Blue Lights and Red Lipstick.

It’s been a while since I shared one of my daughter’s posts with you. A tough situation has just got tougher. She’ll get through it, and she’s kept her sense of humour, if not her hair. But it’s hard.

I don’t normally re-blog twice in two days. Exceptional times, though.

Fanny the Champion of the World

I don’t like to do things by halves. If you’re going to have cancer, you may as well do it properly, so I’ve been in hospital these last few days with neutropenic sepsis. Much to the disappointment of our children, who were out playing a football match, they missed a very dramatic ride in an ambulance as I was rushed off to A&E (but not before I’d left a present and card on the kitchen table for one of them to take to a birthday party that afternoon, because, you know, motherhood.) Like most women, I’ve always been fearful of having my jeans whipped off by a handsome paramedic on a hairy-leg day, but the chemo has sorted out that problem for me. My blood count had dropped so low that the common cold I caught last week could very well have killed me, but hey – at least my…

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Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

37 thoughts on “Blue Lights and Red Lipstick.”

  2. I read the original and left a comment. Hope you don’t mind. Having been cheif cancer patient supporter twice I left her advice that she needs to get help. It’s not a sign of weakness but strength to ask for help, because it takes guts to admit to not being wonder woman. I suggested a dog walker, stopping work, and screaming to the powers that be that she is on her own and needs help. She will delay recovery otherwise. I see too many people trying to struggle on their own and ultimatly it causes more problems not less. Thoughts and prayers with you all, forgive my cheek for poking my nose in but I figured neither of you would have shared this if things were ok.xx

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    1. You’re not ‘poking your nose in’! Thanks for your concern. She’s rotten at asking for help, but she does now understand she needs to -and luckily she does have lots of good and helpful, friends. She has a dog walker 3 times a week and I think this will increase. Stopping work is trickier as she is self employed and the sole bread winner. But she’s not promoting the business at all at the moment, so work is at a more manageable level. It’s all a hard balance to strike – we’re all learning all the time. Thank you.

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      2. Thank you. I doubt if she’d qualify though. She’s ‘able bodied’ in every way, and isn’t terminal, thank God. But it’s certainly worth looking into. Good idea!

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  4. Such spunky writing in the face of such bad luck. Sepsis – another hurdle. I’ve just had a friend spend a week in hospital with sepsis – all very shocking, similar treatment isolation and intravenous antibiotics . Really admire you and your daughter and your energies climbing this unforgiving health mountain range. Best, best of luck with the chemo, and wishing you a power station’s worth of energy to help with your understandably, very angry grandsons.

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  5. I commented on the original post, too, Margaret and send you love as well. Tough times indeed. She is a wonderful writer and I hope the writing of it all helps her through it. But yes, she needs to put on the brakes while her body copes with it all.

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  6. Damn . . . it just doesn’t end! She is so strong–it amazes me, but I do hope she accepts as much help as people will give, for everyone’s sake!

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  7. It’s hard to be open and vulnerable enough to accept help and also remain strong. Allow a little of the former and there is always the fear that it may become uncontrollable and overrun the strength needed to get through difficult times and especially to be there and be strong for those who depend on you. Your daughter continues to amaze me with her strength. It takes strength to be able to accept help too; it seems that she has now reached that point. I admire her hugely, as I do you and the rest of your family, Margaret. And on that note, I hope you are ensuring your own strength isn’t being stretched too far. Take good care of yourself, as well as those who need you.

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    1. Thank you. For some reason the last few days has hit me harder than a lot of what has gone before. I hope she really will ease off a bit now. She does have lots of people wanting to support her.

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  8. It’s heartbreaking Margaret, and I’m sure everyone who reads this would want to help if they could. Your daughter shows remarkable strength and a great sense of humour through all this. Stay positive, our thoughts are with you.

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    1. Thank you so much Joyce. I know I can always count on your support. You might wish to know that what is obviously a private message from you to someone has appeared on the comments page too. This is the second time this has happened! I don’t mind, but you may prefer not to have these messages out there.

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  9. Another post from Margaret. I don’t know if you read these, or if you’ve read her daughter’s story, but this is also a blog from her daughter who has cancer, and 2 sons to look after. Makes our everyday problems seem trivial. All for now, I’m just waiting in Booths before I go for my hearing test. What?

    On 11 May 2017 8:48 am, “From Pyrenees to Pennines” wrote:

    > margaret21 posted: “It’s been a while since I shared one of my daughter’s > posts with you. A tough situation has just got tougher. She’ll get through > it, and she’s kept her sense of humour, if not her hair. But it’s hard. I > don’t normally re-blog twice in two days. Excepti” >

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  10. Hi Margaret. I am really sorry to read about Elinor’s bad infection and also of the passing of her friend. Things were already more than tough enough. So hard for anyone to try to chart their way through this. I hope that she is able to find ways of getting more rest especially as the toll the chemo takes accumulates. I hope that you too find ways of finding some respite during these worrying times. It is good to know there are friends able to offer some support to you all.

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    1. Yes, she – and we – have good friends who offer practical as well as emotional support. I know the toughest thing for her is no longer having the support of the husband she loved. Thank you.

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      1. Reading your daughter’s powerful writing really does touch my heart. Her strength and resilience after the recent tragic loss of her husband and her intense care for her sons in their grief, is humbling.

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  14. Thanks for the update – love her title for the post and I love her fight, she must’ve been a handful as a teenager – strong willed and determined. Never give in, never give up. Hang in there.

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    1. That’s extremely astute of you Clay. She was a nightmare! But we loved her anyway. And yes, she’s hanging in, as we all have to. Thank you.

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