Happy New Year

Apologies for not updating this Blog for so long, I was hoping Technical Support may have done so but he claims he's too busy being Nursing  Support,   I blame the Govt cutbacks !

Have been home from the Hospital since 10^th Dec, was so pleased to be back in my own bed and getting looked after  by my own Nurse – Neil,  think he was relieved as well not to have to drive to  Basingstoke again.  Recovery has been  steady, have managed the 2 staircases at home with little trouble and also getting in and out of chairs . Had the sutures taken out after a few days and the operation scar  is healing very nicely. Have been taking a daily walk (or slide when it was snowing) and  find I can go further and longer each day,  so much so Nurse Neil now has me walking to  Waitrose for bits and pieces. I have even been managing to prepare some meals recently

Went back on the 17^th to see the surgeon Tom Cecil, he was very pleased with the operation,  a clear healthy margin of tissue was found around the removed tumour which indicates they got it ALL out,  only blip was that they found some cancerous cells in one of the 17 lymph nodes that they also removed, just the one but this in turn may mean that  I need a course of  Chemo in the  New Year, won’t know for sure till I meet with the oncologist sometime  in Jan. but  I fully expect them to recommend it.

Xmas was fairy quiet and it’s been great to have friends and family calling in to see me even if I can only manage an hour or so before needing a rest, New Year I  hope will be just as quiet.

Updates to the Blog may not be as frequent in the next few weeks as there is not a great deal to report. Next definite appointment is back at Basingstoke at the end of  January.

 I’d like to wish you all a healthy and prosperous  New Year.  And thank you again for all the lovely cards, messages and texts  whilst I was in Hospital.

2010  was a challenge at times but there are close friends who had a far tougher time of it and still are,  and my thoughts and prayers go out to them especially in this last week.

Little steps

Brian continues to do well,  he's now had a number of the feed and drain lines removed and has managed to eat some jelly and ice cream as well as taken a couple of circuits of the ward.

Nurses and Docs all happy with the progress he has made over the last few days,  no talk as yet of a going home date but would hope it might be by the start of next week.

He is in good spirits, watching TV for the first time and reading.

Steady progress

Brian is making steady progress after the setback of the second operation last  Wednesday, that was all a success but has put recovery back by a few days as they had to open up the operation wound again.

He has been out of bed over the weekend and managing to walk in the ward,  last night managed without any props other than his feeding station which is good and was  pleased with himself  which has lifted his spirits greatly.

He wanted to pass on his thanks for all your messages once again.

Recovery

Our patient is doing very well you will be pleased to hear.  I went in at 10pm last night to see him,  had thought he might be back on the  ward by then but he was still in Recovery,  I asked if I could see him briefly in there and they said that was fine, ended up staying there for 3 hours till 1am :-)  

Was preparing myself for him to look pretty rough and groggy but he was the complete opposite,  for a start he was awake and compis mentis he  recognised me right away even without his glasses and he looked remarkably clam and relaxed. He was the only one there and was being very well  looked after by the two nurses,  he had not had a pre-med which was why he was so awake I think, said he had pains when they brought him round but the self administered Morphine was doing the trick,  he was pumping away at it but it's great as he can't overdose because if he pumps it too much he just falls asleep..unfortunately they denied my request to take one home for myself :-(   He had numerous tubes going in and out of just about everywhere, think I counted about 9  but was very comfortable,  his mouth was completely dry as he is still not allowed to take any fluids orally so they had to moisten his lips and tongue with a giant Q tip this made it a bit hard for him to talk but he was very alert, making the nurses laugh and asking me to bring stuff in for him for tomorrow,  we eventually packed him all up and wheeled him back to the ward at 1am back to his same room on C2, they made him comfortable and I said good night about 1:30 the nurse would be then checking on him every hour so hopefully he has had a decent night's sleep.

I'll be back there at lunchtime to see him, he does have his mobile phone with him so if you want to text him feel free I'm sure he'd love to hear from you. Or some people have asked for the hospital address which is

Ward C2 Room3
Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital
Aldermaston Road,
Basingstoke,
Hampshire,
RG24 9NA

I can also print off any emails that you send to take in for him to read.

Success

Hi Everyone

Been a long day !  Just had a call from Tom Cecil the surgeon, was a long day for him as well so he was pretty brief on the phone.

Operation was a success, no complications, no unexpected surprises.

Brian will be in recovery now for a few hours, I will call the ward later on and see if I can call in and see him when he's back on the ward which may be around 10pm or later

1st night

Morning update.  Brian had a good sleep helped by a couple of pills,  he was woken at 6 to have the last dose of the jayes cleaning fluid, he's not allowed to drink anything now so was missing his morning cup of tea, the 'team' came into see him..all 10 of them !!   including the top brass Prof Heald and Dr Moran, they described the operation 'easily do-able'  which is nice to hear :-)

Now it's the hard part, I know you'll all be thinking of him,  and thank  you again for all your messages of love and support.

Hospital

Hi  Neil here

Just a quick update on Brian's admission today,  all went very well. He was initially given a bed on C3 which is the urgent admissions ward when we arrived at 3pm,   but we spoke to his nurses Emma and Niki and very quickly someone came along and took us to C2,  we had been told beforehand there was only a small possibility of staying on there, it is the brand new hi-tech ward, he was given his own private room, it has en-suite and is very quiet could not fault it feels like he is in a private  hospital

Also could not fault the staff there,  everyone we came into contact with was calm and reassuring and knew exactly what was going on..so much so his blood pressure had come down by the time  I left him at 9pm. He was obviously quite anxious on the way there but we could not have been treated any better,  his will be the only operation tomorrow, they will take him down around 12:30 with the op starting about 1pm so we would hope he will be back on the ward by 9 or 10pm, they will call me once the Operation is nearing completion ( approx 7pm ) , it will be a team  of four operating on him, both registrars came into to see us and answered any questions we had..I was a bit concerned that one was still there working at 8pm he assured me he'd go home and get a good nights rest before tomorrow :-)

So I left him very comfortable but a bit hungry,  he was going to ask for a sleeping pill to knock him out and they will be waking him at 6am to give him another dose of the cleaning agent he has to take to flush him out, I'll speak to him in the morning so will report back briefly  tomorrow how he is.

So here we are.............

November 25th............ the day that I go into hospital for my op. Up for a nice breakfast with Neil - so  no more food for sometime who knows when. A walk in the cold wrapped up warm. At 10.15pm took my first sachet of Picolax - strange how you put it in cold water and it becomes warm. This is to clear my system so I am sat here at 11.30 am waiting for something to happen. The phone has been going all morning with calls from people wishing me all the very best and that they are thinking of me.  What with final packing arrangements, catching up on paperwork it has been a busy morning. Having Neil at home has been lovely as I have someone to merrily chatter away to! I am feeling surprisingly unstressed which is good! I think that I am relieved that today has arrived. The op had been hanging over my head since I was first diagnosed back in June and all through the radio/chemo treatment, the post treatment period and then researching my options. So it feels ok to be getting on with it. I know that I am going to the best place I can for the op and that means a lot in terms of how I am feeling. I know that I just have to go through this - I have no option. I find it useful to keep firmly in my mind that when I wake up from the op the tumour will no longer be inside me and that has always been the main aim of this journey. Where this journey takes me next I have no idea as I do not know what the universe has in store for me.
So we leave home for the hospital at 2.30pm - should take us 30 mins to get there. Another dose of Picolax and an evening of fun with the loo and then hopefully some sleep. While I am in hospital Neil will be sending out a progress email on Friday evening and he will also be updating this blog while I am putting my feet up!

Thanks to everyone for all your support and messages and cards wishing me all the very best of luck. I am so lucky to have such wonderful caring people in my life for which Neil & I are so thankful for. Take care and be in touch soon.

Keeping Busy Part 2

This keeping busy has certainly kept me from thinking too much. I am glad that I have adopted this diversionary tactic as I get to see good friends and family and eat yummy food as well! As I will be off food after Breakfast on Thursday until who knows when I feel like I should be eating what I want and I sure have! A delicious pumpkin risotto at  Carluccio’s on Tuesday with some of my PwC friends - Dennis Dawn Mel & Sharan. Thanks for lunch and it was so good to catch up with everyone. Then a family dinner with Pam Emma Luke Charlotte and Neil - and two desserts - got to get it in while I can!
An unusual activity for Wed morning - a Christmas fair at Sandown race course with Sara & Rosemary. I don't know if I have ever been to one before. It was very quiet which was good so plenty of space to wander around. I met a stall holder Jane Rafter who I had seen with her sandals product on the Dragons Den. We had an interesting conversation about her business after the show. I had seen her on a re-run and she said that it had been good for trade as their sales had gone up. Got some more Christmas presents including a Where's Wally compendium of books for Luke - which Neil & I played with later!  Food made an appearance later as well as Rosemary treated me to a pub lunch. A quiet evening at home and a last sleep in my lovely comfy bed for a while!!

Keeping Busy

Now that the date for the op has been set for Friday 26 November I have a plan to keep myself busy. That way I don't get time to dwell on it and work myself up so increasing my blood pressure and also enables me to catch up with people.

To date I had lunch with Sara my lovely friend from next door. We treated ourselves to lunch at the newly opened Coworth Park - described as the 'Dorchester in the Country'. It was a very grown up place for lunch and the food was very good and a little bit different! I thoroughly enjoyed the selection of chocolates which we had even though we skipped the coffee!

Table for two at the John Campbell Restaurant - must find out who he is!

My overall impression of the hotel is that the public areas like the bar and the drawing room where you would have drinks or afternoon tea were quite small - beautifully decorated and furnished. They have a fabulously expensive spa - all brand new of course and deserted! What a stunning swimming pool!

Saturday Neil and I went out to lunch at the Fox & Hounds which is right at the gate at Englefield Green to Windsor Great Park - good place for pub lunch before or after a walk in the Park and if you can borrow a dog to do so all the better as we felt a bit left out as we were the only people in the pub without one! Great Fish & Chips though and a nice pint of Brakespears!

You are getting the picture that there is nothing wrong with my appetite and some determination on my part to enjoy my food before heading for hospital food!

On Sunday, unexpectedly we could make it to the Rainbow Singer's annual choir concert of which Lynne's ( Neil's mum) is a member. It was an enjoyable evening listening to them sing some familiar songs. It made me appreciate the effort that goes into preparing for a concert that we sometimes as the audience just take for granted.The choir is made up of all retired people who spend every Friday afternoon rehearsing but I get the impression that they all have a good laugh as well.

Today was spent buying things to take into hospital with me - I think I have it all now - not quite like packing for your summer holidays but you definitely have to get organised!

Then dinner with Daughter at Cote in Richmond - caught up with her moving plans to her new apartment and plenty of laughs as always! Thanks for the puzzle books daughter guess I am going to have to learn how to do suduko!

So you see I have very little time to sit and worry which is good - plenty of time for that later in the week!!

Wednesday - not like any other!

Wednesday brought the pre op assessment at Basingstoke. All went well again - things do go smoothly there! I was there for 3 hours - filling in forms, being prodded and blood taken - all OK. Well apart from my blood pressure being slightly on the high side. Nothing to really worry about but surprised as usually my blood pressure has been fine. But then I am not surprised as the thought of the operation has probably not helped - especially as at 53 this is the first operation that I have had and the first stay in hospital. Think that I have done well to get to this age without having those experiences. I also suffer from white coat syndrome so when they wheel out the blood pressure machine I can feel it rising and then we get stuck in a loop where it just keeps going up - which is of course what happened. But I was told not to worry as there was no problem for the op. Needless to say I have been checking it at home and the reading has gone down - not quite to normal but getting there. I am now kick starting my meditation and breathing exercises as well as doing some Yin Yoga at home Yin Yoga is a type of yoga where you hold the  poses for at least several minutes  which is very relaxing and soft while stretching the connective tissue around a joint.

I was most impressed when I was at Basingstoke with my new consultant Tom Cecil. I was walking along a corridor at the hospital and I recognised him coming towards me and he stopped and asked how I was, had I had my scan and were we all set for 26th? I have only met him once and he remembered me and my details but also he has a personable side. As Mat a friend of mine commented "Sooo pleased that the Basingstoke hospital has proved to be such a good move" - and long may it continue.

Thinking that was enough excitement for one day I was surprised by the events of the afternoon. I was amazed to see an air ambulance land at the end of our road around 3.00pm.

What skill to land here!

Couldn't resist the temptation to venture out to see what was happening. Won't bore you with the details as it's all here if you want to read it. But there were a lot of people there and we then had press helicopters flying over all night and Sunningdale was on the main news broadcasts that night and not for the right reasons - the poor man who died was on the pavement for hours while they carried out  the forensic investigation. Not the sort of thing you expct to happen at the end of your road !!.

New Date

My latest MRI scan went well. My delightful neighbour Sara kindly joined me for the journey to Basingstoke Hospital. Arrived early and surprisingly they saw me straight away - no wait just walked straight in! Staff were friendly and quickly got me settled for the scan.What a difference this place is - I think it is jointly funded by the NHS & private health care as it was very smart and Sara was even given tea and biscuits! After the scan,I met Nikki, who is my new cancer nurse,  she was waiting for me when the scan was finished. She gave me a hug asked how I was feeling and then we sat down for a chat and discussed the forthcoming new dates......

1. Pre operation Assessment where they take my blood pressure, put me on an ECG machine to check my heart, take blood samples and discuss prep for the op and it is my opportunity to ask more questions about the op and after care. This is scheduled for Wed 17 November. 

2. The Operation date is provisionally booked for Friday 26 November. I will go into hospital on the Thursday afternoon.

I was impressed with how efficient they are and that within a week of changing to the  hospital  I have had my MRI scan and have some provisional dates this is  just further proof that it is the right thing to be doing.

Change of Plans

I am now going to have my operation at Basingstoke Hospital which is the UK Centre of Excellence for Bowel cancers such as mine. When I met the consultant at Wexham Park on the 6th he told me what he could do for me but was also  happy to refer me to Basingstoke.  I decided it was important to go and speak to them,  so arranged an appointment last Friday but  agreed beforehand to postpone my operation scheduled for 8th Nov till  the 15th Nov at Wexham Pk to give me the time to digest the information from Basingstoke.

So off we went to a new hospital and met the new consultant and nurse.I was very impressed with all of  them and the hospital.  There was something about Wexham Park I could not quite put my finger on that left me feeling a bit uncomfortable. After listening to the new consultant and his team as well as seeing the hospital I  felt that this was the right place for me. I feel that I am going to the best place for the surgery and have a confidence in this choice that I did not have in Wexham Park. So all change!  They have a different less invasive approach to the operation  which I believe is down to their  greater levels of experience and  expertise.  For anyone interested this is a link to their website.

Neil has been amazing in listening to me weighing up the options and is always prepared to talk about the choices.

This means that the op will now not be until the end of the month but it is worth the wait. The cancer is very slow growing so there is no immediate rush. I will need another MRI  scan to see what has happened since the last one on 30 September.

So after Oct being  a crappy month (cancer  wise)  things are picking up and I feel a lot better. Everyone still says how well I look, I don't think they are just being kind !!    I even made it to London on Wednesday for supper with Gillian which was at our favourite haunt Terroir - very French and delicious food and my energy levels are almost back to normal,  going to get out in the garden to do some winter tidying up this weekend.

Change of Date for Operation

The date for the operation is a moving target it seems. Originally planned for tomorrow 8 November it then was pushed back a week to 15 November which I was agreeable with while I sought an opinion from a consultant at another hospital (which my consultant was happy to refer me to). It now looks like I will be changing the date again to probably the end of the month and I will let you know as soon as I have a new date. But I am completely OK with this and it is not the NHS changing the dates unnecessarily.

Paris

Well as promised - just like buses that always  come along together when you have been waiting for ages - two blog entries in two days.

So Paris and Michael Buble! Rosemary is a big fan so rather than face the O2 and taking the chance of seeing him in miniature from some seats a long way from the stage we got tickets for the same price 18 rows from the front at the Bercy arena in Paris. We booked these seats in April before the cancer saga had appeared on the scene. Once it did and with the treatment plan over the following 6 months I was not sure that I would get there as I could have been recovering from the op. As luck would have it - I was able to go as there were no appointments to attend and the op date was set for after the concert!

Chris and Philip met the three of us there  - they were on holiday at their house in France (where I went on holiday in Sept) and came up on the TGV.

Rosemary, me, Chris, Neil & Philip

The concert was brilliant - great seats and sound was excellent - it got even better when Mr Buble came down off the stage to sing from a small platform in the middle of the arena. Then we were only 3 rows from the front, but this was not good enough for Rosemary and Neil who were right by the stage. What a great view we all had and he sang " Home" - made me laugh when he sang the line
" In Paris & Rome....." the only difference was I did not want to go home! Michael Buble reached out and touched Rosemary's hand and engaged in eye contact - she was made up and so excited.

He has long arms!

He did touch my hand - I am so excited!!

He is such a showman and kept us captivated all the way through and we had  a great evening - one to keep in the memory bank for when I am lying around convalescing and not able to get out much. I was relieved that he did not play "Hold On" as there would have been an 'emotionally unstable' moment as it seems to get me every time.

The man himself

"Just haven't met you yet" boogie & sing a long!

Thursday saw us a tourists about Paris - sunny weather and a walk along the banks of the Seine. Starting at the Eiffel Tower

Artistic shot in black & white

Photo stop en route

- past the Grand Palais and onto Musee D'Orsay where we stopped a while. A light lunch in the museum cafe and then a tour of the beautiful art  What a wonderful treat - Renoir, Manet, Van Gogh, Degas Gaugin and Monets. I was able to get quite close to look at these paintings - amazing creations of light and shadow. So different from the art of Michelangelo of Rome last week, I have been so inspired by the art of these talented people I had to get the Story of Art from the library to read more about them.

Stained Glass at Saint Chappelle

Then onto to Saint Chappelle - which is the chapel of the royal family when the French had one - such beautiful stained glass windows. These are in the process of being cleaned - the newly cleaned windows are amazing while the dirty ones you can hardly make out the colours.

Dinner at Bofinger near the Bastille was a unique experience. It is an old fashioned Parisian restaurant so very french and atmospheric. Don't read the reports on Trip Advisor - we had a great evening and lovely food especially the french onion soup which was a meal in itself. Sadly Rosemary's date for the evening Mr Buble at the last moment had to cancel - but she quickly recovered with the help of a Kir Royale:-)

No its not Michael Buble!

Friday - I had not been to Sacre Coeur so we all went - what a great view but what a desperate area it is in - not sure that I would rush back there so thanks to my 4 friends for agreeing to come.

Lunch in a wonderful French bistro in the Marais - and a decadent glass of red with lunch! Such a great finale to our trip. Neil Rosemary & I said au revoir to Philip & Chris as they were staying an extra night.

Very French!

What an exciting 3 days in Paris - walking and enjoying great company and plenty of laughter. Again forgot all about the operation. It was lovely to spend such a great time with these good friends and Neil  and a big big thank you for all their support over the last few months. They have always been there to listen to me - encourage me and make me smile when I have been down and respecting my need for silence when I did not feel like talking. Thanks.

Long time no hear from me..............

Apologies but a combination of not feeling like blogging, a bit of travel and being busy has left the blog feeling very neglected. There has been no updates here for you to see what was happening and some of you must be wondering what is going on. So sorry for the gap yet again!

I have a date set for the operation - Monday 15 November. I have to go in the afternoon before for all the pre-operative preparations. They advise that I will be in hospital between 7-10 days. I am planning on getting myself out of there in 7 as I  want to spend the least amount of time there and come home and recuperate.

So with the date set - what to do to keep myself positive and stop the slide into the dark side happening again. After a trip to the cinema to see Eat Pray Love with Neil & Rosemary where Julia Roberts spends the Eat part of the movie in Rome chomping her way through pasta pizza and all that lovely well known Italian food sloshed down with a glass of red wine - the temptation was too great. So after discussing the benefits of said trip with Neil and encouraged by Gillian who loves Italy off I went on the 20th Oct for 3 days. The plan was for me to have a day or 2 on my own and then Neil would join me. The joys of having a partner that works for an airline is that you can act on a whim and normally get a seat on the plane without it costing you a small fortune!  I had a wonderful time wandering around looking at beautiful buildings, paintings, statues and fountains as well as eating delicious food of course.

Eat.......

The sun shone and it was 20C - perfect for sight seeing.

Two old ruins.........

St Peter's was beautiful and said a few prayers not only for me but asked for help for other loved ones that are going through a similar  experience as myself.

Pray....

I could hardly believe it was late Oct especially when we dined outside on 2 nights - more than we did here in the summer!  It got even better when Neil joined me - we chattered our way through Rome and enjoyed ourselves so much we decided to stay an extra night:-).

Love.....

I count myself very lucky to have made that trip as not only did I not think about operations, cancer et al but we had a pact not to talk about it. Call this denial I like to call a distraction.  The trip has proved to be a turning point in me getting myself back into a positive frame of mind.Of course I am worried about the op - I have never been in hospital before and now I have the prospect of  3 to 5 hours of surgery. But I felt refreshed and strengthened by the experience to go onwards with this journey I find unexpectedly to be on. I feel more positive than I have felt during the rest of Oct and thanks for all your emails and calls - many of which Neil had to answer.

A view to remember

Then the following week the long awaited and planned since April trip to Paris happened - more in a separate blog later - but I did not think over the summer that I would be able to make it - and I did!!!

Where have I been?

Sorry for the lack of blog activity in the last 2 weeks and for not being in contact but to be totally honest I have not felt like putting pen to paper..or should that be  single fingers to keyboard??

 I went back to see the  Surgeon a week ago to discuss scan results. The good news is that  the tumour has not got any bigger and there has been some shrinkage but it has not responded in the way we had hoped.This means that it will make the operation more complicated and this is not what we had hoped for.

So  since I saw the Doctor I have been up and down. At times  I have felt like the last 12 weeks have been a waste of effort. The Consultant and Nurse explained this was not the case as the treatment would  also have had an impact on the roots system of the tumour which is equally important. I have spoken subsequently to McMillan Nurses and they advised that these sorts of feelings are very common where the patient almost feels worse than when first diagnosed.  We felt like we were winning the battle by coming through the Chemo and Radiology almost unscathed only to be brought back down to earth with a big bump with the details of how complicated the operation will be.  Of course I am only part of the way through the journey of getting rid of this cancer and as I have been feeling so well I had lulled myself into a false sense of security so facing reality again had been very difficult mentally and emotionally.

We have a tentative date set for early in November for the operation and in the interim I am having further discussions with doctors and nurses so  I can approach that date with confidence and optimism.

Meanwhile I have cried my way through the rescue of the Chilean miners and Single Father on BBC1 Sunday evening. My friend Alison tried to warn me off the Chilean miners rescue as not suitable for the "emotionally unstable" but received the warning too late as I was viewing at 8.00 a.m.

I am still keeping well and doing all the things I was doing as I now have to be strong for the operation and hopefully a speedy recovery. The good news is that I am emerging from the planet of despair - which is not in my top 10 places to visit!

Bowel Cancer Screening Boost

Good news in times when all we hear about is government cuts. David Cameron, has announced that £60 million will be invested over the next four years in introducing the latest bowel cancer screening technology. This is known as flexible sigmoidoscopy or Flexi-Scope or Flexisig and it will be used alongside existing techniques.

It involves a thin, bendy tube with a camera attached being placed a short way into the rectum and lower bowel. The inside wall of the bowel can then be viewed and polyps removed before they develop into bowel cancer.

Trials will begin in England next spring and the roll out will take place over four years. It won't happen quickly, because practice nurses - who are likely to administer the test - will need to be trained.  The UK lags behind the rest if Europe in cancer survival rates so this is a move in the right direction but it looks like it will only be available for patients over 55.

While this is excellent news - I would like the screening be made available to 50 year olds and above. That way mine would have been caught 3 years ago and the costs of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and a big operation might have been avoided - as well as the physical and emotional roller coaster you experience when it is diagnosed at a later stage.

On a lighter note  - I have actually been watching and enjoying the Ryder Cup. A first for me - this  patience I seem to have found also means that I have acquired the ability to watch golf on the TV and at one point I even listened to it on the radio!

I'm back

It seems like a long time since I have tapping out a few lines on here!

I had a very restful and relaxing holiday in France and it was nice to get some sunshine and warmth - it seems to have rained very day since I got back. The best result of the holiday( probably combined with the chemo/ radio strength winding down) has been that I am not so tired all the time. I now manage to stay up past 8.30pm which was becoming my normal bed-time. I am sleeping very well still and the sleeps in France were so deep and refreshing - must have been all that fresh air and healthy vegetarian food and only the occasional glass of French red wine!

On Thursday I went to Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot for my CT scan & MRI scan. So no trip to Reading - just a 10 minute car ride away. Which was just as well as the CT scan was at 9.00am and the MRI scan was at 3.30pm - so I was able to come home in between appointments. The CT scan involves drinking a litre of aniseed flavoured water before the scan. While I was sat there pushing the liquids 2 other patients managed to tell me why they were there for a scan - I think I have one of those faces that say 'talk to me' on my forehead! Then it was in for the scan where they inject a yellow dye into your arm for the scan. Nothing to be worried about and apart from a bruise where they struggled to find a suitable vein in my arm. The MRI scan is a noisy affair - they gave me headphones playing music to help drown the noise out. You can choose your music - I had the 70s - which was fab & had to stop myself singing along and having a boogie!

I did not get the results of the scans to see how much the lump had shrunk - that happens next Wed afternoon when I meet with the consultant. 

Half Marathons in Chippenham

Now don't panic I have not lost my marbles and decided to run a half marathon! I was scheduled to run the Chippenham Half Marathon last weekend but I decided it was a step too far so pulled out for this year. I went to support Neil & Rosemary who were still running.

We drove down to Winsley on Saturday to stay overnight with our friends Peter & Alan. When we arranged earlier in the year they were running a B&B called Leigh House but 10 days ago they moved! Their new property is about 5 mins away from where they used to live  - this will be a new B&B after renovations and redecoration and if it is anything like Leigh House then it will be a 5* country house B&B.You know what it is like when you have just moved  - organised chaos. How they managed to accommodate us 3 as well as the two Steves I do not know and fed us a beautiful dinner while remaining composed and in control. I could certainly learn something from this experience!

The Manor House

How beautiful is that area around Bradford on Avon & Chippenham? - could see myself retiring there in a pretty cottage with some chickens, a dog, a cat and a large vegetable patch.

Oh yes now back to reality ......... supporting the half marathon. Early start as the run commenced at 9.30 am  - saw thenm off and then had to while away 2 hours until they came back. Wandered into Chippenham and had a green tea in Starbucks - so much cheaper than one of their milky coffees. Got distracted with the shops and had to leg it back to the sports ground where it finished. Neil beat the 2 hour time he set himself - finish time of 1 hour 58.51 seconds and Rosemary knocked off 7 mins off her time. Well done to you both. Think that's the end of the running support for a while, and I'll be back next year to run

That was tough but still smiling.

Trying to not look too exhausted

Support Crew & Bag Boy

 A celebratory lunch afterwards at the local pub - delicious veggie Aubergine dish for me while they all enjoyed their Roast Beef & Yorkshire pud.

Rosemary & The Boys

Not a lot of time over the weekend for too much resting so exhausted by the time I got home - was in bed asleep on Sunday evening by 9.15 pm! Monday was a big rest day.

And now off to France for some R&R

The Anti Cancer Diet.

I have been meaning to mention how invaluable I have found this  book "Anti Cancer Diet  - a new way of life" by Dr David Servan- Shreiber. I went to Waterstones not long after I was diagnosed looking for  books about super foods and this book leapt out at me. The first lines "Cancer lies dormant in all of us. Like all living organisms, our bodies are making defective cells all the time. That's how tumours are made. But our bodies are also equipped with a number of mechanisms that detect and keep such cells in check." - had me interested as I am ashamed to admit that I had no real understanding about cancer and wanted to knowmore about  what was happening to me. The book turned out to be much more than that. Written by a  doctor who is a twice over cancer survivor it is based on lots of medical research but is easy to understand.

He provides advice on adopting an organic balanced diet consisting of vegetables based on a Mediterranean, Indian & Asian diet. But he advises on how changes to our lifestyles can help.

I am not suggesting that you all rush out and buy this book - but take a look at the Penguin Bookswebsite - where there is a great e-leaflet which summarises the main points of the book and in particularly what foods we should eat and exercise we should take to prevent cancer.


I thought that I had a healthy diet until I read this book - and although I have not prevented cancer, once I get shot of it I do not want it coming back so I have started as I mean to go on by following the advice in the book. It does take a little getting used to  - I have not missed meat and realised how interesting veggie food can be!

At last a real update!

Since I finished my visits to Reading I have been a bit undisciplined and disorganised in updating my blog. Health wise there has not been a lot happening.

Last week and this week  I  have been at the  peak of intensity  in terms of the treatment doing its work to the tumour (we hope) and the only side effects have been the tiredness and some red blotches of dry skin. The tiredness is often my own fault in overdoing things - I  don't pace myself when doing things and wonder why I am suddenly running low on energy and feeling like I have jet lag. A rest perks me up and sometimes a little nap is in order ,  if I can't do it now when is it allowable?.

The dry skin is remedied by aqueous cream as recommended by the hospital.  It's a  cream that can be used as a soap substitute or a moisturiser and the good thing it is that is cheap and perfume free. I didn't know until I was told by a radiographer that a lot of  shower gels contain metal so it is not advisable to use these when you are undergoing radiotherapy.

The last  week has been fun as well..........

A trip to Chawton in Hampshire with Rosemary to visit Jane Austen's house - such a pretty village and house. I have never read one of her books so I have started Sense and Sensibility which is the first of her novels to be published - still struggling with it  - but have to say that it is beautifully wordsmithed if a bit twee!

At Jane's house - no idea where she was!?

Rosemary - do you think this will fit?

Daughter came to visit last Wednesday and  she claims that she can't cook so we had cookery lessons!  With a lot of patience from the newly chilled me she managed to bake a lemon drizzle cake, a Thai prawn and mango green curry ( recipe c/o Claire) and yes even though Daughter cooked it, it was delicious. Well done Daughter!!! And my kitchen is still intact and I can recommend her as an excellent washer upper! Neil said she could come back anytime :-)

Cooking Pappa's lunch

All my own work  - I can bake!!

Looking very pleased with myself!

Is this really Daughter's cooking I am about to eat?

Trip to see the Symington Family to play the game that we all enjoy - how many of us can you get on a 3 seater sofa - we even managed the toy monkey Joey!

Cosy!

Thursday brought the BA Fun Run to raise cash for Cancer Research. It was like a village fete all very low key but very well organised. Neil and Samuel ran the 5k in less that 27 minutes which was very good,

Samuel & Neil -  yes this was after the race - well done!

The Team - French & Saunters ( there was one french lady)

While they were doing that Rosemary and I managed to squeeze in a treatment on the Elemis Spa Bus and the proceeds were going to Cancer Research ( see the link in the  section to the right of this entry ) . So after me having a relaxing neck, scalp & shoulder 15min massage and Rosemary a quick foot massage to try and mend her damaged Achilles - we made it back to see them cross the finish line.

Bliss!

Medal Ceremony !

I got to meet Willie Walsh the CEO of British Airways and after telling him about my treatment and asking him for a picture for the blog he gave me a medal as I deserved one for the race I was running by beating this cancer :-)  What a nice man.




Friday was meant to be spent quietly after the hectic few days but woke with loads of energy so after a pile of ironing and a trip to the supermarket that was me done - so back to resting with Sense & Sensibility - yes you guessed a sleep quickly appeared!

Weekend saw Sharan dropping by for a coffee and a chat AND to get her photo on the  Blog as she's a Fan   but not a follower :-)   she brought me a lovely gardenia plant. Thank you Sharan, hope you enjoyed  the take away Muffins

Quick Hello

Just a quick update for the start of the week,  not found the time over the weekend to compose an entry for the Blog so just to let you know all is still going well,  not felt great at times but that might be because I've not exactly been taking it easy,  but most of the time  I have been fine. Have been visiting the estate of an esteemed British  writer,  chatting with  CEO's of  Bluechip companies,  cooking and eating good food ..of course !  catching up with friends and all the other things one can do when convalescing.

Last Day of Treatment

Its been a bit busy here ......... so lots to catch up on!

Friday

Where was all the festival traffic and commuter traffic early Friday morning? - easiest journey yet and couldn't believe the empty spaces in the hospital car park.

At 8.55 a.m was called early for my 9.00 am appointment. They obviously saved the best for last! I was out by 9.05 a.m much to Neil's surprise. We then had to wait 20 minutes  to see the consultant. This was the first time that I had met him as I had always seen his registrars before. He was not what I expected - younger and very enthusiastic. I think I expected him to be older and more serious. I am now referred back to the consultant at Heatherwood Hospital where I started out before Reading. I will  follow up with them next week so I don't fall into any cracks in between the hospitals. I like the consultants line " it doesn't seem like you have lost your appetite while you were receiving treatment"  - I wonder what he was inferring??? It looks like I will now be left alone for 6 weeks while  the radio and chemo carry on doing their thing. As I have mentioned at the start, the treatment is cumulative so now at the end of the 5 weeks it is at it's peak and should remain  working for 5 weeks. So 25 sessions of radio therapy, 50 trips to and from Reading & 280 tablets later (  not that I was counting! )  this part of the journey has come to an end. Every radiographer that has dealt with me has been all I could have wished for - for the time I was with them I was  focus and they made me feel like I was their only patient. I admire their professionalism and dedication in what sometimes must be a difficult environment dealing with patients suffering with various degrees of cancer. 5 weeks have passed so quickly.

Not much change in 5 weeks thankfully

At the start the thought of it was quite daunting but I think I have been very very fortunate not to have had any serious side effects and have managed to keep positive through this part of the journey, again I have to say thank you to all who wished me well and supported me along the way.

So all the hospital stuff done an dusted we went off to celebrate with  brunch at Bill's Cafe. We shared a bacon sandwich ( I had been salivating for a bacon sandwich - but the reality did not live up to expectations I have to say, I am happy not to have another :-) and poached eggs with smoked salmon & hollandaise sauce  was easily the best!

Reading was busy with the Festival crowd coming into town for loos and food - they were all very muddy and beginning to pong - can't think what the attraction is or what they will smell like by Monday!

Early evening met Gillian at Pennyhill Park Hotel (where she had been for a  luxurious Spa Day)  for drinks to celebrate the end of the Reading experience. Enjoyed a pomegranate Bellini - well pomegranate is a super food!  Listened to some cool duo on the double bass and saxophone - relaxing way to start the weekend. Then off to Loch Fyne in Ascot for early dinner - which was an unusual experience! I am not sure why we had greater expectations but the place was busy and noisy - thankfully we were sat in a quiet area in the conservatory and not in the milieu of the main restaurant which was packed , food was good at least.

The last 4

  And I took my last chemo tablets - no more pills and relying on the alarm on my mobile to remind me to take my evening dose.

Celebration coctails

Chilled Gillian

Felt very tired by the time I climbed into my bed at 10.30 - but an eventful day!


Saturday...............

Leisurely breakfast with Gillian chatting non stop as we do while Neil went for a run with Rosemary. He came back laden with blackberries they had picked. Experiments with the blender continues today - smoothies, celery soup and a delicious banana juice with coconut milk and cardamon. Along with homemade spelt bread not only am I  still at the peak of my treatment but also at the peak of healthy eating. G& I ventured to Yoga for Harmony studio in Windsor for a one and a half hour  relaxation class. This included practices to release tension in the body, complete systematic relaxation & relaxed breath training, It certainly lived up to it's name as we both staggered out of there very chilled. Gone are the days when on a Saturday afternoon we would be staggering out of a wine bar after a long lunch:-)

I found that this class was exactly what I needed today as feeling tired for most of the morning and after the class not only was my body feeling more relaxed but so was my mind. Hoped that the relaxed state lasted until bed time and it did!!

A lovely evening with G. Rosemary & Neil - dinner on our laps in front of the TV followed by SATC2 film - what a load of old tosh! Weak story line , fashion excesses, advert for Abu Dhabi when it was filmed in Marrakesh and total fantasy. But in a way strangely compelling!  For all the money these actresses have they have aged as we all do which is reassuring. I think that this was even more poignant for me as I have been watching the series on DVD while I have been resting.

I have developed a mouth ulcer - can't remember when I last had one! More annoying than sore!

Sunday................ a day of two halves.

G left after weekend break at Chez B&N with some small courgettes from the garden, container of homemade celery soup and some spelt bread ! Jeremy and David our friends from North Yorkshire called in for brunch as they were down south visiting family in Walton. It was lovely to see them before they went back north. David commented that the brunch was worthy of one of Alastair Sawday's recommended B&Bs - I was really chuffed! My home made blackberry and apple muffins were a great hit! I wish they lived closer so we could see more of them - but when we meet we pick up where we left off. Lynne came to join us for coffee afterwards and entertained us with her family history stories of the Foskett Family.

After they all left we have had the rest of the day to ourselves.............. reading the papers, watching football and my favourite hobby of course - resting!

Thursday - Penultimate Day

Off to the penultimate visit to the salon on my own yesterday. There was a big traffic jam going into Reading - took me a while to think why,  then I remembered that it was the Reading Festival. So I queued with all the young dudes  but still  made my appointment in time! I was glad that I wasn't camping for the weekend after all the rain that we have had which continued most of yesterday it must be a mud bath in there.


My little Irish trainee radiographer has disappeared - she was always very funny and had bright scarlet hair. She is working in a different salon - I hope to get to see her before I leave.

I got chatting to a lady in the waiting room and she is the mum of the farmer who sells eggs at the Ascot Farmers Market that I went to the other Sunday - must remember to buy some eggs from him next time, he has 25k chickens free range and has to get them in the coop every night to avoid foxes, that must be fun.


I was so tired most of the day so me and my blankey were best friends for  the afternoon and evening. I had a headache - can't remember the last time I had a headache - think it must be due to the heavy weather rather than anything else and I have drunk loads of water.

Had a call from David our friend up North as I had not blogged on Tuesday & Wednesday and the Chief Librarians at Manchester Library were wondering what was happening. Sorry for the blip :-)


So 2 more doses of chemo and 1 more session at the salon left - these 5 weeks have passed very quickly!  Thank you again for all your messages of support and encouragement.

Mid Week Blog

Tuesday brought the awaited road trip to the hospital with Alison. Off we set in her polo with the blacked out windows feeling like we were on our way for a drugs deal with me acting as the live sat nav. We didn't stop talking so the journey there and back really passed quickly this carried on in the waiting room much to the delight of the man behind us who was craning his neck to breaking point  so he could listen in! We were those people on the bus whose conversation we all have tuned into. I felt so much more energised  after having had the benefit of Alison's company which lasted most of the day and into the evening.

Doesn't look like a dealer !!!

The soft diet approach seems to be helping with the digestion process - that Kitchen Aid is my new best friend - smoothies & soups - so  the discomfort has not got any worse.

Wednesday - road trip to the salon with my niece ( real one not adopted) Emma. Again the journey there and back passed very quickly as we didn't stop talking and it was lovely to catch up. I really appreciated the time we had together. Emma is a bit camera shy:-) so no pics allowed but she did buy me a bright red begonia which  I have named in her honour!

A  plant called Emma

Autumnal weather and rain made me take to my bed this afternoon as I was so cold and could not get warm..... it's August so I can't put the heating on yet! I am reading Solar by Ian McEwan - a novel which is about the correct response to climate change, and that we have no choice but to hope that technological ingenuity, enlightened self-interest and the market's allocation of resources can get us off the hook; personal virtue  such as recycling and saving energy counts for little. Strangely interesting.

I like to pick up interesting little sayings that provoke some thought and Lynne passed this one onto me yesterday which sort of sums up the last few days.........


LIFE  ISN`T ABOUT WAITING FOR THE STORM TO PASS                  

   
                                  IT`S ABOUT LEARNING TO DANCE IN THE RAIN

 

So only 2 sessions left!!!

Monday

Just a short entry today........

Only a 15 min delay today and I saw Lucy who was the first radiologist that I saw when I started 4 weeks ago. She has been working in other salons in the hospital. I mentioned my little problem and she arranged for the nurse to call me later that afternoon.  I am picking up a prescription for something that will help should it get any worse.

It was good to chat to the nurse and she agreed that I should be very grateful that there have been no other side effects . As the treatment is cumulative then this week and the next two weeks will be when the drugs and radiation are at their peak. She advised that I should rest when I am feeling tired - not that I need any encouragement!

As the sun came out this evening we went for a walk on Chobham Common with the aim of picking some blackberries. The ones we found were small  and not enough for a pie so the few we did pick I can include in my morning smoothie.

 A great night for City who beat Liverpool 3-0!

Looking forward to my road trip to Reading with Alison who is on hospital duty today!

A small dose of reality

Friday marked the end of week 4.

The session on Friday afternoon was 30 minutes late even though it was all very quiet - they must have had a busy morning. So Lisa must be my lucky mascot Thursday's could be the only appointment that was on time!

The reality and seriousness of this disease hit me quite badly on Friday. A gentleman came in a wheelchair and sat next to me. He was in quite a bad way and in pain. He was awaiting some radiotherapy treatment before being admitted into the hospital. It hit home to me what this is all about and while I am keeping positive and being jovial about it,  witnessing this was a reality check of what cancer is capable of. I drove away from the hospital in quite a downbeat mood. Talking to Neil about it  that evening when he got home from work helped me  to work through this all  in my mind - but not without some tears :-)

Saturday brought a new day- and a easy afternoon of gardening,  and as it usually does  it lifted my spirits and mood. The garden was in a need of a tidy and weed and looked much tidier as a result. But it did take it out of me! No party Saturday night for me - bed at 9.00pm - for a  read of my book and a good sleep.

Loving the new blender I bought last week at JL - we have smoothies a go go!

Sunday - you remember the giant courgette or was it a marrow from the garden. Eventually got to use it. I made a delicious courgette soup for lunch which we shared with Lynne. I think the treatment is now fully working as not only is there the tiredness but since Friday I have had a permanent burning sensation in my lower tummy which is a bit like having a sore tummy when you have eaten the hottest curry or chilli! Frequency of visits to the loo is also increasing. I think that I will leave it at that as I will be accused of providing too much information!

So today is the start of week 5 and by Friday no more trips to the hospital for a few weeks ( I hope)!  Though I may ask them to turn  the dial down by a few degree's given the details above :-)