Well, It Was Never Going To Be Simple Was It!

The vacuum cleaner is great but I managed to damage the plastic slightly on the handle part because I had to attach it with some tight fitting screws(No screwdriver)and the knife slipped but its nothing really and it won't affect the use of the vacuum.

I knew that I had saved approx £5 on the vacuum cleaner but on the box today I saw £89 on it so perhaps I've saved £28(in reality)

I'll start using it tomorrow...

The Fridge/Freezer looks great and I think its a good investment. The person who delivered it had it flush against the wall and it fitted in the room well and takes up not too much space.

Unfortunately, that means that the internal drawers and containers cannot be pulled out properly when you open the cabinet doors so I have had to move it further away from the wall so we can get into the interior properly but this now means that it is approx a foot away from the wall so there is quite a gap. But what can you do?

It has to be switched off for four hours before being switched on and used so later today I am off to buy what I think we need and fill it up gain. Whilst I can I am looking at all the best food I can think of that will do Mum well. Fish, eggs, salad, ice cream, vegetables, meat etc...

When my income drops and I am alone I will have to probably eat a fairly low cost simple variety of foods(Cereals, porridge, beans on toast, soups, spaghetti etc...)Not that there is anything wrong with good basic wholesome food(Comfort food)but whilst we can afford to I want to have both of us eating as well as we possibly are able.

Can I be bothered to make cakes and home made bread if alone? I have the equipment but is it worth the time and effort? Will I save money doing more of my own cooking? Often some items are just as easy to pick up from a supermarket shelf. Will there be enough room in the freezer to store home made soup etc...

Buying convenience food can be expensive but staple food like a loaf of bread being already baked and on sale in a supermarket will be no more expensive once you take into account the cost of the baking of it at home in an oven.

The washer will arrive in the next day or two I assume with the Tumble Dryer. The fitting of the washer is more complicated than at first thought.

We need a waste pipe or something and probably a hole in the wall so more expense and delay. But it will be done, then we are in business. So for now I still need to wash things as I have been doing. Perhaps the money saved on the vacuum can be put tow rads the plumbing of the washer.

We were visited by the District Nurse and carer today who both wanted to know what happened with Mum on Friday at the examination with the Consultant. They were reasonably happy and thought it better news than originally expected.

Mum had been quite positive about what he said and liked him but after listening today and hearing it talked over is a bit more worried, frightened and not as positive.

I think its the realisation that you have cancer(even if it is slow growing)but she's not bothered about the operation or radio therapy regarding the growth that we can see, she'll be so much more comfortable when that's gone. It is what the scan may show and how advanced it is...even if they say she'll die of natural causes probably before it gets her.

Its not knowing how long its been there already and how much its progressed. And whether the external growth we can see that started off our journey is the first cancer and therefore if lucky and we have it zapped, we may find Mum is clear(that would be a great result from the scan)or that the growth is a secondary cancer and it's already taken hold elsewhere.

Then we could be back to having a time limit on Mum and the thought of Palliative care again. Mum hates the idea of the cancer growing inside of her and being left to take its course. I'm not too keen myself.

If it is slow growing, it may be livable with. The fact is, we have no idea how long its been doing so, if its relatively new or has been happening for years. There are lot of "If's"

A kind of friend of Mum's(he used to work with my Father years ago)has had and we are told he has beaten Bowel and Skin Cancer in recent years(He turned 90 in the last few weeks)

I don't know, perhaps radio therapy can be used elsewhere? Can surgery be considered? Or again will Mum be seen as being too weak? I got the impression they'd do an op on the growth that we know of but were not keen on internal surgery or the use radio therapy elsewhere. As I have said earlier she is gaining weight and still has her appetite.

So that is building up her strength and giving her something to fight with and I heard today from a District Nurse that they will keep an eye on her blood and if needs be they will do a transfusion as and when.