The gym.....

The gym beckoned this morning. Why did I think this was a good idea? Monday seemed a long way off when I booked last week to see Ben the Personal Trainer.Monday suddenly appeared and here I was at 10 this morning all ready to go - feeling slightly apprehensive on how my body would react after no exercise (apart from walking Colin )for over a year.

I shouldn't have worried as Ben had done some research after our meeting last week and had come up with a plan. So after warming up on the cross trainer for 10 mins - which wasn't too bad and some stretching to get my leg muscles warmed up I ventured onto the treadmill. I hope that he wasn't going to take me straight into running as I did not think I would have the stamina for that. No he had other plans. I set the pace so that I was walking at a quick pace and that after 2 minutes I had to start to increase the incline every 30 seconds until I reached a point where on a scale of 1-10 I was at a 7. I reached level 10 on the first round - which I was pleased with. Then I walked at a slower pace on a level treadmill.

Two more rounds followed win which I managed to get to 11 and then 12 - so I was happy and I did not feel that I had overdone it but felt like I had a work out. Some stretching exercises to finish off and it was all over. I actually enjoyed it and have an appointment to see him again next week. Meanwhile I have a programme that I can work on so that when I see Ben next week I will see some improvement.

Too Many Santas

I saw too many Santas on Sunday! Neil ran with some of our new dog walking friends in the Annual Santa Dash  in aid of Thames Hospicecare. A 5k run through Swinley Forrest - and you guessed it the runners were all dressed as Santa! Here are some photos...................

Neil dressed as Santa,Colin in his red harness and me before the race.

Neil, Maureen, Peter, Bob & Heather

Too many Santas!

Lots of Santas!

And More!

Start of the Dash.

 Poor Colin he was at ground level and so too many legs! He was sniffing everyone's feet trying to find Neil  - I had to pick him up as Santas were tripping over him! Neil did a good time of 27 mins.

And Colin finally found the right Santa - Neil!

One Year Ago today....................

I had my operation to remove the tumour. A year seems a long time and upon reflection it is seems longer than that and sometimes it feels like it has all passed so quickly. It has been one of the most unusual years of my life.

Ironically yesterday (one year to the day that I was admitted into hospital before my major op) I had a follow up meeting with the consultant at Basingstoke to see how I was after the operation at the end of Sept. He was very pleased with my progress and he examined my tummy and he said that all had healed nicely. I told him on my progress in terms of trips to the loo which has now reduced again to 3-4 times a day and that I can now get out and about. He and the co-rectal cancer nurse were very pleased with this news as some patients can take up to 6 months to a year to get to the stage I am at. So I was delighted with this news and he said that things will still continue to improve

The best news of all is that he has agreed to be responsible for follow ups and monitoring going forward. I have great faith in his expertise and in Basingstoke's attention to detail in arranging appointments and there is hardly any delay when you attend an appointment. I was sent for a blood test so that they could measure my CEA (Carcinoembryonic Antigen) levels to see how they are a year on after surgery and 6 months after chemo. I then will have to a colonoscopy in January. If all clear then a colonoscopy will not be required for 3 years but if there are then they will be annually. I then have a CT scan in July as that is a year since the chemo finished. So there is a plan for monitoring me going forward which I am happy about.

I continue to keep busy - I have even ventured back to the gym as I would like to improve my strength and stamina. After doing virtually no exercise apart from walking Colin I realise that this could be a long slog. I was lucky that the gym has given me three free sessions with a Personal Trainer. I met with him last Thursday for a fitness assessment. I was surprised that my body fat percentage was 21% - which is a good indication that there has not been huge muscle wastage over the last year. I am looking forward to Monday as I meet with him again to start work on a training programme he will have put together for me.



 

Another week

Almost another week has passed by and the progress continues.............

I drove my car.
I went to meet my sister for coffee on Tuesday morning and was out for 2 and a half hours.

I have walked Colin every afternoon for about an hour.

I have cooked supper for friends.

I have lost a few kilos so my clothes fit more comfortably.
I have taken all the stoma spare supplies that I had no more use for anymore to a charity in Bracknell that sends them to Africa. They can not be used in the UK for all sorts of health reasons so I was pleased that I found this charity so I did not have to throw them away as I hate waste.
I am only waking once in the night and continue to sleep well.
I have done some gardening which I really enjoyed.

I planted my Amaryllis that Lynne bought me and it has shoots already - something to look forward to.

So all normal simple things you take for granted but when you can do them again they mean so much!

Making good progress

I can't believe that my last post was the 17th October.
Since then things have progressed in the right direction. I am feeling so much more positive than when I last posted. I was beginning to feel slightly down. This was all tied in with the fact that after all my treatments and two operations I was still not back to full health and normality. I was beginning to question what normality for me would ever be again.

I sat myself down and did some research on some reputable websites and looking back at blog entries for when there was a new challenge to deal with and how I reacted I came up with a new plan. When I decide what I perceive is the right path for me I feel empowered and so my positivity increases.

I revamped my diet - I think that I was including too many fruits and vegetables too soon into my diet that  my system was able to cope with. I was told I could eat anything and so I was. I decided to try a variation on the low residue diet that I had to follow when I came out of hospital last year which albeit boring does the trick in settling my system down. Once that happens I can start to introduce different foods. I ate smaller meal portions so I did not overload my digestive system. Everything that I ate or drank I recorded in a food diary and also monitored how this was effecting the number of times I need to visit the loo.

I started this new regime on the 20 October and the results have been very good. I only wake once in the night so I am getting a good night's sleep again. It has seriously cut down the number of  times I need to go to the loo. Eating smaller meals more  frequently means my energy levels stay more even. I have resumed "walking Colin duties". With the hour change last weekend I am now responsible for his afternoon walk that now replaces his evening walk now it is dark at 5.00 pm. I am so enjoying getting back out in the fresh air and he is remarkably well behaved.

I no longer need a nap in the afternoons.
I have been to Fego for lunch and been sat there for well over an hour with no discomfort. I am beginning to find that I have periods of 4 to 5 hours when I do not need the loo.

So all good progress. I feel like I am emerging from a fog, my sense of humour is returning and am feeling much happier and more positive.

Things are not perfect and will take time to get there - but I have made a good start. As a dear friend pointed out to me - if you had not been using your leg for that last 10 months and you had to start using it again it would take time to build up strength and time for your leg to realise what it was supposed to do - so just because you can't see your large colon why should it have to behave any differently. True I think - it needs time to do what it is supposed to do  again. So we are on this part of the journey now............... it certainly has been a journey longer than anticipated but at the same time I am learning so much.