Thursday 18 February 2016

Chemo Cakes, Teeth, Kitty Sleeping Bag and Panda Liposuction

There’s a blog post title to get your attention!

I shall deal with each topic in turn.

Chemo Cakes

I am going in to the Ricky Grant Unit again tomorrow to have my port flushed (it is due to be removed on 8th March), so I decided to take some more cakes in for the people having chemo at the time, and this time if there are any left, I am going to give them to the nurses who could really do with a treat too! When I no longer have appointments to attend this chemo unit, I shall continue to visit on an occasional basis, to take in more cakes to share, and also more cards to sell. (See this post for the cards I’ve got ready to take in on Friday.)

Chemo Cakes and Mince Pies 18-2-16

I spent most of yesterday baking, and made two batches of buns, lemon (at the front in the photo) and coffee. I had intended leaving the icing until today but since I had everything out, I thought I might as well crack on with it. This time, instead of making ordinary water icing (icing sugar with some hot water stirred in to mix), I decided to follow the recipe in my book for American Frosting, which involves whisking some egg white until really stiff, and making a sugar syrup by boiling some sugar in water on the stove, and then pouring it into the egg white, continuing to whisk until thick and smooth. This hardens once it is cold and allowed to stand. The lemon icing ended up a bit too runny because I added some lemon juice – next time, I will include the lemon juice in the quantity of liquid required to make the sugar syrup, which should improve the consistency. It did set in the end, but it took quite a while.

At the back in the photo are some more mince pies that I also made yesterday. Again, having all the baking stuff out and the oven hot, I thought it was worth doing.

By the time I’d finished, I was exhausted!

Teeth

This afternoon my hubby and I had to go to the dentist. I had been absolutely dreading it because I had to have a filling in one of my wisdom teeth and I’m terrified of having dental work! As a friend on the Inspire forum said, “I’d rather have a course of chemo than have dental work!” I so agree with her… Anyway, it was a pretty awful experience – I know it’s irrational because with the local anaesthetic (and he numbed the place first with some gel so the injection didn’t hurt quite so much…) there was no actual pain during the procedure, but the sound of the drill sets my teeth on edge, and the feeling of being vulnerable and out of control is horrible. He questioned me beforehand about what aspects scared me particularly, so I told him, and when I mentioned this last aspect, he said everything would be in my control and all I had to do was raise my hand and he’d stop so I could have a breather. I said if I was in control, I wouldn’t be there in the first place!!! Anyway, it probably didn’t take too long but it seemed like absolutely ages and I was soooo relieved when it was all over.

I told him I was taking cakes in for the chemo-ites and he started dropping heavy hints about cake… At the end I joked with him that I was glad it was all over and grudgingly thanked him (for a horrible experience!) but didn’t think it quite justified cake! I asked the nurse what she thought and she heartily agreed with me that he didn’t NEED cake haha!!

For my hubby I thought it would probably be worse and I really shouldn’t make such a fuss, because for the past few days he’s had severe toothache, and what should have been merely a check-up today was going to turn into something else. However, as we suspected, he has an abscess and the dentist won’t touch it until he’s had some antibiotics, so he was sent home after making another appointment. He’s been on pain killers and says the pain is a lot better and he thinks the abscess might have burst, which the dentist agreed with, but he’s still having the antibiotics.

NOT the way I’d choose to spend an afternoon but necessary.

Kitty Sleeping Bag

My hubby has been concerned about Beatrice, our older cat (aged 15) getting too cold this winter – when I started my chemo she started losing fur from her bottom and legs, and the vet said it was caused by stress leading to over-grooming. Having Feliway plug-ins (a synthetic pheromone that mimics a calming pheromone produced by cats) has helped a little, but she seems to have got into a habit and her fur hasn’t grown back properly despite my finishing my chemo some months ago. He found what he described as a “cosy cat blanket” on Ebay and ordered it for her. He said it would be zipped up to form a tube and it would keep her warm. It arrived yesterday and he put it in her radiator hammock and thought she might need a bit of time to get used to it – but not a bit of it – she was in like a shot, and I had never heard such purring – she was ecstatic! When she is extremely happy she “vocalises” her purring so that it sounds as if she is singing, and I’ve never heard her do it so musically! It is the most deliciously beautiful sound!!

This is the first photo I took of her – for anyone familiar with the Beatrix Potter stories (I grew up on these), my favourite was always The Tale of Samuel Whiskers, in which a naughty kitten called Tom tries to climb up the chimney to get onto the roof to chase the birds, but gets lost in a flue and is captured by a rat called Samuel Whiskers, whose wife makes Tom into a roly poly pudding, wrapping him in pastry, but leaving his head and tail sticking out – this little illustration was always my favourite! (Let me reassure you that Tom is rescued in the nick of time before he becomes Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Whiskers’ dinner.) Here is Beatrice doing her impression of a roly poly pudding in what I now call her sleeping bag!

Beatrice in Sleeping Bag - Roly Poly Pudding 17-2-16

You can see her tail hanging out.

I took the next photo this morning – she looks so adorable and comfortable!

Beatrice in Sleeping Bag 18-2-16

I said to my hubby that we will probably never see Beatrice again except at meal times.

Panda Liposuction

For Valentine’s Day my hubby gave me a panda (following a delightful TV programme we watched, about a place in China where they rear baby pandas, which have to be the cutest little babies you’ve ever seen! – after this, he decided to get me one and found one on Ebay. Unfortunately when he arrived, be didn’t have nearly enough stuffing in him, so I opened up his bottom and put a whole lot more in, and he ended up very firm and fat! Here he is with the card my hubby gave me.

02 Panda and Valentine Card 2 16-2-16

My hubby said I’d put too much stuffing in and he was now too hard and firm and not cuddly enough! One or two other people have said the same thing, having seen this photo, so this evening he had another operation – this time liposuction! I removed quite a bit of stuffing and he is now much softer and more cuddly. This is what he looks like now.

03 Panda After Liposuction 18-2-16

You might not be able to tell much difference but he is much nicer now! I am still undecided as to his name. Thank you everyone who has made suggestions but nothing grabs me just yet! Perhaps he’s got to grow into a name.

6 comments:

  1. Oh Shoshi, this post is a tonic!! Firstly, I know I shouldn't have laughed, but I could picture you gripping onto the side of that dentist chair, mumbling oaths and groans of pain..oh no no pain because you EVEN had Gel to numb the needle pain.I thought I was a cowardly custard at the dentist!!!Your poor hubby with that abscess...OUCH!!
    What really cracked me up was BEATRICE!! Oh I wish I could have been there seeing her so comfy in her sleeping bag.Cats Hate to be COLD don't they? What a happy puss now!! Yes, you can't have a floppy panda.I loathe toys that don;'t have enough stuffing.It looks mean. I have so much stuffing in my dolls I have to sew the seams twice otherwise they would burst out of them.
    Have a lovely weekend.What a kind gesture to take the cakes in.They would have meant a lot I'm sure. You were probably exhausted from doing them, but worth the effort in so many ways.
    Judy x

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  2. what a great post! (I share your fear of dentists and have avoided necessary work for far too long..) the panda is beautiful (I saw that programme too and loved it) I still have the panda I had as a 2 year old, he lives in a drawer under my bed... Now, off to find your WOYWW post that I came to find from Julia's, only your link brought me here...so glad it did!

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  3. Goodness me, I'm not surprised you were exhausted after all that baking! I would have asked you to save me a coffee flavoured bun but as you've made them for such a good cause, I'll just imagine someone enjoying it and thinking of how you've made their day a little brighter.
    Our cat was twenty two when we lost her and she would have loved your cat bed. I don't think I've ever seen a cat looking so warm and comfortable.
    I'm with you on the dentist front. I haven't had anything done in years but I still dread going and have butterflies every time before I go. I think my fear goes back to NHS dentists I visited as a child when you got a filling every visit!
    The panda looks great now, bearing in mind his recent surgery :)
    Take care and I wish you a relaxing weekend after your hectic week. X

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  4. Love the liposuction you mentioned in your comment on my blog so ha to come and investigate. Brilliant! Made me smile to think of the Panda undergoing the surgery.
    Beatrice is adorable - and her new kitten mitten is wonderful - hope it helps with her medical problem.
    Fab tray bakes etc that you have made, am sure they will be welcomed and devoured byj all - what a wonderful idea.
    Hugs, Neet xx

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  5. Your title cracked me up, Shoshi! The cakes look so mouthwatering! And I've already brushed, LOL! Beatrice looks adorable in her tube. Good idea to tie it to the radiator so she wouldn't roll off. Orio has a little Igloo, very cozy, but he never sleeps in it. He prefers the kitchen counter and sink for that. He uses the igloo as a play house instead. You can always call the Panda Lipo if nothing else comes up. It is rather cute and no doubt cuddly with or without the extra stuffing! Hope your visit to the hospital went well! Have a lovely weekend!

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  6. Hi Shoshi, I understand you not wanting to go to the dentist but personally I have a bigger fear of toothache so I don't mind going. Your kitty looks comfy in her little den and the Panda looks cuddly too. Have a great week, Angela x

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