"Red Devil" unleashed ....

…..and a new red bucket list toy!


Miniscule red devils are marauding through my veins doing battle as I type. Hopefully they’re tackling those nasty, sneaky cancer cells that have invaded the rather essential Bad Fairy liver. Only time will tell, so I’m doing my bit by cheerleading from the outside willing the little devils along and dropping hints that if they’d like to avoid some of the good Bad Fairy bits it’d be much appreciated!

My marbles haven’t completely left me (although some might argue differently), “red devil” is a nickname for Adriamycin/Doxorubicin, the chemo drug of the week … and next week and a few more weeks after that.

The red devils were unleashed for the first round on Thursday. A relatively non-event, thankfully! So far so good, no sickness thanks to the copious amounts of anti-emetics. The only downside is heartburn and lots of acid, probably from the steroids. I do have some stuff (technical term!) to wipe out stomach acid but am thinking about possibly risking reducing the steroids next week to see if that helps. One hint of sickness and I’ll change my mind!!

I do wonder sometimes, I have breast cancer yet my breast tumour is rarely discussed. All discussions and concern centre around my liver. I understand completely that being a vital organ if it stops working there is no more Bad Fairy, something the breast tumour alone is unlikely to cause, or at least not in the very near future. Yet it frustrates me! Mr BF is under strict instructions that when I keel over and am no more he MUST make sure that everyone is aware that it is breast cancer that started all of this. The probability is that liver failure will take me, but labelling me as a liver failure death would be wrong and detract from the essential awareness of breast cancer research and the importance of early detection, particularly in young women in which it is harder to detect. Does that make sense or am I stamping my fairy foot for nothing?

Rant over ... soapbox returned to the corner!

And now …the new red bucket list toy. It was my 41st birthday in February and an opportunity to strike something off the bucket list couldn’t be missed.

When Mr BF and I met, I was driving around in an old tatty mini. My pride and joy and the only car I’ve ever owned that I felt really attached to. (Cars to me are usually a metal box which gets me from A to B and I was quite happy not to feel any emotions about them!)

This little mini had a pet name which was used by everyone who knew her, friends, family, mechanics, even at petrol stations. She was well loved. Anyway, Mr BF and I moved on and the first Master BF arrived. Now I’m not sure how many of you would have tried to put a rear facing baby seat into an old style mini, not an easy task I can tell you! Particularly not when four months later Miss BF had been created!! So the beloved little mini had to go for something more grown up and practical (groan!).

Since then, a new mini was put on the retirement list, for when the children were off and not requiring a taxi service on a regular basis!

But events dictate that the retirement list needed bringing forward and morphed into a bucket list.

This being a red week, I am now the proud owner of a bright red convertible Mini Cooper S ….and to top it all, Mr BF surprised me with a personalised plate which names her officially with the Fairy household pet name for my minis!

Now I just need sunshine …!!!