Well folks, I've finally started getting on with trying to stave off the effects of the steroids and am hitting the streets for my walks. On Tuesday, Sarah and I spent two hours walking around the common. It was slow progress, with me walking about half the speed of normal, but it was good to get out in the sunshine and fresh air. Sarah enjoyed messing around on some of the children's play equipment (I am still negotiating the right to publish some lovely photographic evidence of this!) and we managed to avoid getting attacked by some odd looking ducks that seemed to be put out that we hadn't taken any bread!
Wednesday was the day to remove my second condom bottle. This time we changed tactics and instead of waiting around all day for a district nurse to arrange to come in the evening and then arrive 2 hours after they said they would, we headed back to the hospital and my lovely chemo nurses sorted me out in less than an hour. All this meant that I was able to get out of the house for a spot of lunch with Sarah, her friend Jane and Jane's baby girl Alex. Another cute baby and she won some extra brownie points by pooping so much that it came out of her nappy onto Sarah!! Ha ha ha! Once she (Alex) had been freshened up with a new nappy and baby grow I had a little cuddle, giving me the chance to try to remember the words to nursery rhymes! I think I remembered most of the words and may well have made some up too!!
After dispatching Sarah back up north first thing yesterday, I have been flying solo the last couple of days. Yesterday I made it for an hours walk around the shops and to the Post Office - remember folks, it is Mothers Day this weekend - to post a pressie to Granny from Sarah and I. Apparently it has arrived already - thanks Royal Mail!
Yesterday evening ended up with me watching the DVD of Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Cancer. Kris is a cancer survivor in the US who has written books and made a documentary of her cancer adveenture. I thinks she is a very inspiring woman who is living with her tumours and getting on with life. I have found her books and the DVD very informative, often humorous and offering a great perspective on how to not let cancer take over your life. After watching the DVD, I made the possible mistake of hitting the internet again and spent a few ££!! Oops! I am just grateful that I have porters to accept my parcels rather than having to traipse down to the sorting office. One of the things that I ordered was this cute t-shirt (a semi-colon to cover the scar from my sub-total colectomy)!
http://www.cafepress.co.uk/+semicolon_organic_womens_fitted_tshirt_dark,391709986
And so what have I managed to achieve today? Well, I have had another walk on the common and today managed an hour and a half - I covered much the same ground as Tuesday and so my pace must have picked up a bit. I did find Sarah another playground to mess around on though!! So there may be another embarrassing photo op in a week or so when she is next down for baby-sitting / house elf duties! ;-)
When I got back from my walk, having listened to my audible book - I think I got through 22 chapters of Private by James Patterson - I made the mistake of sitting down on the sofa so two hours latter I woke up!! It made me feel a bit grotty so I guess I am not yet at the chemo phase of needing an afternoon sleep yet! Although energy levels are low, I think there is a little way to go before the need for a siesta kicks in. Hopefully I wont get that far for a few cycles yet - I think it was beyond the half way stage last time around that the need kicked in.
Anyway, I am now gearing up for a weekend of sport and parents! Tomorrow we get to see if the new look England rugby team can hold off the Irish and if the Welsh can win another grand-slam! We also get to see what the Beeb can do with only having highlights of the Formula 1. I hope that they do a good job of it as I have got a number of hours set aside this year with the need for something to do! ;-) It's all a good thing that I am an armchair sports fan!!!
Next week looks like it could be a busy one - on Monday we get to have our first venture to the Royal Surrey Hospital in Guildford to meet with my liver specialist. Hopefully he will be able to give us a bit on an idea of what surgery will be needed and the timeline for it all. I am expecting that I will be set back to square one with having abdominal surgery again - and just when I was staring to build on my six-pack!! ;-) I wonder if I can persuade this surgeon to include a free tummy tuck and liposuction this time. Last time, they wouldn't agree as I was having a three-for-one on body part removal as it was (most of my colon, an ovarian cyst and some fibroids)!!! After Monday's appointment I am having a fun few days with an old uni friend coming down to help me celebrate getting through another birthday on chemo! Next year, the big 35 will NOT be spent in this situation and I WILL be celebrating with the good bubbles rather than lemonade or Perrier water! The end of the week will then be spent going to and from the hospital again for a blood test and PICC line flush on Thursday and my fortnightly oncology clinic appointment on Friday, with Mum and Dad no doubt coming back for that. By the end of the week, my poor parents will have certainly clocked up the motorway miles!!
Anyway folks, there is just time for me to catch up on some US cop drama - NCIS and The Mentalist - before bed!
Take care everyone and happy mothers day to all you mums out there!!!!
xxxxxx
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