The World According To Sue

Still here!

2009-11-01T01:40:00.015Z

I can't believe how long it is since I last blogged. So much has been going on, I hardly know where to start.. so for now I'll just do a quick update.

My mum is doing well following her treatment for breast cancer. She celebrated her 70th birthday earlier this year, and my daughter and I were able to visit for the weekend to attend her party.

Mum, my sister and her family also visited us for a week in the summer - well, they stayed nearby and we saw them every day. It was really lovely to spend so much time with my family, when often I can't see them from one year to the next.

In other 'news'... my computer packed up last year, and for about 9 months I didn't have one at home at all. I would pop into a local library to check email etc... and rediscovered my love of libraries. So I suppose the old adage is true - every cloud has a silver lining! We are back online at home now, with the assistance of a couple of friends. However, I still visit the library from time to time.

Healthwise, it's been a funny year. I have suffered from numerous health problems for many years, from bad back and joint pain, to depression and phobias... the list is far longer but you get the idea! Anyway, I volunteered to take part in the Condition Management Programme or CMP, to help me cope better, learn strategies to manage my health problems, and learn to think about my illnesses in a different way. I have been amazed at how helpful the programme has been for me. I attended modules on everything from back pain to coping with anxiety, from working with a disability to managing stress. All of which were interesting and useful. I also met some very nice people at these modules, and in chatting over coffee also learned the odd helpful tip from them! In addition to the modules there were one-to-one meetings with a named CMP practitioner. Mine was Laura, who has a background in physiotherapy - appropriate given my back problems! That said, each practioner brings their own skills to the programme and over the course of the programme I've met most of them and benefitted from them all.

I was so impressed with the CMP, I recently attended the "Managing Health Works" CMP Information / Study day. This was extremely interesting, and I'd love to be able to get involved working with them one day. In the meantime I'm joining the user group.

One other thing my CMP practitioner did was refer me to the local IAPT team, to get help with the depression and anxiety which was ruining my life. As a result I undertook a course of CBT which was probably the best thing I ever did for my health. I am really interested in this type of therapy, and in the whole concept of mindfulness which is an important related aspect.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, I also managed to contract 'swine flu', which laid me low for a fortnight and took another few weeks after that to fully recover. By which point I'd missed all the revision time for my Open University course... I attempted the exam anyway, so now it's a question of waiting to see if I've managed to scrape through!

So, what else? Well, my son is in his final year at Uni. We hardly ever see him, but I gather he's getting on well with everything! Thank goodness for facebook, at least I can get occasional updates that way. My daughter is in year 9, and considering her GCSE options. She's still into drama in a big way, and recently played Alice in her drama group's version of Alice in Wonderland.

I'm looking for a new job at the moment. Something in a library or mental health care would be great, let's build on my recent experience! I'm working towards the ECDL and also continuing my studies with the OU, although I'm moving from IT subjects more towards the psychology/mental health areas. You may notice a theme developing! I really have been inspired by my CMP and CBT work this year, including working with some incredible people. We shall see where it leads.

The Hobbit

2008-03-10T17:02:00.011Z

Anyone in the Poole area, why not pop along to this production? Admission is free and there's a choice of evenings and venues.

This adaptation uses a blend of narration, song and puppetry to draw the audience into the
world of Tolkien's classic tale.

Come and join Bilbo Baggins on his adventure with Gandalf and the dwarves, to a dragon
infested mountain that might hold more than just dwarven treasure...

Performance dates: Thursday April 3rd @ St Clements Church Hall, St Clements Rd, Poole.

Friday and Saturday April 4th/5th @ St Aldhelms Church, St. Aldhelms Rd, Poole.

Start times:
Thursday and Saturday: 7:30PM (Doors at 7PM)
Friday: 8PM (Doors at 7.30PM)

Raffle and refreshments during interval.

Full info at: http://maverickarts.org/thehobbit.aspx

and http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=10448597994

hospice appeal news

2007-11-28T03:01:00.001Z

David's signed script raised £1,550 - many thanks to all who bid, and congratulations to the winning bidder!

Many people have asked how they can help ACCORD over the festive period, and so a page has been set up for donations for those interested: www.justgiving.com/accordxmas.

Charity auction on eBay

2007-11-20T23:53:00.000Z

A unique opportunity to purchase a genuine Doctor Who signed script!

David-tennant.com have a new auction on eBay, in aid of the ACCORD hospice. David has kindly donated his own copy of the script for 'The Sound Of Drums'. The script is signed by the main cast, ie:

David Tennant (The Doctor)
Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones)
John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness)
John Simm (Harold Saxon/The Master)
Alexandra Moen (Lucy Saxon)
Adjoa Andoh (Francine Jones)
Trevor Laird (Clive Jones)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Tish Jones)

The auction is open until 27th November.

Links:
the auction page
ACCORD hospice
http://www.david-tennant.com/

This Delicate Thing We've Made

2007-08-18T20:51:00.000+01:00

Well, my copy of the new Darren Hayes album - This Delicate Thing We've Made - arrived today.

This is the first time I've heard the album, apart from the single and a couple of other tracks live, and it's f'king AMAZING!

I'm not capable of writing a proper review so I'm not even going to try. Instead I'll just share my general feelings about the CD. Or should I say, 'CDs', as this is a double album.

I can honestly say I enjoyed every track. Some I loved, immediately. Others are less instantly to my taste, but I often find those sort of tracks grow on me. There were none that I disliked though, which is always a relief when you've really looked forward to a new cd! There is a real variety of styles on the album, but it just works. Thank goodness he wasn't tied to the constraints imposed by record companies this time. And the production is fabulous.

The photos and artwork in the sleeve notes/booklet are of an equally high standard. And I don't mind one little bit being referred to as one of the 'people I adore' (that's Darren referring to his fans.)

Ah, the joy of anticipation fulfilled!!!

Biggest dork

2007-08-17T02:57:00.000+01:00

Vote for me (not Catherine, please!) here:

Just a bit of fun!

Proud mum!

2007-08-16T18:30:00.001+01:00

Just a quick bit of news!

The time has finally come. My firstborn is about to fly the nest!

Yes, Luke got his A'Level results today, and passed them quite comfortably. This means this time next month he'll be unpacking and checking out the SU bar at Bolton University!

I am so proud of him, and feeling a little emotional today although I've known for ages the day was looming, lol! I suppose it just feels so much closer now it's 'official'.

dt.com ACCORD Fundraiser Comedy Night

2007-08-14T06:01:00.000+01:00

Edinburgh Fringe Comedians To Stage Dr Who Comedy Night In Aid Of David-Tennant.com ACCORD Hospice Appeal

Official Press Release:

Comedians appearing at this year's Edinburgh Fringe are staging a special one-off Dr Who-themed comedy show as part of the David-Tennant.com fundraiser, which intends to raise money for the ACCORD hospice in Paisley, Scotland.
The comedians taking part were moved by the response from Dr Who fans to the recent death of the actor's mother Helen from cancer.

The gig will take place at Laughing Horse@Linsays (Fringe Venue 56) on Saturday 18th August 9.10 - 10.10pm. Although the show is not ticketed, and is not part of the official Fringe programme, those attending will be asked to donate £10, with all proceeds going to the ACCORD hospice appeal.Venue details: Laughing Horse@Linsays, 15 Brunswick Street, Edinburgh, EH7 5JB Box Office & Enquiries: 0131 556 8974

Among the comedians giving up their time to take part so far are Mitch Benn ("His act is sharp, polished and fresh... " *****The Scotsman); Bill Bruce ("Massively Talented. Breaktakingly Good. **** Chortle) and Toby Hadoke whose 2006 Fringe hit - Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf - has recently been turned into a successful BBC Radio show ("Hadoke... does for Daleks and Cybermen what Fever Pitch did for football." William Cook - The Guardian)

The full line-up of acts will be announced prior to the event.

Ken Mathie, Fundraising Manager for the ACCORD hospice, commented:

"Everyone associated with ACCORD has been extremely moved by the public reaction to Helen's passing. She was such a lovely person and will be sorely missed by everyone who was fortunate enough to know her. This show is a wonderful example of the support we are receiving from fans of Dr Who and I wish all the comedians involved every success"

ACCORD Hospice is an independent charity giving free medical and nursing care to those in Renfrewshire and parts of East Renfrewshire whose illness is causing physical pain and emotional stress and for whom curative treatment may no longer be appropriate.

The appeal runs until 23 October 2007.

This is a late night show, and is therefore not suitable for anyone under that age of 18. Entry is on a strictly first come, first admitted basis.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the subject of the appeal, David's script sold for a little over £2500 in the auction!

Timmaaay!

2007-08-11T16:47:00.000+01:00

Just wanted to share this - it's Tim, who's one of my 'radio buddies' and has now branched out into television. He's great fun and such a natural presenter. :o)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgX8rGDJcLQ

auction news, and update on Mum

2007-08-10T16:28:00.000+01:00

We made it onto the news pages on the BBC Doctor Who site, lol!
David's own copy of the script (signed by David and Billie) for The Impossible Planet has a couple more days to run - the current high bid is £1080. There are also a few other lots still available to bid on - and requiring a somewhat lower budget, lol! Here's the link again: dt.com4accord auction.

In other news... Mum is 2 weeks past her first session of chemo, and is holding up well so far. She is experiencing some side-effects but as yet nothing she can't cope with fairly easily. Her next session is next Thursday so I expect she'll be very tired for a week or so after that. I'm told my niece is planning on giving her a mohican cut when her hair really starts falling out!

ACCORD appeal - media and messages

2007-08-02T17:43:00.000+01:00

The david-tennant.com fundraising in memory of David's mum has been receiving a little media attention:

Paisley Daily Express

BBC news online

The BBC report was also carried on the entertainment pages of their Ceefax service.

The Scotsman

From a site in New Zealand

The following messages of support have been received from David and from ACCORD.

Dear All,
Thank you so much for all you are doing in raising money for the ACCORD hospice in Paisley which was such an important place to my mum. It is a fantastic and worthy cause and I can't commend it to you strongly enough. The care given there to seriously ill people is of the very highest quality and my family feel indebted to them for all they've done for us.
At this difficult time I can't tell you what it means that you are doing this. Thanks to everyone who has been able to make a donation.
I promise you, your money will be be well spent.
love dt x

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On behalf of ACCORD Hospice I take this opportunity to thank you most sincerely for the generous donation received recently in memory of Helen McDonald.

As you will be aware Helen has been a great supporter of the work of our Hospice for many years and was extremely active in the fundraising group, Paisley Friends of ACCORD.

Helen was fundamentally involved in raising a lot of money for ACCORD over the years and was never one to miss an opportunity. I am sure she would have been quite overwhelmed at the response to her passing but would have been delighted at the funds raised in her memory.

Please be assured that your kind donation will be used by ACCORD to help provide our patients, and their families, with the special care and attention required during their time of need.

Yours sincerely,

Helen C. McLauchlan, Fundraising Coordinator

Fundraising for the ACCORD hospice

2007-07-30T20:20:00.000+01:00

As many of you will know I'm a bit of a fan of the actor David Tennant. Sadly his mother passed away recently, and the david-tennant.com website are fundraising in her memory. All money will go to the ACCORD hospice, of which Mrs McDonald was an active supporter.

Hospices are amazing places and the staff do wonderful work with both patients and families. Here's hoping the donations made will help Accord to help more people in the future.

(Here's the link in case the widget isn't working properly: www.justgiving.com/forhelenmcdonald.)

Update: 30/07/07
In another fundraising move, www.david-tennant.com is auctioning Doctor Who related products to raise money for the ACCORD hospice in memory of David's late mother, Helen McDonald.

There are a few lots already posted, but more will be added over the coming days/weeks! Many of the items will be rare, some will be unique (artwork, signed items, etc).

Check out the dt.com ebay charity auction here.

For more info about ACCORD, please see their website.

Also fundraising for this excellent cause, is one of the forum members from david-tennant.com. She is doing a sponsored 'drabble-a-thon', ie she aims to write a one hundred word story each day for 100 days.

For more info please see www.justgiving.com/nbgolash and www.nbgolash.blogspot.com/.

All support welcome, no matter how small or in what form! And if you have a blog or site of your own, feel free to share the info - the more the merrier when it's to help people.

Coping with cancer in the family - a diary

2007-07-30T17:55:00.000+01:00

21/05/07

Unfortunately not all is well within our family. My lovely mum has cancer. Ironically, given my own scare last year, she has breast cancer and as yet we don't know how far it's spread. Mum went into hospital yesterday and is due to have surgery later this morning. So please, send some positive thoughts our way, or maybe remember us in your prayers if you have (a) faith.

I'm trying to stay optimistic. But to be honest I don't know if that's because I'm too scared of the alternative. We lost Dad almost 9 years ago and I don't think I'll ever get over it completely - the thought of maybe losing Mum too is just unbearable. It's also kinda tough being too far away to visit her while she's in hospital. Still, she came to stay for a few days last week and it was lovely to spend some time together.

Anyway. Here's hoping the op goes well and the subsequent chemo blasts any remaining cancer cells from her system.

Thanks heaps to my loyal friends who've already offered moral support. I appreciate it more than you will ever know. I love you guys.

23/05/07

Well, my mum had her operation yesterday and it went quite well. They had to remove more tissue than they originally expected, but apparently have got most of the tumour. Mum's going to have chemotherapy and radiotherapy anyway so hopefully that will mop up any bits that 'escaped'.

The doctor wasn't sure but he thinks the CAT scan Mum had a couple of weeks ago showed no further spread of the cancer, but he's going to double check. Assuming his memory is correct that's excellent news of course.

Thanks to everyone for the moral support. It's hard being across the sea whilst all this is going on, but it's great to have you guys 'with' me. I'm able to telephone my sister (who lives in Guernsey like Mum) and can also call the hospital to speak to the patient herself so hopefully I'm able to do my bit of supporting them through this too.

01/06/07

Mum saw her surgeon today. Unfortunately it seems that the cancer goes far deeper than originally thought, and so she has to go back into hospital next week for a full mastectomy.

Not only that, but apparently it looks like the muscle of the chest wall is also involved, which means a longer, more risky operation with a longer, more painful recovery time. So all in all, not so great.

The encouraging news however is that there is no sign of secondaries in the most common areas for it to spread, so hopefully they have caught it in time. We can but hope.

15/06/07

For those who have been following the story of my mum's battle with cancer, here is what's been going on over the last couple of weeks.

As you know, Mum had to have further surgery. This was delayed for a few days as she had complications around her previous wound site, and required a course of intravenous antibiotics. Unfortunately this didn't seem to make any difference, and so the operation went ahead late on Tuesday in case the problem was caused by the cancerous cells themselves, rather than any infection.

The operation went well, the only slight concern being Mum's blood pressure was a little unstable her first night post-op, so they kept a close eye on her. I'm pleased to say she was fine and on Wednesday felt well enough to receive visitors and take phone calls. In fact her surgeon is so pleased with her he said she could go home on Sunday if she wants - however she's probably going to ask to stay in a couple more days until her drains are removed!

The oncologist (cancer specialist) will see Mum over the next couple of days, so we may find out a little about the likely chemotherapy regime at this point.

At the moment Mum is in good spirits and her pain is being well-controlled.

Many thanks for all the kind words of encouragement. I'll keep you all posted on her progress.

04/07/07

My mum is doing well and just waiting for the fluid build-up under her arm to ease off, then she can start her chemotherapy. She is in good spirits and aside from the problem with her arm, you'd never know there was anything wrong with her. Still feeling optimistic, and many thanks to all those who I know have been keeping us in mind.

28/07/07

A quick update on my mum.

Last week she had a few tests on her heart to check it was strong enough to cope with the vigorous chemotherapy regime she was about to start. Presumably these were ok as last Thursday she had a line inserted via her arm (to remain in situ for the duration) and her first dose(s) of chemo.

All seemed to go well. So far Min (ie Mum!) has had a little nausea intermittantly but it's well controlled with the drugs she's been given. She also has 2 wigs ready for the inevitable loss of her hair, plus various headscarves/bandanas. Well prepared!

Of course she will feel much more tired and probably more 'poorly' as the chemo continues. But it was good to chat to her yesterday and find she was out and about as usual.

I'll keep you posted on her progress.

New song and video

2007-04-09T04:30:00.000+01:00

If you haven't yet seen the video for Darren's song 'Who Would Have Thought', please check it out on his official site: www.darrenhayes.com.

It's a really beautiful animation, and fits the song perfectly IMHO.

Enjoy.

Sue
x

If anyone has trouble trying to see the video, I found it helped me to uninstall quicktime, then install the latest version from the apple website. (It can also help to doublecheck a firewall isn't blocking access!) Thanks to the forum admin at dh.com for the info.

Kinda personal - but important!

2007-04-01T10:18:00.000+01:00

I originally wrote this elsewhere back in October, but I feel the issue is important so I'm now posting it here.

I want to talk about breast awareness. For details on this please click the link, which is to an NHS page on the subject. The basic idea however is for women to be more generally aware of how their breasts look and feel, so they can notice changes early. Most lumps of course are benign, but it's always worth getting anything suspicious checked out, just in case. Early detection of any malignancy increases the survival rate, it's as simple as that.

Here's the 5 point plan recommended by the NHS breast screening programme and Cancer Research UK:

Know what is normal for you
Look and feel
Know what changes to look for
Report any changes without delay
Attend for breast screening if aged 50 or over

They've produced a leaflet with further information, which you can view in pdf format here.
I can't emphasise strongly enough how important I feel this issue is, and to demonstrate this I am going to share my own personal experience.

A few months ago I found a lump in my breast. As soon as I could I consulted my GP, who said he didn't think it was anything serious, but referred me to a surgeon to get his opinion and arrange a mammogram to make sure.

I had to wait 7 weeks for that appointment, during which time I didn't tell the children as I didn't want them to worry unnecessarily. Luckily I had the moral support of my mum and other family and friends. But no matter how much I reassured myself that all would be well, I grew increasingly anxious as the time approached.

Tuesday was the day of my appointment. I'm happy to say that it went well. I saw a surgical registrar who was very approachable and gave me confidence in what he said - which was that he doesn't think I have cause for concern. He sent me for the mammogram just in case, and I still have to wait for the results of that. I'm sufficiently reassured to tell the kids now though.

The doc said I'd done the right thing in getting it checked out, so at least should something similar happen in future, I won't feel a complete prat going back again. In fact, he praised me for being 'breast aware'. That's definitely something to check out if you haven't already, ladies! Early diagnosis of breast cancer is key to a good outcome. Actually, this does not only apply to the ladies, as breast cancer can also affect men (although they are in the minority.)

Of course it can be scary to be examined for something so personal. However I can honestly say the staff I dealt with were all pleasant, courteous, professional - and made sure I was put at ease. I wasn't sure how unpleasant the mammogram itself would be, but in actual fact it was ok - slightly uncomfortable but not at all painful. I certainly wouldn't hesitate should I require one again.

One final tip: a friend drove me to the hospital and kept me company whilst I waited. It was good to have someone to help take my mind off my fears, so I'd also recommend this course of action to anyone worrying about an appointment. It may not be for everyone...but it certainly helped me!

Here's to health and 'breast awareness'!

Update:

As you know, a couple of weeks ago I saw a surgeon and had a mammogram to rule out breast cancer. Unfortunately I was recalled to have it repeated, apparently owing to a technical problem with the machine.

Well, I was in the x-ray department for 2 hours yesterday. They did a set of films, then I had to wait while the doc checked those. Then he asked for other views, then a set of more detailed x-rays of a suspicious area. In all I was back and forth from the waiting room 4 times for more x-rays.

He seemed to think it was ok in the end, although I have to wait 2 or 3 weeks to get the official results.

So hopefully that's the end of that episode. I was glad they were so thorough - it's reassuring, although at the time of course you wonder if it's going to be bad news!

pondering a new law of nature

2006-01-17T17:59:00.000Z

I've just returned from my daughter's swimming lesson, and am marvelling how on holiday she was able to take in instructions at the swimming gala and follow them so well that she won....yet when her swimming teacher tells her something, she pays no attention so ends up not knowing what she's meant to be doing!

Perhaps there is some law about children's attention levels being inversely proportional to the amount spent on the lesson...

So what does this do, then...?!

2006-01-13T03:38:00.000Z

Greetings All!

Ok confession time...I've never had a blog of my own before. Have a website...never update it! Oops! However, I shall endeavour to post odd (probably very odd) thoughts on here from time to time.

To begin with, let me just say this: Doctor Who rocks. Totally. Anyone who disagrees can take the argument up with my kids!