I think the title sums it all up. Nothing very much has happened since our last blog.

Health first.

It is now six months since our last appointment with the oncology consultant at West Suffolk Hospital. Over that time very little has changed. I still feel perfectly well, other than being more tired than I used to be, but as we have said before that could just be down to growing older. 

Despite the pandemic I have continued to have absolutely brilliant care from both the hospital and our local GP surgery. One of the unlisted side effects of having an advanced cancer diagnosis is that it has turned me into a bit of a hypochondriac. In the past I rarely saw the doctor, but now if I have a new and unexplained ache or pain, I find that I cannot settle until I have spoken to a medical professional. As a recent example, I had back pain a few months ago that I could not shake. I tried some Pilates exercises, which I found helpful, but the back pain remained. One of the benefits of being on a cancer drug trial is that I can call one of the research nurses and chat with them about anything that is worrying me. On this occasion the nurse discussed my concerns with the consultant and booked me in for an xray the following day. They called me with the results a couple of days later, which showed just standard wear and tear (or age related degenerative changes). As soon as I knew the reason for the pain, I stopped worrying about it and thankfully it has now largely disappeared. 

I won’t bore you with any more examples, but there have been several like this and each time my GP or the hospital take me seriously and give me prompt and caring attention. I couldn’t ask for better.

We have just had our six monthly meeting with the oncology consultant. As usual we are always tense beforehand. We received the results of the blood test last week. This time the PSA, which is how the growth of the cancer is measured, has risen to 7.6. Whilst this is still relatively low, it is the largest rise we have seen, so we were both a bit fed up for a while.  Dr Woodward has booked me in for a CT scan, which I will have just before we see her again at our next appointment in three months. Surprisingly this will be the first scan I’ve had since I was diagnosed in late 2016. Previously, she has said that I may start an additional treatment when the PSA reaches double figures. This may not happen until next summer, or it might be when we see her in September. We will let you know how it goes.

Good News!

While writing this blog we have received the excellent news that my Nephew, Luke and his partner Jenny have just had their first baby boy. Welcome to the world, Oscar Patrick Betham. Congratulations to you all. We can’t wait to meet the new addition to the family.

Work

I continue to  work at a local care home occasionally. I cover sickness and holidays, which I find is enough most of the time. I enjoy working there as they only have a few residents, so it is like cooking for a large family.

I have also worked a few volunteer shifts, helping with the vaccination roll out. This has mainly been welcoming and booking in those coming in for their jabs. It is always a really positive atmosphere. Everyone seems so happy to be getting their vaccinations, although there are several who are quite nervous as well.

Bim has continued to work all through the Pandemic. She is relieved that she can now start to inspect all the businesses on her patch again, having been unable to during all the lockdowns. Not surprisingly she has already found a few dirty kitchens that have fallen below the required standards. It will take quite some time to catch up with the backlog. 

On a positive note Bim has now been permanently granted her 4 day week which we are very pleased with. It will allow us to spend a bit more time together doing the things we enjoy.

Travel

As you know by now, this blog started out as a way of keeping friends and family up to date  about my health. This quickly changed into a travel blog as well, after we re-discovered holidays. Along with everyone else in this country and abroad, holidays have been in short supply over the last 18 months or so. We had a dream trip to Amari Havodda in the Maldives booked for April 2020. Not surprisingly, this has been cancelled and rebooked several times since then. It has now been moved to September this year. This is the sixth time it has been changed and hopefully we will be able to get away this time. Happily our oncologist has given her blessing for us to go. With the future treatment for my prostate cancer being uncertain, we are determined to make the most of these opportunities while I am still healthy enough to do so. 

We are very pleased that the restrictions on seeing friends have at last been lifted. We have been busy catching up with seeing everyone again. We enjoyed a lovely few days with Ellie and Connor visiting us, along with Connor’s mum and husband, Tracy and Garry. It was great to be able to have  guests at last and I enjoyed cooking lots of vegan food for everyone.

We have also caught up with Chris for a weekend, Ruth & Russell, and Richard & Helen for lunch and we had a relaxing few days staying with Maurice & Gary in beautiful Shropshire. I have to compliment Maurice on his cocktail making skills. The Pina Coladas were fantastic!

Here’s hoping that life will get back to some sort of normal soon. 

Keep healthy everyone.