busy busy busy....
Sep. 26th, 2010 09:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
taleyaSo one of the infections that landed me in ICU and then abscessed and burst and was all horrible and gacky with the barley-sugar sized piece of hard, purulent flesh coming out in a chunk and right now you're writhing and screaming "TMI!!!" but suckit because you're not the one who's had to deal with a suppurating HOLE in your body has had a bit of a silver lining. Two weeks no chemo, and at least another week and a half. The doc finally pushed me too far and got reamed and is taking the opportunity to do PET scans, check where we're at and oh, I don't know, actually do his fucking job and work out where we're at instead of poisoning me willy-nilly.
This is not dramatics btw. Chemo is quite literally them filling your system with as many vicious, cytotoxic cell-killing poisons as possible and then hoping the cancer dies before you do. How quaintly medieval.
But yes, I have been home and have been letting myself heal before they go fuck me up again. Been spending as much time as possible working outside and getting filthy and sun-warmed. My garden beds are all turned and mulched and redone and pretty and new planter boxes of peas and zucchini are settling in nicely. Found Coles flogging 25l bags of mulch that is pretty much wheat straw and shit for $6, so ordered a ton for my veggies - so far I've identified cow, sheep and chook manure in there, so win win! (and I swear to god there was some roo shit in there too). The ornamental beds got the plain, bog-standard bark-based mulch. Spinach is coming up, basil everywhere, chives, lemonbalm, lettuce, roquette, zucchini, cucumber, eggplant, onions, potatos, corn, leeks, peas, tomatos, rosemary, sage....you name it, we're growing it. I'm not fucking around any more, last year was a pretty much "lessee what grows" - now it's a full production garden.
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torasin is planning on growing his own hops, so the side of the house is being prepared and I've already snagged him an automated watering system, tank and trellis wire :) (He's been informed he needs to buy his own shit. Quite literally)
Built a pull out cupboard (example) fortorasin's beermaking supplies yesterday. Although the one I built him is a fuckload taller (2m) and wider, and made of Tasmanian oak. With moveable shelves, and instead of guide rails, one side with an MDF backing so he can shove it back. Which means that we can now move the couch out of his office and into the garage (he had his beermaking supplies stored in boxes under the couch). Which then means we can move the old comfy couch from the loungeroom into his office. And then have room for me to build that friggin' credenza. When I get the wood. And table saw. And money. Argh.
Today was spent cleaning out the garage and mulching and watering and trimming back the grass and bamboo. And sanding down the table and chair I swiped from hard rubbish back in April. Mqhele wandered over as per usual to nick interesting looking plants and have a natter, and ended up trading some paving tiles for a succulent, and a barrow full of solar powered LED lights I need to repair for him.torasin happily swept out the garage, bottled his latest brewing venture, tooled up and hunted down fish and chips, stained our lovely new table and my new wooden chair and went crazy with the whipper-snipper. The garden is finally starting to look like it should, and it was a lovely day we spent lounging under our repaired sail in our swishy restored outdoor area. I even managed to find time to clean the toilet and do the washing.
It's nice being in charge of own destiny and household stuff and just doing things that have been put on screeching halts due to the screaming clusterfuck my life has become.
Kylie Minogue once described chemo as "Like being caught in a nuclear explosion". She's full of shit. It's like being slammed by a train, and then being dragged, screaming, bleeding and crying along the tracks. And the train never fucking stops.
This is not dramatics btw. Chemo is quite literally them filling your system with as many vicious, cytotoxic cell-killing poisons as possible and then hoping the cancer dies before you do. How quaintly medieval.
But yes, I have been home and have been letting myself heal before they go fuck me up again. Been spending as much time as possible working outside and getting filthy and sun-warmed. My garden beds are all turned and mulched and redone and pretty and new planter boxes of peas and zucchini are settling in nicely. Found Coles flogging 25l bags of mulch that is pretty much wheat straw and shit for $6, so ordered a ton for my veggies - so far I've identified cow, sheep and chook manure in there, so win win! (and I swear to god there was some roo shit in there too). The ornamental beds got the plain, bog-standard bark-based mulch. Spinach is coming up, basil everywhere, chives, lemonbalm, lettuce, roquette, zucchini, cucumber, eggplant, onions, potatos, corn, leeks, peas, tomatos, rosemary, sage....you name it, we're growing it. I'm not fucking around any more, last year was a pretty much "lessee what grows" - now it's a full production garden.
And
torasin is planning on growing his own hops, so the side of the house is being prepared and I've already snagged him an automated watering system, tank and trellis wire :) (He's been informed he needs to buy his own shit. Quite literally) Built a pull out cupboard (example) for
torasin's beermaking supplies yesterday. Although the one I built him is a fuckload taller (2m) and wider, and made of Tasmanian oak. With moveable shelves, and instead of guide rails, one side with an MDF backing so he can shove it back. Which means that we can now move the couch out of his office and into the garage (he had his beermaking supplies stored in boxes under the couch). Which then means we can move the old comfy couch from the loungeroom into his office. And then have room for me to build that friggin' credenza. When I get the wood. And table saw. And money. Argh. Today was spent cleaning out the garage and mulching and watering and trimming back the grass and bamboo. And sanding down the table and chair I swiped from hard rubbish back in April. Mqhele wandered over as per usual to nick interesting looking plants and have a natter, and ended up trading some paving tiles for a succulent, and a barrow full of solar powered LED lights I need to repair for him.
torasin happily swept out the garage, bottled his latest brewing venture, tooled up and hunted down fish and chips, stained our lovely new table and my new wooden chair and went crazy with the whipper-snipper. The garden is finally starting to look like it should, and it was a lovely day we spent lounging under our repaired sail in our swishy restored outdoor area. I even managed to find time to clean the toilet and do the washing.It's nice being in charge of own destiny and household stuff and just doing things that have been put on screeching halts due to the screaming clusterfuck my life has become.
Kylie Minogue once described chemo as "Like being caught in a nuclear explosion". She's full of shit. It's like being slammed by a train, and then being dragged, screaming, bleeding and crying along the tracks. And the train never fucking stops.
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no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 12:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 12:32 pm (UTC)We are so swish :D
no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 12:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 01:02 pm (UTC)Also, your DIY skills are totally making me hot.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 03:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 04:17 pm (UTC)And so happy to hear an update from you.
Also, your garden stories make me green with envy. Send of some that over here!
no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 05:43 pm (UTC)Glad the docs are finally remembering you are a person.
*hugs you like crazy*
no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 09:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 09:24 pm (UTC)Incredibly thrilled and happy you're home. It's about time, and it's the best thing I've heard from you for an age.
*HUGS* enjoy all of it!
T
no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 06:20 pm (UTC)