Monday 31st December

Monday 31^st December

This time last year I was celebrating New Year’s Eve with friends and looking forward to what 2012 would bring......

I did have lots of good things happen and events that were well worth celebrating, births, weddings, parties, and graduations to name but a few. I have enjoyed meeting lots of new people and I have made many new friends as well as strengthened relationships with old friends.

My blood tests today were not good; my white cells had dropped even lower to 0.49, ironically my clotting platelets were up to 124!! After a brief chat with the doctor it was quite apparent that with those results there is no way I could have Chemo, despite the intervention of the GCSF injection, it just wasn’t happening.

I will now be waiting for a CT scan to see what, if anything is going on in my abdomen! My hope is that it is clear, and then I guess I am in ‘remission’. However this time I am not ‘counting any chickens’ as I have been through this “I have finished Chemo” lark and then the Marsden had other ideas!!

I do not usually make any New Year resolutions, and I’m not being any different this year except I aim to work hard, get myself fit, and appreciate all that life has to offer, in other words ‘Carpe diem’.

Wishing everyone a very Happy and healthy New Year….

 

Sunday 30th December

Sunday 30^th December

Happy birthday to two friends who celebrated their birthdays today, EH and KA, one partying and one working!

Had a lovely service at church this morning, followed by drinks at GB’s house, and that really set the tone for today! A quick lunch and another dog walk before going to JP and RP’s house for another ‘drinks’ do- thanks to all parties concerned and for all the good wishes collected during the course of the day!

At the hospital tomorrow at 9am for blood test, with a provisional appointment booked at 3pm for chemo…

I have been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots. Apparently, you can't go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.

I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.

I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work.

I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore.

I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often.

I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.

Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older.

One of my favourite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!

And, sometimes I think I am in Vincible but life shows me I am not!

Rick Widdison

Saturday 29th December

Saturday 29^th December

Still felt a bit tired this morning….despite early night, joints are aching and couldn’t work out why- it’s that dratted injection- feels like I’ve had the chemo!! Luckily eased off as the day went on, and I did manage to elicit a certain amount of sympathy from aunt so that she felt compelled to do some cleaning (mind you, she did make a lot of the mess in the first place!)

Muddy dog walk before lunch and then the ‘Grand Master’ of Canasta took on the two men of the house, and reigned supreme again.

 In fact this afternoon we were so fed up with her that we put her on a plane and sent her back to the UK…….. 

I shall miss her greatly.

Who else can I be so impossibly rude about?

Her flight had hardly taken off before our house was invaded by ‘Chinese take-away’ munching youths, eleven of them taking up two rooms drinking tea and talking while simultaneously watching Lord of the Rings!!! 

The poor dog nearly wet herself………

“Remember, a puppy isn't just for Christmas.

They're quite nice cold on Boxing Day, too.”   

Friday 28th December

Friday 28^th December

Set off reasonably early to play tennis at les Ormes this morning, it was a pay and play session and luckily as there were a few people there I didn’t have to play too many matches with my aunt…..

By the time we had shopped at M&S on the way home I was ready for lunch, fortunately hubby and daughter had walked Jessie on the beach earlier. Although that wasn’t without some mishaps including a lady, a muzzled dog and some large rocks, but that’s another story!

Never ending housework/washing/vacuuming took up a large part of the afternoon before we took jess for what was supposed to be a short walk, but ended up being a long walk as the stepping stones over the stream in the wood were awash with fast running water and we couldn’t cross over!!!

The seven of us enjoyed a roast chicken supper this evening, which we all played a part in preparing and clearing up (some more than others , but we won’t nit-pick!!!

Whilst I was out I received another phone call from hospital suggesting that I came in at 9am Monday morning so if bloods were good to go they had more time to prepare chemo……..

If your problem has a solution then...why worry about it? If your problem doesn’t have solution then...why worry about it?

- Chinese Proverb

Thursday 27th December

Thursday 27^th December

Cadged a lift into town early this morning with Son no 2 to meet up with FB and view the sale goods at Next. She then kindly gave me a lift to the hospital at 9.15am- early for once! After being greeted by the lovely nurse JL and had the usual blood test, it was a question of waiting…..

The results came back…. 84 for clotting platelets, hurrah, on the rise, BUT, and of course it’s a big BUT, my white cells are low at 1.7 my haemoglobin has dropped to 9.8 and my neutrophils are 0.78- so basically all this means is, I’m Neutropenic again!!

More waiting, more doctor to doctor discussions, who then finally decided that the best plan is to give me a GCSF injection to boost up my white cells, and hope my platelets don’t nose dive, and ‘review’ me again with another blood test Monday morning- with a possibility of chemo in the afternoon…. 

Happy Days!

Well, at least I know how I’m spending New Year’s Eve! (By the way my liver functions are all back to ‘normal’) One less worry for the time being!

Hubby came and picked up his poor deflated and momentarily tearful wife, who is finding the ‘ups and downs’ of the pantomime chemo a little tough- “Yes she is”, “No she isn’t”!!!

Anyway- there were two ladies in the ward that really were poorly, so I have absolutely NOTHING to complain about!

Had an extra-large hug from SW who popped in this afternoon to not only cheer me up, but also to learn/beat the Aunt at the card game Canasta (she very nearly did, but the Aunt reigned supreme) In fact we are all starting to tire of her ‘winning’ things all the time- it’s getting boring…..

I thought we could go to badminton tonight and join up with a club night; fortunately there were enough of us willing players to be able to play on two courts. We had a really good evening and had some close games and some not so close….!!

Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game.

Voltaire