The first thread, Tomorrow ...., is becoming long, so here's a new one documenting my experience with breast cancer treatment.

I do this as I see value in other women having a familiarity with what could be involved in addressing cancer for their own or a loved one's treatment one day. Everyone's cancer and treatment is unique to the individual.

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A great benefit to me has been the kind and genuine support, interest, and encouragement from forum members. I am humbled by your kindness and earnestly thank you for it.

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The cancers:

1) breast cancer. HER2 positive, meaning that it's aggressive.

2) Paget's disease of the breast - a rare form of breast cancer of the nipple and areola.

Treatment so far:

Doxorubicin. The world's strongest chemotherapy, also known as Red Devil Chemo - named after satan because it's red and because of its side effects.

Paclitaxel. Another chemo often known as Taxol.

Perjeta, a targeted immunotherapy treatment.

Herceptin, a targeted immunotherapy treatment.

Surgery - mastectomy and removal of lymph nodes with implant reconstruction.

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This morning, the PICO dressing (with its pump) was removed, and a simple dressing applied. I didn't actually see the scar tissue, but apparently it's (still) almost healed with the deterioration looking only superficial.

I then met the Oncology Radiologist who had a look at the scar tissue and cleared me to start radiation this morning.

I was set up on the table for radiation treatment to begin, but the technician found that there were changes in the breast/chest wall, and radiation treatment could not begin. Thankfully, someone had the foresight to predict this change, and had scheduled an appointment for another planning session. I had to wait around for another 90 minutes, but the session was completed.

Radiation treatment will now commence next Monday 24/2 for 15 sessions Monday-Friday. The Oncology Radiologist now, therefore, does not want the new chemo to commence until after radiation is completed - Monday 17/3 which allows for the Canberra Day public holiday in March (the chemo clinic runs every day of the year, but radiation treatment does not occur on public holidays). This means that drug treatment won't finish until December now, but that's OK.

This is what a PICO pump looks like. It stays in the bag, and is worn around the neck. The OK button should periodically flash green to show that it is working. If the next icon is lit up, it means that the seal around the dressing has lifted and air is escaping. If the third icon is lit, it means that the dressing is soaked in blood/fluid and needs to be replaced. The fourth icon will illuminate if the battery has drained. They cost several hundred dollars and have a 14 day shelf life.

You can see the thin tubing; the other end is embedded in the dressing somehow - not actually visible to me.

As many of you are aware I'm now living at my little house in North West Victoria. Today marks the end of the first week here and it's gone incredibly quickly. I'll be honest and say apart from unpacking I've mostly just allowed myself to rest. I was really exhausted by the lead up to the move as well as the move itself. It's also been really hot here.

Now that most rooms are unpacked I want to start working on the outside of the house, clearing away any long grass and tumble weeds. A lot of them have blown away but I need to clear more each day I suspect if I want to keep them from piling up. I'll need to mow in stages, the front part of the house is fine - I mowed that last visit but the rest will be done in order of priority.

My first inside job is to attach panelling to the laundry room wall to block the cat from escaping. It's only a temporary fix but it will mean I don't have to worry about her until I'm ready to fix that part properly.

I also want to cover a couple of floor holes in the back part of the house. Fixing the subfloor is the next job my son-in-law will be helping me with but he's busy replacing his own kitchen at the moment so it will probably be a while before he's available.

It's a long time between Blogs.

At the moment when I get bored with what I am doing, I will scan through old threads to find any sign of recipes in some threads, some are very long over 700 posts at times.

First, I make a list and then post to my list thread in the categories either by series or topic.

https://www.simplesavings.com.au/fora/3214777/#3318440 > topic list

The search area does find them now and links, but it can be a pain to click on MORE over 40 times to get back to the thread you are looking at each time, after you have clicked on a thread. To save time I make these lists and post them to the forum then work from it. After I have sorted them into Categories or by year.

The Current one is on Menu Plans - I have spread them over 5 posts and slowly working my way down these lists. Menu - Menu Plan - Menu Planning

I am finding a lot of threads don't not have any recipes that could be used, as if you could walk into the kitchen find ingredients and make that recipe right now. Plenty of ideas for menu plans but not lot of recipes.

I found some with recipes which I am marking in the lists as I go as to where and which threads if that thread has a lot of recipes 5 or mores and I can add an index to it, it's listed in my index post, page 2 first post on that above thread. Later I will work on making index for it.

If you do read the post above for menu plans, check any notes that I have marked next to that link. Making notes is a great help to finding that thread when you have over 10 pages of links.

At the moment I have found 80 pages of recipes in WORD that's not counting any with index in them or to be made.

I hope that help you with my way of thinking and why I do it. It SAVES TIME in the end.

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Help thread for finding threads if you can't find them! My List thread

New Recipes Threads and Indexes for All to Enjoy! My Index list thread.