18th December 2012: I have had trouble getting on line, so this blog is way behind now!
My very last cycle of chemo was 1st and 8th October! Hooray! But how awful I felt with the side effects, as it is accumulative. My cough was exhausting and even after another course of anti-fungal pills (in case it was thrush again), within a few days it had returned. I read the small print in the literature and it said I should have a minimum of 14 days course for throat or internal thrush. I had only had 7 days at a time. So I left a message with my gp, and got another 7 days prescription. I was too busy for this, and had lots of events I had been invited to!
15th - 18th October spent a lovely few days in Selsey with my midwife friends. Jo's newly built Skandihaus (on the footprint of the old bungalow) is amazing! I did not walk as far as I had hoped because I had not done any exercise since finishing my 100 mile walk, due to the chemo side effects. However, the little walks I did, the sea air and the company of friends was very invigorating. I returned home quite refreshed.
Got back in time on 18th Oct. for Marie's 50th birthday lunch - I watched the end of their tennis tournament but I had not planned to play in that as I was fit enough yet. It was great to be with all my tennis friends together (known as The Mad Racquets).
The following week I had my check up scan (the results not for two weeks) then on Sunday 28th October I went to the NTC Music Band Contest at Burgess Hill, where I had been invited in order to show off my Olympic Torch, and hopefully raise some money for GRACE. It was a huge and brilliant event, with boys from younger than 10 and up to 18, performing their marching and musical playing skills at the same time! Wonderful to see.
My cough was worse and very tiresome. I needed to see a gp again. I think, with my low immunity, I had picked up some winter nasal and throat infection on top of what I had already. I had a week to wait before that appointment and had to make do with home remedies.
I was invited to the GRACE Autumn Fair, with my Torch to raise money again, on 7th November. A very cold and wet day, but hot coffee revived me, as well as the joy of meeting so many good and important people: my Consultant, Simon, his secretary(also the GRACE secretary), the lovely Betsy, who is so kind to me, Amanda Burton (yes of tv fame!), the Mayor and his wife and many more. It was extremely busy and quite packed out, so I hope they managed to raise a lot of money for GRACE. We had our photos taken for the press, and for ourselves, together with the dignitaries and celebrities!
The only blot for me was having to go outside, or to the ladies, to have a good cough every now and then! I hoped my gp could do something for me. It was nearly a year and I was tired of it. Thank goodness, a few days later, I saw my gp, who was very accommodating. Realising my low immunity from the chemo, and my problems with thrush and antibiotics, she prescribed amoxycillin for 7 days, along with the anti-fungal pills for 14 days! Job done! I still have a cough, but this is the clearing up process after having suffered it for so long! It is minor compared to what I had before.
13 November 2012: My scan result appointment! Very nervous about this one. I felt no symptoms so hoping for the best. I saw the expert Sophie, one of the Research Doctors in St Luke's. She was very good and explained everything in detail, answering all my questions. I was reassured, even though there are still some metastases in the liver, they are much reduced in size, and the liver is now normal size. Also, there are other treatments now, from all the research, so that when it returns, I still have hope.
27 November 2012: Rockchoir at Denbies Vineyard in Dorking. Since I have not been able to sing, with all of this coughing and laryngitis, Helen - a good friend who was also in Rockchoir with me - and myself went to watch this time. It was amazingly good! Did we really sound like that when we were in the choir? ! Very enjoyable.
December has been even more busy than November! I also started playing tennis again - I need to now because I have not had any real exercise since early June and began to feel very unfit and overweight! It does not really help that after each tennis game (a short one for me at the moment), we indulge in cakes, biscuits and chocolates with our coffee!
This is the season to be jolly, and eat mince pies and drink mulled wine, so why not! I have had several invites to friends' and events leading up to Christmas, so nearly every day there is a good reason to keep celebrating! Cheers!
Have a very Merry Christmas and here's wishing us all a Happy and Healthier New Year 2013!
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