Sunday 30th September

Sunday 30^th September

The weather was perfect for the Coastal Charity Walk from the Dolphin to St Catherine’s- hubby and I set off at 11am with Jessie. The views across the bays were beautiful and made you appreciate being fortunate to live in such a lovely island. We passed Jessie over to our daughter at Bel Val, as that was far enough for her- and after looping around St Catherine’s headed back.

 We sat in the sun and enjoyed a buffet lunch, and shared a table with Mr and Mrs NP, good to catch up with each other’s news.

I rested and slept a bit when we got home, had visit from sis-in-law-which was nice ,then had to get changed quickly for Harvest Church service- hubby was doing a reading- it was a pleasant service with lots of input from the congregation!

We had a late supper when we got back (after leaving tea ready for 5 teenagers before we left!) so, all in all an excellent but tiring day- AND annoyingly my ulcers have returned with a vengeance. So singing (or trying to) and talking/eating proving painful. Guess my white cells are rubbish, (and I was hoping to do away with those tablets, but not yet…)

“When real people fall down in life, they get right back up and keep walking.”

Sarah Jessica Parker

Saturday 29th September

Saturday 29^th September

The question at the hospital last night was “I expect you’re feeling much better now?”. Truth been known I wasn’t feeling any different! In fact I was so tired that I was in bed and asleep before 9.45pm!

Jessie and I took our usual morning constitutional, and it was lovely down at St Catherine’s at 8am just as the sun was coming through the clouds. I did walk up La Pont without stopping, so I guess the extra blood had helped after all!!.

We did have a bit of an issue with the last unit of blood; the nurse unfortunately pierced the bag whilst trying to set it up, so a make shift ‘plaster’ was applied. In order to narrow the risk of the bag leaking, the machine was set for a speedy transfer. It took about 35 minutes, instead of the usual 2/3 hours, think my arm took a bit of a beating!!! 

During my long day at the hospital I was unaware of the drama unfolding back at home, which in hindsight was just as well but I will recount the story…..

We (my daughter and I) left for college/hospital at 8.15am, I had woken a son up as instructed (I shall not name him in order to spare his embarrassment). Various members of the family recounted the details of what happened next. 

He went into the bathroom to have a shower, a normal event (despite him being a boy). Now I must tell you that we have had trouble with one of the sliding doors in the shower unit- it ‘sticks’ and requires a certain skill to manoeuvre it into place. Son (despite being half asleep managed it admirably). He had his shower, but upon exiting the unit didn’t use two hands to slide the door, he just held the handle and yanked it.

The whole door swung off its runners and crashed onto the base of the unit shattering glass all over the unit and the whole bathroom (made doubly worse as a tiled floor). So picture this…. Son stood in the shower dripping wet and obviously naked surrounded by thousands of broken glass fragments, still holding the shower handle……

He did manage to extricate himself from the bathroom, but suffered minor cuts to his feet, I realise it could have been far, far worse, but actually we all found it highly amusing.(infantile sense of humour) He could have suffered irreparable damage to his nether regions (luckily unscathed)!!

The story continues, the son wisely put a note on the door saying ‘out of order’, (had to leave it and rush off to work!!) and another son ignoring the note stepped into the bathroom with bare feet and ……trod on the broken glass!!!! 

Husband arrived home mid-morning, also missed/ignored the note and trod on the glass…!!! He did however a very good job of clearing up the majority of the mess. 

I came back from my walk this morning and did a thorough hoover/clean wash down of the entire room. It’s amazing how far small pieces of glass can travel!

I played three games of pentanque this afternoon, lost 2-1 but really enjoyed it in the sunshine, and felt more like my old self. Came back with the intention of walking the dog again, but found three sons in the meadow with chain-saw, strimmer, axe, and Jessie!!! (They were clearing a path into the woods!)

 So instead I cleaned the inside of two cars, and then thought the grass needed cutting so did that too!!!

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.”

Abraham Maslow

Friday 28th September

Friday 28^th September

How is it that I have been lying down all day and yet still I’m tired! 

I went to oncology and had the cannula fitted at 9.30, then onto the ward for the transfusion, which started at 10.45am.

Three units later at about 5.30pm, I was discharged; fortunately it all went well with no adverse reactions.

I now have a follow up blood test on Wednesday morning back in Oncology.

“I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat”.

Winston Churchill

Thursday 27th September

Thursday 27^th September

What with all the palaver of the alarm clocks yesterday you would have thought we had it sussed, but no, hubby’s alarm went off at midnight, and mine at 6am!! 

Midway through the morning I realised with horror that the windfall apples I had so l  painstakingly peeled, cored and sliced and put in the oven last night WERE STILL THERE!!!! (Doubly annoying, brown mush apples AND burnt pan!)

 

 

Not me, but how I felt!!!

There is scientific evidence that states there is such a condition as ‘Chemo Brain’, I, of course have got it badly. The coffee morning at Macmillan today was based on psychological aspects of people living with Cancer; I think I would make a very good case study! 

Arrived at hospital and predicted my own blood tests- (and got it wrong!). Nurse RF was as lovely as always and saw through my thinly veiled ‘jokes’, he duly took my bloods and sent for DR H to give me an update on my POA (plan of attack, for those uninitiated among us!)

 Dr H said he had booked my CT scan for two weeks’ time, and he had sent an email to the Marsden explaining my present state (physically, not mentally!). 

Consequently it seemed to me that after the CT scan that then has to be sent to London and examined- (this could take anything from 10 days to two weeks) before I get the results. I was finishing the chemo and really waiting for most of October before I had any more news.

 As I was absorbing this information I thought –right OK, let’s forget about hospitals and blood tests (or bloodshed as my friend put in her text to me this morning!)And get on with life!

This feeling lasted oh, all of five minutes before RF came back with ‘a face on’, and yes, my blood test results! 

Haemoglobin 7.9 (lowest it’s ever been- don’t know why it’s dropping)

White cells 2.8 (acceptable)

Neutrophils (white ‘fighting infection cells’) 1.4 (still low but I’m not Neutropenic- whoop)

Clotting platelets 54 (rising)

Straight away there was talk of a blood transfusion, and a phone call to the relevant wards to find a bed for tomorrow. So, I waited and in due course a bed was found (they really didn’t want to wait until Monday). Then, guess what- another blood test to cross match my blood!!

I was pleased to spend some time with ‘old’ (well some of them are- me included!) work colleagues for cup of tea this afternoon- after what was –dog walks included, another busy day!

I am still writing a weekly hospital blog for Friends of Jersey Oncology or www.FOJO , it’s really just a continuing progress report on my chemo trials and tribulations, as the website is still in its embryonic stages. 

Whilst we are on the subject of blogs, I plan next week to cut down my daily ramblings to maybe once or twice a week, as I feel it could turn from Jill’s blog to ‘Jessie the Dog Blog’- hey that’s not a bad idea!! LOL  (that’s actually ‘laugh out loud, not lots of love!!)

She is not allowed on the sofa, so the boys sit on the floor and she sits on them!!!

“Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, and the emotions to affect other people.”

 
Jim Rohnhttp

Wednesday 26th September

Wednesday 26^th September

I have a very ordinary battery powered clock by my bed, hubby has a digital clock.  Hubby had just gone to sleep (I, smugly was reading by ‘kindle’ light when we had the power cut). At 2.35am we had a discussion as to if and when the power would be restored. I then slept on oblivious to the rest of hubby’s nocturnal activities, which included getting up at 4.30am to re programme and set his alarm! He duly got up at 6am as he had an early meeting at 7.30am!

During the course of the day he bumped into an acquaintance, this gentleman had been out the night before with his wife at a friend’s house. She had left early and gone home, however when he drove back to the house the gates wouldn’t open as they were electric, he also had forgotten his phone and couldn’t raise his wife or the neighbours from their slumber!!!! Therefore he had to spend three and half hours in his car waiting……. 

Today I am feeling much more ‘chipper’ (“marked by or being in sprightly good humour and health”). I had a beach walk with the dog this morning, and then went to the ‘healing’ service at Church (with daughter), quite emotional as always. 

A cliff path walk with Jessie this afternoon and then I needed a well-earned rest!

Another blood test tomorrow to see if there has been any improvement…

What is a soul? It's like electricity - we don't really know what it is, but it's a force that can light a room.
 

Ray Charles