For those of you who are regular readers, you will have noticed the absence of an update last week and the reason is simple; the past 2 weeks have been mainly ‘health focused’.
The w/c 30th of September basically fell into two halves. The first half of that week was recovering from the impact of the 4-day show that Colin and I attended. Without doubt, the impact upon my carcass was notable. High degrees of back pain and upper body pain were there, as was a general ‘out of sorts’ feeling overall. The first couple of days at the show, the previous week, were cold and damp and I do not do well in the cold, never have. The second half of the week seen the arrival of a cold and that came with a feeling of overall lethargy, which lasted into the second week.
Whilst I briefly started to feel better on Monday the 7th, by Tuesday morning, I was in a relapse and that has remained. Tiredness is the main issue, alongside the usual side effects of a cold. My nose is going nuts, which already has permanent issues, due to the medication; it’s one of the side affects. I have not felt like doing anything physical, which frustrates me immensely. I am in a phase of really having to listen to my body more and make choices accordingly. I have had to cancel my plans to attend a friend’s 60th, which was not a good place to be, but sensible, when placed against the current backdrop.
One new aspect that arrived on Friday, was a numbness in my legs, emanating from the bottom of my back. The pain there, at the moment, is all across the bottom, but more pain exists on the left, where the cancer is in my bones there. This is a very concerning development for me and this disease and one that I am monitoring closely to see what develops next.
Another semi-health related aspect that has cropped up in the past 2 weeks, has evolved around my car, which is still with the dealership I bought it from. It developed a noise in September, but they could not book me in until the 1st of October, as I requested a replacement car. Without going into too much detail, the car is still with them, undiagnosed and the replacement car is far from suitable for my needs. That resulted in me lodging an official complaint with them on Thursday, which generated a higher level response on Friday. I hope the coming week will give me more insight into the cause of the noise, a fixing of that issue and also a return of my car. Simple things like this, have a larger impact on people like me who are dealing with an illness. You will recall that we spent a fair amount of time assessing different models and styles, ending up with what we did, based on the comfort level and feel of the overall drive; that was to the detriment of more expensive / seemingly more ‘attractive’ cars.
The two weeks of health impact have reduced my plans in many ways, but I have placed my focus on the Fritz Witt book, beginning the process of adding in the various images and captioning those. I have always tried to focus on what can be done, rather than dwell on what cannot, temporarily or not. The cold and cancer related impacts have reduced my ability to move around and do other things, but my head and arms still work and they were put to good use and the book has moved on very well. I have shared the first chapters with the co-author and his feedback has been superb. We both are very familiar with our ‘subject’, but even he has been taken aback by the depth of new info and imagery; lots more to come and a book that I am thoroughly enjoying constructing.
The only other thing I managed was a visit to Karl and Rachel’s on Monday, the only day I have felt better in the past 2 weeks. We had a nice meal and a catch up, which was a nice bright spot within an otherwise ‘restrictive’ 2 weeks.
On a related note, I forgot to mention in the previous update, that Sandra and I enjoyed a great night out with Emma, Jennie and Erin (the Jameson curve ball that week, threw me a little). All friends and former work colleagues and that was the first time that I had seen Erin since her return to Kent. A very enjoyable and funny evening, which was great for all of us. The plans are already shaping up for a repeat meet-up and one that will hopefully have more friends in attendance. As usual, I get caught up in the event and forget to get a photo, so no imagery for this update, unless you want a photo of a cold-recovering me!.........................
Your support means a lot to me, as I navigate this disease; thanks to all of you who read and interact.
Regards
Peter