Phew, what a week it has been. Thursday night out with the Lloyds bumch was great fun. I didn't want to leave. The real bonus was that I didn't have a hang over the next. It was good to see everyone there and Haroon took quite a few pics. I've been meaning to put the photos on this blog, I will get around to it I promise. In the mean time you'll just have to read about what I've been up to.
Friday was pretty chilled out. I can't remember doing much.
Saturday I went to another 1st birthday party. It was good fun and Alyssa love the ball pool. I was amazed that all the kids at the party actually sat at the table and ate their food without kicking up too much of a fuss. In the evening some friends same around for dinner. Shirin cracked open a bottle on champagne and I had the odd additional beer too. Also made good use of the pool table and played a few games.
Sunday - HANG OVER! Hmmm...not sure whether Thursday night was catching up on me or whether that Champagne got to my head. Stayed at my in-laws place.
Monday - Slight hang over... surely they're not supposed to last this long? I guess the chemo takes that little extra out of me.
Tuesday - went to the young cancer group. It was quiet compared to normal. I guess that quite a few of the normal attendees were at hospital getting treatments. Spent the remainder of the day watching films in bed.
Sickness Level : 3/10
Energy Level : 5/10
Eating : smaller amounts in the hope th sickness will lessen.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Chemo - Day36
A very quite day. Just what I needed. The past few days and been fantastic, but rather busy. I think my body is telling me to slow down a little. I've been feeling tired all day and spent most of it in bed watching episodes of 'House'.
Looking forward to the party tomorrow. Going to meet up with all the people I used to work with at Lloyds. It should be good fun, although I will probably only have the one drink. I am hoping that I can last more than a hour with all the noise and booze about. Shirin, Alyssa and Shirin's mum are then going to meet me later for dinner.
I'm also looking forward to starting my yoga classes on Friday. Finding it very hard to concentrate and keep my mind still.
Sickness Level : 2/10
Energy Level : 6/10
Eat : lots, but thinking about starting on the croissants for breakfast as they were helping putting the pounds on.
Looking forward to the party tomorrow. Going to meet up with all the people I used to work with at Lloyds. It should be good fun, although I will probably only have the one drink. I am hoping that I can last more than a hour with all the noise and booze about. Shirin, Alyssa and Shirin's mum are then going to meet me later for dinner.
I'm also looking forward to starting my yoga classes on Friday. Finding it very hard to concentrate and keep my mind still.
Sickness Level : 2/10
Energy Level : 6/10
Eat : lots, but thinking about starting on the croissants for breakfast as they were helping putting the pounds on.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Chemo - Day35
Another busy day. Met with the young adult cancer group at M&S in Bluewater early morning. Walked around a did a little shopping. Then M&S kindly threw us a free lunch, so we all pigged out. I also convinced one of the guys to go to the pub and have a quick half of Guiness whilst everyone else carried on shopping! No frowning now....I was beer shopping which still counts as shopping.
I then headed back to the Lions Hospice and chilled out a little bit before heading home. Oh, I also filled in my free gym membership form and going o start Yoga classes on Friday evenings. When I finally got home I was exhausted so had a 3 hour nap. The best bits yet to come, Shirin's Dad came round and bought Pani Puri..yum yum. (Pani Puri is Indian fast food..and very yummy). So of course I pigged out again. Funny though, I can't seem to put on any weight.
Sickness Level : 2/10
Energy Level : 7/10 ( I was bad, no yoga this morning)
Eat : Curry, Sandwiches, Pani Puri, Scone, crisps, veggie juice
I then headed back to the Lions Hospice and chilled out a little bit before heading home. Oh, I also filled in my free gym membership form and going o start Yoga classes on Friday evenings. When I finally got home I was exhausted so had a 3 hour nap. The best bits yet to come, Shirin's Dad came round and bought Pani Puri..yum yum. (Pani Puri is Indian fast food..and very yummy). So of course I pigged out again. Funny though, I can't seem to put on any weight.
Sickness Level : 2/10
Energy Level : 7/10 ( I was bad, no yoga this morning)
Eat : Curry, Sandwiches, Pani Puri, Scone, crisps, veggie juice
Monday, November 20, 2006
Chemo - Day34
Had quite a good day today. Jayaram took me to lunch at Eds diner. I had atomic fries and onion rings. I had been craving it for days. I then asked the local cinema about free tickets disabled and they gave me an applicationto fill in. Chilled out with Jayaram and then had a good nap. He also brought a second wireless controller for the Xbox. Now I can have some real fun whooping ass in multiplayer mode.
Then Shaf, Fahreen and Tas dropped by in the evening with some Brownies which were very nice. Turns out that Fahreen and I both like a good bargain on the web. I've decided to put all my latest finds on the blog so that we can all take advantage of the offers. Had a really nice meal with them (Aloo Gobi...been craving that too) and a good chat.
Going to meet the young cancer group tomorrow at Bluewater. We're all going Christmas shopping. Not sure what to expect. I've then got a councilling session at the Hospice which I'm also looking forward towards. The session should help me sort out what I need to do to recover from the operation.
With regards to the Willow Foundation and further ideas, I've thought about spending a day with Jimmy White and Ronnie O'sullivan, backstage with Beyonce at a gig. Tank Paintballing! Yes, drive around in real tanks firing paint at each other. Any other ideas?
Sickness Level : 3/10
Energy Level : 6/10 (I think yesterday wore me out)
Eat : Atomic Fries, Onion rings, curry, chocolate, sweets, veggie juice
Then Shaf, Fahreen and Tas dropped by in the evening with some Brownies which were very nice. Turns out that Fahreen and I both like a good bargain on the web. I've decided to put all my latest finds on the blog so that we can all take advantage of the offers. Had a really nice meal with them (Aloo Gobi...been craving that too) and a good chat.
Going to meet the young cancer group tomorrow at Bluewater. We're all going Christmas shopping. Not sure what to expect. I've then got a councilling session at the Hospice which I'm also looking forward towards. The session should help me sort out what I need to do to recover from the operation.
With regards to the Willow Foundation and further ideas, I've thought about spending a day with Jimmy White and Ronnie O'sullivan, backstage with Beyonce at a gig. Tank Paintballing! Yes, drive around in real tanks firing paint at each other. Any other ideas?
Sickness Level : 3/10
Energy Level : 6/10 (I think yesterday wore me out)
Eat : Atomic Fries, Onion rings, curry, chocolate, sweets, veggie juice
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Chemo - Day30/31/32/33
I'm back. Sorry for the absense, but I've been feeling rather sick. All was going well on day 4 post 2nd cycle until I decided to eat out. Seems like the food upset my stomach and it's taken 3 or 4 days to get over that. I've been mostly dossing about not doing much at all. I've watched quite a few films but really keen to go and see the new Bond film and Rodney has recommended the new Borat (Ali G) film. Offically I am not allowed to go and watch a film in the cinema in case of risk of infection. But I'm going to try and watch something tomorrow afternoon provided the screen is not too busy.
I've had quite a few visitors over the last few days. Dev and Meena brought some goodies from France for me. They were very nice too. Rodney and Reenah just popped around with Tilly and Mia. Those girls are growing up fast. Alyssa had fun playing with them.
Oh, almost forgot the most important news! Alyssa has her first tooth coming through! We're really excited....not sure why, but we are! Also been spending a lot more time playing with Alyssa the past few days and both grandparents and gone home. I thought it would be a lot more difficult coping with Alyssa, Shirin is doing a great job.
I've also started to read the remainder of the 'Te of Piglet'. This book is about virtue. It is very good reading. There's a chapter on how the world has always been materialistic, i.e. we always have wanted nice homes and cars. It is just that there is now a 'status' associated with these objects that didn't exist before. This 'status' has been created by the media encouraging us to buy more and better objects. It's very difficult to get aways from this way of thinking, hopefully with time and patience I will manage it. Cancer does give a person an opportunity to re-think what they want from life, I hope I have my head screwed on enough to make the change. I certainly feel like I want to change, the question is will I?
Almost half way through my Chemo therapy provided they only want to give me 3 cycles. I have to say it is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I thought that being sick and tired for 3 or 4 months would be hard, but I didn't expect the wear on my morale. Well I've picked myself up again and ready for 2 weeks of partying before the next cycle starts.
Sickness Level : 4/10
Energy : 2/10
Eating : bits and pieces. Gone back to basics....potatos, cheese, ice cream
I've had quite a few visitors over the last few days. Dev and Meena brought some goodies from France for me. They were very nice too. Rodney and Reenah just popped around with Tilly and Mia. Those girls are growing up fast. Alyssa had fun playing with them.
Oh, almost forgot the most important news! Alyssa has her first tooth coming through! We're really excited....not sure why, but we are! Also been spending a lot more time playing with Alyssa the past few days and both grandparents and gone home. I thought it would be a lot more difficult coping with Alyssa, Shirin is doing a great job.
I've also started to read the remainder of the 'Te of Piglet'. This book is about virtue. It is very good reading. There's a chapter on how the world has always been materialistic, i.e. we always have wanted nice homes and cars. It is just that there is now a 'status' associated with these objects that didn't exist before. This 'status' has been created by the media encouraging us to buy more and better objects. It's very difficult to get aways from this way of thinking, hopefully with time and patience I will manage it. Cancer does give a person an opportunity to re-think what they want from life, I hope I have my head screwed on enough to make the change. I certainly feel like I want to change, the question is will I?
Almost half way through my Chemo therapy provided they only want to give me 3 cycles. I have to say it is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I thought that being sick and tired for 3 or 4 months would be hard, but I didn't expect the wear on my morale. Well I've picked myself up again and ready for 2 weeks of partying before the next cycle starts.
Sickness Level : 4/10
Energy : 2/10
Eating : bits and pieces. Gone back to basics....potatos, cheese, ice cream
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Chemo - Day29
Feel like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel at last. The last 5 days have been pretty bad, but now I feel a lot stronger and the sickness is wearing off. The hunger is back big time and I'm making more of a conscience effort to stay out of bed. Lying around isn't that good for the mind.
Rodney, Ali and Sam visited last night. It was good to see them. They work so hard though and they're in their early 20s. I want to get my brother in law in to a big company (Accenture, Deloit, KPMG). Mark has very kindly been working on his CV for spruce it up. Do any of you feel that you could put it forward to the companies you work for?
Thanks for all the advice on the films. Raj D, if you lend me some of the Jackie Chan and Burce Lee films please. I hope you have them on DVD, if not then don't worry.
I have also decided to spend a little more time out of the house today. I'm going to Bluewater and pig out at Eds Diner. The atomic fries are to die for... I think I'm going to stop watching Greys Anotomy as the operation scenes seem a little too graphic for me at the moment. Knowing I have a big operation ahead of me I'd rather not know too many of the details.
Raman phone yesterday and said that on Radio 5 there was a news article about 2 girls aged 20 with the same cancer as me. Turns out that they had their Chemo, Ops etc and are now fine. Can anyone find the article for me on the web?
Thanks all for your support over the last few days. If anyone feels like visiting, please feel free. It would be good to see you and it'll keep my spirits up. Oh, another side effect of Chemo hit me yesterday, my palms and feet have tanned and are a little sore. Arif said that it;s okay and that I need to put plenty of hand cream on them.
Sickness Level : 4/10
Energy Level : 3/10 - really hit a low.
Eating : Fruit, Tea, Jacket Potato, Curry, Plum Sponge
Rodney, Ali and Sam visited last night. It was good to see them. They work so hard though and they're in their early 20s. I want to get my brother in law in to a big company (Accenture, Deloit, KPMG). Mark has very kindly been working on his CV for spruce it up. Do any of you feel that you could put it forward to the companies you work for?
Thanks for all the advice on the films. Raj D, if you lend me some of the Jackie Chan and Burce Lee films please. I hope you have them on DVD, if not then don't worry.
I have also decided to spend a little more time out of the house today. I'm going to Bluewater and pig out at Eds Diner. The atomic fries are to die for... I think I'm going to stop watching Greys Anotomy as the operation scenes seem a little too graphic for me at the moment. Knowing I have a big operation ahead of me I'd rather not know too many of the details.
Raman phone yesterday and said that on Radio 5 there was a news article about 2 girls aged 20 with the same cancer as me. Turns out that they had their Chemo, Ops etc and are now fine. Can anyone find the article for me on the web?
Thanks all for your support over the last few days. If anyone feels like visiting, please feel free. It would be good to see you and it'll keep my spirits up. Oh, another side effect of Chemo hit me yesterday, my palms and feet have tanned and are a little sore. Arif said that it;s okay and that I need to put plenty of hand cream on them.
Sickness Level : 4/10
Energy Level : 3/10 - really hit a low.
Eating : Fruit, Tea, Jacket Potato, Curry, Plum Sponge
Monday, November 13, 2006
Chemo - Day28
Slightly better day today. Spent some time out of bed chilling out in the conservatory. It's really nice sitting there. Can't wait until later this week when the garden is completely decked as I can go and buy some plants to brighten it all up.
Watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang the film. What a great film! Anyone know of any other great oldie films? I've already watch Mary Poppins.
Managed to eat a little more today. That's a good sign as I should have more energy. Going to go to the 'young cancer group' tomorrow which should be fun. Although I'm thinking of quitting the creative writing class as I cannot focus very well at the moment. You know me, short attention span and all.
I'm going to watch the rest of Chitty....good night all.
Sickness Level : 4/10
Energy Level : 4/10
Eat : curry, pizza, pear drops, hot chocolate
Watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang the film. What a great film! Anyone know of any other great oldie films? I've already watch Mary Poppins.
Managed to eat a little more today. That's a good sign as I should have more energy. Going to go to the 'young cancer group' tomorrow which should be fun. Although I'm thinking of quitting the creative writing class as I cannot focus very well at the moment. You know me, short attention span and all.
I'm going to watch the rest of Chitty....good night all.
Sickness Level : 4/10
Energy Level : 4/10
Eat : curry, pizza, pear drops, hot chocolate
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Chemo - Day27
A much better day. Turns ut that my mum's finger was not broken and that Shirin had resolved the dislocation well. My mum is back at her place resting. Her thumb is just a little sore.
Managed to eat a little more today and do not feel as sick as yesterday.
Watched far too many episodes of Greys Anatomy last night. Shirin's have me this really cool drug last night. Knocks you out cold and get rid of any sickness. I definately going to have some of that tonight.
Spent most of the day vegging in the conservatory watching TV and playing with Alyssa. Alyssa has been a bit moody the last few days. I think it is because she might be teething again.
Looking forward to tomorrow hoping that I will feel even better.
Sickness Level : 6/10
Energy : 4/10
Eat: curry, fruit, nachos, pear drops.
Managed to eat a little more today and do not feel as sick as yesterday.
Watched far too many episodes of Greys Anatomy last night. Shirin's have me this really cool drug last night. Knocks you out cold and get rid of any sickness. I definately going to have some of that tonight.
Spent most of the day vegging in the conservatory watching TV and playing with Alyssa. Alyssa has been a bit moody the last few days. I think it is because she might be teething again.
Looking forward to tomorrow hoping that I will feel even better.
Sickness Level : 6/10
Energy : 4/10
Eat: curry, fruit, nachos, pear drops.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Chemo - Day23/24/25/26
Have had 4 days with no Chemo. I would have thought that I would be feeling better with no drugs pumping through me. Instead I have been feeling very tired and slightly more sick. I've also got it into my head that since tumour is growing beccause I'm not getting any drugs and I find it slightly harder to eat food again. I'm sure it's also psycosematic...but there you go, I've always had an odd brain.
Finally got the Chemo drugs started on Friday. The blood tests all came back good. The drugs are really taking it out of me. Feel very sick...all the time and can't really keep any food down for long.
Saturday - I wake up hearing my mum shouting for Shirin. My mum had a fall and dislocated her thum. Shirin managed to twist it back in place. Called fo an ambulance which arrived within 10 mins. It was horrible seeing my mum in such pain and not being able to do anything.
I had to call my brother to look after my Mum in hospital since I should really not going there whilst having Chemo. Lots of sick people and germs floating about. So Shirin went with my mum to hospital and my Brother met them there. They did an x-ray and Shirin can't see any breaks or fractures. I'm praying nothing is broken.
I'm not sure what my mum is going to go when they release her. I think it's too dangerous for her to stay at my place with all the wooden floors and stairs. It'll be better for her at her home provided my brother can stay and look after her.
All in all it's not been a good week. At least I do not feel as sick as the last time I had Chemo. I'm still trying to keep a positive mental attitude, but it is sure getting hard to maintain. I suppose I will fell better in a few days when the sickness wears off and my Mum is better.
Sorry for not updating the blog for a few days. I know some of you were worried.
Sickness Level : 8/10 Threw up once so far
Energy Level : 4/10
Eat : half a roti for breakfast.
Finally got the Chemo drugs started on Friday. The blood tests all came back good. The drugs are really taking it out of me. Feel very sick...all the time and can't really keep any food down for long.
Saturday - I wake up hearing my mum shouting for Shirin. My mum had a fall and dislocated her thum. Shirin managed to twist it back in place. Called fo an ambulance which arrived within 10 mins. It was horrible seeing my mum in such pain and not being able to do anything.
I had to call my brother to look after my Mum in hospital since I should really not going there whilst having Chemo. Lots of sick people and germs floating about. So Shirin went with my mum to hospital and my Brother met them there. They did an x-ray and Shirin can't see any breaks or fractures. I'm praying nothing is broken.
I'm not sure what my mum is going to go when they release her. I think it's too dangerous for her to stay at my place with all the wooden floors and stairs. It'll be better for her at her home provided my brother can stay and look after her.
All in all it's not been a good week. At least I do not feel as sick as the last time I had Chemo. I'm still trying to keep a positive mental attitude, but it is sure getting hard to maintain. I suppose I will fell better in a few days when the sickness wears off and my Mum is better.
Sorry for not updating the blog for a few days. I know some of you were worried.
Sickness Level : 8/10 Threw up once so far
Energy Level : 4/10
Eat : half a roti for breakfast.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Chemo - Day22
Generally feel a little more sick today. Not sure why. Could be because of this cold I cannot shift. Went to the 'Young persons cancer group' today. It is run by the Lions Hospice and is about a 15 minute drive from home. It wasn't quite what I was expecting. The majority of people were much older than me, but I still had a good chat with them all. My hair was falling off in clumps this morning so I asked the Lion's Hospice Hairdresser to shave it all off. I suppose I'm getting used it to now. Just a little bit colder when you're walking outside. I took part in the creative writing class and also painted a picture. There wasn't an xbox 360 to play though. The staff are very friendly and supportive and the group as a whole are a cool bunch of people. They also supplied lunch, Pasta bake and stewed apples for dessert. I'm not sure if I am going to like the creative writing class. It's 8 weeks long, and we get homework! I'm still waiting for 3 to return my mobile, going to give them a right telling off tomorrow. I think I'm just going to veg the rest of the week and save my strength for Friday. Alyssa took 4 steps today on her own. She is getting more and more restless by the day. I have attached the painted I did today. Note that the pencil work was done by Bob, one of the Hospice helpers. I've also attached a photo of myself to proof I still look good even with a slap head. Finally for those who have been calling non-stop, I have a photo of the Elloner nurses as requested.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Chemo - Day21
Officially the end of Cycle 1....yeah!!!! Wasn't that bad looking back. I can go through that all again a few times. Went to Guys hospital to get a blood test and have a chat with the Oncologist about how my first cycle of chemo went. Based upon how I feel they may adjust the dosage down if I was not coping well with the side effects.
Turns out that the blood test was too good. I am offically neutropenic. This means that my white blood cell count is very low and that I would not be able to fight off bacterial infections easily. The doctors expected this effect me during days 7-14 and were a little surprised that my cell count is still low. They did say that some people get effected later in each of their cycles, which is what is happening to me. There's nothing to worry about provided that my White blood count rises. I was due to start my second cycle tomorrow, but they have decided to delay until Friday. I will have another blood test on Friday, and provided that the blood count is back, I will start my second cycle of Chemo.
On the positive side, the delay means I will have 4 days without any Chemo drugs coursing through me, so I should have a lot of evergy. I have also put of 300g during the 1st cycle. It's not very much, but at least the trend is in the right direction. I asked the doctor if there was anything I could do to help my blood count. Turns out there isn't anything except to eat healthly. I'm also banned from any exercise in the gym and only allowed to go for walks.
The other positive is that I will be able to attend the 'young persons cancer group' tomorrow. I'm looking forward to meeting the group. Hopefully there will be some characters there. I'll also take full advantage of the massage and food made to order. Tomorrow is all about me.
Played the golf game for about an hour today as well. I haven't done my yoga though, I've promised myself I will do it later. Going to drink my veggie juice now.
Energy Level : 7/10
Sickness Level : 3/10 -may be too many pear drops
Eat : croissant, chips in pitta bread, curry, twirl choc bar
Turns out that the blood test was too good. I am offically neutropenic. This means that my white blood cell count is very low and that I would not be able to fight off bacterial infections easily. The doctors expected this effect me during days 7-14 and were a little surprised that my cell count is still low. They did say that some people get effected later in each of their cycles, which is what is happening to me. There's nothing to worry about provided that my White blood count rises. I was due to start my second cycle tomorrow, but they have decided to delay until Friday. I will have another blood test on Friday, and provided that the blood count is back, I will start my second cycle of Chemo.
On the positive side, the delay means I will have 4 days without any Chemo drugs coursing through me, so I should have a lot of evergy. I have also put of 300g during the 1st cycle. It's not very much, but at least the trend is in the right direction. I asked the doctor if there was anything I could do to help my blood count. Turns out there isn't anything except to eat healthly. I'm also banned from any exercise in the gym and only allowed to go for walks.
The other positive is that I will be able to attend the 'young persons cancer group' tomorrow. I'm looking forward to meeting the group. Hopefully there will be some characters there. I'll also take full advantage of the massage and food made to order. Tomorrow is all about me.
Played the golf game for about an hour today as well. I haven't done my yoga though, I've promised myself I will do it later. Going to drink my veggie juice now.
Energy Level : 7/10
Sickness Level : 3/10 -may be too many pear drops
Eat : croissant, chips in pitta bread, curry, twirl choc bar
Chemo - Day20
The Fiesta (car) is on its last legs...wheels...whatever. Turns out that the water pump and heat valve are broken and need replacing. Not sure whether it's worth doing the work as the car is quite old and not worth that much.
Our neighbour told us about www.cargiant.co.uk in Wembly. It's a massive warehouse with over 2000 cars. We spent most of the day there trying to find a car that we all liked. Couldn't make our minds up between a Honda CRV or a VW Passat. I would highly recommend the car warehouse. There was no pressure to buy and the prices are very competetive.
We then went to see my brother in law's house. It was a fantastic first home. I'm sure he'll enjoy redecorating it all. Finally went to a Harvester and pigged out. Oh, I think I might have caught a slight cold.
Energy Level : 8/10
Sickness Level : 2/10
Eat : lots and lots of stuff.
Our neighbour told us about www.cargiant.co.uk in Wembly. It's a massive warehouse with over 2000 cars. We spent most of the day there trying to find a car that we all liked. Couldn't make our minds up between a Honda CRV or a VW Passat. I would highly recommend the car warehouse. There was no pressure to buy and the prices are very competetive.
We then went to see my brother in law's house. It was a fantastic first home. I'm sure he'll enjoy redecorating it all. Finally went to a Harvester and pigged out. Oh, I think I might have caught a slight cold.
Energy Level : 8/10
Sickness Level : 2/10
Eat : lots and lots of stuff.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Chemo - Day19
Just pigged out at TGI Fridays...it seems my appetite is growning infinately every day. That is a good sign since I need to put on few pounds before Tuesday. Also had a Corona beer to help with digestion. Thanks for all the advice on graphs and on line calandars. I have managed to sort both out the on line calandar and the graphing. So you can all see how much energy and how sick I feel over time. It would be interesting to see how I fair after during the second round of Chemo. By the way, the graph is not set up correctly, I've just used some dummy figures. I'll update it later.
I spent most of the day chilling out in my room. Managed to do my yoga exercises this morning.
Also sent a few emails to charities about techniques for fund raising. I thought that I might enter every endurance race in the UK and then ask Kris and George to run them for me!
Going to see my brother in laws new house tommorrow. He is really excited as is his fiance Samantha. They have some great ideas about how they wish to decorate. Shirin is going to love giving lots of advice.
Any ideas about the Willow Fund? I though a day with Jimmy White and Ronnie O'sullivan would be great fun. I suppose I could also meet Kylie...
Oh, the golf game is fantastic. Really quick to pick up and play. Forgot to mention that Jayaram visited yesterday. We played a few games of pool and the Golf game. It was good to see him as we had a good chat.
Hobbies update
Looked into cooking the giant Cream Egg as suggested by DJ, but it all looked a little bit too complicated. Have decided against jigsaw puzzles as I don't have the patients, thanks to all those who offered jigsaws. At the moment, most of my time is spent sleeping, eating, reading and surfing the web. Thanks also for the book recommendations, I'll look them up.
I don't seem to have much spare time. I have almost finished the first cycle of Chemo and it has flown by. Only 6 weeks to go provided the doctors do not decide to go for a 4th cycle. I'm hoping that the operation will not take place till Feb next year. That will give me Jan to put on a few pounds and may be go on holiday. I might go to my pad in Spain, if so, I'm going to drag a few of you lot with me. Whether you like it or not!
Has anyone done any fund raising before? I would like to know how to get the local newspapers and businesses involved. The way I see it is that Bluewater has a lot of shops and it would be great to get them to donate to good causes.
Right, going to watch an episode of lost and hit the sack.
Energy Level : 7/10
Sickness Level : 0.5/10
Eat: 2 Croissants, 1 curry, 2 potato cakes, nachos, chips, quesidias, 1 beer.
I spent most of the day chilling out in my room. Managed to do my yoga exercises this morning.
Also sent a few emails to charities about techniques for fund raising. I thought that I might enter every endurance race in the UK and then ask Kris and George to run them for me!
Going to see my brother in laws new house tommorrow. He is really excited as is his fiance Samantha. They have some great ideas about how they wish to decorate. Shirin is going to love giving lots of advice.
Any ideas about the Willow Fund? I though a day with Jimmy White and Ronnie O'sullivan would be great fun. I suppose I could also meet Kylie...
Oh, the golf game is fantastic. Really quick to pick up and play. Forgot to mention that Jayaram visited yesterday. We played a few games of pool and the Golf game. It was good to see him as we had a good chat.
Hobbies update
Looked into cooking the giant Cream Egg as suggested by DJ, but it all looked a little bit too complicated. Have decided against jigsaw puzzles as I don't have the patients, thanks to all those who offered jigsaws. At the moment, most of my time is spent sleeping, eating, reading and surfing the web. Thanks also for the book recommendations, I'll look them up.
I don't seem to have much spare time. I have almost finished the first cycle of Chemo and it has flown by. Only 6 weeks to go provided the doctors do not decide to go for a 4th cycle. I'm hoping that the operation will not take place till Feb next year. That will give me Jan to put on a few pounds and may be go on holiday. I might go to my pad in Spain, if so, I'm going to drag a few of you lot with me. Whether you like it or not!
Has anyone done any fund raising before? I would like to know how to get the local newspapers and businesses involved. The way I see it is that Bluewater has a lot of shops and it would be great to get them to donate to good causes.
Right, going to watch an episode of lost and hit the sack.
Energy Level : 7/10
Sickness Level : 0.5/10
Eat: 2 Croissants, 1 curry, 2 potato cakes, nachos, chips, quesidias, 1 beer.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Chemo - Day18
Dev has just left, and I'm feeling a lot better today. No, it has nothing to do with Dev leaving. Actually I want to thank Dev for spending so much time over here, even though I spent most of the time sleeping. 3 mobile have picked my phone up today to get it repaired, the battery doesn't seem to last more than 30 minutes. So please call Shirin if you want to get in touch, my phone should be back by Tuesday/Wednesday.
Also, the new American fridge freezer turned up today. It's a monster with built in ice dispenser...okay, I'm trying to get excited about a fridge, but I can't. It's just that Shirin is so excited about it. Maybe I'll buy her another one for Christmas. The guys delivering the fridge were really nice. They reminded me of the two Ronnies. They would have made a good comedy act.
Went to Bluewater today to have a stroll and buy a few more books from Waterstones. I spent 2 hour looking for books and ended up not buying any. I've just finished Prey by Michael Crichton, what a great book. I would recommend it to anyone who likes an easy page turner with action all the way through. At the moment I don't have much patients, so I am avoiding books that only get exciting half way through. Can anyone recommend any books? I also read State of War, which is pretty exciting too. I like books where there is an element of real life, so at least I'm picking up some worldly knowledge whilst reading. I was surprised that the store did not have a book club, with all the spare time I have, I thought it would cool to try a club out. On the other hand, I can imagine a book club being far too serious and I'd get kicked out after the first session.
A lady from the Lions Hospice visited today to assess me for the 'young persons cancer group' they hold every Tuesday. She said I was doing very well and that I can join the group. There are about 9 attendees, all at different stages of their therapy. Some are not handling the issues with cancer very well. She said I would bring some enthusiasm to the group. I can't wait to meet them all, it would interesting to see how they are handling their issues.
I'm quite enthusiastic about raising some funds for charities and have contacted the local newspaper in the hope that they might be able to help. I'm also going to try and visit the cinema at Bluewater and ask for some comp tickets for the group. Hopefully they will say yes.
It's finally started to happen, the hair on my head is starting to fall out. I noticed it on my pillow this morning. Not really that fussed about it to be honest. It'll grow back after the chemo stops. You'll be glad to hear that I think the cancer tumor in my food pipe is getting smaller. I can tell because I am finding it easier and easier to eat. On the down side, I seem to be getting more tired every day. I thought that this was due to me getting a little lazy, but the lady from the Lions Hospice said that it is normal for me to get tired. She also said that the effects are accumulative. How am I going to feel by the final week of chemo? Well I'm going to try and fight the tiredness as much as possible by eating lots of fresh food, taking my vitamin supplements, getting lots of fresh air and generally keeping active. Hopefully this will improve my energy levels. I am finding it harder and harder to do my yoga exercises every day. I just feel too tired to do them, but I need to persist and I'm sure I will build up my stamina and it will get easier.
Just wanted to say thanks to the two lousers...Sameer and Guv for the games. You better get your arses around here and teach me how to play these modern games. Why are there so many buttons on these darn controllers? I think Jayaram is visiting today, hopefully he will be able to give me a few tips.
I was wondering if everyone would like to meet up in central London for a meal one evening? It would be much easier for you all, rather than having to trek all the way to deepest, darkest Kent. It will not be for a couple of weeks as I am going for Chemo on Tuesday. Really not looking forward to it as I will be feeling pretty sick the following week. I am going to take all the anti-emetics (anti sickness drugs) I can in the hope that I will stave off the sickness feeling. I wish there was a way to plot my sickness and energy levels on a graph on this blog. Any ideas? Is there an online calendar that I can link to this blog as well?
I have decided to put all questions in bold so that readers of this blog will know when I am really asking for help, or whether I am just writing a rhetorical question.
I have found out about the Willow Foundation, they are a charity that try and make a dream come true for the seriously ill. You can find previous examples of days out at http://willowfoundation.org.uk/sd_prev.shtml. Have you got ideas for what I should ask for? I can't really think of anything I would like.
By the way, a few people have asked me whether I read the comments by everyone. The answer is Yes, I read them all. So please keep them coming, they do make a big difference to my day.
Energy Level : 6/10
Sickness Level : 3/10
Eat : bread and butter sandwiches with tea, curry with 4 chappaties, veggie Lasagne (Shirin makes it from scratch, it is fantastic.
Also, the new American fridge freezer turned up today. It's a monster with built in ice dispenser...okay, I'm trying to get excited about a fridge, but I can't. It's just that Shirin is so excited about it. Maybe I'll buy her another one for Christmas. The guys delivering the fridge were really nice. They reminded me of the two Ronnies. They would have made a good comedy act.
Went to Bluewater today to have a stroll and buy a few more books from Waterstones. I spent 2 hour looking for books and ended up not buying any. I've just finished Prey by Michael Crichton, what a great book. I would recommend it to anyone who likes an easy page turner with action all the way through. At the moment I don't have much patients, so I am avoiding books that only get exciting half way through. Can anyone recommend any books? I also read State of War, which is pretty exciting too. I like books where there is an element of real life, so at least I'm picking up some worldly knowledge whilst reading. I was surprised that the store did not have a book club, with all the spare time I have, I thought it would cool to try a club out. On the other hand, I can imagine a book club being far too serious and I'd get kicked out after the first session.
A lady from the Lions Hospice visited today to assess me for the 'young persons cancer group' they hold every Tuesday. She said I was doing very well and that I can join the group. There are about 9 attendees, all at different stages of their therapy. Some are not handling the issues with cancer very well. She said I would bring some enthusiasm to the group. I can't wait to meet them all, it would interesting to see how they are handling their issues.
I'm quite enthusiastic about raising some funds for charities and have contacted the local newspaper in the hope that they might be able to help. I'm also going to try and visit the cinema at Bluewater and ask for some comp tickets for the group. Hopefully they will say yes.
It's finally started to happen, the hair on my head is starting to fall out. I noticed it on my pillow this morning. Not really that fussed about it to be honest. It'll grow back after the chemo stops. You'll be glad to hear that I think the cancer tumor in my food pipe is getting smaller. I can tell because I am finding it easier and easier to eat. On the down side, I seem to be getting more tired every day. I thought that this was due to me getting a little lazy, but the lady from the Lions Hospice said that it is normal for me to get tired. She also said that the effects are accumulative. How am I going to feel by the final week of chemo? Well I'm going to try and fight the tiredness as much as possible by eating lots of fresh food, taking my vitamin supplements, getting lots of fresh air and generally keeping active. Hopefully this will improve my energy levels. I am finding it harder and harder to do my yoga exercises every day. I just feel too tired to do them, but I need to persist and I'm sure I will build up my stamina and it will get easier.
Just wanted to say thanks to the two lousers...Sameer and Guv for the games. You better get your arses around here and teach me how to play these modern games. Why are there so many buttons on these darn controllers? I think Jayaram is visiting today, hopefully he will be able to give me a few tips.
I was wondering if everyone would like to meet up in central London for a meal one evening? It would be much easier for you all, rather than having to trek all the way to deepest, darkest Kent. It will not be for a couple of weeks as I am going for Chemo on Tuesday. Really not looking forward to it as I will be feeling pretty sick the following week. I am going to take all the anti-emetics (anti sickness drugs) I can in the hope that I will stave off the sickness feeling. I wish there was a way to plot my sickness and energy levels on a graph on this blog. Any ideas? Is there an online calendar that I can link to this blog as well?
I have decided to put all questions in bold so that readers of this blog will know when I am really asking for help, or whether I am just writing a rhetorical question.
I have found out about the Willow Foundation, they are a charity that try and make a dream come true for the seriously ill. You can find previous examples of days out at http://willowfoundation.org.uk/sd_prev.shtml. Have you got ideas for what I should ask for? I can't really think of anything I would like.
By the way, a few people have asked me whether I read the comments by everyone. The answer is Yes, I read them all. So please keep them coming, they do make a big difference to my day.
Energy Level : 6/10
Sickness Level : 3/10
Eat : bread and butter sandwiches with tea, curry with 4 chappaties, veggie Lasagne (Shirin makes it from scratch, it is fantastic.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Chemo - Day15/16/17
Hello all. Sorry I haven't been writing my blog for the last few days. I've been a little bit exhausted. I think the new Chemo bottle is pumping a little faster, hence I'm feeling tired and little sick.
The pool table arrived. I used the sympathy vote to get the Argos delivery guys to take the snooker table up to the living room on the first floor. I spent an hour or so building the pool table, but felt quite tired after I was finished. I ended having a snooze for 3 hours.
The door bell rang, it was Rodney. Not surprised he turned up when I had just finished building the conservatory. I won the 1st two games and Rodney won the subsequent 1. Since then I haven't had the energy to play. I will try later.
The 3 nurses turned up to change my Chemo pump. They were really cool. I've got a photo of them, but need to work a way of getting on this blog. I've also started using the Cam Recorded and have some cute clips of Alyssa. I now need to get my head around youtube and link to this blog.
Just received more games for the XBox, Ridge Racer 6, Table Tennis, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07. I will give them a go tomorrow. Thanks for sending those Sameer. They should keep me entertained for a while. Dev stayed over last night, and will be staying tonight. It's good to have him around. We read through a number of cookery books to find out receipies that I might like. It is a real problem working out what I would like to eat since I am always feeling a little queezy.
Energy Level : 5/10
Sickness Level : 2/10
Eat : lots of food, can't remember what.
The pool table arrived. I used the sympathy vote to get the Argos delivery guys to take the snooker table up to the living room on the first floor. I spent an hour or so building the pool table, but felt quite tired after I was finished. I ended having a snooze for 3 hours.
The door bell rang, it was Rodney. Not surprised he turned up when I had just finished building the conservatory. I won the 1st two games and Rodney won the subsequent 1. Since then I haven't had the energy to play. I will try later.
The 3 nurses turned up to change my Chemo pump. They were really cool. I've got a photo of them, but need to work a way of getting on this blog. I've also started using the Cam Recorded and have some cute clips of Alyssa. I now need to get my head around youtube and link to this blog.
Just received more games for the XBox, Ridge Racer 6, Table Tennis, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07. I will give them a go tomorrow. Thanks for sending those Sameer. They should keep me entertained for a while. Dev stayed over last night, and will be staying tonight. It's good to have him around. We read through a number of cookery books to find out receipies that I might like. It is a real problem working out what I would like to eat since I am always feeling a little queezy.
Energy Level : 5/10
Sickness Level : 2/10
Eat : lots of food, can't remember what.
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