I weigh 84kg. My target is 86, which I will most certainly not reach, but I am content with the increase.
Today we went shopping in the car! First stop was the bank, to pay in some cash and to get my signature witnessed for a form from my Dad's estate. Then we went to buy cat food, and then the garden centre where we had coffee and a cake. From there we drove 20 miles to American Golf in Biggleswade to get Rose some summer golf outfits; normally we are in France for the summer and all her summer golf clothes are down there. We came home via the supermarket to get some supplies, and fuel for the car. I got the fuel whilst Rose went for the food, and then I drove home. It was well after one when we got back - a busy morning that really made both of us feel like normal life. It is a shame I have to go back for another round of chemo on Wednesday!
On Thursday I ordered Rose a new phone from Amazon marketplace, and it arrived this morning (I must go give the vendor 5 stars). This afternoon we learnt how it works (it is just a dumb-phone - a Nokia 2720 flip). Rose is quite mobile-phone averse, and this is my attempt to drag her into the 21st century! Time will tell if I was successful.
We are having one of my favourite meals for dinner; whole roasted sea bass Catalonian style (with anchovies, peppers, tomatoes and garlic) and baked potatoes.
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Friday, 29 April 2011
A little light lunch
I weigh 83.4kg, same as yesterday. This was somewhat disappointing as I feel I ate a lot yesterday. When I cam home I weighed 81.2kg, so I have gained, but less than I would like.
There are only 4 more days of home time left. The time has flown by; as I said it is just like the school holidays!
My health is pretty good; the anaemia is the most obvious and debilitating thing I have. I feel I have built up some muscle tone in my legs (but still not much). A couple of days ago the hospital rang with the preliminary results of the bone marrow biopsy they took 10 days ago; they show I am still in a good remission, and the treatment is on track. Although I had not been thinking about it too much, it was nice to hear.
Today Marilyn and Kim came to visit and we had lunch. We had all been to the supermarket; they bought vegetarian tarts and salad, we bought cream cakes and crumpets. It was not planned but it turned out well. We watched a little bit of the royal wedding. Rose and Marilyn watched the Charles and Diana wedding 30 years ago, so it is somewhat of a tradition for them. This time around, Kim seemed to know more about it than the rest of us, especially the timings.
Brandy is convalescing nicely. If she starts worrying her wound, we may need to put a lampshade collar on her, which we are not looking forward to!
There are only 4 more days of home time left. The time has flown by; as I said it is just like the school holidays!
My health is pretty good; the anaemia is the most obvious and debilitating thing I have. I feel I have built up some muscle tone in my legs (but still not much). A couple of days ago the hospital rang with the preliminary results of the bone marrow biopsy they took 10 days ago; they show I am still in a good remission, and the treatment is on track. Although I had not been thinking about it too much, it was nice to hear.
Today Marilyn and Kim came to visit and we had lunch. We had all been to the supermarket; they bought vegetarian tarts and salad, we bought cream cakes and crumpets. It was not planned but it turned out well. We watched a little bit of the royal wedding. Rose and Marilyn watched the Charles and Diana wedding 30 years ago, so it is somewhat of a tradition for them. This time around, Kim seemed to know more about it than the rest of us, especially the timings.
Brandy is convalescing nicely. If she starts worrying her wound, we may need to put a lampshade collar on her, which we are not looking forward to!
Thursday, 28 April 2011
A busy day
Another good night's sleep. This morning I weighed 83.4kg, a good gain.
Today we took Brandy to have her operation. I am pleased to say it seems to have gone well. We picked her up at 5:30 this evening and she is quite sprightly. Now we have to keep her indoors until the wound has healed a bit, certainly until Tuesday. This will be a challenge as she does like to go out during the day.
This evening, when we went to pick Brandy up, Rose's car stopped working. It is all electronic, but when you push the button to start it, the engine turns over but it does not start! Typical that it should happen at the start of a long holiday weekend. So, we had to push it out of the drive so we could use my car. Thank goodness it is only a Toyota IQ - I don't think I could have pushed a normal car.
This evening Bill came to visit. He is currently over in the UK on business, and kindly took the trouble to come to Hatfield from London. I picked him up at the station and we went for an Italian meal at my local leisure complex. It was really good to see him, and we had a good meal (I used the taste card too).
Quite an eventful day.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Today we took Brandy to have her operation. I am pleased to say it seems to have gone well. We picked her up at 5:30 this evening and she is quite sprightly. Now we have to keep her indoors until the wound has healed a bit, certainly until Tuesday. This will be a challenge as she does like to go out during the day.
This evening, when we went to pick Brandy up, Rose's car stopped working. It is all electronic, but when you push the button to start it, the engine turns over but it does not start! Typical that it should happen at the start of a long holiday weekend. So, we had to push it out of the drive so we could use my car. Thank goodness it is only a Toyota IQ - I don't think I could have pushed a normal car.
This evening Bill came to visit. He is currently over in the UK on business, and kindly took the trouble to come to Hatfield from London. I picked him up at the station and we went for an Italian meal at my local leisure complex. It was really good to see him, and we had a good meal (I used the taste card too).
Quite an eventful day.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
The most fun I have had since Christmas 2010
I slept well last night. This morning I weigh 82.8kg. A small drop but within the bounds of stability.
This morning rushed by, as we did some paperwork and the French tax return. This afternoon, our old friend Kevin came to visit, and since he is a keen golfer we arranged a round of golf at our club.
Now, I am far to weak to play golf. I can not wield a club properly, never mind walk around the course, but we had an idea - we rented a buggy and Rose and Kevin played whilst I drove round in the buggy. It was absolutely brilliant fun. The weather was sunny and breezy, about 19C. Here are Rose and Kevin before we started:
I got out at each shot and walked across to watch one or other play their shots, so I actually got a fair bit of excercise too - my legs and feet feel quite tired as I write. It was a keenly fought contest, with many good shots; Rose came out on top by 4 and 3.
Kevin also bought us a Banoffee pie! We shall have it for desert tonight (pretty soon!).
Going round the golf course really makes me want to play golf, but the chemo is so debilitating :( Even so, I think I may try swinging a nine iron on the driving range at the weekend).
All in all a fantastic day and really good fun.
This morning rushed by, as we did some paperwork and the French tax return. This afternoon, our old friend Kevin came to visit, and since he is a keen golfer we arranged a round of golf at our club.
Now, I am far to weak to play golf. I can not wield a club properly, never mind walk around the course, but we had an idea - we rented a buggy and Rose and Kevin played whilst I drove round in the buggy. It was absolutely brilliant fun. The weather was sunny and breezy, about 19C. Here are Rose and Kevin before we started:
Here I am driving the buggy. It was my first time!
I got out at each shot and walked across to watch one or other play their shots, so I actually got a fair bit of excercise too - my legs and feet feel quite tired as I write. It was a keenly fought contest, with many good shots; Rose came out on top by 4 and 3.
Kevin also bought us a Banoffee pie! We shall have it for desert tonight (pretty soon!).
Going round the golf course really makes me want to play golf, but the chemo is so debilitating :( Even so, I think I may try swinging a nine iron on the driving range at the weekend).
All in all a fantastic day and really good fun.
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Some bad news
This morning I weigh 83kg; I am pleased to have gained some weight at last.
Rose played golf today, and had mixed fortunes - 7 gross pars but 4 double bogeys! I spent the day alone watching some TV on BBC iPlayer and then watching the snooker in the afternoon (I had take-out pizza for lunch). I also did the ironing; it is nice to be able to the odd chore whilst I am home, to give Rose some respite! I did not do much exercise - but everyone knows the rest days are as important as the training days!
A few days ago we noticed a lump in our cat Brandy's armpit, and today we took her to the vet. He said right away that it was a tumor, and probably malignant. It is more bad news for us, especially Rose as Brandy is a loving companion for her when I am away in hospital. After considering the options, we decided to have the tumor removed by surgery; the anaesthesia is a risk, but overall it seems like the best option for prolonged high quality life for Brandy, so wish her luck. Poor Rose ... she is surrounded by cancer!
Rose played golf today, and had mixed fortunes - 7 gross pars but 4 double bogeys! I spent the day alone watching some TV on BBC iPlayer and then watching the snooker in the afternoon (I had take-out pizza for lunch). I also did the ironing; it is nice to be able to the odd chore whilst I am home, to give Rose some respite! I did not do much exercise - but everyone knows the rest days are as important as the training days!
A few days ago we noticed a lump in our cat Brandy's armpit, and today we took her to the vet. He said right away that it was a tumor, and probably malignant. It is more bad news for us, especially Rose as Brandy is a loving companion for her when I am away in hospital. After considering the options, we decided to have the tumor removed by surgery; the anaesthesia is a risk, but overall it seems like the best option for prolonged high quality life for Brandy, so wish her luck. Poor Rose ... she is surrounded by cancer!
Monday, 25 April 2011
A trip to the golf club
I slept well, despite a party next door for our new neighbour's daughter's 18th party. They warned us it would be noisy, but actually it was not really; and they stopped at midnight.
This morning I weigh 82.0kg. My weight is stable but not increasing :(
We went to the golf club to meet our friends Anne and Dave for coffee and a chat. We saw some other golf friends too, and had a nice time. On the way home, we got fish and chips from the chippy for lunch. It was really good!
We spent this afternoon in the garden doing the crossword (with partial success). Then I went for a small nap. This evening we had a nice bottle of wine with dinner. I have blogged about it before, a Beaune Clos du Rois from Tollot Beaut. We had the 2000 vintage and it was really good; a serious complex Burgundy wine, at just about the perfect age.
I did not feel nauseous at all today, so the drugs are working.
This morning I weigh 82.0kg. My weight is stable but not increasing :(
We went to the golf club to meet our friends Anne and Dave for coffee and a chat. We saw some other golf friends too, and had a nice time. On the way home, we got fish and chips from the chippy for lunch. It was really good!
We spent this afternoon in the garden doing the crossword (with partial success). Then I went for a small nap. This evening we had a nice bottle of wine with dinner. I have blogged about it before, a Beaune Clos du Rois from Tollot Beaut. We had the 2000 vintage and it was really good; a serious complex Burgundy wine, at just about the perfect age.
I did not feel nauseous at all today, so the drugs are working.
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Reminders that I am ill
Last night I woke up in the middle of the night hungry. This is the first time I have felt hungry in weeks (since being admitted for the second infection). I went down for a midnight snack: a bowl of cereals seemed the easiest.
This morning I weigh 82.2kg. Another small rise.
Countering the elation that my appetite might be slowly returning, I have had a couple of reminders that I am still ill ...
This morning I weigh 82.2kg. Another small rise.
Countering the elation that my appetite might be slowly returning, I have had a couple of reminders that I am still ill ...
- Each day I inject myself with blood thinner (called deltaparin, brand name Fragmin). This is because I had a clot and they want to keep my blood thin. Yesterday, the puncture from the injection leaked a few drops of blood several hours after the injection. I rang UCH, and they said not to worry, and if it gets worse to come to them, or maybe my local hospital. This morning everything was fine, so yesterday I probably just nicked a capillary.
- For the last few days I have felt a bit nauseous in the mid-morning. This morning Rose and I went for a walk, and on the way home I felt sick, and vomited. It all happened quite quickly. I guess the after effects of the chemo are still with me. I had stopped taking my anti-sickness drugs, but needless to say I have restarted!
- Whenever I stand up, I get dizzy unless I stand up very slowly (feels like Alien unfolding itself in the escape pod). This is because I am very anaemic. I forget to stand up slowly about 50% of time!
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