Posie’s Place

2006 was one of the most ground breaking years of my life. Heath wise for both Stewart and I it has contained may trials but ended on a high.

The year began well in Glasgow with Stewart and I spending Hogmanay (New Years Eve as it is known in Scotland) with a group of our oldest and closest friends. We had a great time and it really got the year off to a top start.

Things changed somewhat as during the week of our return I received news from my doctor during routine monitoring that I had returned abnormal results showing abnormal cells which if not dealt with could progress to cervical cancer. This was the scariest moment of my life. It is definitely the news that everyone dreads receiving. The C word even being mentioned rocked my life completely especially since my own mother had died of cancer aged 42.

After a further test to confirm the situation and a second opinion it was decided that my best course of action was some surgery to remove a cone of tissue containing all of the possible problem cells. The surgery was very simple and I was home the same day and back to work the following week but I think it’s safe to say that this whole situation really changed something within me. The only negative side of the surgery was that in a few cases there can be future complications relating to having children. A few months later I had a follow up test to check whether the abnormal cells had returned but I’m happy to say that this was clear. Last week I had another check up to monitor the situation and I’m currently awaiting my results but fingers crossed that those are also clear, if that is the case then the monitoring should become less frequent.

Stewart’s surprise heath wise was that he was diagnosed with a high BP rate, after months of tests and monitoring and medication he was diagnosed with “white coat syndrome” which means that every time he is in the situation where a doctor is measuring his BP then it shoots up through the roof. His pulse is still a little on the high side but thankfully everything seems to be fine with his heart.

Things at work in 2006 were extremely tough, the company we both work for has been shedding jobs and the pressure to deliver more results in a shorter time and using less resources was at it’s peak and so it hasn’t really been a barrel of laughs. On the bright side I am working in a team with a really good group of people where we get on really well and this helps relieve the tension somewhat. Stewart is enjoying things more as he had a new boss who he gets on with really well.

All of this makes 2006 sound like a terrible year but in fact looking back there was a lot of joy and happiness in this year too.
I was back in Glasgow many times during the year, the highlight of these trips was the Take That concert at the SECC which I attended with my cousin Julie. It was truly one of the best I’ve ever been to. The other great concert of my year was George Michael which Julie, her husband Steven and I went to in Zurich.

Our group of friends grew somewhat as three of my closest friends here in Basel had their first children. February brought Sam, son of Del and Estelle. He was a little early but everything went smoothly. May brought us Jake, Claire and Frank’s little boy and in June only 3 days after her baby shower another Sam arrived, 6 weeks early to Amanda and André. Thankfully all of the children and mums are well and doing great.

Of course the biggest news of our year was in August. After being back in Glasgow for the weekend and suffering terrible headaches, back pain and lower abdominal pain I decided to visit my doctor. If truth be told I was rather worried that the abdominal pain was somehow connected to my scare from earlier in the year. What incredible news when we found out that in fact I was expecting out first child!!! Both Stewart and I were and are still absolutely overjoyed at this news. After an initial minor blips my pregnancy as you know has really been exceptionally smooth and I have been happily enjoying every moment of this wonderful event.

Our little baby boy is due to come into this world on 11th May and the prospect of becoming parents fills us both with joy, wonder and as I’m sure most first time prospective parents will admit some days more than a little fear.

All of our family and friends are as delighted and excited as us and now that all of the big purchases have been dealt with we now have the nursery to organize and then we can take things a little more slowly with the exciting prospect of meeting our son for the first time in a few months time.

All in all 2006 was the most wonderful year, a complete rollercoaster filled with moments of tears and joy. I really am looking forward to this New Year and what it has in store for our growing family.

Best wishes to you all for 2007!!

May you all find peace, happiness, health and prosperity this year!

Pamela

xx