Friday - 11 days to go

(but I am not counting - honest)!!!

After being awake all night Tue - Wed, the last two nights have been fairly settled, albeit I have been worried that I would not get to sleep. In the end though I managed to get two full nights sleep. I am still waking up in the morning almost as tired as I have been going to bed, but there you go.

I have taken this week off work and I am glad that I have done so. I am not sure how I would be getting through the day. I suppose that it is not so much the during the day bit, but rather how I would feel in the evening and also by this time at the end of the week. I don't know how much I have in the way of energy reserves.

I have one more dose of the steroid to go - sometime this afternoon, For the fist four cycles I was taking it at the same time as the evening chemo dose and I that, I am not sure, was one of the main cause of my sleeplessness at night. When I saw the consultant at the half way point, he suggested that I took the steroid during the day - not quite so convenient, from a remembering point of view, but certainly better that being awake at 4 am. In general, when I have managed to do so, it has made a difference as you can see from above.

I am not looking forward to this weekend, as I come off the steroid. I think there are withdrawal symptoms from this. I am generally very tired for the weekend and into the Monday and it has really been the Tuesday of the next week before I start to feel a bit more human again, but this is the last time (just keep repeating it to yourself, Graham).

that is enough for now,
back soon

God bless

Graham

Silence is golden

I have been away from my computer for four whole days – four days!

With our three older children away at Newday (they had a great time by the way) and one of our wonderful friends taking Katie away for us, we were left completely alone – I can't remember the last time we had three nights on our own – about sixteen and a half years ago I think. Anyway, we took the chance to slip away. We went to the Norton House Hotel, just outside the centre of Edinburgh. We spent the afternoon in the pool at the hotel. They had a very nice pool, along with a sauna and steam room. We had our meal at The Apartment in (doesn't have a website!?!) which was excellent although I thought the portions could be bigger.

I had Sea Bass with Saffron Roast Potatoes, with a rather nice chardonnay, followed by the cheese board. I am finding, as I get older, that I am choosing a sweet much less often and cheese more so. A piece of good cheese along with homemade oatcakes is much more satisfying.

We spent the next day in the pool again. It was good to swim again, although I suspect that I may have pulled a couple of muscles in my stomach. We had just left the pool and ordered lunch when we received a text from Becky saying that they would be back in twenty minutes – we were not expecting them to get back until that evening. We rushed our lunch (Helen burnt her mouth) and raced round the bypass to meet them, only to find that they were not due back for another hour – grrrrr – then they turned up two minutes later :-O

So now our house is full again, with the kids back from their various holiday excursions, and we are all – including Helen – are getting ready for school next week.

More soon….