Sunday Sunday

Quiet day so far. Cleaning, washing & watching The Walking Dead. Also a visit from those intrepid travellers DD and Michele. Wales was apparently fantastic albeit very wet. Off to tonight for dinner T Ev's with DD and my Manchester Mum and Dad. Yum.

Not much else to report really. My Uncle John isn't doing too well at the moment but hopefully he will rally soon.

Life of Pi was a really beautiful film. Especially in 3D. And then it was out for a few VMs with Lesely in the Radisson which was fun. That's all. J x

All Alone

So have woken up this morning all alone. It's a nice feeling for the moment but I suspect the feeling will wear thin once I've worked my way through The Walking Dead box set. Going to the cinema later with Lesley to see Life of Pi. Should be interesting as I have no idea what to expect. I must be one of the few people around to have not read the book. Will see it in 3D as the reviews recommend that.

Saw the Hobbit yesterday in 2D and, whilst I did enjoy it, I found it little underwhelming. Andy Serkis actually stole the show in my opinion. Will maybe go and see it in the 3D, fast frame version to see if that makes a difference.

Also met up with Jane for a coffee in Starbucks (I know, but Caffe Nero had no seats and Starbucks was virtually empty: perhaps a tax boycott is taking place?). Great to see Jane and catch up with work gossip and her personal stuff.

And that's all for now folks. Spoke to DD and it sounds as though she won't be back until Sunday when we're out at Ev's for a mell along with my Manchester Mum & Dad. :-) J x

Clinic Visit

So off to Wythenshawe hospital today with the Ageds to see the lovely Dr Summers. She told it like it is and answered all their questions. She also agreed to write me a "to whom it may concern" letter confirming my less than 12 months diagnosis (some of my pension schemes won't pay out without this letter). Saw Glen there who doesn't appear to be having a brilliant time on chemo (he started his first cycle on exactly the same day as me and so we always have appointments on exactly the same days). Dr Summers won't be upping my chemo dose given the relatively easy time I've had of it on this second cycle. Apparently I'm still on quite a heavy dose and the side effects will get progressively worse without altering the dose. But it also looks like I'll only have the 4 cycles rather than 6.

Also watched Marnie this morning (having had my interest piqued by The Girl last night) and what a great film it is. I've had the DVD for ages and just never got round to watching it. But what a scary person Hitchcock was. Be interesting to see what Anthony Hopkins does with him in the film. And Helen Mirren as his wife.

Am also working through all the episodes of Bleak House with my mother. Superb series and well worth this second visit. Every great British actor one has ever heard of appears to be in it. Apart from Helen Mirren.

Ageds leaving in the morning and Madame doesn't return until Sunday which means I have almost two whole days to myself. Yippee. All this and I'm feeling quite good at the moment. Anything could happen. Watch this space. J x

Trip Out

Took the Ageds to Tatton Park this morning whilst it was dry and relatively sunny. Walked around the gardens for an hour. Not a great deal to see as its the middle of winter but the Japanese garden still looks pretty and peaceful and the fresh air no doubt did me some good. Managed to get lost on the way home as exited by the Knutsford exit which isn't the one I'm used to.

Then it was back for another couple of episodes of Bleak House. The BBC series is just superb. That's all. J x

Xmas TV II

Downton: still the capacity to surprise. I didn't see that coming at all. I still have my shocked face on the following morning.

This may also be due to the fact that have just discovered that Bents doesn't open on Boxing Day. What madness is that? My mother wants to go and now we have no idea what to do today... I'll let you know when we've decided. J x

Xmas TV I

Dr Who. Loved it. One of the best I've seen for a long long while. Like the new companion too. And some really good dialogue. All this plus Richard E grant overacting like only he can. Fabulous.

Also need to mention La Cenerentola which was luscious and gorgeous and beautiful to look at and listen to too.

Just awaiting Downton now. :-) J x

Merry Christmas Fellow Bloggees

As usual, it's been a present-fest here at Lewis towers. Everything from a Christmas T-shirt to a cushion featuring a lumberjack in a onsie by way of woodland themed drinking glasses and theatre tickets. Thank you all for your generosity and your inventiveness. Less kind wishes go to anyone who felt it appropriate to offer me cards/gifts smothered in glitter. It is now everywhere and so I have had to take the unfortunate decision to not wear my new cobalt blue cashmere jumper. Luckily I have a new (machine washable) T-shirt I can wear so not all is lost.

Have just had half a glass of champagne whereas the Ageds are glugging it back like its going out of fashion. Luckily it has been a bit of a booze rich present season for them and so they won't be running out anytime soon. I expect them both to be asleep by 1400.

TV looks a bit rubbish today - Dr Who and Downton apart - so it's lucky that I have 2 seasons of The Walking Dead to watch on DVD. Will probably need Ageds to be asleep before I start watching that though. I'm not sure zombies will be their thing.

Well I hope y'all have a fabulous day and thank you once again for the gifts and kind wishes. Love to you all. J x

The Eve of the Eve

Didn't have a good night. Night sweats and back pain. Otherwise feeling good though. Temperature has stayed down so far which is good and although I shall be going to Sainsburys with my parents today I have been forbidden to get out of the car as apparently supermarkets are awash with bugs and germs. I'm fairly sure it's supermarkets in general and not just supermarkets in Salford that my mother is referring to...

Not much else to report. Michele and DD have arrived safely in West Wales for their Xmas break. Looked the house up on the net and it looks lovely. I suspect it will feel a little overcrowded come Boxing Day when the other 6 arrive though. Hopefully they'll have some decent weather because the house looks out to sea. I'm sure they'll enjoy themselves good weather or not.

The Aged Ps move in with me today for the Xmas period. Hopefully no rows! Although one or two family rows over Xmas are part of the tradition I think :-)

That's all for now. May blog later. Oh, just need to apologise to my Manchester Mum & Dad who point out that they haven't abandoned me even if everyone else has! J x

All Gone

So it's Saturday which means that everyone I know has now gone away for Xmas. Including the Aged Ps (although of course they've "gone away" to Manchester).

Went to Annie's for a meal last night. Very good food but I'm still not convinced they've got the tone quite right for a city centre venue. Some confusing mixed signals in the design IMHO. But it's early days. I'm sure Chris and Jenny will work it out.  Probably overdid it though. 3 hours, 3 courses, 3 martinis.  Not a good idea. Suffered last night because of it but luckily no ill effects today.

That's all for the moment. J x

Second Dose

So I went back to Wythenshawe hospital yesterday for my second week dose of chemo. DD was unavailable (probably on another birthday event) so I was taken by Maggie (my "Manchester Mum" - long story). All went well and I've done OK since then. Looking back on my blog the effects of the second dose started to really kick in from tomorrow so we'll see what tomorrow brings.

The Aged Ps have arrived safely and they called round last night (they're staying in The Midland for a few nights) it was really good to see them. They left about 1900 to go and have a meal at the hotel but talking to them this morning I don't think they particularly enjoyed the food. They will call back here today at 1700 before we all go out for something to eat this evening. I will therefore be spending today conserving my strength. :-) Jim may call round later too and it will be good to catch up with him.

No other news at the moment so I'll sign off and update later if I remember anything. J x

Misleading Television Programme Titles

Am currently watching Channel 5 (yes, really). The programme is Big, Bigger, Biggest. Leaving aside the fact that its perhaps not the programme I was hoping for, it's actually a rather interesting programme about the Panama Canal. But the most interesting thing about it is the fact that all the problems they faced building the canal had been solved in advance by the people building the Manchester Ship and Bridgewater canals. Manchester rocks.

Went to cinema to see Argo earlier. Nearly killed me getting there but journey home was surprisingly easy. Strange how that happens sometimes. I enjoyed the film - based on a true story - but I suspect it will be a little too "American" for some people's tastes. Hobbit clearly showing at AMC so that will likely be a post Xmas/New Year trip (or even more than one).

Week 2 chemo dose tomorrow. The lovely Maggie will be my companion du choix. Thank you darling. Also, Aged Ps arrive late afternoon. Let Xmas begin.... J x

Sorry Missed Yesterday

Nothing to worry about, just a little busy with this and that. This cycle of chemo is going better than the first one still which I'm pleased about. Still got some of the queasiness, bad taste and smell etc but its not as bad as it was last time. Didn't make it out of the house yesterday but did walk as far as the local Sainsburys on Monday - which really knackered me. Will attempt a walk to the AMC cinema this afternoon (going to see Argo) so let's see how that goes. In the meantime I need to start doing some tidying up ready for the arrival of the Aged Ps onThursday.

Also have the second week chemo shot tomorrow and the District Nurses have been this morning to take blood. Maggie is taking me so that will be a new experience. Looking forward to catching up with her. And also feeding back to her on the delicious curry sauce Paul had prepared for me which I used to make a quick and dirty veg curry last night - I was so hungry! But it was really tasty and just spicy enough for me. Indeed my appetite seems to be quite good at the moment so I'm making the most of it and trying to build myself up a bit and catch up on all the weight I've lost up until now.

I must also thank the lovely John & Janice for the really tasty veg soup they made for me. It was gorgeous and really filling. But can I just ask people to hold off on bringing me any more food until after Xmas please? My freezer is full and I shall be eating very well indeed over Xmas as a result. Thank you all.

And that's all for the moment I think. I may update again later following the cinema. Oh, apart from to say well done Toby on passing your rest. I'm really pleased. J x

Now Have App On IPad

First attempt seems to be working. Fingers crossed that normal service will be resumed. Can't see where to add photos yet but early days... :-). J x

Hurrah

After many, many (many) attempts I have finally managed to get onto the blog via my iPad. Maybe I need to download a special ap for it on this device?  I've no idea, I'll try and explore this option today.   I also need to look into syncing iTunes across my different platforms because that doesn't seem to be happening as seamlessly as one might hope from an Apple product either.  Maybe my iPad experts could weigh in on this debate?

Anyway, back to the important stuff: the party. It was a huge success. Venue was fabulous, loads of groovy people turned up and even I lasted 2 hours! Most importantly of all, DD had a brilliant time and looked absolutely beautiful.  Stunning midnight blue dress. There will be a DVD I believe.

In the end I went with the lace shirt which was the right choice because I don't get to wear it that often otherwise. If I ever get syncing done properly I'll post a photo of me and 'er and you can judge for yourselves.

Health wise I'm feeling OK. Tired and that awful taste has started in my mouth. Night sweats still occurring every night but otherwise I'm sleeping well (for which read "a lot"). It doesn't feel as bad this time which could be doctor the lower dose, could be down to the weight of expectations or a bit of both.  And its still early days. Long way to go yet so let's not get too excited.  I'm just taking each day/hour/moment as it comes. And I think that's all for the moment. Will post again (iPad willing) later if anything else occurs.  J x

Tartan or Lace?

Oh the dilemma.  Can't decide which shirt to wear.  Before you all weigh in about age and appropriateness... first of all get a life and second of all these are regular shirts we are talking about one of which has some lace attached to it and one of which has some random bits of tartan sewn onto it.  They're both Comme Des Garçons shirts and so are timeless and yet insanely fashionable, ordinary and yet eye wateringly expensive (but then don't forget I will be wearing the pony coat too - and Fig your lips are still sealed on that I hope you know): ready to wear at haute couture prices.  I've no idea what to do.  Tartan is my "Festival Shirt" and so has been seen by some before - but I love it.  Lace has only ever been worn once before so very few people will have seen it - but does that tell its own story?  Oh I don't know, turn up at the party or read the blog tomorrow to find out how I solve this conundrum.  That's all.  J x

It's Party Time

DD's big do today. Looking forward to it immensely. Am preparing by sleeping a lot. Otherwise feeling not too bad. Which is good but then am on the intense steroid/mega anti-sickness drugs for three days after Chemo 1. So it's all quite clever timing really. Lets hope the lighting tonight is kind (by which I mean low) and I may even look good. Won't outshine Madame though as have seen the outfit and she will look stunning. That's all. Will blog party tales later/tomorrow. J x

The Best Laid Plans

No Xmas cards got written.  Sorry.  But I've made a list (checked it twice) to decide who is getting a card this year so its a start... I did also venture into town to pick up some stamps and had coffee in Annie's with DD, Hilda, Gwen and Theda.  Followed by a martini in Grill on the Alley with DD.  Knackered after all this excitement and then spent the rest of the night putting outfit together for tomorrow and finalising the DD Birthday Party Introductory Mix Tape (I've been awarded the first hour).

Feeling tired today and a little nauseous.  Have managed to get 6 Ensure Pluses down which is good.  Not had any "real food" today though.  Scales this morning suggested I've put on about 4 pounds from my lightest weight which is encouraging.

Off to bed now.  Look at the time!  Night all.  J x

Look at the Time

Woken at this unearthly hour by a second night sweat. Hope this doesn't become a feature. One I can manage but there are only two sides to the bed. After two sweats you have to abandon it and allow everything to air and dry out. I'm afraid stripping the bed every night is just not practical. All that washing - can you imagine?

Feeling OK at the moment but I know from experience that things can change rapidly so I'm making the most of this and using my time to communicate with all you lovely peeps.  Top of my list for today is writing my Christmas cards. I know, I'm late. Apologies if yours arrives next year.  I'll also need to venture out and buy some Xmas stamps. Ooh, maybe I could fit that in with a coffee with someone from work. Get in touch if you'd like an invite. :-).

That's all for now. J x

Cycle 2, Day 1, Part Cinq

Now home safe and sound and feeling OK. Maybe a little tired so off to bed after this.  It was quite a long day again - 10 hours door to door - because of blood test cock- up yesterday. It will get better/shorter.

My thanks as ever go to DD for her help today. Will go through hell and high water to get to her birthday do on Saturday if I can. Got absolutely nothing to wear though apart from, potentially, a nice new cobalt blue cashmere jumper. :-)

And don't listen to that musical peasant Fig. He has the ears of a elf.  He doesn't even like A Chorus Line - one of the all time Broadway greats. Rent is a great musical made more poignant for me at the moment because its all about death (albeit Aids which I haven't got). And if that doesn't guilt- him out then the man has no heart (which I know that he does). Because he lets it out on Sundays...

That's all for tonight. J x

No Room at the Holiday Inn, Oh No.

I love love love the Xmas song in Rent. :-) J x

Cycle 2, Day 1, Part Trois

First bag of chemo just gone up (it's all been anti-sickness this and anti-sickness that until now) but its come straight from the fridge and so is extremely cold. Sister Lesley has therefore just microwaved me a heat pad which I place on my arm. They think of everything don't they... J x

Cycle 2, Day 1, Part Deux

So have arrived at the Xmas song on Rent and now feel suitably uplifted. Rent does that for you every time. Apologies to any minor celebrities out there (and their fans/stalkers) who I may have offended by being somewhat underwhelmed by mere mention of their names. I'm fairly sure that Bonnie Langford has many, many qualities. Like....um.... well, I'm sure there are many of them.

Have also cheered up somewhat because have been shopping for a new jumper - cobalt blue - whilst being poisoned, getting depressed and being disparaging. I know! Multi-tasking or what? :-) J x

Cycle 2, Day 1

Here we go again. I'm hooked up to a bag of poison in Wythenshawe hospital, listening to Rent through my new super-dooper headphones and feeling extremely sorry for myself. Fig,of course, will say that Rent will do that to you every time but equally it can be very uplifting I think. Sister Lesley says that today should be shorter than last time (even though the District Nurses cocked up the blood tests yesterday) which is good news. D D coming back at 1630 to pick me up.

Otherwise I feel fine though. Still getting the night sweats but talked to the doctor this morning and it could be the disease or the cure causing them. Oh well, not to worry then...

Yesterday was good. Managed a haircut, a manicure, a call from my boss and a visit from Lesley. All extremely fun apart from the manicure. I tried the people on Whitworth Street and frankly they're just butchers so I don't recommend them. Nails look OK though. I'm fairly sure my hair is thinning. Cameron, my beautiful, lovely hairdresser doesn't think so but I reckon he's just saying that.

Not much other news. Ma & Pa will extend their Xmas visit one day so that they can attend clinic with me and get a chance to talk directly to my consultant. Which will be good for them. nd that's all for now :-) J x

Madam Expects

Thank you everyone for your offers of help today & tomorrow. I understand that Denise has put the word out that she's out of town for the night and that someone needs to take her place in looking after me.  Well you've all done very well, thank you so much. But I'm OK at the moment.  Have been to the dentist this afternoon(my teeth are fine but keep doing what you're doing - also got free mouthwash and a hug). I love my dentist. He's extraordinarily good looking and rich as Croesus (he's just sold his practice to BUPA). His original intention was to retire when he was 35 and he sold out to BUPA on his 35th birthday which would have given him enough money to retire but he's discovered that he just likes the job too much and so is going to stay on.  I for one am really glad about this.

The walk into town has exhausted me a bit but it did afford me the opportunity of a guided tour of Annie's (I was walking past and Jenny was sat in the window so I called in). I like it and hope to go and test their barman's martini skills soon. Also had the opportunity to see Sara for a coffee at Caffe Nero. She's fine and dandy as ever and has just completed on her new house.

I may have a little nap soon therefore. Feeling good today ( week 3 of my cycle is supposed to be my best - despite a hospital stay this time round).   Tomorrow is a trip to the hairdresser. I'll have it cut quite short so that I don't have to bother too much with it if it starts falling out. And that's all folks. J x

At Home

Spent the entire day at home today. Feeling a bit tired - didn't have a brilliant night, woke up about 0500 absolutely drenched from a night sweat. Not sure what that's all about so will ask the doctors on Thursday.

Have a 7 day antibiotic course to follow but I'm not even sure that's right. The TTOs were authorised by an on-call doctor - it was the weekend yesterday - who seems to have forgotten that I'd been on IV antibiotics already for a few days. But this may be explained by the fact that he appeared not to have looked at my notes at all("no-one told me you couldn't take tablets").   So I'll check that with the doctors on Thursday as well.

Had some bad back pain today but otherwise OK. Spoke to the lovely Madame La T up in bonny Scotland this afternoon. She's fine and sends everyone her love. Also spoke to Toby who has (another) resist tomorrow. Please all wish him good luck.

Need to try and see a dentist before Thursday and also a hairdresser. That's tomorrow's task.

Otherwise I'm fine and dandy. That's all.  J x

Finally

After a long and frustrating day at the hospital - mainly due to NHS ineptitude it has to be said - I was released into the safe custody of Ev who brought me home (thank you darling). Madam, in case you were wondering, was at the footie watching City play the hell out of United and yet losing the game anyway. That's all for tonight. J x

Latest Update

So they sent off my bloods first thing this morning. Only problem is, they hadn't asked for the right tests. So they take more blood this afternoon and ask for the right tests. And my white cell count is now 0.63. Above 0.5. Yay. Only problem now is that it's too late to get my drug TTOs (To Take Out) from the pharmacy. So I'm in for another night. However I should definitely be home tomorrow. Providing the counts stay where they are now. At least the moaning testicle man has been moved from the bed opposite which should allow me to sleep :-) J x

One Minute You're Up, The Next You're Down

So it was all going swimmingly yesterday. POU doctors were here yesterday (the lovely Dr Peck - DD's a big fan, I'm more of a doctor Summers boy).  They seemed happy for me to go home today provided my white blood cell count was above 0.5 (it was 0.42 at the time). So had my blood taken and sent off this morning but the results aren't back yet. But the ward doctors aren't so happy to discharge me. My temperature is currently 37.3 (within the "normal" limits but close to 37.5 when we're supposed to start worrying). So who do we think are the toughest? POU or Doyle Ward doctors? I'll let you know more when I know more. Fingers crossed that POU come out on top though... :-) J x

Update

So, much as I hate hospitals, I don't hate this ward. All the nurses have been very nice (if the usual forgetful - one has to ask for everything 2 or 3 times). I have 2 windows but no pretty views and a 'bay' that is almost like its own room. Was promised a bed on the chemo ward but that hasn't materialised and frankly I don't mind because happy(ish) here. Temperature has stayed down so hopefully monitoring will last only 48 hours. Had a visit from the lovely Ev this afternoon and the lovely Lesley is visiting tonight (not seen her for ages). That's all. J x

Bad News

Following yesterday's good news things took a turn for the worse last night. My temperature spiked above 38 degrees and so they've brought me back into hospital to administer IV antibiotics :-( Hopefully they'll do the trick and I'll be out of here in a couple of days. I hate being in hospital. That's all. I'll update you all as things develop. J x

Good News

Well,, a little positive anyway. At clinic today I had an X ray that, apparently, shows more air getting into my right lung. I have to say that I haven't noticed any physical difference but I'm willing to rely on independent evidence (as a trained tax inspector I can do no less). Will need a scan (after Cycle 3?) I think to make any judgements on effects on the tumours.

Today is my Day 14 so I should expect to start feeling a little better until next Thursday when we start Cycle 2.

Feeling quite hot at the moment so off to get me some paracetamol to cool me down.... Talk soon. J x

Still Feeling OK

Fingers crossed for tonight.... Clinic at Wythenshawe tomorrow. I'll report back. J x

No News Is Bad News

So I didn't have a particularly good day yesterday and then I had an even worse night.  On the bright side though I am having a quite good day today so far.

Was up at the crack of dawn (0700 - honestly, I used to have left the house by this time in the old days) as I had an hospital appointment at MRI. This was just at the oxygen clinic to check everything is OK with the oxygen saturation levels ("sats") in my blood.  At 94% they are on the low side but not worryingly so. They're happy that I'm not using oxygen at the moment and also happy to leave all the equipment with me. Which is a relief. Many thanks to one of my alternative carers (Michele) for picking me up from my appointment this morning. 

Have a clinic appointment in Wythenshawe tomorrow where I will see one of the consultants in charge of my care (not necessarily Dr Yvonne). Carer number one (DD)will be in attendance.

Exciting happenings on the car front.  Denise broke it yesterday but has managed to get it mended for today.  Phew. Only don't tell my father otherwise he'll nag me to get a new one.  According to DD though the guy at the garage said its a great car and we should hang onto it.  So that's what we'll do. :-)

And that's all for now. Feeling good but not getting too blasé about things because the situation can change in an instant. J x

Just Like A Normal Sunday

At least in the sense that it involved a trip to the garden centre. Me and DD traveled to Bents where they have taken the concept of Christmas decoration to the nth degree. The place really has to be seen to be believed. They have everything you could possibly dream of as well as very many things that have undoubtedly featured in some of your nightmares...  And the customers!  One might also believe you had to have at least two children in tow in order to gain entry.  Anyway, we didn't stay too long and I bought some Christmas lights. Incidentally, I don't know if anyone is watching that series by Waldemar someone or other on the Dark Ages?  It's quite fascinating and it turns out that the commonly used "Xmas" has religious derivations and therefore isn't sacrilegious or anything. Who knew?

Anyway, another good day. Hopefully this continues right up until they pump the next large dose of poison into my veins.... That's all for now. J x

Feeling Hot Hot Hot

Had a bit of a temperature scare last night. Spiked to 37.7 (not supposed to go over 37.5). DD, may she live forever, came round though straight from her first birthday event and calmed me down and by the time she left I was back down to 37.4. Today I'm on 36.7 and having one of the best days I've had in I don't know how long.

Obviously that can all go horribly wrong but let's just celebrate the fact that for the moment I am not in pain, my temperature is normal, I don't have any nasty smells or tastes and I'm not feeling nauseous. Oh, and I moved my bowels this morning. Hurrah.

Sara called round earlier as my substitute paper-delivery-person.  Great to see her and catch up because its been a while.  Denise is off to the wild shores of Anglesey this weekend (I was supposed to go too but probably wouldn't have been fit enough) with Ev and Stewart.


Have just had a call from Anglesey. Sounds like all is hunky dory in Wales. :-). J x