swilkinson

Your Dan certainly has a way of getting his message across. Nice to hear from you. Hope you are doing okay. For me it is one day at a time but I do enjoy life, always something happens to make me smile every day. Today it was two little girls sitting at the next table having a milkshake and blowing bubbles, typical four year olds. Hope you feel great when your Spring comes, I'm sure you will as you've had such a harsh winter

Mark, I have made many friends due to Ray's strokes and our stroke recovery joirney together. When I posted this topic my grief was still fresh and painful but now going on for six years later what I felt then is still true. I deliberately reconnected with old friends and I am so glad I did. Now some of them are closer in heart than family. I am so grateful to my Strokenet family too particularly the Blog Community for always being there for me. Sorry you lost a good friend. I hope you make many more.

ASHA, going through the last year of uncertainty has not been easy for me. I felt as if my life was on the line. Then there were all the deaths through the year, I got sadder with each person that passed. Of course we do expect our older friends to get incapacitated, even to die but in reality this robs us of their support and guidance in our lives. Life can be sad when you are older. But I try not to dwell on that now but to enjoy each day.

Unfortunately the stockings are for life, lymphoedema never goes away. And after I pass this latest set of tests I still have two more years to go to be declared free of cancer. So I have to be patient.

I have a lot to be thankful for. My daughter Shirley took me to see the specialist in Sydney today. Luckily the heat of yesterday was replaced by drizzly rain but as usual that just made the traffic worse and so our two hour journey took half an hour longer. I know why I love my part of the coast so much, it is because I would much rather listen to the sound of waves rolling in to shore than the sound of squealing brakes and the horns of impatient drivers. Or park by the lake instead of trying to find a parking spot among the high rise city buildings. I have several tasks to do when I get there. I filled in the research paper I usually do on my post operation feelings which becomes part of a national survey, then I was interviewed by one of the associates which is part of their training and then I can see the Professor herself. It seems there is not any sign of further melanomas, no signs of secondaries. I do have some age related problems which the young doctor explained but these can be seen to one at a time. I don't have to see the specialist again for twelve months pending two more tests to come, one a biopsy and in March there is the brain scan and the visit to the neurosurgeon. I am so grateful for everyone's prayers. It was a tiring day but just to know I have passed the first year without a recurrence of the melanoma and no secondary sites is a great relief. I still will have some residual pain from nerves damaged during the operation but that is a small price to pay. I have been given another year and will make the most of it. My word for this year is enjoy and so far there have been few days I haven't enjoyed. My life may be shortened by this past year's troubles but it is still a good life. The week leading up to today was busy with all the tests but even then it was an interesting week. After one of the tests a woman friend picked me up and we went to lunch, a thoughtful gesture on her part. I am blessed with good friends. I don't have family close but Shirley is only and hour and a half away. I also had lunch out with my ex-daughter-in-law and caught up with her news. She is the mother of my grandchildren who live in Adelaide with my son and his new partner. I am lonely still, really no getting around that. I have plenty to keep me busy, I have friends locally I can connect with as I do, but when Ray died the centre went out of my world. But we widows and widowers just have to rebuild our lives and I have done that. Like any rebuild it includes things from the past as well as relationships which are more recent. The friends I have now are from different parts of my journey. It is inevitable that relationships change when your partner's dies and some friends drift away and new friends take their place. And of course at my age many older friends die. It was nice to have my daughter stay overnight and to and from Sydney we talk of so many things. She told me she now uses a lot of the sayings she heard from me and her father and her kids say: "where did that come from?" It is good to have a laugh together. I know she is busy and am glad she feels she can spend the time with me. It means a lot to me. Now it is onwards and upwards. No, I am not fixed or cured or guaranteed a future but for now I have a good feeling about the year ahead of me.

I haven't had a stroke, so I just blame my lapses on my advanced years. You will work it out in the end. I know you have a fine intelligent mind so it is just a case of retraining it. Though I guess you must be sick of people saying that to you.

ASHA, I have so many wise words in my head that came from reading your blogs, I have learned to go with the flow because that is what you have taught me to do. I am so thankful to you and others on here for standing alongside me in my journey with Ray and since his death on my widow walk. Have a great celebration on your stroke/ Valentine's Day celebration.

Every now and again something jolts me back to reality, today it was the post on Facebook by Steve Mallory announcing that our friend Denny (Dennis Jeffries) had died. Denny and I talked frequently during my years when he was a chat host on Survivor Chat and I was chat host for Caregiver Chat. He was also my friend on Facebook. Like so many of my friends on Facebook and Strokenet we never got to meet in person but nonetheless we were friends. In this modern age this will be so for many of our friendships. My heartfelt condolences to his beloved wife Peg and their extended family and all those who knew him and valued his friendship. As I minister to the older church members in my own church and others in the organisations I belong to I am probably over familiar with death but never inured to it. I know each death robs us of a piece of our history and breaks down some of the bonds between us and others. All we can do is to remember those friends who have passed, remembering why we liked them, what we shared with them, remembering all that was good about that particular person and the ways in which the friendship enriched both our lives. We also need to remember those they left behind. I have just had my daughter and her family here for the weekend. Not her husband as he had injured his back trying to start a stubborn water pump so he stayed home for some bed rest. It was only a day's notice so it was unexpected but turned out to be a really fun time. My grandson Chris starts University this year so is a grown man now, his sister Naomi is 14 so quite a young lady so it was funny to see them playing with the toys Alice aged six had got out to play with. The Nintendo Wii got a bit of a workout and more so on the second night when Pamela and the three Adelaide cousins joined us. I guess that is when I realise my house is small when five teens and near teens are fighting to see who will be the challengers in the new Wii games. I do so enjoy having my grand children here, every time I see them I can see the changes in them. With Trevor and Alice's visit the first two weeks in January and then all the others last weekend I have been so blessed with the amount of time I have been able to spend with them. The Adelaide kids are going home in a week's time to start back at school, they are all doing well according to their abilities. I love them all and want the best to happen to them but have no illusions about them. Like Ray and I they will have their own struggle with life. They know Granma prays for them, but only two fully understand what that means. Summer has been very humid so it is out shopping etc in the morning and home in the afternoons. I have to keep hydrated and remember to take some time with the affected leg elevated. I have just lined up all the appointments and tests for the second week in February prior to seeing the melanoma specialist, with more tests before I see the neurosurgeon in March. I figure this is all for my good, remembering especially that this is prolonging my life so I can look forward to seeing my grandchildren grow up. I have felt the negative effects of wearing the body stocking toes to waist bevause of the humid weather but try to remember that too is to ensure I live as full a life as is possible. On the whole life is good and I have many blessings to count. I have a roof over my head, food on the table and many good people behind me challenging and supporting me. At my age I know that as long as we have love in our lives we are truly blessed.

Pam, I don't know what to say apart from I hope it is temporary. I have not had this happen to me but Ray was in a diaper for several periods of time over the years and then for the last 15 months of his life. One of the reasons I went to the nursing home daily was to make sure he was clean and dry. The care is so much better if you have regular visitors, it seems to keep the staff on their toes. I wish I was close enough to drop in from time to time.

Yes. One of the reasons I blog is to look back on how far I have come. I am looking at who I was and who I have become. It is like the growth rings on a tree reflecting the good years and the bad years. I can see that also in those other members of the blog community who have been blogging for a long time as you have ASHA. I can see that post traumatic growth in both of us.

Wow! That is a miracle. Not a cancerous spot just a little white one. So pleased for you. And helping a person to get a phone, passing on your good karma, you ROCK!!!!

I have Enjoy as my word again this year. I think I let the leg operation and dissection dominate my life last year and am not going to let it take another year of my life. 2019 is mine to enjoy. Asha, with your support and that of your husband and extended family your son will be fine

There is really nothing we can do about our past and we've all done things we are ashamed of, worried about or find distressing when we look back on them. But somehow we have to reconcile that and move forward with our lives. I have to say to myself sometimes" Not my fault, not my problem." Naturally I hope the other person can see that too but if they can't I try not to stress about it. I guess that comes with age though. Hope you have a fantastic year Tracy. You can think about what others say but you don't have to accept responsibility for it.

Tracy it is heat, hot days and too warm nights, but I do fall asleep because I am tired. In our area crowded car parks because we are a tourist spot about an hour and a half from the northern suburbs of Sydney. Our beaches are crowded with sun screen baked kids and parents with sunburned faces, but we don't care because tourists boost the economy. It is a great place to live.

Tracy wrote in a reply to Janelle that it is hard to get her head around the fact that we in the southern hemisphere are in summer and a hot one at that. It makes the Christmas we have very different from what most of our readers are experiencing. And it is hard to imagine unless you can think of the Fourth of July and Christmas coming together. Then add mosquitoes, bush fires, heatstroke and crowds of people flocking to your town from the nearest big city and you are starting to get a picture of my kind of Christmas. Despite all of that we, the Aussies and those who have made Australia home, love it. I did go to my daughter's place for a couple of nights, had a good time without too much trouble, enjoyed the Christmas Eve supper my grandson prepared and the lovely Christmas lunch my son-in-law cooked, going to church with the family etc. I got quite a collection of small gifts, the flavoured teas and home made jams being my favourites. As the grandchildren are now 19 and 14 there wasn't the noisy excitement of younger children but it was still nice to see them open their presents. My daughter drove me home late Christmas afternoon as they were heading off to see their other grandmother the next day and in a way I was glad to be home. The run-up to Christmas was very busy this year as I did extra shifts on the Lions Club raffle in our local shopping centre. One of our younger Lions had a stroke the week before Christmas and I replaced him as well as another Lion who finished up in hospital with pneumonia. We all push ourselves too much and end up with stress related illnesses if we are not mindful of the pressure. Anyway all that is behind me now. So my word for this year is one I have had before - ENJOY. I aim to 🎉 celebrate the life I have regardless of the way the year influences my health etc. I am learning that I will only be happy if I plan to be happy. I can no longer guarantee good health, or prosperity or even what will happen from day to day so I just have to accept that. I am blessed with people who care about me whether they voice that or not. I found out through the journey of the last year or so that people express love in many different ways, through flowers, food, visits , phone calls and dropping by with a cup of my favourite coffee. And of course emails and comments on social media. Some here are some thoughts for the year to come. Firstly to stay as positive as possible regardless of whether I feel lucky, happy or in control. Secondly to go on loving people and in whatever way I can to help and support them. This will include keeping in regular communication with some people I have neglected this year. I found out just before Christmas that one of Ray's favourite cousins had died five months ago. I guess I need to still send letters but to follow up with a phone call if I do not get a response rather than doing nothing and getting bad news later. I have a more exciting period coming up with a visit from my younger son Trevor and granddaughter Alice happening next week. I am not planning life for the next two weeks after that at all, I am sure we will be out and about, at the beach, visiting her cousins, having picnics and enjoying the summer. How my ageing body will stand up to that I don't know but enjoy it I will. That is a promise. And hopefully without negative results. So I wish you all a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year but if it doesn't turn out that way I wish you the strength to carry on anyway.

Pam I hope you are pain free and were able to sleep after the procedure. One day at a time my friend. I know how tired you can get of being strong so relax and know that many are holding you in their prayers.

Thanks Tracy, our journeys are very different but we have a lot in common. I have just heard my next door neighbor come home. We don't speak often but I like to know he is there. I am out and about a lot of the time but still feel I am stepping into an empty shell when I come home. But I am used to it now.

Most of my life my friends have been older than me,older and wiser, and that has helped me in so many ways. I hope you find the same with your new group of friends.

Pam I am so sorry, this is just one more burden to bear. I would ask what the prognosis is, what rate of spread etc then make the decision. It is the way I work through things. But I do not have your pain so there is no comparison. You need compassion as well as information, I hope you get that.

On the whole I think I cope with being a widow pretty well. But as soon as the warmer nights start we have noises outside. As a widow and even before when Ray was living here still but was unable to get quickly out of bed I am the one who goes off to investigate. It may be possums on the roof, dogs overturning the bins out on the road or a group of noisy teens coming home from a party, rarely is it something life threatening. Sometimes I just don't see the cause and I might go back to bed and worry for a while but usually I am satisfied. Tonight there is a wind so all kinds of rattles and bangs but all ones I know the origins of so I am okay. I always say we all plan for retirement but not for old age and I think that aplies to me now. I have got a lot slower since the last operation and I know that while I can still manage housework, shopping and the ordinary tasks of life I cannot do maintenance so in the New Year need to find a way to do the jobs I can't accomplish and that means find some tradesmen to do them. This is going to be a considerable expense but as I don't go on holidays much now I can use that money. We also don't plan for widowhood so I am now putting some thought into my future again. There are two main choices, staying in my own home or some sort of retirement complex. I think I will maybe consider downsizing to a smaller place too. It seems unlikely now that's one of my children will move closer so I am probably not going to have help in this. It is not that they don't love me but it doesn't occur to them that I need help. And I do find things more difficult now since the leg operation. Every job that involves bending and lifting takes a bit longer than it used to. And we don't take our future needs into consideration. I am thinking of our need for help and support. Through pastoral care work I deal with the elderly a lot and I can often now see my own needs in the ones I am helping. The need for companionship is high on the agenda for widows. It is easier during the day as public transport, taxis and lifts from friends help if you no longer drive but at night and at weekends that is not as available so there is a difficulty in meeting up with friends. Technically speaking the family should fill the gaps but in fact few have family living close by. I hear that from the little lady I pick up for church and others in my craft group so I am aware of how it will be for me if I can no longer drive. I wondered if I should express these thoughts here or if I should write them in my widow blog but I think a lot of people on here also struggle with living alone as I do or wonder how they will cope if it ever becomes their life. For those of you who have someone living with you, cherish that situation. Alone means some extra freedom but too much time alone is stressful, particularly on those nights when the wind is up and I become super aware of noises outside. The good news is that I do have people who love me. They might not be right here but they exist. An old friend in her 90s rang me early this morning to tell me she does. She had received a Christmas card from me and rather than try to write a letter had rung me instead. I know there are people who love me, family and good friends, I am not discounting that. But it isn't always in the forefront of my mind. To my mind I am very much alone. My girlfriend who died recently was one of the people who I could ring on a night like this and it is one of the reasons I will miss her. I miss a lot of people who have been good friends in my past years. It is not the same without them. Sometimes I think the Christmas season is hard on us as people who have cared for others. I know I never really thought about the impact before I was a widow. As a caregiver I was simply too busy. Now I am on my own I have too much time to think. There is a car alarm going off somewhere in the neighborhood, another party up the road, the sound of music somewhere further away. Somehow that accentuates the aloneness I feel. I probably need to put on some music of my own and block out the noises outside.

Tracy, I find at this stage of my life I am grateful for so many things. Circumstances are not always perfect but I believe in hope, and hope makes life doable. I was glad to find out from your blog that many people are helping you through the lean times you have been through. (((hugs))).

ASHA, I love the story of your travels. Your hubby has a wonderful sense of humour and he does take good care of you. I am so glad you got to see so many family members on both sides. Good you were not the one to fall this time. Enjoy your reorientation, you might discover a whole new aspect of your home.

Last weekend was the Women's weekend of the Stroke Support group WAGS, I think my 10th full weekend although I have sometimes just gone to the Friday or Saturday night, depending on the circumstances. I remember one year I got my older son to look after Ray so just went from lunchtime Saturday until after the dinner. Of course the past six years I have gone as a widow. I shared with another younger widow this year as I did last year. She is only mid-fifties and still has children in her care as her husband died young. She enjoys the weekend as a break from her usual routine. One of our members has compiled books of photos from each year back to 2005 the year before I joined. I really enjoyed looking through them and recognising some of the faces as old friends who can for various reasons no longer come. As usual it was a sad/happy time as we remembered those who are no longer with us, acknowledging also those who were foundation members. In every organization there are those who put in a lot of hard work to make events go well and WAGS is no exception. We are all grateful to the handful of organisers who make the weekend possible. I enjoyed the company, the food, the entertainment, but as usual especially the dancing. Of course I would love to be able to dance the way I used to but found it impossible to be as balanced with the left leg musculature being so different now from the right. But I managed to dance for most of three hours so I was very proud of that achievement. And it was wonderful meeting up again with such wonderful, brave indomitable spirits, both caregivers and survivors. They are an inspiration to me. Coming home is always a let down and I have been feeling that this week. I am busy enough, on the Lions Christmas raffle two mornings already but my trip to visit my daughter and family mid-week and go out to a Salvation Army lunch today was cancelled due to her schedule. It is a thank you to the officer's parents, and thank yous are rare. And then news of another death in the distant family added to my sadness. It does seem as if there has been a lot of deaths within my circle lately and I think that dims my usual brightness for a while. It is a reminder of our built in use by date when those younger than ourselves die. Really now I have no-one to turn to when I am sad, I miss my good friend Lyn for that reason, we always included in our chats news about family members, happy and sad and I have no-one to do that with now. I think it is not likely that I will make another good friend like him. I really miss my girlfriend Jean, who died six weeks ago too. It was such a shock when she died. And without those friends from our formative years to share our memories with we are so much the poorer. I am really feeling that now. But as we know life has to go on, Christmas get togethers are starting, bring a plate to this one, book in for that one. It is not only the busy season it is also the expensive season. I have the trip to Broken Hill to look forward to and other upcoming events but Christmas this year will be with just Shirley and family as Trevor and Steven and their families have other plans. Inevitably that will happen some years. But that is when I really miss Ray and that focussed family life we used to live.

Jay, you have come a long way since then. Good to have you as part of our Community.