Who's the Winner?

Well, having just watched a miserable opener from England in the football world cup, I thought I'd spend a quick 5 minutes updating everyone on where things are at the moment.

It's been a busy week on the fundraising front. My brother in law did a networking event down in Surrey and managed to raise over £500 towards his fundraising total...fantastic as he's now raised his £1000 target.

Then today I went over to my mum and dad's to help with a coffee morning for her church and my dads church. She'd had nearly £200 in donations before we started, but I was just gobsmacked as by the end she'd raised nearly £600...and there are cakes leftover to sell at her church tomorrow! Alongside the bring and buy sale she did, that means she's raised over £1600 so far. Definitely the winner of today!

It is just so fantastic...I think that before we take into account gift aid, the family will have raised over £10,000 for MMUK which is just amazing and will hopefully help raise awareness of Myeloma, as well as obviously contributing to valuable research.

My knee is so so at the moment. Wierdly, it seems fine in heels!! Maybe I should walk the 3 peaks in a pair of stilletos!!! With walking boots, I can feel it pulling so I think it is probably a hamstring pull or something. Someone has recommended me red flower oil which does help a bit so I need to remember to put it on a bit more regularly.

The bonus is that I'm still managing to do some walking.....I managed to do a 6 miler on Friday even if it was a little slower than normal. I tried out walking poles which I'm not sure about and made sure I stretched properly at the end. My knee is no worse than before so that is great!

Right, will go now to commiserate about a 1-1 draw with the USA :-(

Here's hoping.....

Went on another 10 mile walk yesterday in the new boots that I had to get. Mine had come to pieces when I did my 17 mile walk so I've had to buy some new ones. It all went well at the time and I had no blisters from the boots (well and truly recommend Northface!!). Unfortunately my knee which has been giving me a few problems the day after a walk, started hurting and is now in quite a lot of grief.
I'm just off to get a knee support, some pain killers and apparently red flower oil is meant to be good. I'm absolutely gutted after all the training I have put into this event that I am in so much pain. I think I'll have to tone the training right down which has really upset me. I feel like I've worked really hard to get into the right physical condition and now I'm going to have to stop or at least only do really short walks. My priority is to actually be fit enough to do the walk and if that means that I have to do it in more than the 10 hours that I had hoped to complete it in, so be it, but I am well and truly gutted.
So if anyone has any hints and tips (other than paying out for a physio which we can't afford after all the equipment I've bought!)please let me know!!!

The good thing is that Nick has said he'll drive the minibus for us....I'm really pleased as it will be lovely to have him up there with us, supporting the whole group (ane me!!!).

Anyway, better get off to buy this stuff and hope that it all helps my knee to recover.

Bored and a bit down

Firstly, I need to correct my previous entry. Talked about the person having had an auto....I meant an allo. Auto is when you have your own stem cells put back in after chemo, allo is when you use a siblings cells (or a donor I think). I still get mixed up between the two and hopefully it will be a long time before it is something so integral to me it rolls of the tongue!

Feeling a bit low today. But I suppose that's not bad as it's been some time since I did. I've been having some pains across my sort of collar bone region. They sort of come over me in waves and then go away and I feel fine again. God knows what is causing it. Hopefully it's all the walking I'm doing for my 3 Peaks, but who knows. It seems an odd place to get strains, unless I'm now walking with a very odd posture...could be that I suppose.

The silly part of me then gets scared that it's more ominous than that. Must remember to ask the consultant whether my protein could stay the same, but symptoms start developing none the less....i.e if my body gives up coping with the high levels of protein that are there.

I'm also feeling shattered at the moment. But that probably IS to do with the walking, having two kids under 6, and staying up too late. Can't blame SMM for everything hey (much as I'd like to! Esp the increased appetite!) Actually one thing I do think might have affected my energy levels, is the amount of rubbish I'm eating. I'd sort of given up on the dairy free diet, but I think I'm going to go back onto it. In fact the more I write this, the more I wonder if that is what has contributed to the ABSOLUTELY FOUL mood that I'm in at the moment. So, dairy free again from tomorrow and I'll update you on whether it works!

Anyway, will make myself perk up! Off to see 2 new babies in the family tomorrow, and then to one of my sisters on Monday for a couple of days. Hopefully being away will help and I can chill out a little.

Training is still going well....did a total of 36 miles in 8 days, and then on Friday did another 6 miles. My knee is giving me a little bit of gip but I'm hoping that it will calm down given I'll have over a week off between my last walk and my next one. Luckily it doesn't hurt while I'm walking, but instead the day after!! Don't care if it kills so long as I do the 26 miles required for the 3 peaks!!!

Now, I've had another music album recommended to me which I'm quite liking; Thea Gillmore. I particularly like 'Drunken Angel' although am not as keen on all the others....think I'd have to pick and choose!

Exhausted but happy

Well, I am now that little bit further on my journey to the Yorkshire 3 Peaks and have just completed a 17 mile training session. I have to say I felt really good completing it but was definitely ready to stop at the end.....just have another 9 miles to add and then I'll be there....a doddle....not!!!! Not sure how many times I'll be able to fit in a walk that long what with the childcare costs but it was good to know it was doable and how fast we will need to walk....bloody fast!!! We did it in just over 6 hours today so it was just under 3 miles an hour. Sounds slow, feels fast.

The sponsorship has stabilised now but I'll go for it again in the run up to the actual event. I would love to get to £5000, and am really hoping with the sponsorship from the other people walking with me, that we might even get to £10,000! What an achievement that would be.

I can't remember if I talked about the lady I have met via an Under 50 website. She had an auto SCT (Stem Cell Transplant) in January and has been so ill in hospital. This week was a real boost to all of us on the site as she has got back to us and told us that while it was touch and go for a while, that she is now on the mend. There is a 25% chance of dying after an auto SCT so I think it brought it home just how big a decision it is to make. Hopefully that will be the end of the bad luck for her and she will be on the mend.

Right, better get off now, need to get those kiddies to bed and glam up for a night on the town....if I can walk!!!

Was there a UK power cut 9 months ago????

Well we seem to have an abundance of babies at the moment. We'll have had at least 5 being born within the last 3 weeks...very gorgeous all of them so far and I'm loving the cuddles...and being able to give them back!

But it has made me stop and think. I always said Sam was my last baby. I've been so adamant we gave everything away! But I know that Nick has always hankered after more...funny really as when we got together it was him that wanted two and me that wanted more!! Recently I've really started thinking about it more with so many babies around and with lots of my bestest friends being pregnant. I do wonder if it wasn't for my diagnosis whether we'd be rethinking the decision to stop. But I feel like that would be really selfish now that we know. Even if Nick was prepared to take the risk of having to look after them on his own, it is about more than that. It is about what we'd put them through if I did get ill enough to need treatment.

I sort of feel a little sad about it at the moment. Only a little as I feel so grateful and lucky to have two healthy, gorgeous children already. I know that many people would give anything for that. But despite being about to get my life back when sam starts school in September, part of me hankers after that baby again (looking at Rebecca's baby photos didn't help!)

So, next time I'm looking wistful, just remind me that it has been 5 years of limited sleep, years of nappies, constant arguments and a limited life of my own...hopefully I'll snap out of it pretty fast!!!!

Bring it on!

Election day, a huge day for this country, and a huge one for me. And I think that my appointment today has possibly been the bigger success of the two!!! I'm not going to get into politics on here but will share how my day has gone(how big headed is that???!!)

We are over the moon as my protein levels have gone down to 39. That's less than they were before the last appointment and I have to say that I put it all down to the curcumin I've been taking. Who know's if I'm right or wrong but it seems to be doing the job so it is worth every penny of the cost!!!! My consultant, despite still being a bit dubious about the whole 'alternative therapy' concept, even said that if I could provide him with bona fide research he would be interested in reading it! Result in itself as I think that he should at least be mentioning it to patients, even if he can't recommend it.

My haemoglobin levels are still dropping slightly (now 10.9) but he isn't worried about that even if it is Myeloma related. Not yet anyway! Somehow they forgot to do the calcium measurement but I declined the option to get it done again today and said we'd wait till next time.

It has been such a good day...I have just walked round with a permanent smile. I know it doesn't mean I'm getting better, as that just can't happen, but it does mean that I'm stable at the moment and it gives me so much hope. Every month that I get where I don't need treatment is just fantastic and means that the kids are an extra month older....I can't ask for more than that really!!!

I really want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been supporting us over the past year. It has been so tough at times, and at the moment we just seem to be doing really well with it all, and that is a lot to do with how great you have all been. We are now able to think more positively, whilst also knowing that people are there for us if we need it. And to all those people who are praying for us....keep it up!!!

I also want to say how much it means that people have supported my 3 Peaks Challenge. I think that has really helped me to be positive and to have a focus. Someone said to me today that I have just looked so much happier over the past couple of months and I think it is a lot to do with the walk, the training, and the generosity in people's attitude and sponsorship for the event. Next week, I plan to do my first 10-15 mile walk!!!

So bring on what is to come....we will fight it all the way and beat it for as long as we possibly can!!!

Who needs to walk 26 miles for charity??!!

Wow, well I have to give it to my parents. My mum (and dad!) arranged for a bring and buy sale at their church in aid of Myeloma UK and my 3 Peaks Challenge. We'd hoped it would raise about £300 but they raised a whopping £900+!!!! How great is that? It will take my total to over £5000 so I am so so so so chuffed.

I can't believe my mum had said at the start that she would have liked to walk but just couldn't quite do it (not really surprising for a 77 year old!). Her and my dad have just been doing all they can within their churches and their friends and this just goes to show what you can achieve when you put your mind to it....a marathon walk obviously just isn't necessary (now if only I'd know that before I said I was going to do it!!!)

So mum and dad....if you read this, I am very very proud of what you have achieved today....thank you guys!!! Here's hoping it will all go towards valuable research and will help people in the future to live with, and hopefully survive longer with Myeloma. And who knows, perhaps it will help me at some stage too! We can only hope!!!