The irritable hands were the main issue at the beginning of this week. A call to the helpline put me on the right path to obtain some off the shelf moisturising cream. That made a notable difference and certainly reduced the irritation.

Easter Monday arrived with heavy rain and our timing on the DIY had played out perfectly, so that day was spent beginning to add the new wallpaper to the walls. That focus remained throughout the week, each evening after work, doing another small section. The Saturday seen me doing a full on day from 09:00 to after 17:00, working around the awkward windows and radiator, plus re-attaching skirting boards and tightening plug sockets, etc. We were on a time limit, due to having booked in the carpet laying for the following start of the week.

In relation to the side effects, two main instances for that week. The first, which appeared to be a follow on from the irritable hands, was that the top layer of skin, on both hands, began to peel off. That was constant, but gradual, all week, and beyond. The administering of the hand cream made little difference; another outwardly visual side effect. The second was the impact of the full day of DIY on the Saturday. I definitely done too much and was paying the price from Saturday night through to Sunday and beyond.

On the Friday, I had an appointment with my Oncologist. We were apprehensive about this, as you never know what he may discuss / add into the ‘mix’. However, trying to think logically, the appointment was booked in by them prior to starting my chemo, plus, I have had no further scans or the like since. I was trying not to overthink, but that thought process was there. Sandra’s mindset was in overdrive, for the same reason and she was a lot more apprehensive than I was. Thankfully, the meeting was routine and nothing to be concerned about, just a review of how things were going and whether any adjustments were needed, which weren’t. We had one ‘high-note’, if that is the right terminology, which is confirmation that my PSA, which was 70 back in October, had dropped to 5.4, which is too high for many and can indicate a serious cancer related situation. For me, that was a nice turnaround and one that helps show that the prescribed treatment plan is working, to some degree.

I had booked the day off work, so we had a pleasant afternoon, following the Oncologist meeting. Part of our conversation, whilst having a nice lunch, was how much our perspectives had changed. To find ourselves ‘pleased’ to find that a PSA level of 5.4 was ‘good’, seems odd, but when your start point is 70, it certainly is!; a bizarre psychological place to be, that’s for sure. We also discussed the week of apprehension and the notable impact on Sandra, the focus for the rest of the day was trying to get Sandra to relax a little, whilst we done some key shopping for the revitalised bedroom; a bit of retail therapy to end the week.

Thanks for continuing to read and take the time out of your day.