Hello Bus Pass!
Before I begin I thought I should provide some context. Over the years the Funny Boy and I have fundraised for Cancer Research UK and the Maggie's Cancer Centre in Edinburgh. Never one to shy away from a free T shirt and with a strong dislike of waste, the Funny Boy always makes use of items within his possession...
It has been a particularly emotional start to the week. A trip to the GP, long chat with the epilepsy nurse and a huge list of cancer admin has left me feeling - how can I put it? Lousy? Crappy? Simply bleurgh! The GP was great and after a long chat (well beyond the allocated 10 mins) she reiterated the advice Maggie's offered: take more time to process everything; try to focus on facts not thoughts; don't feel guilty and practise self compassion.Likewise the epilepsy nurse was very helpful and after explaining the cause and effect of my seizures she offered more practical advice. Just to be clear I have a non epileptic seizure disorder which is a symptom of the tumour in my brain. This conversation did result in more 'Cancer admin'. Cancer admin is what I am calling all the forms to complete, appointments to fulfil and general to do lists caused by the tumour. I don't recall cervical cancer causing this much paperwork!
One of the tasks on my list is surrendering my driving license to the DVLA. Goodbye independence! Hello bus pass! So after ploughing my way through all the necessary cancer admin I was suitably grumpy by the time the Funny Boy arrived home.As always he practically skipped through the front door looking for Parsnip and I. We, Parsnip and I, are very rarely apart - I like to call her my sausage shaped shadow! Anyway, I debriefed the Funny Boy on my day. I shed a wee tear, cussed a LOT and by the time I finished my emotional dump the Funny Boy had miraculously put a smile back on my face! So, I decided to follow doctor's orders and practise some self compassion by drawing myself a bath. However due to being high risk of seizures I can no longer do this alone - it's not as sexy as it might sound! The Funny Boy didn't join me but he did pop his head in or call out to check I was ok every few minutes. Not ideal and definitely not as relaxing either! After my bath I came downstairs and picked up a mindfulness colouring book which was gifted to me by my brother and sister-in-law to be.I caught myself moaning this weekend. I said to the Funny Boy that I feel alone and like nobody understands. He never challenged me on this. And as I settled down to start 'Colouring Weiners' with my own wiener cuddling on my lap I looked at the Funny Boy playing his Xbox and realised I was wrong. I don't know if he did this on purpose or if it was his subconscious - in fact I'm not sure he was even aware what he was wearing - but either way he is right: TOGETHER WE ARE FIGHTING CANCER and I am beyond lucky to have him!
#FUCANCER