My final post for the decade!

Sounds dramatic doesn't it! I couldn't just leave for the year without updating my dear friends on the results of my trip to the hospital today. I had an ultrasound booked for today and my dad offered to give me a lift to the hospital. After a bit of a wait, I was ushered into the room where the ultrasound takes place and I lay down on the bed to wait. The radiologist soon came through after finishing on the phone and gel was smeared over the area of the lump and he was soon scanning away. Its the same ultrasound machine that they use to look at a preggie mom's baby. He was quite interested to hear that the lump had reduced in size since I had the needle aspiration and asked what colour the liquid had been. Umm, sorry I didn't look. I was too busy worrying about the wound inflicted on my breast by the extra large needle.

Any way, it turns out I have a number of cysts (10) in my left breast. He mentioned the phrase Benign Breast "Disease" and said that it was normally just treated symptomatically. He was surprised that the attending doctor hadn't ordered a proper mammogram being that I am over 40. I took the results through to Surgical Outpatients for the doctor to look at. They located my biopsy results which they attached to my file. When the doctors finally materialised from their meeting, things moved fast. The doctor (a different one from before) examined me again and then decided to be safe and order a proper mammogram.

So I have a date at R.K. Khan hospital again on Wednesday, 30th December. Luckily, when I wandered back to XRay and found everything locked up, I noticed the radiologist from before and rushed over to him. He found someone to help me and although she was really grumpy about it, she found the appointment book and allocated 1 of 2 remaining 'emergency' bookings for the year to me. So I will get this done before the year ends and then wait another two weeks for those results. But I was happy to hear from the radiologist that it looked like benign cysts to him, as he must have seen a lot of that and the doctors are interns. So I can enjoy Christmas without worrying that I haven't left something undone. My daughter, Robynne is also happy with the diagnosis as she had been worrying about the unknown.

I wish all my friends and followers a safe, happy and peaceful Christmas and New Year and I will see all of you in the new decade!

All quiet on the home front.

Its been a quiet week on the home front. I've been settling into my routine of being on my own. Its really very similar to when I have Bradley there except a lot more relaxed - no homework, no one asking 'what's for supper?' or 'When are we going to eat?'. When I get home I put on the tv. When I get up I put on the radio because....its a bit quiet...

News of the week.

I attended the big carol service at The Pavilion shopping centre on Tuesday evening. I was invited by my parents and dad said he would treat me to supper at their favourite restaurant. The other two invited guests were my parents friends, another elderly couple. Nothing like going out with four older people to make you feel like a spare wheel. The carol service was pleasant except it was too dark to read the hymn sheet and the audience carried on talking even during the childrens' narrations. I know its held at a shopping centre but its not just entertainment. If you cant keep quiet while the choir and the children are trying to complete the programme that they have practised then why not just leave. And during the meal, the parents and their friends talked amongst each other and I mainly just ate (rump steak with veg. and chips - tasty) or stared into space! Maybe give it a miss next time.

I have been trying to get the kittens weaned this week as I want to take their mom, Kittykie in for spaying and I know she won't want to feed them once she has the operation. The two ginger kittens have taken to eating out of a bowl very quickly but the little beige chap just didn't want to know. Every time I guided his face to the bowl he would brace himself and pull back. I decided to use some tactics and made a visit to the vet. The lady there didn't really know but I just asked her to show me the food they prescribe when kitties don't want to eat as they have been ill. I bought a tin of Hills Prescription Diet for R13.00. When all the others were fed last night, I dished up a small portion and went through to the bedroom so the others couldn't follow. I held little Beige on my lap and with some food on a teaspoon, just touched his mouth. He licked his mouth and then sniffed the spoon and then consented to eat off the spoon. I placed the food onto a plate and he ate off the plate too. Success! In the morning, I dished the food directly onto the plate and put some food that the others eat onto the plate too with a little milk. Warmed all up for a couple of seconds and he ate again like a champ. I think the ice is broken now.

My sister suffered a bad fall at work and has broken both bones in her one leg close to her ankle. She works in reception and their cleaning lady had mopped the floor and she hadn't seen that and fell. She was operated on this afternoon and we will probably visit her tonight. She has had to have a pin placed in the one bone and a plate in the other so she will be out of action for some time to come. This has really placed a damper on her Christmas celebration and year end leave.

Its raining again this afternoon. We had a sunny day on Sunday and a couple of dry days thereafter. I surveyed my jungle on Sunday morning and honestly didn't know where to start. My mom phoned and I got a little tearful, feeling sorry for myself because its only me to tackle my whole huge steep overgrown yard. My mom sent Greg around to cut my grass even though it was Sunday and he doesn't usually cut grass on Sunday. I was home, feeling a bit better. I got over myself and just started cutting the area around the house. I told Greg I hadn't expected him that day and he said 'Well mom said you were upset'. Its amazing how much better I felt by just having the lawn cut. Then on Tuesday my dad had his worker Derek slashing my banks and although its a rough cut it looks A LOT better. Thanks Family...again.

I'm writing under the influence...

of Christmas lunch and sparkling wine! We had our office Christmas lunch today and after filling myself with food and drink, I was feeling a little nauseous and decided to stop off in my office before facing the outside world on my way home.

There is an evening function tonight, held by our main division but being that the evening will be rainy I decided not to attend that function but to rather retire home to the company of my kitties (and dogs) and relax on the couch. I can only take so much scintillating conversation!

You may have guessed that I am indeed on my own as from yesterday morning. Bradley has returned with his father and brother to the house in Johannesburg and I am left behind.

I had left for work yesterday morning before the menfolk left my house and although I was invited to supper at my parents, who had returned from their short trip away, I decided to first go home to see what state my house had been left in. It was as well I did because the two dogs had been left inside the house and were frantic to get out. Lights were on. The door to the outside room was left open and the neighbours dog had been into the room and muddied up the floor and the mattress! I fed the cats and went out again, only returning at 9pm.

This morning when I woke up I carried out a good cleanup so that at least I didn't have to come home again to my house looking like a wreck.

I had a call from Bradley's teacher from primary school. Basically he didn't achieve the minimum marks in all the subjects he should have. Some of the subjects he would have had to complete work on a continuous basis through the year to have achieved the pass mark, as an exam is not set for those subjects at the end of the year i.e. Art and Technology (and he hadn't achieved the minimum of 40% for those subjects). However, because of my communication with the teacher, his achievement with Maths and English and (his class teacher's subjects) and other subjects for which he wrote exams, as well as the fact that he was on Ritalin for this last term and the difference in his attitude to school could be seen, the school has decided to condone him to move on to High School. I am just so thankful as he will be turning 14 on Christmas Day and has already completed 8 years at Primary School. I really don't think repeating Grade 7 would have benefited him. The teacher stressed that he would have to work hard from Day 1 of High School and I confirmed that he would continue to take Ritalin from the beginning of the year and ongoing. I will be meeting with the teacher on Monday to sign the relevant paperwork for the condoned pass.

I just went down to the function room to save the leftover food to take home to the hungry animals - mashed potatoes, vegetables and pasta with gravy. It would just be thrown away on Monday. I found some takeaway containers in the kitchen. No use leaving it to go to waste!

I'm off now to see if my house has succeeded in floating away with our sixth consecutive day of rain! Whatever this weekend brings, I wish you all the best.