This week began with Chemo session No. 3, so half way through the planned known treatment plan.

Nothing out of the ordinary and made some adjustments to make the session more comfortable, based on the experiences of the first 2, which did help this one. The usual slight light-headedness kicked in again from Tuesday onwards, which is a regular side effect after each session, to date. Thursday also had my body being ‘out of sync’ a little, not moving at the same time as everything else, or that is how it felt. With that in mind, did not drive to work myself, but got dropped off instead, just to be cautious. The pre-chemo drugs appear to have given me changed bowel habits, which is a first and not the best side effect; they appear to have abated by Thursday.

The ‘normal’ aspect of life for this week is a long-planned trip to France and Belgium, which I have been looking forward to, but was unsure, right up until two days before, as to whether I would be in a physical position to take part in. The trip itself was planned to cover 200 years of history, from the battlefield of Waterloo, through to various World War One sites, with some World War Two sites also, then a visit to one of Europe’s largest militaria fairs; so a good variety, crammed into three days.

I made the final decision on the Wednesday to proceed, as the post-chemo impact had not kicked in by then. The trip itself started okay, but by the time we were in the waiting lanes at the Eurotunnel terminal (after passport control), I had the second most bizarre physical impact to date. Within the timeframe of 10-15 minutes, I endured a very rapid and intense series of side effects. They ranged from a rapid temperature rise, feeling nauseous, an intense physical desire to lay down and sleep, alongside trying to decide if I was about to dash to the toilet. As this was unfolding, my main thought process was, how do I get back through the border control, phone Sandra and get her to pick me up. The lights turning green, made the decision for me, as we began to drive towards the train and board. As soon as we had stopped and were secured, a very rapid visit to the toilet was in order! Thankfully, that helped a lot and very evident that the pre-chemo medication issues were continuing into the Friday.

As we were onboard, the trip proceeded as planned. The Friday was the most intensive day, as we had the most locations to visit. That went as planned and we covered a lot of ground, but that increased the issues on my body, most notably the lower back pain (where the bone cancer is) and on my feet, due to the ever-present sensitive soles of those ‘in constant use’ feet. It was also becoming very evident that eating food was becoming very challenging during this third session. The ‘dull’ taste has returned with a vengeance and eating the normal food is very difficult, with a lot of items tasting like cardboard. Throughout this, the emphasis on the need to eat and maintain the weight, is discussed at every medical visit / treatment session. That side effect worsened throughout the weekend. By the end of Day One, I was in bed just after 9pm, with the key need of stretching out, being the main focus. Thankfully, a much needed and long night’s rest, helped to reset things. Day Two required less travel and only two key sites to visit. They brought their own challenges physically, with further abuse of those all important feet, the ongoing bowel issues and the general increasing tiredness. Another night’s rest put me in a better position for the final day, which only had one visit, but then a 3-hour return drive to Calais.

In summary, a challenging Week One, of Session No. 3, but for very different reasons than the previous two sessions, which adds to the overall assessment that each chemo session has been ‘unique’ and does not allow for any ‘routine’ to be determined.

Some of you are no doubt wondering why I went ahead with a three-day trip to Europe, a few days after having another chemo infusion; the answer is two-fold and mostly psychological. One: I am aiming to have as much normality as possible and the trip is a month’s-long planned event that I wanted to experience, hence the decision to push ahead.
Two: I have not yet adjusted, mentally, to the reality of my situation; it takes time, as I am still thinking everything is okay.

In summary of that, a great trip and glad I done it, but clear that the ability to do this type of thing is not the same as it was (hindsight is wonderful!) and a further adjustment to my life and remaining plans is in order.

The trip itself was only made possible with the support, patience and understanding of the people I was traveling with. We have been liaising for months, both before I knew of my situation (this trip was initially planned for 2020, but Covid put paid to that!) and since. A good group of people who assisted me when needed, waited for me, each time I had to dash to the loo and kept my spirits up through lots of on the road banter and normality; a great distraction. The importance of reliable friends in a situation like this, cannot be over emphasised; I am grateful for those friends that have stepped forward.  Alongside that, as I continue with the social media updates, I am grateful for everyone who has added their thoughts on my situation and shared what we mean to one another; humbling and very much appreciated - thank you in the most sincerest way.

I will close this week’s update, which also brings the posts up to date; they will now be once weekly.

Thanks for the ongoing interest, support and comments.