Hello to you all and thanks for al of your kind words and comments, following the scan updates and new treatment plan.
In comparison, the past week was a fairly uneventful one - deliberately. The Consultant meeting coincided with the completion of Volume 7 of the WSS Knights series of books. Both of those things have dominated my life for, what seemed like, forever. As a result of the news and the completion of book, I have taken my foot off the pedal, so to speak and focused more on variety and doing a bit of what I feel like on the day.
As per normal, the health situation does not stand still, just because we await the treatment date confirmation. The discomfort continues to increase and driving can be more challenging, due to the location of the identified growth. I also had my first dental appointment in a long time. That first became complicated during the 2020 lockdown and then the aftermath of not being able to get a medical appointment for ‘normal’ aspects (in the UK at least). I did manage one a couple of years ago, but against the backdrop of the AD world, impact on the bone structure and focus on the main chemo treatments, sorting a dental check up was wayyyyy down the list. Thankfully, my normal routine has ensured no dental issues have been added to the my health list. A fairly straightforward check up, with another one booked for 6-months. This aspect of my body may seem an odd thing to focus on, but at the height of chemo, and knowing what my prognosis showed, I expected notable impact on my bones and therefore, teeth, as a knock-on effect. The dental aspect has just not been high on the list, because I had much more important considerations to work through. For those of you in similar situations, you will know and understand that the main prognosis has many tentacles and this is just one potential.
I managed 3 walks with variable times of 13:34, 13:14 and 13:20. One of those was last Monday and the same day, I left a sunny Folkestone and drove down to the nearby Hythe / Sandgate promenade for a cycle. When I got there, there was a heavy sea mist and the temperature was a few degrees lower. I did not undertake a full cycle route (done around 3 miles instead of the usual 4.6 miles), but did focus on a sustained rate of pedalling and my breathing too.
Besides the all-present health side of things, I done a spot of DIY, spent time working on 2 different book projects, whilst also helping with another - all at a much more select pace than normal. I also had a hair cut towards the end of the week. Saturday was my daughter Alanna’s birthday and we spent some time with her and her family (this week’s photo shows Alanna and I on the train coming home from London the week before). Then Sunday was a mostly relaxed day and in the UK, was Mother’s Day. Sandra and I undertook a mid-morning walk, then had a relaxing afternoon at home - self-indulging and recharging our mental batteries from the recent onslaught.
In summary, a distinct change of physical and mental pace, by choice, which is a very nice place to be; I intend to carry on as such, until we get the confirmed treatment dates.
Regards, Peter