Our Story

The first thing to
say is that we had an amazing time in the Maldives again. You won’t be
surprised to hear that, I know. We do appear to have changed from the people we
were, never going away on holiday, to needing a spell in the sun every six
months at least!

The highlights from
our trip to the paradise island of Bodu Hithi in the Indian Ocean were swimming
with turtles, dolphins and an uncountable variety of reef fish. But the event
that topped them all was a serene sunset cruise. Sailing on the calm waters in
a traditional Maldivian Dhoni, sipping a glass of chilled fizz while the sun
gradually sank below the horizon.

We had some great
food, including a beach barbecue serving grilled lobster and very fresh tuna.
Our table was on the sand with the sea just feet away. This was another
memorable evening.

Here are a few photos
from our stay. We can’t wait to return again, hopefully early next year.

Back to our life living
with advanced cancer. I know that when I saw others going through similar
illnesses I always used to think that I did not know how I would cope if it was me.
I expect most of you have thought something similar. Well we have now had a
year and a half to work out how to cope with our ‘unfortunate situation’. I saw
a report on the news yesterday which said that the mental side effects of a
cancer diagnosis and treatment is actually more difficult to deal with than the
physical effects. I agree completely with this. We have tried a bit of counselling
and group meetings on occasion but most of the time we both find that if we
talk openly to each other and to some of our friends about our worries we can
manage quite well.

We have told you
before that our apprehension builds up before every oncology appointment, and
this worry always focusses on the dreaded PSA level. It has been as low as 0.4,
which is very good, but if you read the previous post, you will know that it
has risen on the last two occasions. It is certain to go up more in the future,
but the different treatments available may help slow that inevitable rise down
for a while.

Because we have been
so fixed on the PSA up to now, it has taken me a while to realise that we are
going to become more and more stressed over the next phase of my treatment as
it rises. It suddenly occurred to me that if I stopped worrying about PSA and
just focussed on how I feel, that would be a much better way of coping with the
future. It really felt like a revelation, and the key point here is that I feel
absolutely fine at the moment. So that is now our new strategy.

I am continuing to
work for a couple of retirement homes, cooking lunch for the residents. I find
that I still really enjoy cooking and I try to present what is quite a basic
menu as well as I can. I just work two days a week on a casual basis, which is
great as it gives me time to spend doing the other things I have never really
had time for. At this time of year it has been fantastic to have more time in
the garden. I have even developed a bit of a tan, which I have never really
managed before working so many hours indoors.

Bim mentioned in one
of her posts that we are making the most of our lives at the moment and are
determined to enjoy ourselves while we can. It may seem strange to say that
despite my illness, or more accurately because of it, I am having the time of
my life right now. And I intend to carry on doing that for as long as I can!