Missing In Action!

Well hello there! I know - it's been almost a year since I last posted. For those of you who may know me from other areas of the web - I apologise - skip the next 2 paragraphs as you already know what I'm going to say!!

Last July my husband started to be sick - not normal vomiting - but it looked like coffee grounds. The next day he was fine and shrugged it off. A month later - same thing! So the following day (which happened to be a Bank Holiday in the UK), I forced took him to A&E in our local hospital. They took at look and ordered a gastroscopy which he took 2 weeks later. They prescribed medication and a repeat gastroscopy in 6 weeks. By the time that date arrived, he was so weak that he could hardly get out of bed, let alone get to the hospital. Finally on Nov 2nd, he collapsed in the early hours of the morning and I had to call an ambulance to get him into hospital. Once there, after rehydrating and undergoing several more CAT scans and tests, it was discovered he had bowel cancer.  We met a wonderful surgeon at that point, who said that she would operate to give him a stoma, which would allow him time to recover enough to undergo the operation to remove the cancerous part of the bowel. However when she operated, the tissue was felt to be too friable, so she removed about 65cm of bowel then and there.

Following a few days in the Intensive Care Unit, he was moved back to a main ward, where he started to recover, until he was unable to keep any kind of food or drink down. He was released from hospital on Feb 5th, after 12 weeks in hospital, still unable to keep anything down, but they were ordering gastroscopies and dilatations which they hoped would work. Three procedures later, we had a meeting with the oncologist - NO MORE CANCER!! So that was a positive step. Then we met the surgeon. Provided Mike was able to put on weight and start to heal properly, she would be prepared to offer a reversal to the stoma in about 6 months. We have an appointment booked for early July to discuss that. Finally a fortnight ago, just before Easter, Mike went in for another gastroscopy and this time it appears to have worked! He is eating and drinking a little more every day. And he is beginning to put on weight again.

So my life has virtually been ON HOLD for the last 6 months. I have had the support of friends and ex-colleagues. People I have never met - friends through the power of the Internet - have supported Mike and I in prayer or healing thoughts - and I want to thank each and every one of those people.

But of course my stitching and craft have been the mainstay of my personal battle during this time. When I felt like coming home and screaming about the unfairness of life - my little xxxxx's helped to keep me sane enough to function as a relatively normal human being!

As I can't go into more details here - I'll just post the pictures of things which I have worked on in these last months of pain and despair. (WARNING - lots of photos here!)

 Gnome cushion from magazine

 Brooke's Books Advent Animals finished and given to my granddaughter in time for Christmas 2017.

  Keyring for my Granddaughter - they studied pirates at school!

 Camper van from magazine - lettering added myself. A present for a good friend who has held my hand through all of this. 

 Fairy Grandmother - finished and hung - L&Lace

 Current WIP - HAED pattern from WOCS 

 Progress on Moon Hare to date

 Christmas 2017 for my Granddaughter

 House for the tooth fairy - Jess lost her first teeth this year! I made the whole thing from a box and felt!

 Back wall of the house!

And a bit of knitting - mermaid tail for Jess

 And a larger one for my daughter!!

Finished today!  Pompom rug for my granddaughter! If I'd planned it out I would have moved the J down a row, but hey - I didn't so it will have to be like this. Hopefully she will like it as it's in her favourite colours. She can put it beside her bed to wriggle her toes in as she gets up!

Right - well after so long away I'd better let you go and do something else instead! Hope you've all been busy. I will try to catch up on reading your blogs again. So I hope to see you again SOON!

Until then - take care and remember - you never know just when a family member or loved one will be hospitalised or worse - so talk to them often and always tell them that you love them.

Sandie