And you too, Virginia - I think of you and Nik often... also anyone else who may be going through difficult times and circumstances... Hugs and good wishes to you all. Please feel free to share here if you wish. (And 'Boo' to anyone who objects to such OT diversions!)

I think of you folks ,too, and continue to pray for you. Comtesse, you are sweet.

Houzz appears to be in meltdown... has anyone else found their way back here?

(Bart, you are sweet to say I'm sweet!)

I'm back, and I spotted Nik on a Houzz meltdown thread: "What's going on with the forums?" I also attempted to seduce other Houzz posters into dabbling in OGRs. I attached some photos to the thread. :-) Carol

Oh, good work, Carol - I admire your quick thinking opportunism! :-) I'll go and see what Nik had to say...

I had to switch browsers to find my way back here. Firefox works, Safari doesn't yet. Hopefully, Nik will find his way here with a quick update.

Comtesse, I am feeling fine since my surgery in April, although I start my next round of chemo next week... a different combination of drugs since my tumor was resistant to one of the drugs I had the first go 'round.

I hope you are well these days- I always enjoy your posts.

Virginia

Carol, do I recall your calling me a temptress??? I only preach to the choir, but you are positively evangelical!

Good work, btw.

Virginia

Nik and Virginia, thank you for the updates! I continue to hold you both in my thoughts. I think of you as I tend my roses. Carol

Glad you are doing okay and hanging in there Nik!

I had to clear my history to get back to this forum lol..Im on Chrome.

Portland, haha I saw you trying to enable the houzz masses lol. Good job :p

Nik, thanks for checking in.

I'm glad things aren't too awful (although a long trip to the hospital with a full bladder does not sound fun), and that the radiotherapy will end soon. Then I suppose you'll get more tests to see how things are going?

I hope you'll soon be feeling much better and have more energy. I certainly understand not wanting to garden in the summer heat.

My status report is above... I'm feeling fine, and have been doing some weeding and repotting that I was forbidden to do during the first 6 weeks after surgery.

All the best,

Virginia

Yes, a PSA test about a month after radiotherapy ends. ADT will go on at least until September. I'm lucky to have access to one of the best radiotherapy centers in Europe so sideffects are minimal and, I hope, results will be the best they can be.

The radiotherapy center

Nik, so glad to hear from you. You're on my mind quite a bit. You and Virginia are two of my favorite poeple, and I'm wishing the very best for you both.

John

Wishing you the best!

Thanks Virginia and Nik for your health updates. It's good to hear mainly reasonably positive news from both of you, at this point. Hoping this new chemo round will be no worse than the first, Virginia. We're all rooting for you both in these uncertain times, with much sympathy for all the worries, discomforts and indignities involved in illness and its medical treatments, now including this strange new form of torture I hadn't heard of before, the extended full bladder car ride... :-o :-[ :-[ :-o

I'm sorry to have to report I'm no better, still in what's turned out to be a more than year-long relapse, stuck in bed except for little forays out to the kitchen and the loo, and just for variety, the occasional exciting tottering journey out to the mailbox! Oh, and very occasionally, when I'm feeling up to it, I pile up all the cushions onto the garden sun lounge in the exact configuration that allows me to recline in such a way that doesn't make me dizzy/faint. Then I enjoy the opportunity 'to rest my eyes in shades of green'**, listen to the busy bird activity in surrounding trees, feel the soft breezes and the warmth of the sun on my face, and view the novel sight of my fellow human beings going past on their way down to the beach with their dogs or just going about their everyday business. (With winter setting in it's getting a bit cold and damp for this to be feasible now.)

I do get 'Meals on Wheels' 3 days a week which gives me some regular human contact, and one or two of the kind volunteer deliverers I especially connect with deliver the nicest of warm hugs along with lunch, which is highly therapeutic! I also journal everything, which keeps me relatively sane and grounded in time (otherwise everything can get lost in brain fog and short term memory loss), along with meditation which helps me not panic at or over-focus on my helplessness and aloneness and to simply relish each moment for what it is, not looking left or right or back or forward too much.

So while the externals are all rather bleak, I'm coping pretty well now psychologically, which is 90% of the ongoing battle, IMO. Thanks so much for asking, Virginia. I find it very difficult to speak about, but I think it's good to do so every now and then. :-)

[**From 'Itchycoo Park' - the Small Faces]

By the way, I can still only get here (the ARF) via my Profile - Activities or Updates; I'm still finding myself stuck in the Decorating threads with no response from clicking on 'Garden Forums'. So I'm limited to threads I've already contributed to, or the random selection of 'Other Discussions' highlighted in the right hand column. Is anyone else still in this situation?

ETA: Fixed it now!

Comtesse, thank you for filling us in. I so appreciate your posts and comments, and I appreciate a window into the ups and downs of the whole person behind the text! I am so glad your technology is finally back in order. The last annoyance you need is an obstacle to your forum community. Thinking of you and giving thanks for our worldwide connection! Carol

Nik, Virginia - it's good to hear you're coping with your various physical challenges with your usual good humor and fortitude. It's great to hear that things are moving along without any new adverse events, since you've had enough to cope with for the time being. Well, an hour car ride with a full bladder would count as an adverse event in my book (and a recurring one at that), but at least there's a predictable end to it each time.

Comtesse, I didn't know that you were experiencing these chronic symptoms yourself, and I'm so glad you were able to log in and share with us. You are always so supportive of others, we're happy to give a little of the same back to you. Your "good days" sound very modest in the physical sense at best, so I share my heartiest sympathies for the bad days and their effect on your whole daily experience. You have a wonderful attitude about your situation, and you're right that this is 90% of the battle.

Do hang in there everyone and we're thinking of you as always.
Cynthia

Comtesse, I'm so glad you are giving some news. It is so hard to cope with chronic ongoing issues. We are pulling for you, and look forward to your insights. I hope your medical system is supporting you, too. I wish we could bring the pink party bus to see you.

Comtesse, I marvel at your ability to focus on what you need to do to cope with such a debilitating illness. Your journaling, your ventures outside for your "nature fixes", and your meditation practice are practical coping strategies, but also enriching activities in their own right... which your previous gardening experiences may have prepared you for. From earlier posts, I have a sense that your meditating is helping you to let go of old habits and become kinder to (and more forgiving of) yourself; I hope so.

I am sorry to hear that you are still in a relapsed state, and hope you'll soon be able to get back to a level where things aren't such a struggle. Your charming and wise posts are intrinsically enjoyable, but also a bit more meaningful because I know they cost you some effort.

Be well,

Virginia

It's interesting that here we talk about roses and gardens and chat about climate and water issues and fried blooms, and behind the "Zone 8b SC" or the "10b" is an extraordinary person coping with and rising above such incredible difficulties. It's humbling. I wish I had a magic wand and I'd wave it, and comtesse you'd be in the most comfortable, fluffy, just-right lounge chair, and everyone would be here sitting in the healing balm of the afternoon light (I swear the air here is magical) with a prosecco in hand and olives and snacks, and John could tell us about Sissinghurst. I'm sending you all un abbraccio fom here.

Edited to say: Perhaps not Sissinghurst. I just got caught up on that thread, and it might end in a brawl in the afternoon light! ;)

Agree with you , Anna-Lyssa and Virginia. I want a magic wand, too. You are in my prayers, Comtesse. You are an inspiring and beautiful woman, I think,and I hope things will soon get better for you,Virginia, and Nik.

Anna-Lyssa, those are lovely sentiments, and I feel transported. You are right, the air is magical there. And a brawl would add some interest. We could all gather for coffee and pastries in the morning and dissect it.

comtesse, Virginia and Nik, it's a difficult road you are all travelling, and I wish you all the best.

Nik, I just wanted to add a practical piece on the full bladder car ride. Comtesse's face icons nail the impossible feeling, don't they? I've been required to do something similar for medical testing twice recently but knew this method would result in (ahem) a messy and disastrous failed attempt. I opted to arrive at the hospital early with a good book and a huge jug of water. Then I checked in, drank like a camel and didn't move from my chair until I was called. Maybe this tip will be useful? Carol

Back when I had to have periodic sonograms done on my abdomen the full bladder thing was really tough, until I learned that it wasn't strictly necessary to drink the liter of water one hour before the test and then not pee until the test was done. The important thing was that your bladder was full during the test, so I wound up doing as Carol di: I started on my first half-liter during the trip to the clinic,and once I arrived guzzled the next half-liter (interesting book or cross-word puzzle magazine a must!). I think I did arrive early, and in any case they almost always were running behind schedule. But I don't know if this technique would be functional for the tests Nik has to do.

Comtesse,

I appreciate your revealing more details of your condition(s). I, too. have an autoimmune disease which at one time was debilitating, although nowhere nearly as severe as yours. I found medication that helped and also that I was thyroid and Vitamin D deficient. Unbelievable that a gardener would be Vitamin D deficient but such was the case. My thoughts and heart go out to you.

Cath

Keep the pictures coming though. I love your garden pictures and the beautiful pets and ocean.

Virginia, I'm thinking of you this week and hope you're ok.

Thank you to all for your kind comments. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at present, and can't reply individually, but please know they touched me deeply.

Comtesse, Virginia, Nik - it is good to hear from all of you. Wishing you each a happy journey to recovery.

Anna-Lyssa, I'm doing well. Better, really, than I have any right to expect. My surgical pathology report showed no metastasis, and my CA-125 (a cancer antigen) levels are now low-normal. I am still doing more chemo because there may be rogue cancer stem cells...

Thanks for thinking of me- much appreciated!

Virginia

That's great news Virginia! So happy for you - and me!

Nik , so glad to hear your doing well, sending prayers and good thoughts your way

Virginia - that's fabulous and very encouraging news. The ongoing chemo is highly unpleasant I'm sure, but the notion of doing in rogue cancer stem cells before they cause further damage has to be worth it.

We appreciate the updates and will continue to keep you in our thoughts.
Cynthia

Virginia, your response to this trial has been nothing short of gallant. Although I have not said so before, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Cath

Nik, Virginia & Comtesse- sending you my best thoughts and wishes! It's good to hear from you.

Matt

Yes, very best wishes to all.... Comtesse, I had no idea of your struggles, I'm also very sorry about that..

Comtesse, I had no idea either. Hang on there. I'm sure all will be allright.

A quick update. I'm finished with the radiotherapy (39 sessions in total..) and, for some reason I did not fully understand which has to do with how much radiation I got, the doctors are taking me off hormone therapy earlier than was initialy suggested. They took me off the pill I was taking every day and the slow release implant will have worn out by July the 5th and I'm not having another one for the time being. The only medication I'm now taking is one to help with the, hopefully temporary, urinary symptoms which are the sideffects of radiotherapy. It helps a lot and all symptoms have subsided. They also told me there's no point having a PSA test right now and I should wait a couple of months. So in a couple of months I will know where I stand...

Virginia and Comtesse, you're in my mind.

PS You might be interested to know that my radiotherapy which I undertook in a very expensive private hospital, because that is considered the best for my condition since they have the best equipment and no waiting list, cost me the grand total of 2800 Euro including hospital and consultant bills. Thanks to state insurance contribution that is, otherwise the bill would have been a 5 digit number.. Hormone therapy was for free..

So great to hear, Nik! Summer can be more kick back for you I hope. More time for photos.

Nik and Virginia, I'm so glad that things are looking up for you and that hopefully the worst of the therapy is behind you. I wonder if sometimes the therapy doesn't seem almost as bad as the disease, although in the long run of course that's not the case.

comtesse, I've been aware of your daunting condition for quite some time now since you had mentioned it briefly a few times, but this post has made it very clear that you face huge challenges, and I marvel at the grace and dignity with which you face them. I think of you so often. If wishes could make you better you'd be out in the garden with a shovel. Sending you many hugs.

Nik, I'm glad you've finished with the radiotherapy, and glad you're coming off the hormone treatments. Nobody should be having hot flashes in the kind of weather you get there in the summer.

It sounds like your doctors have been taking good care of you, and I have faith that your tests will show improvement on whatever levels you need it.

Meanwhile, I hope you will be able to relax and focus on your plants and other family members. How is Kalliope?

Virginia

I second Virginia and also wanted to ask about Kalliope...I hope she is better now.