the processing plants. They were first approved for use in the 1940’s -used to increase wartime food supplies no doubt- and have been in continual use until banned. The last to be banned was “ Nitarsone” and that FDA order went into effect in the year 2015.

Well, that's something I suppose...

Bamboo I'm so sorry I've missed all this as we moved house in January we had so many disasters and problems or so I thought until reading your blog ours were nothing compared to this ..
You are so brave and have such a positive attitude I'm rooting for you if anyone can beat it you can .
I'm wondering if goats milk is bad for you I changed to goats milk some time ago because of night cramps in my legs it was recommended to me by a friend who said it had cured their cramps ,it worked I haven't had hardly any problem since swapping from cows to goats milk .. Keep well ...

Goats milk has a different formulation to cow's milk - its naturally homogenised (meaning the fat doesn't separate out like it does in cows milk if not artificially homogenised), contains more calcium, more potassium, less lactic acid, the molecules are smaller and more easily digested, as well as having a higher magnesium content than cow's. Calcium and magnesium taken together can often cure night cramps...

The odd thing is, since giving up all dairy completely (no goats milk either) my calcium levels are now very good - when I was eating a lot of dairy, they were poor, even though I was taking a supplement. Guess it must be all those veggies and legumes... A fact I pointed out to my GP, who fretted that giving up dairy meant I wouldn't be getting enough calcium. So all that advice from the Osteoporosis organisations to eat a matchbox sized piece of cheese daily for the calcium appears to be twaddle... and anyway, calcium should always be taken with magnesium in a 2:1 ratio, another thing they don't tell you.
Sod's law - bones are stronger than they were, cholesterol's halved, and none of it matters cos I've got something else much worse;-) But I am most certainly not alone in having this problem...

That's interesting. I've been using goats milk and cheese for some time now and Tesco had some goats butter a few weeks ago which was a bit softer and sweeter than cows and I liked it. They didn't have any this week though.
I've had a course of goats Kefir recently too which seemed to be very beneficial. Your experience with calcium are surprising aren't they.There is such a lot we don't know...

Very interesting info there about the goats milk Bamboo and your calcium levels proving to be better it isn't all in our minds then when we think it helps , I shall be keen to try the goats milk butter Stera I didn't know about that .I often wonder if the early people going back generations knew these things ,there's so much rubbish being sold today ..

Oh boy that took some reading, I'm sadly behind with Goy again, Bamboo you sound well despite the hernia and what you have already been through, so pleased for you, keep on doing what you've been doing cos it's obviously working....

Thanks Lincslass - you must have had time on your hands to read through this lot! Awaiting latest blood test results at the mo,but feeling fine....

I'm pleased to hear you are feeling fine, Bamboo! Have you had the results back from your blood tests?

I have a medical revision myself in less than than 2 weeks. I'm also going to have the flu jab - for the first time since returning to the UK 18 years ago!

Balcony - yes, I had the results. Its been 8 months, so inevitably, minor indications of trouble I'm afraid, they're repeating the tests in 2 weeks, and depending on those, a possible scan to see what's going on. I loathe all this hospital involvement more than anything else, to be honest... but I've consented to repeat blood tests anyway cos I guess I need to know just how close the exit door is, although I feel fine. Its a bit annoying, I've almost completed a huge planting job in the grounds here where I live, and I rather wanted to be around and fully functional to get it all off to a good start next spring... but, in the end, what will be will be, not everything is in our control, is it.... I'm busy trying to train up another resident here who's shown a significant interest in learning how to look after it all, luckily. She's finding the extent of her 'ignorance' as she calls it hard to bear though, so I have to try to tread carefully. Which is not really one of my strong points, is it:-)))

A planting job in the grounds? Does that mean that you have a community garden where you live? It would be lovely to see a photo of the planting that you've done . . . would that be possible? (but I don't want to wear you out) I'm crossing my fingers hard that you WILL be around next Spring - and if will-power counts, then I'm sure you will be :)

Oh dear, so sorry to hear that but at least whatever they find can hopefully be dealt with early? We all surely want you to be around next Spring. Like Sheila I would love to see a photo of the area you've been looking after,
Keep smiling...

I'm not entirely sure how to load a photo taken on my mobile onto the site - I used to have a digital camera, ,download onto the desktop and upload from there, but I don't know how to get photos off the phone onto here... if anyone knows, its an Android phone.. when its working again, its having a funny half hour at the mo,had to go back to using the dumbphone in the meantime. But if I can work it out, I'll give it a go... only one side is complete currently, the other bed is only partially planted, had to wait for replacement trellis to go up for the wisteria. The other trellis sections had completely crumbled under the weight, what a nightmare hacking back all the wisteria was... not to mention the two Clematis armandii some idiot had planted in with the wisteria on a wall 12 feet high by about the same wide, I'm not surprised the 3 fairly small trellis sections gave up the unequal struggle... I'm afraid we had to sacrifice both the Clematis, I polished off the base of the stumps with the drill and SBK, after cutting it all down.
And yes Sheilabub, we have quite large communal gardens here - but I've only tackled outside the front of my block. Annoyingly, neither my neighbour nor I thought to take photos before I started the work, we're both kicking ourselves for that, cos it looked truly ghastly... Plants are small in the newly created completed bed, but it looks a zillion times better despite that... There was someone who lived here who decided to interfere outside our block - since his wife was a Director, we had no say, so we ended up with lawn all the way up apart from a small border, which he filled with 12 Euonymus japonicus aureus, of which we already have 52 in the grounds that he'd planted. Along with 56 Choisya Sundance and Cupressus 'Wilma' squeezed in anywhere with six inch gap, all over the grounds which, whilst fairly large, aren't massive. I leave the rest to your imagination, but suffice it to say, since they moved out, 25 Cupressus (many of which were now dead or dying) and 10 Euonymus have been removed; of the latter, the ones outside our block... I took 'em out, hernia or no hernia, and it was very satisfying! But I got the contract gardeners to take out the Cupressus... and I know some of the neighbours have been removing them outside the other blocks. Everywhere you look its largely yellow shrubs...now I like a yellow shrub, but you need a bit of contrast... I've used low maintenance planting, needless to say... and its been an absolute joy, can't wait to finish the other side - but the weather's not going to let me this weekend!

Many thanks Bamboo, for such a comprehensive reply. I would have no idea either about uploading photos from a phone, but don’t let it be a worry as you have painted a very good picture with your words! What a nightmare of planting made by the Director’s husband . . . removing it all was work you could have done without I’m sure, but at least it was satisfying. I agree that new planting is a huge pleasure, but as you say, not much will be achieved in the coming weather this weekend. Still, even thinking about it is therapeutic, isn’t it :))

Hi Bamboo, about getting the photos off your Android phone, as I have one, I think I can help you there!

Plug the phone cable into both the computer & phone. If the computer doesn't recognise on the phone go to the notification bar at the very top of your phone's screen. Pull it down & you should see a 3 pin symbol (like a trident), this is your USB connection. you may get a screen that says something like "Use USB to charge this device; Transfer files; transfer photos; or something similar. Choose the the first option, "Transfer files".

On your PC, (if no notification pops up), go to MyComputer where you should find your phone under its name (ignore anything else)

Double click on your phone's name & you will be presented with one or two discs, depending on whether you have a SD card card installed, or just "Internal storage".

If you know where your photos are kept after you take them, go there, if you don't, check your internal storage first (double click to open) then look for a folder called "Pictures" or "DCIM", Photos. If you photos are kept on the SD card follow the steps above & then below.

Double click to open one or the other. If there are any photos in the folder you will be able to move/copy them to your PC. Normally to the "Pictures" folder. Best to create a a new folder here first & give it a meaningful name before you transfer the photos to the PC.

On your PC, in the Pictures folder, (in your new folder), find the picture & rename it to something that makes more sense than a series of numbers & letters!

When you want to upload a photo to GoY go to the drop down menu at the top of the page & choose "Add Photos". A dialogue box will pop up "Add a single photo or add multiple photos". follow the instructions on screen. Click on the Browse button & then go to your "Pictures folder", locate the photo(s) you would like to upload, when you find it, click on it & then at the bottom of the page on the "Open button", this will cause your photo to be uploaded to GoY. Once uploaded you will get this message "Your photo is uploaded and ready to share. Give your friends your personal address".

If you want to include it in a blog just open the "Write a Blog" page as normal & at the bottom of the page there will be the option to include photos. Click the button & follow the prompts. Choose the photo on your PC & follow the instructions.

Although all of this may seem long winded after a couple of tries you will find you can do it almost without thinking. It becomes 2nd nature after a short while.

Hope all of this is clear & makes sense to you. I went through the steps I describe above as I wrote them to make sure it works.

I think I will copy all of this & put it in a blog so that anyone else in the future can follow this procedure. I know it works for Android phones but I have no idea if the same steps will work on a Apple phone as I don't have one.

Balcony: thanks for that! actually I've just remembered that photos taken on my phone get automatically uploaded to this tablet, which is an Android Google Pixel 10 inch tablet with keyboard (not a phone). I will attempt to get the phone working again, take some shots and they should upload - then I have to work out how to move them into a blog on here, so that step might be what I follow from your instructions. There is a camera on this tablet, but it doesn't take great pics and is a bit too large to take them easily.

My techie son is visiting for a couple of days this week, so hopefully he can help out if I get stuck - but no photos today, its absolutely chucking it down and I can see from my balcony that the planted bed is covered in fallen leaves and ripped off small branches complete with samaras from the mature Acers!

Glad to be of a little help, Bamboo!

It rained a bit here as well this morning - nothing to "write home about" though!

I had to google samaras. I will never look at those 'winged seeds' in the same way again. It is very frustrating to be hindered by the lack of techie knowledge when the kids in Primary school seem to know it all. To do a blog I put all the photos into a folder and either write down the numbers in the order I want them to appear or alternatively use the view button to make them all appear as large or extra large icons. Sorry to hear you are all having rain. We have had two days of sunshine and it was so hot today I was working in a sleeveless T shirt.