Welcome to the final update for the year of 2024 and what an interesting year it has been. Before we get onto a summary of that year, I will cover the few health related aspects first, for the past week.

I had my next session of physio on Monday evening and things continue to progress in the right direction. Some more acupuncture and muscle massaging was undertaken and the physio has now extended the next session to 1 month away. The main challenge at the moment is the head, which is increasingly becoming more ‘fuzzy’. Probably not the best description, but it feels like a slight tightness around my skull and it can be inhibitive in what I do when it is more pronounced. I do not know if it is something related to the medication / supplements, something connected to the muscle issues, or something new. I will contact the cancer unit this coming week, to begin the process of elimination / identification and hopefully improvement. If that was not there, I would be feeling pretty okay at the moment, overall; we’ll see what comes next in that health story.

Like most of the rest of you, Christmas was the main focus for the past week and for Sandra and I, we had our Christmas meal out and this is the second time we have done that - the first time was Christmas 2022, the time between knowing I had cancer, but not knowing the actual prognosis. If you have not experienced your main Christmas meal at a local restaurant, we can recommend the concept. No prep, no clear up and much more relaxing Christmas Day. I appreciate that it would not be suitable for all family situations, but worth considering. We also had an invite from Andrea and Richard, to his retirement get together at their home. That was Saturday evening and we had a nice few hours there, before needing to go home and rest the head and this variable current situation with that.

Now that the season is over for another year, a lot of us reflect on that big day. Huge and often unnecessary pressure on families to create the ‘perfect season’, generously helped along by the retail world. The same comes for this week’s big day, New Year’s Day, the end of one year and the start of another. We all reflect around this time of year, determine where we are at that point, did we achieve what we had set out to and also, what does 2025 look like.

My situation, no doubt like all of those in similar situations, is not different, but it is much more defined in scope. We have all had the ‘family’ pressure of Christmas, now we move to the ‘personal’ pressure of the dawning of a whole new year. In my BC world, I would have undertaken the same process many of you do, reflecting on the career achievements, personal life and what the key objectives would be for the new unfolding year. Since the AD world has arrived, my personal assessments are much more short term and defined than before. How is the health situation affecting my general abilities and therefore plans, and this coming year is no different. I am in the midst of my final, life-defining phase and I look on with interest as to how my ‘story’ will unfold for 2025.

For those of you that had the time to read last week’s update, I touch on the control elements that I consider exist within all of us. So, what do you have planned? Is it practical and pragmatic, are you going to be taking big risks or are you focused on sheer survival - we are living in an increasingly unrecognisable world. Are your plans being influenced externally / by others, or are you being sincere to yourself and focused on what you feel will genuinely help make 2025 a memorable one for you, for all of the right reasons. For whatever you plan for 2025, in whatever situation you find yourself at the end of 2024, I wish you happiness and good health.

Both Sandra and I were absolutely astounded by the volume of comments from you regular readers on FB, to last week’s update. Sincerity, love, support and genuine interest in my health (and life) story were all evident and are there for everyone to read; you have our deepest thanks for what you wrote and how you wrote it. It is always a humbling experience when some of my waffling and words connects with so many of you and invokes a reaction such as last week’s post did. You have my sincere thanks and that of my family. For Year Two of the AD world, your interest, support and comments have helped me navigate the impact of this disease much more easily and I thank you for that.

At the start of Year Two, I wrote a poem, for the start of Year Three, I will provide a summary of Year Two, which is:

Physical:

• ​​Seized hands and fingers, painful and very inhibitive - all gone now, thankfully
• Hair returning and being able to have normal haircuts
• The ever-present back pain throughout the year, which peaked in the autumn psychological battle, which had led to the current treatment plan, which is making a difference.
• Connected to that, we endured the ‘mattress battle’ and the realisation that attending shows was probably a thing of the past.
• The change to food and how I approach what I eat now, alongside the change in body shape and clothing choices.
• The car choice sessions and subsequent outcome, all as a result of the AD world.
• Getting used to the lower priority professional health focus, a strange shift when compared to Year One, and my PSA level now being in a constant state of almost zero
  

Psychological:

• The overall psychological impact on both Sandra and I, of meandering through the AD world and how challenging that has been at times.
• The continuing psychological impact on my immediate family (children, grandkids, my sister Susan)
• The shock of seeing family and friends suffer illnesses, which resulted in their death, have been reminders that my current situation could be very different, and I am constantly grateful for each day that I still wake up and can have a life at all.
• The back pain ‘incident’ was the hardest aspect since the initial diagnosis
  

Plans and life:

• Retirement (thanks Sandra) and adjusting to a daily routine that is mostly under my control - arguably, my single most significant AD change.
• Performing the consultancy role, alongside producing the books, which, although a hobby, are done as a business, with all connected aspects.
• Being able to enjoy a fairly normal summer season (my favourite) again, following Year One’s write off summer. Time with family and friends and visiting new places.
• Normal daily tasks, DIY and the like, are impacted.
• Completing 2 of the books that we put onto the remaining 4 book plan, was significant, with one of those heading towards ‘out of print’ status, and another at the printers for an early 2025 release; the outline work has begun on Volume 7, to complete the WSS Knights series.
  

What will 2025 bring for my story? Well, let’s find out together and I will aim to keep it as interesting and insightful as possible.

With my best regards

Peter