Michelle_Richer

Just a wee update, which I guess is the beginning of the new normal after my operation recovery. I'm now 3 weeks into my pointe work which has mostly been in the centre, and 2 weeks which includes today doing an open RAD ballet class. I guess one of the most challenging things for me now is accommodating my non-ballet activities shopping etc, and both Adrian and my follow-up medical appointments. Up to last week I had only concentrated on keeping my pointe work training alive. To be fair most of it has been in the centre, my basic stamina has improved enormously although my muscle strength has a bit of catching up to do, but its gone far better that I had anticipated. Unfortunately my teacher has moved the goal post to the almost impossible or at least I think so, now she wants me to hold a balance in retire en pointe. OK I can do pique pas de burre’s and brisque passe’s which are more of a delayed fall off one foot, but to be holding balance on a single foot for a few counts really does feel impossible. I found my regular ballet class that I attended last week for the first time in over a year, quite challenging, mainly because of my short term memory and at the barre I was in front with no one to follow until we turn around. Unfortunately there was something more concerning that happened, I was starting to get an ache in my left arm which is related to my heart and possible angina, that remained with me all week but didn’t really change in intensity. Today at the end of class it had gone completely, and yes today's class was quite challenging too. Our teacher has started training as a RAD examiner and it seams we are being taught the pieces of the RAD syllabi she is rusty on, at least we were able to get a recording of the adage we did as we will be working on it again after the half term break. I have restarted my Cecchetti Advance 2 studies, although I only have a half day a week to spare on a Friday afternoon. When I went back to it I was horrified at how much I had forgotten, including the pieces I liked and found relatively easy in the past, but it must be around 3 years ago when my Cecchette teacher retired. So I'm plodding through the Advanced 2 syllabus mostly having to relearn it or get familiar with it again. If my left arm remain calm then I will be on track to start my second pointe class on Thursday evenings in November and possibly back in London by December. One significant change, my feet en-pointe have never been in such good shape, totally free of pain and discomfort, and well able to take on more, hopefully at total of 3 pointe sessions a week in the New Year.

Yesterday (Thursday) was my first day back for over 3 months, it when far better than I dared to anticipate, although we did stick to doing pointe work at the barre, well almost. I did sneak doing a couple of music tracks of poses in the centre though. Last night I sent a thank you email to Kim my teacher, this is the first paragraph of her reply “Massive well done for today! I was pleasantly surprised how well you did. Hope your feet and legs feel OK tomorrow.” To be fair it could have been quite different as this week had been extremely busy for me, firstly Wednesday was my routing day at the hair salon except it was time colour and takes considerably longer etc., the same day I had one of regular 3 monthly appointments with my Chiropodist . Then in amongst all that we had a funeral to attend, one of Adrian's close friends had died unexpectedly, I also knew him quite well too. Needless to say I had to move things around, the Chiropodist to late Tuesday afternoon (only available due to a cancellation), that left Adrian and I just one hour between getting back home from the hair salon to get changed and needing to leave for the crematorium, we did it just. I had a reoccurring issue a my Chiropodist, an ingrowing toe nail, this time it had curled under, and in treating it (felt like she was digging it out), it was extremely painful. Once I got my sandals back on it felt reasonably calm, so I didn’t worry too much. It wasn't until I was in bed Tuesday night that I turned over a just happened to catch that toe with the other foot, the pain was intense and I honestly thought I was going to have to cancel my pointe class. Wednesday was extremely busy with little opportunity to get the pointe shoes on. For the funeral it was quite formal so it was regular black shoes and I expected them to aggravate that toe, they didn’t. I managed to squeeze about 20minutes in my studio Wednesday night to check out the feasibility of me attempting my pointe class the following morning, baring in mind the pointe shoes were not fully broken in. I ran through 4 music tracks with different routines, the toe seamed much calmer en pointe than I expected, however it was still quite painful to touch especially at the corner of the nail. On the day it remained calm, further more I know I had more energy, than I had the last time I was there, it was brilliant and gave me a real boost. The only things I found difficult was fast burees, I had a choice of slow or fast, fast take far more energy. I managed to do a full track on either foot in front, normally if i'm at my peak, I can do 7 or 8 tracks. The other one is Attitude and Arabesque at the barre. The track is one and a half minutes long, we use it at the end of class when we are tired as stamina builder. My teacher suggested I only do a track of attitude for each leg (3minutes total), that wasn't too back. I told my teacher to let the music run, the first arabesque sequence wasn't too bad, however towards then end of the second sequence (last 16counts) my extended leg really started to droop, and the pull-up on the supporting leg really started to suffer. Normally when I'm on form I can do the whole lot twice through (12minutes), then on the last 16 counts of each exercise, she lifts my extended foot up another couple of inches and asks me to hold it until the end, that really difficult. The only minor issue I had at the end of the hour and a half session, was I had taken some skin of the small toe next to the big toe on the left foot, inspite of a tube type protector, I guess I just need to increase its length or at least make sure its well over the offending knuckle joint. I guess as we were both expecting to remain on the barre only for at least the first couple of weeks, with what I have achieved I cant help thinking I may have shot myself in the foot by setting the barre to high so to speak. With out dought we will be back in the centre strength building next time.

Hi Linda Yes of course Adrian and I intend to go to Chelsea Ballet’s performance in November assuming the trains are running. Are the tickets available yet as I haven seen any info on them yet. As for going to London in the next couple of months, if things progress the way I would like, then yes, but I'm having to build my way back and unfortunately it will take a little time both for my ballet body and confidence too. Thank you everyone for your kind comments.

Another milestone has passed since my colon cancer surgery, I had my 3 month follow-up with my surgeon last Thursday, essentially he said he was very pleased with my recovery and doesn't need to see me any more. I ask him about the future cancer watch follow-up time-line and this is what he said: Blood tests every 6 months Full body CT scan (not a CT Colonography) every year for the first 3 years Colonoscopy after 1 and 5 years. Fortunately most of my recovery has been during the summer break from ballet, however much of the rehab has been focused on reducing the amount of physical labour needed to maintain our property in the future as we have half an acre of grounds to look after. So working with sledge hammers, pickaxes and hatchets on the garden has provided some useful heavy rehab for me and allowed me to bounce back fitter. As its the new term, I'm starting back doing one-to-one pointe work this week, just to make it a bit more challenging I'm having to break in some new pointe shoes, although I guess its likely to be all at the barre as I’ve lost over 3 months away from pointe training. I usually do two and a half hours with that teacher/coach, with an hours pointe work, half an hours rep toward our annual showcase, followed by an hours Pilates fitness class with other ladies. At the moment we are dedicating one and a half hours to pointe work and within the next few week when we restart the rep, I would like to go back to La Baradere which we never showcased and try and run through the most demanding shades solo, the second or Cabriole solo to bench mark where my fitness is. Especially as Adrian and I have all the necessary costumes for our La Bayadere showcase, of cause all this came to a grinding halt when I had my heart attach almost a year ago. I'm restarting one of my general ballet classes the first week in October as Adrian and I have a holiday coming up in the mean time. Between now and Christmas I would to add my second pointe class and get back with at least one ballet class in London. If all goes well, it would be good to get back with an amateur performing company in the new year, something I have missed since before COVID.

Hi Sophoife I am progressing extremely well thank you, only last week I had something meaningful to measure my progress against. I had to take my partner Adrian to London for his third follow up appointment, luckily for me they had delayed the original appointment otherwise I would have only been 1 week post op and really shouldn’t attempt to do it. However originally I agreed by saying the only way I could attempt it was to go by taxis to Moorfields eye hospital from Kings Cross train station. Adrian's third follow-up confirmed his eye cancer is still continuing to shrink, so he is all good. I remember taking him for his second follow-up, I was only a few weeks post op from my Angioplasty following a heart attach, travelling by underground etc. was quite a challenge. This time is was so different I could speed walk the journey with no problem at at all, it was easy-peasy. I had anticipated I would not be returning back to ballet until the new term starts in September as that's broadly in line with the 3 months required to fully heal my colon operation. My intention was to play catch up with jobs around the garden and in the home which have gradually got behind over the past two years with the medical issues of Adrian and myself, thank goodness that's all behind us now. However I have just bought some new pointe shoes, and a seamstress that I know if fitting the ribbons and elastics for me, as she offers this service to other dancers too. However I have to fit my own suede tips. I'm restarting one of my Pilates classes this week and starting some gentle pointe work in my own studio in about a weeks time when I get the pointe shoes back. Ideally I will be back up to speed by the time the new term starts in September. I have a 3 month follow-up with my surgeon in September, a colonoscopy at 1 year, I have read somewhere if that's clear then it another colonoscopy in another 3 years time, and if that's clear, another colonoscopy in another 5 years time.

Thank you 2dancersmum and Jan McNulty for sharing you experience of recovery from abdominal surgery. I'm now just a week post discharge or 2 weeks post op, the day started off rater nice as it was a visit to the hair salon, as Stevie my hair dresser also does my hair and Adrian's too, after our hair it was a mid week shop at the local supermarket which all in all involve quite a bit of walking. Once home and the groceries put away, I suggested we eat out at our local village cafe as I know they do baked potatoes with various fillings which is inline with my low residue diet. The walk from home to our local cafe “Tonic 44” is about half a mile, we didn’t rush and we didn’t go slowly either, it was a really pleasant walk and no additional aches and pains as a result. Our home is sat in around half an acre of grounds with 400feet of river frontage, so a walk around grounds gets quite a few steps in without even trying. However I have had a bit of a niggling pain in the last couple of days just above my right hip bone, its almost like a groove where my trousers waistband sits or my knicker line, it feels a bit line a bruis. If I adjust my clothes above that line, there is no pain at all, its really weird as its no where near the surgery or the location of daily injection sites for blood thinners while I was in hospital. There were a few niggles that I brought home, my voice is quite horse and I have a bit of a tickly cough from possible grazing from the Nasal/Gastric tube that was fitted for several days. The back of my hands were badly bruised (black) with multiple cannulas been fitted in them, they are now just starting to fade. Either side of my lower abdomen was badly bruised by daily injection of blood thinners, but that is mostly clear. The scares from keyhole surgery are very much diminished in this short time, I thought they may have been an embarrassment for me with my team of 3 Physio’s when I'm back ballet training, even now I know this wont be an issue. The hard issue for me is knowing when to resume some ballet training and reclaim my studio back, as Adrian commandeered it while I was in Hospital as a drying room for washing, using my 3 portable barres as clothes airers.

Hi Linda The risks are too great to do any vigorous exercise, certainly in the next two weeks, as it could cause the new joint to leak. I know when I was waiting for the joint to get started, it seamed endless several days, and it was an extremely unpleasant procedure. At one time I didn’t think it would ever start and for the first time in my life I thought I was going to die. I remember last Wednesday when Adrian first got me home I couldn’t stop crying, it was such a relief that I still had a future. As for a program of advise from the Hospital, not really, the documentation provided is based on 2 booklets on from Bowel Cancer UK and the other from Macmillan Cancer Support which covers the whole general process. Most other info I have found is based on fail patients with limited mobility, so I guess I didn’t fit that model very well. When I got home one of the first things I had to attend to, during the week a car had gone through our fence and on to the lawn smashing 2 fence panels and destroying a number of rose bushes. This occurred one evening when Adrian arrive home, he found a police car parked on the road outside our house, one car on our lawn with skid marks across it, the other car on the road. The police gave Adrian both drivers detail, when Adrian ask for a crime number, the police said there wasn't one as no crime had been committed. Later that even the mum of one of the drivers gave her details and said she would pay the damages, further more she actually live down our road. Saturday we arranged for someone Adrian knows to quote to replace the damage panels and posts. Adrian cleared the area because it looked a right mess, that was really hard for me to just watch him, especially when he had to remove the remains of a metal spike with a pick-axe, that refused to budge. He wasn't making much progress at first, I just wanted to do it for him but I just had to bite my lip until he finally shifted it. We have now struck a compromise, as all the fence panels need painting, he will allow me to paint the top half as I can do that without stretching and bending, while he will does the bottom half. As for gardening, I haven't done any yet, but he has agree for my to use one of our hoes, if I use it gently where there is a few light weeds, hes ok,but im banned for going near the spade. As for going forward I am allowed to drive after 2 weeks, this is advisory and not mandatory, either way I have to have power in my arms to steer properly and power in my feet to execute an emergency stop. 2 weeks to 6 weeks progressively increase exercise but avoiding excessive stretching of the abdomen. I will commence some basic pointe-work to retain foot strength and flexibility, timing depends how the body feels, but there is no hurry. 6 weeks: heavier lifting and athletic exercise 3 Months: surgery fully healed, full on ballet and associated stretching. This is also the commencement of the new term after the summer break, whoopee!

Firstly a big thank you to Linda for keeping this thread up to day while I was in hospital and course all for the kind wishes and payers from my lovely ballet friends on here. My hospitalization seam to have two distinct phases: The first phase was the operation itself, that was brilliant, I never ever used the patient self administered pain relief, I was soon out of the associated plumbing and catheter and back in my day clothes. Around day 3 my mobility was assessed by a young physio lady, which was a series of questions and then we both had a circuit to walk around the ward. I set off quite briskly as I felt no ill effects from the op, my physio said “Slow down Michelle I cant keep up Ive got a bad back”, after we had done the circuit, I think she said jokingly, would you like to do it again, I simply said “come on then” and of course we did. Needless to say she signed off my mobility. Later on day 3, I started to feel tight around my abdomen and I mentioned it to my surgeon when he came to check up on me. He made the comment it was “distended”, intimating there was a lot of material backed up as my new plumbing joint was lazy getting started to process it. In the second phase My Surgeon arranged for one of his team to come and release the backup, that took a number of days releasing by aspiration (about 4 to 5 times a day), that was a really horrible experience and had to continue until my new plumbing joint kicked in. At one stage I didn’t think it would ever kick in and began to seriously think will I be one of the 3.7% that die in the first 30days. There was another downside to this procedure, as this involved a nasal-gastro tube, I couldn’t eat or take my normal heart medication and that medication wasn't available for administration via iv. I already had 3 iv lines in, one for neutrican and the other two for pain killers. Without my heart medication (tablets) my blood pressure continued to rise and was getting out of control. Eventually the new plumbing kicked in, slowly at first and then quite unpredictable which can be difficult to manage. I had to be able to demonstrate my bowels were basically working for a day or so before they would release me. I finally went home on Wednesday, with a very unpredictable bowel urgency, eg if it feels ready, its probably too late. Up to Friday things in that department have improved enormously, today I have even been out and had my hair done, I almost feel human now. Today was also a special day for another reason, this morning the Lab results of the material that was removed during my op was available, and the Multi-dicipline team met to discuss my case going forward. According to the telephone conversation with my Surgeon the cancer was localised and had not reached any of the 19 Lymph nodes that was removed with part of the colon, so no further therapy such as chemo required. At the moment I’m back on the low residue diet for recovery. Rest hasn't been prescribed, I am encouraged to mobilise according to my discharge summary. I most certainly wont be popping my pointe shoes on in the immediate future as this procedure can hold a nasty sting in the tail. If the new plumbing joint created by the surgeon starts to leak, it a much bigger operation to correct it, involving open surgery rather the original key hole, where the whole area has to be cleared out before reworking the joint. The risks associated with this procedure increases 5 fold. However leaks of this kind usually show up in the first couple of weeks post op. At 3 months the surgery is fully healed, which for me will be the term following the summer break in September.

This week has turn out to be a very hectic and challenging week. Firstly we lost Monday trying to sort out Adrian scammed football ticket, however we should recover the money for that (no small amount) from either paypal or his bank, both are looking into it. Last Friday I received two more appointments at Peterborough City Hospital, the first today (Tuesday) where I received some prep medication to take just before and on the day of the operation. However one of those is an injection I have to give myself, the day before the op, something i've never done before Grrrr. Adrian had an eye test booked with Specsavers for today, but I had to move it to accommodate today’s hospital appointment, we moved it to Wednesday, so I will loose a bit of practice time. My next Hospital appointment is for Friday, then I will be given a full pre op briefing off all the does and dont’s , the expected outcomes and enhanced recovery plans they have for me and of course another blood test. Monday is where most of the real pre-op prep start, then its up at 4.30am Tuesday morning for a public transport trip to Peterborough Hospital with Adrian, as im down for my op that morning. Im expected to come round in the evening between 8pm and 9pm, then I guess I start to worry.

Quick update: Second appointment with my Surgeon this Friday, date of operation pencilled in as the 28th May, only two weeks of pointe work left to go before the unknown.

Thank you everyone for your kind wishes. Yes Linda I did know about Louise, I see you post on FB during the early part of last week and it was quite a shock. I remember saying to her jokingly at the Chelsea Ballet show in November, that we were falling apart, I this I was only a week or two at the most out of hospital. I will really miss her, a truly lovely lady. Hi Ruby some years ago I had a partially ruptured right top quad muscle ( Rectus Femoralis), it was miss-diagnosed with everyone I see mainly because it effected the whole of the leg, even the MRI scan didn’t pic it up, why? They scanned the ankle, so now I check everything. I must confess my Anaesthetists surgical risk calculator really bugs me, there are 3 issues that are so way off they are unbelievable, these are: 1) Discharge to Nursing or rehab facility Av 1.4%, my score 6.7% 2) Functional Decline Av 14.4% My score 32.5% 3) New Mobility Aid Used Av 11.7% My score 41% Ive search the NHS and I think this is what they are focused on, based on someone who is extremely frail: Plan for your days after surgery It's important to arrange for appropriate care after your operation. For older people, it's important to arrange for suitable equipment and care. You should not be afraid to ask for things that may help you, such as a wheelchair or walking frame. It also sounds very much like Convalescent care: Convalescent care is a temporary form of care that provides extra support if you’re recovering from an operation or illness. In a convalescent care home, personal care and assistance with daily tasks like laundry and cleaning are given, similar to a residential home. Having fewer responsibilities allows residents to focus on their recovery. That leaves me speechless, as it is so so inappropriate, however I think this may have inadvertently come from one of the inputs to the “ Surgical Risk Calculator” which came from a question I was asked “ Are you supported at home” and of course I answered “yes”, as I have my partner Adrian at home. However I think the meaning behind the question could well be, do you have help ( like social services) coming in every day to support your personal care and housework due to lack of mobility. Otherwise it just doesn't make sense. I may mention this ambiguity in passing to my Surgeon when I see him next, but I wont raise it as an issue with the anaethetist. I just hope when Im about to be discharged from hospital, I don’t get a visit from a social worker wanting to arrange convalescence care for me. Grrrr

Things are getting quite close to surgery now, last Thursday I had a meeting with the Anaesthetists, that at least helped with both the Echocardiograph and my Cardiologist recommendation reaching him on time. For me Anaesthetist meeting was a little disappointing because firstly one of his nurses took my blood pressure immediately I arrived in that section and only used the first result, I think it was something like 165/75 pulse 73 ,which was way off my normal reading of below 120/65 with resting pulse of between 55 and 60. When I queried it, she said the reading was quite normal and they would accept a systolic reading of up to 175 as normal, it seamed pointless recording such a reading. Next came an Electrocardiogram (ECG) test, admittedly the placement of pads were a little different to what I am used to, however the main pads which are usually positioned in very pacific intercostal spaces between the ribs. Her’s were well below the ribcage itself, I ask here how did she know where to place them. She replied she had been trained. She ran the ECG for about half a minute and showed me the plot, so I ask her how many heart beats was it over, she didn’t know and said she didn’t know how to interpret the result, that was for the doctor. I thought it better to not say anything, but personally I would have used a much longer run to catch sporadic events. Then we came to the nice Anaesthetists, he was full of useful little tips like using mouth wash 2 or 3 times a day to reduce the probability lung infection, use protein loading of the body before the operation so little or no waist is passed through the bowel joint (anastomosis) immediately after the op to allow the bowel to fully take and most of all avoid the serious complication of leaking. According to my Anaesthetists I have been place on the Enhanced recovery pathway. He expects my operation to take place at either the end of May or the beginning of June, however I still have a second appointment to go with the Surgeon first, once he reports to him on Monday morning. At least that was the most significant hurdle now passed Whoopee. However once I got home I went through my Anaesthetists “Surgical Risk Calculator” which is an American piece of software. I must say I didn’t agree with the classification of some of the assumptions, however I have now bitten my tongue and decided not to challenge it as I have the outcome I wanted, with being placed on an urgent pathway. As this week is up in the air, unless I hear anything by Wednesday, I’m back on pointe work in Lincoln on Thursday to keep my strength up.

Pointe work for the past two week has gone really well in spite of quite a long break. My stamina and strength are both getting noticeably better and absolutely no Angina arm ache/pain in the left arm, if fact I haven't used GTN spray for several weeks. I'm absolutely certain its the improved haemoglobin level in the blood from the high dosage of iron tablets, its a pity it took cancer to find it. Last Thursday was quite a busy day with my usual 3 sessions at Lincoln, then a quick knip home for a shower and a bite to eat, then off to Boston as my Cardiologist at Boston Pilgrim Hospital organised a basic Echocardiogram for me, that was disappointing, especially as I wouldn't normally get the results until the next review, as the clinician who carried out the echocardiogram wasn't allowed to give me the results. In any case I would have much preferred a Dobutamine Stress Echocardiogram Test as we had discussed previously. Things have move on somewhat since then, I have an appointment on the 9th May to see the Anaesthetist at Peterborough City Hospital, I understand from the Anaesthetic Secretary that all they are going to do is check what medication I'm on, give me a blood test and also a basic ECG, and of course a chat with the anaesthetist. However I have offered the results from the Echocardiogram that was done last Thursday, as I have the direct phone number and email of my Cardiologist secretary, I have also offered to run my own Stress ECG test and give them the results as I have my own 12 port ECG monitor and treadmill as you can imagine. Next Thursday Adrian has an MRI scan follow up just to check he remains clear of cancer from his eye, now the growth is starting to shrink nicely. Sadly it means I'm missing next two weeks of pointe work coaching at Lincoln Grrrr.

A big thank you for everyones support, especially Kate_N and Jan McNulty, at least I can face this procedure with some optimisum. I have just returned home after seeing the Surgeon at Peterborough City Hospital and he has said my operation will be sometime in either May or June providing the Anaesthetist is happy. I will get an appointment so see the Anaesthetist in the next couple of weeks or so. I did mention to my surgeon that my Specialist Cardiologist from Boston is happy to urgently arrange a Dobutamine Stress Echocardiogram to help demonstrate the fitness of my heart to withstand the anaesthesia for the Right Hemicolectomy operation. The stress test exercises the heart whilst I am lying down, the dobutamine make the heart run faster and stronger than normal, whilst the echo cardiogram detects any abnormalities in the hearts response. However the surgeon declined and said it could be offered once I had seen the Anaesthetist. Time-line: My stay in Peterborough City Hospital 7 to 10days. Fitness to drive after discharge from hospital 2 weeks (providing I can steer and do an emergency stop properly). Athletic fitness for Ballet training 6 weeks. For the time being I’m off the low fibre diet, I will be given special instruction nearer the time, however I do know that I will not need to do the bowel cleansing as with the two previous procedures thank goodness. I must confess when I attended both Boston and Peterborough hospitals for these consultations, I really felt out of place as if I shouldn’t be there, I felt a bit of a fraud, most other patience looked really poorly, there need was much greater than mine. Back to pointe training this week Whoopee

A big thank you to everyone for your kind and supportive words. I guess the Colonoscopy today went reasonably well, in term I had it without any form of pain control or sedation. I ask the clinician that was carrying out the procedure to give me a commentary all the way through, bless him he was really good. When we got to the real problem area, he positioned me on my back so I had a screen to myself to see the growth inside my colon, which gave me a much better understanding of the issues. According to him he has no dought that it was cancer, although he did take a number of bioses from around that area. Because there is a high probability that the results are positive, they should get the results from the lab in 1 to 2 weeks rather than the usual 4 to 6weeks. Although I have an appointment booked with the surgeon on Monday, and I know from one of the multi-discipline team nurses that he is considering a Right Hemicolectomy, that is a major operation where they remove half of the colon, needles to say I'm not very comfortable with that, also I have seen it quoted in some medical stat that 1 in 20 patients loose their life under that procedure, not sure when it was dated. However according to my clinician today, I may not be fit enough for such an operation due to the condition of my heart and my iron deficiency anaemia (oxygen carrying capacity of the blood), thats why they have taken another blood sample today to check my Full Blood Count including my iron level since I’ve been on a high dose iron tablets, hopefully it may have risen substantially. I have also been doing a bit of research and there may be merit in colonic stents that work in a similar way to stents in arteries. The cancerous growth presents itself at the bend between the top of ascending colon (RHS) and the transverse colon (across the top of the abdomen), the folds appear very enlarged (swollen) and bleeding, and the hollow in the center for the poo to flow through, very restricted. As a result I have been asked to remain on a low fibre diet, otherwise I could easily become constipated and block that junction completely. I am to remain on that diet until the MDT team decide what action to take. The funny thing is the low fibre diet consists of a lot of unhealthy things I wouldn't normally choose to eat eg White bread, plain cake and plain biscuits, ice cream, jelly, custard, milk, eggs, potatoes, cheese, cream, plain yoghurt, butter, sugar, honey, clear jam, boiled sweets, plain /milk chocolate. I can and do normally eat these and these are on the list too: skinless chicken, grilled or poached fish, I guess Chicken could included duck or turkey too. As the future is uncertain until Monday, I think it pretty likely I will be back at ballet next week and possibly the week after, especially as I need to be home on the 24th for Adrian's Brothers funeral, then who knows and it really scary.