We have realised that we’ve been a bit remiss in not updating the blog in three weeks since the last chemo session. This can be taken as good news as all is going well; it’s business as usual, and we’re recognising the pattern of side effects and how John feels is consistent after each chemo session. If anything he is beginning to feel more tired for longer, but this is to be expected and does not give cause for concern. In the couple of days before a chemo session he feels almost back to normal. He continues to go to work and has managed to do some almost full days, much to the surprise of the medical team. In addition to the side-effects that we’ve mentioned before, he also now gets particularly dry hands and has found that he can’t operate his tablet without using a stylus. That’s a side effect that wouldn’t have been a problem just a few years ago. We have also noticed that the hairs on his legs are falling out, and he is getting a bit of a ‘steroid bloaty’ face. Or perhaps he’s just put on a little weight?
On Tuesday we had a meeting with the clinical oncolgy nurse, who is happy with how he is responding. The hospital has now recruited a second man to take part in the Metformin trial alongside John.
When we arrived at hospital today we thought we’d take a selfie to attach to the blog. We failed miserably, so John decided to produce a graph (oh, how he loves Excel) to show the progress of his falling PSA levels (1.36 today):
On Sunday we had friends (Ruth and Russell) visit us who also were given a cancer diagnosis in the same week as John. Being in contact with Ruth and Russell during treatment has been great moral support to us all. Russell has received aggressive treatment which has necessitated being fed via a stomach tube. He has been unable to eat a meal in almost 4 months, but is now gradually reintroducing some small items of food. John cooked a perfect lunch which Russell was able to eat, enjoy and appreciate the flavours which he has missed since his treatment started. It was quite a momentous occasion which we were honoured to be part of. Onwards and upwards for Russell’s recovery.
Ellie will be shaving her head on 17th March to raise funds for the My Wish charity at West Suffolk Hospital. She has already far exceeded her target and has currently raised £1500, so this will most likely go higher still when she shakes a donation bucket under her fellow student’s noses in the uni bar next week. Dan’s fundraising for Cancer Research has also raised over £1500 – fantastic totals for both charities. Thank you to everyone that has supported us so generously! xx
My news is that I left Huntingdonshire District council last week after 15 years. Friends and colleagues gave me a wonderful send-off, and I will miss them all enormously. I will not, however miss the 120 mile a day trip to get to-and-from work. I start my new post in Bury on Monday – just 8 miles from home which will be quite a treat. The job came just at the right time as work/life balance is now so important.