You Think?

You think if I'm getting his stem cells, I'll be as technologically smart as Fadi??? I sure hope so. I had succumbed to my 'internet connection' fate and was going to wait till end of next week to get connected at home, but Fadi wouldn't have it. He kept looking for ways to provide me with some sort of immediate connection, at least until Broadband came through. So, here we are, some dial-up freebie that's a bit slow but will do the job. All together now: THANKS FADI!!!!!

It's my last week of 'freedom'! I go in next Sunday, ya mama! I should be in for a good 4 to 6 weeks! I hope all goes well. I am a bit anxious and as the date approaches, I feel more and more apprehensive. I'm mostly worried about the radiation part, which is the first part, basically because I'm new to it, although I've been told I won't feel a thing. It's just huge to have your whole body wizzed!

Meena, my niece is coming over for the weekend. So is Lara, my friend. So it's gonna be a busy weekend! Must go clean the house and get some groceries.

See you later,
mwah,

H

Quickly Quickly!

Quickly before they shut me off. I'm at the library again and I only have a few minutes to write (I got stuck on facebook and other mail checking and stuff, Surrey!)

All here is fine. It's Sunday today, so quiet day. We bought the Sunday newspaper so that's gonna take a couple of hours to read! Yesterday Wiss, Meena (my niece) and I went to London and visited some art galleries. It was fun and a nice change form good ol' Sutton.

yalla, i g2g.
catch u tomoro maybe

mwah
H

HAPPY HALAWEEEEEEN!!!

Hey guys, it's me again. I have made it to the library! Imagine, moi, at the library! I must be sick! Anyway, it's the only place with free (or not free) internet around here. Considering the size of Sutton, the library is HUGE!!!! and the floor I'm on has like some 100 computers for people to use for 45 mins (u can add another 45 "if there's no cue!".

So, it's Halloween tonight, or Halaween?! Normally I'd have been baking cookies in the form of skeletons and pumpkins and vats, rats, and bats. However, since I find myself Suttonly in Sutton, I will have to settle for a machine-made cookie from M&S, or maybe a little pumpkin pie! (Tammy, I will have the scones too, not to worry!)
Christina, tks for the pub list. I know some of them, and we've already tried The Cock and Bull with Fadi and Cyba. Interesting concept, the English pub, soooo, English!!!

As for the rest of u lovely people who have not stopped reading my blog, thank u, love u, keep reading and commenting. pretty soon i will be 'under the knife' so let's make the best of this now!

I had a few tests done yesterday at the hospital and tomoro I am having a 3 in 1 combo!!! A bone marrow aspirate, an LP, and insertion of a Hickman (central) line. Yippee! They want to sedate me for that, double yippee!!! I tried to tell them that never b4 was i sedated for these procedures, but they prefer it that way, so gr8, bring on the drugs!!!

Oh, and I finally have a land line and SKY TV! They connected them yesterday. Now I can watch as many channels as I want and not just BBC 1 ,2, 3, 4... (However, I found myself turning back to 'Eggheads'!!!) You do get addicted to them.

Tayyeb guys, I shall leave you now and go check my mail, if u don't mind.

from freezing Sutton, I give you my best,

mwah
Hala

I am sooooooo Surrey!!!!

Hey guys, it's me. I'm back. Well, not yet, really, I've popped into the hotel to use their connection. noone but them and the library give u that, and the latter is closed today!
Sutton is lovely, and the apartment we found as Fadi said (tks fadi) is just wonderful. thank God everything is falling into place.

I don't start my treatment before the 15th of November, but I have a few tests to take starting tomoro so I'll start to get the feeling of how it will be. All in all it seems very cool. It's a relaxed system, a bit too much if u ask me, but I guess they know what they're doing!

Otherwise, I am spending my days with Wisso, buying some stuff for the house, playing 'beit byout'! washing dishes, doing laundry... thank God for Marks & Spencer's, or else I would have had to cook too!!!

Fadi and Cyba were here but left already. We had a great time together. They will be back in a couple of weeks for the treatment (at least Fadi better be or there will be no treatment!).

Yalla gotta go now. I will get my internet connection at home end of next week hopefully (everything takes time here) so I will be updating u more often inshallah.

meanwhile, keep thinking of me and praying for me.
love u all
hala

Greetings from Sutton!

Hello form Surrey, ah Sorry, Sutton, Surrey, yes, Sorry, Sutton! We are finally in Sutton, Surrey. We arrived here Sunday and have been running around from hotel to hospital to high street ever since. The town is actually very nice and cosy, with all shops u might think of (even TopShop!) and a whole lot of cute restaurants and greenery and a park and and and...
We are looking for an apartment to rent (can't tell u what a 'kartheh' the hotel is!) since we will be staying for quite a while.

We met the doc on Monday and again today, and he explained the whole procedure to us. He seems very nice and efficient, so I'm kinda relieved. We started undergoing tests, Fadi and I. they must have taken about 20 blood tubes from each of us! We have a few days off from hospital before I go in for some outpatient procedures next week, so perhaps we will be going in to London for some 'fun'!

It turns out there is internet connection at the hospital, so, yay, i will hopefully keep u updated.

I'm off to bed now, loooooong day. Will catch u soon for more details.

mwah,
H

Here it goes!

Well, guys, sorry haven't written in a while, but I have been finalising my trip to England. I leave Sunday, have an appointment with the doc on Monday and then we'll see what happens from there. He might keep me there for a few days, weeks or months! So, as u can probably feel with me, these few past days haven't been a piece of cake at all!

I'm scared, apprehensive, angry, sad, shivering,... everything! I am trying to take it step by step, but it's tough. Yesterday mom introduced me to Mr. Lexotanil !!! It kinda calmed my shaking body, but I don't know how far I can take it. I'm not one to pop pills right, left and centre, but yesterday, I needed it!

Cyba is coming to Beirut tonight so we can all go together tomoro (with wiss), and fadi is meeting us at Heathrow, then we all drive down together to Surrey. I wish I could at least look forward to seeing London. Maybe when i get there and talk to the doc and he tells us what exactly will be done, perhaps then I can relax and enjoy a little UK.

Ok, people, wish me luck. Hope all goes well and start praying.

love,

Hala

The making of Mish Maamoul in pix!

Sorry guys, that's the only picture I could upload tonight. Connection too slow! So, we made the Mish Maamoul in full family tradition. Even Wiss chipped in! They turned out yummy. It was fun seeing Zee stick the pistachios on the cookies (many fell off, hehe!!!) Yalla, a demain. mwah, Hala.