Tattooed lady

Today I go for radiotherapy planning. They will put me in a 'big doughnut' (CT scanner) to map out where everything is.

They will also give me tattoos to show them where to point the beams.

Question is, what designs to go for? A tasteful flower, discrete butterfly, or an anchor, perhaps? I'm rather taken with the Japanese bird motif below.
Yesterday I popped into town to visit a former colleague who is retiring. During her career she has been down a mine with Princess Anne, gone shoe shopping with Raisa Gorbachev, and met Nelson Mandela. She had thank you letters from three former Prime Ministers.

It was good to see her and others I used to work with. Now that chemo is over I have a sense of re-emerging into the world. Lots to look forward to, not least being able to go to 'gatherings'. Christmas is coming -  perhaps I should go for a festive tat...

Smart streets

Just to prove you can fit three of these in the space it takes to park one large gas-guzzler.

Here is Squirty - our yellow smart, gone to join two friends one fine day.

And below is an example of some smart Parisian parking! Taken on a trip to Montmartre a couple of years ago.

Sleepless on steroids again - for the last time! And this week have to inject myself daily with a potion to boost immunity, in the hope of keeping out of hospital this time round.

Never had to plunge a needle into myself before. Better not make a habit of it...

First in last out



Last chemo!! No more gory pictures after this one - promise!

Booked a nine am appointment for my fnal chemo in the hope  I'd be out quickly. Finally emerged after treatment at nearly NINE PM!

NHS time excelled itself today:
9am: Arrived. Advised to wait for doc to approve bloods.
12 pm: Wednesday's bloods not up to scratch. Had another blood test.
12:15pm Went home to wait for results.
3pm: Phoned - bloods now ok. Advised to come back in an hour.
4pm: Returned to chemo clinic
7pm: Called in for treatment.

I was the last one out - at ten to nine in the evening - nearly 12 hours from the original appointment time.  Despite being allowed home for a few hours in the afternoon, still spent SIX HOURS in the clinic waiting room. Long enough to read the whole of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.

Nobody's fault, really. Just one of those days of big delays. The nurses were run ragged. Never mind. None of this matters because after today there'll be no more chemo!! Yay!

Just three weeks recovery time then I will be able to discard the thermometer, get fit again and lose the paranoia about germs. This time round I hope to avoid being admitted to hospital.

What do they want - blood?

My veins are knackered - it's official. Shot to pieces by chemo and cannulation. Just been for a blood test. Now even expert blood-takers have to jab more than once to find a vessel that will yield.

Never mind. Not much more of this. Last chemo on Friday - fingers crossed.

Meanwhile public sector workers are avidly awaiting this afternoon's Spending Review announcement, with some Departments facing a possible 40 per cent cut. I predict more blood-letting before the day is out....

It's not a competition

The Post article sparked a mini-debate among readers about funding for different types of cancer. Two people expressed annoyance that breast cancer seems to get more funding - and better publicity - than other forms of cancer. A third person pointed out that this is because more individuals are affected by it and that being the case the funding is evenly proportioned.

What occurred to me on reading these comments was, it's not a case of either/or. Surely any publicity for any type of cancer is good. True, those involved in breast cancer campaigns do seem to be particularly good at it - but there is no reason why this should detract from efforts to raise the profile of other types of cancer. There is no cap on awareness.

Interesting, since I've been diagnosed I've noticed that rarely a day goes by without some form of cancer being in the news. Today's Post features two cancer fundraising events which took place yesterday, the 'pedal  it pink' event (pictured) and a walk in Wollaton Park to raise money for the Maggies centre. And pancreatic cancer got a mention on this morning's Today programme.

While I was disappointed my last chemo got delayed it's kinda nice to have a 'free' week, when I'm feeling ok. We went for a bike ride yesterday in glorious sunshine along the river and I felt refreshed and healthy afterwards. Ok it was flat, but it fuels hope that I can recover fitness quite quickly after treatment is finished. Who knows, I might even make next year's half marathon. If I do I will run it in aid of Cancer Research UK - which raises funds to help all types of cancer.

Fame at last?

When I heard the Nottingham Post were doing an article I envisaged three pars on about page 17 - or at the very most a half pager.

They've given it front page lead plus double page spread inside. Blimey!!!

Here's the links:
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Breast-cancer-blogger-s-inspirational-story/article-2765155-detail/article.html
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Blogging-breast-cancer/article-2765154-detail/article.html

Picture's not bad, either, although I think I prefer the one of seven Alsation police puppies....
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Notts-police-seven-new-pup-crimefighters/article-2766198-detail/article.html

Christmas is coming

Showed up at chemo clinic feeling de-mob happy only to learn that although the neutrophils are up my liver is malfunctioning again so they delayed the final treatment till next Friday (22nd).

Bummer!

Also this week had a chat with the radiotherapy man about the next phase of treatment and discovered I have to have five weeks' worth (25 sessions), not two as I had previously thought.

Radiotherapy is, from all accounts, a doddle compared with chemo, but it involves daily trips to the hospital. This will start four weeks after the last chemo.

Which, by my reckoning, will mean my last ever treatment will be on Christmas Eve. Could be cause for a celebration - liver permitting!