Rugster

Hi all. Not been on for a while. Didn't really know what thread to put this in but this one seemed most appropriate given wee Fraser's role in it all. I'm just copying and pasting what I've put on my Facebook page below rather than type it all out differently. This is like our wee P & B family in this thread so wanted you to know. Hannah is Honest Saints Fan just for anyone who doesn't know that. Apologies in advance but this will be a long and personal post, but stay with me please. Social media these days is the simplest way to share news with those around you who don't already know what's been happening through family. I'll start with the really good news. Fraser is absolutely thriving in SCBU. He is over 5lbs in weight today, and is regularly taking a bottle feed. The wee bleed on his brain has cleared up and he is getting stronger every day and is a right wee monkey. Now for the good news. As many of you will know, Hannah has been in chronic pain with a number of issues for the last 20 weeks or so. Back pain, chest pain, fatigue, anaemia, and a compete lack of mobility. We've done everything to try and get to the bottom of it, or we thought we had. Again, as many of you will know she was rushed to hospital on Thursday with a severe bleeding episode and on Monday she underwent surgery to clear remaining product from her womb that was left behind after the delivery of Fraser. Meantime, there were some strange blood results showing some problems with her kidney function and all sorts of investigations were going on. The good news is they've got to the bottom of what has been causing all her pain and associated issues and it can be tacked head on and give her some relief and restore a quality of life which she has been badly lacking recently. Now for the not so good news. I said on Thursday that every time you climb that mountain, there's another one left to climb, well we've just been taken from the top of K2 and plonked at the bottom of Everest. I'm devastated to say that Hannah has been diagnosed with an extremely rare, particularly for her age (normally only affects over 60 year olds, and mainly men) form of blood cancer. It is called Myeloma. It is generated in the bone marrow and is not currently curable. It is highly treatable though. She was diagnosed on Tuesday just past and partial treatment started almost immediately. More treatment will start next week, and on Monday she will undergo more surgery under general anaesthetic to remove 7 of her teeth (as if she's not been through enough already!) as the treatment will affect healing of the mouth sockets in coming years should she need an extraction, so it's much safer to remove any potential issues ahead of time. The full chemo and associated treatment will start quickly thereafter and will move up in intensity as time passes. In her favour is her age which allows the more intense treatment, and as usual her unbelievably positive attitude. This has without doubt been devastating news and a massive shock, and whilst it is still sinking in we are being very positive and are ready to tackle this b*****d head on. Fraser has saved Hannah's life. If he hadn't come early, and she didn't have the bleed on Thursday then who knows how long this would have gone undetected. We want people to know. We don't want to hide it. We don't want anyone to treat Hannah or any of us any differently. All we ask for is your friendship and support as we fight it. We will do that as a family unit and we will live every day to its fullest. The hospital staff have been beyond magnificent with us, finding me accommodation to stay on the hospital grounds and all sorts of other help they have given. Our amazing daughter Catherine, whilst too young to know the details, knows mummy is unwell and has just been amazing with it all. I love my wife so much and cannot fathom how she has coped with what she has done recently but now we know what it is, and while it is obviously not what we wanted to hear at least we can deal with it and get her fighting fit again soon. It's good to talk. We've spoken to a lot of family, friends and medical people about this since Tuesday and every time we do it is cathartic. So we wanted to share it on here for those who did not already know. Thanks if you're still reading. Lots of love. Hannah, Robert, Catherine and Fraser xxx.

9 weeks today since last drink.

Not sure but I'd do it very Caerphilly

Filly-delphia? Maskapony

Funny how people see things differently. I thought Ferdinand sound like a real thick twat. Wish I had a pound for every time he reminded us he used to play for Wess Tam though. A hundred percent.

Just the facts, mam.

@welshbairn actually lives in Inverness

No. There was a "sauna" in Falkirk called Bubbles. For the avoidance of doubt, it was a brothel. Closest thing to a strip club in the area.

Thats progress there. Falkirk hasn't had a strip club in my lifetime, never mind one with such modern and family oriented facilities. Bubbles

Kipper behind a radiator.

@Poet of the Macabre

A number of reasons really. Wife was heavily pregnant and not keeping great so wanted to be able to drive any time, then her waters broke and she could have gone into labour anytime, then a couple weeks later she did go into labour. Just now i need to be able to drive at a moments notice with the wee one in intensive care, wife still not keeping great though a bit better, but don't fancy being half cut around her either, and also having found a non alcoholic beer I like. It was always the taste for me and not the alcohol I enjoyed.

I haven't had an alcoholic drink in 8 weeks and I don't miss it one bit. I never thought I would ever say either of those things.

Catherine decided to take a header off the bed today when she tried to sit down on it by jumping in the air and didn't realise it would shoot her away like a bouncey ball. Bloodied nose and lots of tears and screaming. Lunatic. Fraser is getting stronger every day. Long way to go still, but tomorrow he'll be two weeks old and is back over his birth weight and has no tubes on him now other than his feeding tube. Wee fighter.