Sunday 15th April

No week can pass by without a few high's and low's, and last week was no exception.

Last Sunday my nephew and family arrived for a week, staying out at Les Ormes in the holiday accommodation and hiring a car.

They arrived home for supper, only eleven of us squeezed around the kitchen table, but it was lovely. Well, it started out ok....

I'll start at the beginning. Bex had seen the consultant at the hospital the previous week, and in order to try and help her small stomach deal with the larger amount of food she has been trying to consume, decided that as well as her being on two anti acid medication, she could try a new liquid that would help ease her discomfort.

Sounded like a good plan, however what with her being an anxious soul at the best of times trying anything new is always challenging. She didn't want to try the new stuff until the weekend, so last Saturday she took her first dose and of course it was fine, just like we told her it would be.

She had her three doses during the day, all was fine, and repeated the doses on Sunday, half an hour before meals.

Bex had complained of backache that afternoon, but I dismissed it, saying she might have just been sitting awkwardly.

We had not been more than ten minutes or so eating, but as I looked across the table I could see her wriggling around in her seat and looking pained.

Steve motioned for her to leave the room with him, and they went into the sitting room, reappearing  twenty seconds later and  saying urgently he was taking her to A and E!

I then looked at her and quickly realised her back was in spasm and she was in considerable pain and crying.

We then had an almost comical farce, with Steve, I and the boys all arguing about who was going to take her to hospital.

The matter sorted, Steve and her arrived at A & E with Bex unable to stop her head being twisted and pulled backwards and finding it very uncomfortable to breath.

No time was wasted in taking her straight through and giving her an antispasmodic drug in her thigh, inserting a cannula and hooking her up onto a drip.

It seems she had had a reaction to the drug Metoclopramide, more common in young girls, and as we later found out her aunt wears a medic bracelet for that same drug..

Fortunately two hours later she was home, albeit a bit wobbly and sore, but otherwise ok.

Despite the weather not being too wonderful the UK lot made the most of their time in the Island, of course dog walking was on the agenda.

 Sand dunes at St Ouen

 Brunch at El Tico in the sunshine!

Thursday I went for my weekly blood test and then had a clinic appointment. Although my Hb level has dropped below 11.1 ( which is where it was from the blood transfusion) to 10.5,that is still good for me. Finally the white cells and neutrophils are just beginning to slowly climb up, sadly so is my CA125 inflammation Cancer marker...

Not what I wanted to hear, and so soon from stopping the chemo. Of course we (the doctor, nurse and I) were all matter of fact about it. Like you might be discussing the weather or something similar , and whilst I was asking all the right questions and displaying the "I'm very calm" personna inwardly I was far from it.

Was I upset? Pretty much, but gradually you (or maybe just me?) process the information, gathering up all the strands of positivity , and self confidence you can muster and just GET ON WITH IT.

That's not to say I didn't burst into tears a few times and need some rather large hugs, but hey I've got a lot happening in the next few months.

The London Marathon next weekend, which will be very exciting, and then a lovely weekend with my UK family in May and a week touring around The Cotswolds with Bex and Steve.

Can't finish the blog without saying how exceptionally pleased I am to see the England win the Gold in Netball , what with that amazing game and our interinsulars this weekend, I have been on a high all day!! ( Or is that the CBD??)

 Trying out the new bench Tom made....

 A brief visit from a goddaughter...