|
Post by GroundSquirrel on Jan 13, 2023 22:41:09 GMT
Not been around much recently as 2023 got off to a pretty crappy start. There’s the situation at work and just when you think things couldn’t get worse: The other week my mom told me that my aunt wasn’t doing so well. Couldn’t say more at the time as my aunt still had to go in for a CT-scan. This week my aunt got the result of the CT-scan: pancreatic cancer. She told me today that the prognosis is that she has about 10 months left to live. If she can get chemotherapy (pending on the results of an MRI scan) then maybe 15 months… Saw my aunt about a week before Xmas and she looked okay. Saw her again today... not good
|
|
|
Post by ladyaly on Jan 14, 2023 11:00:11 GMT
I am so sorry about that. Cancer is a terrible thing. I hug you and wish your aunt that she doesn't have to suffer too much.
Here, too, the year has not started very promisingly. My husband's niece's baby had to have an operation on its head - at the moment the little one is still in intensive care. But the prognosis is good that he will come through it unscathed, i.e. without any long-term consequences.
|
|
|
Post by GroundSquirrel on Jan 14, 2023 23:36:42 GMT
Thanks, ladyaly . Sorry to read about your husband's niece's baby too. I really hope that the prognosis stays good. Fingers crossed. There've been lots of issues in my family. Haven't seen the family from my dad's side in decades because of that. My mom only has one brother and his wife is the one who is terminally ill now. We still visit them and they still visit us. Even more so after my grandma passed away. We may not always see things the same way, but it doesn't matter. We at least can respect that. Needless to say this hits very hard. On a different note. Together with a colleague I went to a lecture today on Geopolitcal Tensions between Russia, Ukraine the West and NATO. It was quite interesting to see a perspective you don't see in the mainstream media these days. I am even more convinced now the whole thing stinks and both the European Union and Ukraine are thrown under the bus here. The lady who gave the lecture studied the Russian language at the University of Amsterdam and has lived and worked as an interpreter in Russia and Ukraine. Even during the communist era and she has also witnessed the end of the Cold War. It really pains her to see what is happening now, because in her opinion Europe and Russia belong together, but that ship has sailed now. She's held lectures similar to the one my colleague and I went to in libraries, but gets a lot of criticism and accusations of being paid by Russia thrown her way. Even the police shows up at these lectures. God forbid she says something wrong. Very intimidating. Now, I haven't recognised my own country for a while now. This just emphasises it...
|
|
|
Post by GroundSquirrel on Jan 23, 2023 21:10:04 GMT
How nice! The EU regulation which authorises the use of house crickets (Acheta domesticus) as a novel food for the general population, will go into effect tomorrow (January 24). Powdered house crickets can then be used in products like flour, bread, pasta, cereal bars, sauces, soups etc. Link.Also, according to very same EU regulation, the products containing these house crickets can cause allergic reactions for people with known allergies to crustaceans, molluscs and dust mites. Because of these allergic reactions the European Food Safety Authority recommended carrying out further research, but this crap is implemented anyway. I guess this also means that people with these kinds of allergies will have an even more limited choice of products to choose from when grocery shopping. Starting January 26, larvae of the lesser mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus) are also allowed to be used in various products: link.Same allergy warning applies here. Guess it's time to spend more time reading the list of ingredients before you buy a product. Unless of course you embrace the idea of eating zhe bugs. Me personally:
|
|
|
Post by ladyaly on Jan 24, 2023 10:23:09 GMT
Yeah - I was pretty shocked, too. Since I have to read anyway all the stuff (already a lot of allergic things to watch out ) I will do it even more carefully now. Not ready for futuristic, untested .... ingredients, like this.
|
|
|
Post by GroundSquirrel on Jan 26, 2023 0:02:02 GMT
I guess I wasn't really shocked. If you keep up with some of the non mainstream news you could kind of have seen this thing coming. Nonetheless I am pretty pissed off about it. Meanwhile a major offensive against shrimp fishers in my country now. It's pretty clear that the farmers and fishers all have to go and once they're gone they can really whine about a food shortage and fully implement "ze bugs." Oh and yes... a popular defense has been that we don't need these farmers, because a lot of their produce is exported anyway. So yes, we export stuff and because of that it's also possible to import stuff we can't grow here. Export gone, import gone... eat ze bugs. What a world
|
|
|
Post by GroundSquirrel on Feb 2, 2023 14:54:35 GMT
So my aunt got the scan last week and also had a stent placed to deal with the tumor blocking the gall bladder. The result of the scan was a tiny bit hopeful: the tumor is non-metastatic. So now they plan on removing the tumor surgically and afterwards my aunt will also need chemotherapy. Another option is to start the chemotherapy first and do the surgery afterwards. My aunt was also offered to be part of a clinical trial for a new drug. Big decision to make I'm sure.
|
|
|
Post by ladyaly on Feb 3, 2023 9:35:51 GMT
Oh- indeed. I cross my fingers for you and your family that it helps. Nor matter which decision.
|
|
|
Post by GroundSquirrel on Feb 14, 2023 20:44:46 GMT
Looks like the surgery is on at the end of the month.
My aunt decided to not be part of the clinical trial as she'd have to go back to the hospital for tests quite often. There's extended maintenance on the main highway, so the traffic situation would be a major pain in the behind.
|
|
|
Post by GroundSquirrel on Mar 1, 2023 16:33:53 GMT
My aunt's surgery (Whipple surgery) was on Monday. According to the doctor the surgery went as expected. So now there's a 3 month recovery period. She will still need chemo, but things aren't as bleak as they were before.
Fingers crossed!
Hope your second cousin? is doing okay as well.
|
|
|
Post by ladyaly on Mar 1, 2023 22:57:17 GMT
Yeah thanks - the Kid is healing well. He will have a thin line from ear to ear, though. The scar will stay as that. As long as he is okay now the scar is a minor issue.
I hope for your aunt she recovers fast and I cross my fingers for her - and for the whole family of yours.
|
|
|
Post by GroundSquirrel on Mar 17, 2023 22:24:13 GMT
Supposedly scars can be really cool... Well... at least in RPG's
But I'm really glad he's been healing well.
After a bit of a setback (an internal bleeding after which my aunt had to go back into surgery to have her spleen removed) things are now looking a bit brighter. From the lab results they were hopeful about having removed the whole tumor. Although just to be sure the chemo therapy is still on in a later phase.
They now plan on releasing her from the hospital next Tuesday. Then she’ll be moved to a nursing home much closer to home for the remainder of her recovery. It will be far more convenient for my uncle or anyone one else who wants to visit her in terms of traveling times and parking charges. My parents almost live right next door to that nursing home. In my opinion it should be forbidden to be charged for parking when visiting someone at a hospital.
My mom and I went to visit her today at the hospital. She at least looked a lot better than the last time I saw her. Still a way to go though.
Btw I hate hospitals. And yeah, who doesn’t? But they always make me go into some kind of panic state. Even when going to visit someone for something non-life threatening it still makes me feel that way.
Never felt like this when I worked at the lab of a local hospital. Probably because I didn’t have to deal with any patients directly. I was just doing lab tests. Although at some point they did ask me if I wanted to take a course for medical asssistent, so I could go and collect blood samples from patients. Eek! And I actually started the course, but never finished it because then I got an opportunity which was more in my line with my education.
I’ve a lot of respect for those have to deal with these patients every day though. I don't think I'd be able to do that.
|
|
|
Post by ladyaly on Mar 18, 2023 10:55:20 GMT
I am very happy that your aunt is doing a little better and I keep my fingers crossed for her recovery and full recovery!
I hate hospitals too, but I have also had some serious surgeries. So this is not a miracle. I couldn't work in a hospital or nursing home or anything like that either. That's why I have great respect for those who do.
|
|
|
Post by GroundSquirrel on Apr 7, 2023 21:33:26 GMT
Where does this end? Think I mentioned before that my dad wasn't doing so well late 2021. After getting some help things were going okay for a while. One and a half year later and it's back to square one Last week he tried to overdose on 30 paracetamol tablets (an over the counter painkiller)
|
|
|
Post by ladyaly on Apr 8, 2023 7:27:32 GMT
Oh my I send a supportive hug and cross my fingers for the future. You really have a package on ypou with your dad and aunt *hugs*
|
|