Hi, back again, just to let you know that I am still alive. Life goes on, just the same.
This last week has been quiet at work - when I checked I found that I still had nineteen days of holiday to take before the end of the year, so I have been takingt a few days of , I think, well earned rest - except that it wasn't restful over the weekend. Parties are kind of like buses around here - you wait ages for one and then three turn up at once!
Our very good friends Graeme and Ulupi Barnett are abandoning us - Ulupi has been acepted for teacher training in Nottingham (where her family lives) so they are due to leave this weekend. They had an open house for their friends and neighbours. We were not sure if we would be able to make it - obviously we have challanges, not least of which are hair appointments(!?!) and School Bugs. Helen had been coming down with her first cold of the year (teachers get every cold that goes around) which flaired into life on Friday evening.
Helen stayed at home, sleeping on Saturday, but the rest of us spent a lovely afternoon at the Barnetts. Ulupi is a fantastic cook and there was some great food for us. We left around 4.30, just as our replacements were arriving.
We headed back to Livingston and stopped off for some petrol. In the petrol station we met two of our other friends on the way to Natalie for her 40th birthday. I took the kids down there, with our friends following. I went back home to see how Helen was (still not well enough to go out) then joined them. There were loads of kids there this time (as Natalie and Bernard have kids, whereras Graeme and Ulupi are dinkys). More fantastic food, along with the kids having a great time, then back home.
Helen had drunk enough Day Nurse to float a battleship and just about felt up to going out, so Helen and I headed off to our third party. Helen's headmistress was having a 50th at her house, and while it wasn't quite a three line whip, it was the 'right thing' to do. In fact we had a great time again, and I met all Helens colleagues. We did leave early though, because both of us were about to fall over, and not from the drink!
On Sunday we had a lie in and then off to our final social event of the weekend, a christening for Emma McGlynn. Emma was born while I was in hospital and the McGlynns were the first people we went to see after I was released. When we went to see them we did not know how bad I was - or rather, how blessed I was - and I sat on their setee in a bit of a daze, watching Becky and Claire cuddle this new life, wondering if I would see my children hold their own babies.
Now, a couple of months and a great deal of prayer on from that Saturday morning, I have been told that my chances of seeing this are pretty much as good as any one. I guess because of this memory I have a bit of a soft spot for Emma. I haven't told anyone else that and I can't remember if John or Lindsey (her parents) read this, but I suppose someone may tell them.
Anyway, Sunday morning we were at St Peter's Caltholic Church in Livingston, at the Baptism of Emma, followed by a nice reception at the Livingston Inn.
So came the end of our party animal weekend.
Symptoms bit - if you don't want the grusome details finish now....
Still here? Ok lets get on...
I have been on my second cycle of chemo for a week now. The Ox drip was fine and the Cap tablets have been ok. I am on a slightly reduced dose this time, 1600mg instead of 2000mg last time. I have not had any particular symptoms again, in the same way as last time. There was the pins and needles effect again, but this had pretty much gone by the end of Wednesday, slightly more than 24 hours later.
One of the reasons for writing this is to help anyone else going through this in the future. I hope that this does not happen, but given that there are more than 30000 new cases of Colon Cancer in the UK each year, this is probably a bit of a forlorn hope to he honest. That being the case, I am puting in details that people perhaps would not normally talk about at polite dinner parties. Maybe that is one of the things that is wrong with life today...
Last chance to leave...............
You can't say I didn't warn you.
Last chance...
One thing I have noticed is that my bowl movements have changed. I have been waking up every night to go to pee every couple of hours, probably three times a night. At the same time I had not been to the toilet properly (rabbit droppings - enough said).
What I think was happening, was that the drugs syphon off the liquid leaving the pellets. One of the functions of the colon is to do this, and then move on the solid waste using infinitesimal muscle contractions.
One of the anti-sickness drugs (I have never mentioned them, but I have four different types and amounts to take at various time through each cycle) is the main suspect at the moment. I reckon that it is reducing the muscle spasms which cause sickness and at the same time is also reduceing the 'waste management' function.
I am watching the Secret Millionaire at the moment and I am distracted by the programme. I will not write about this at the moment - the subject is not appropriate for this post, but I guess that my next post will be on a different subject, and I want your comments on it.
I think that is enough for now,
cheers
Graham
