Best wishes for the chemo treatment Dougie- thinking of you!

Don't let that kryptonite wear you down, superman.

Good morning all, thanks for all the best wishes.

I went out to Blackheath tonight, and enjoyed the sight of quite a large thunderstorm moving south through Essex and into Kent, it did not miss Sidcup by much but it was dry here when I came home, but the storm itself was quite intense, which I was able to follow for a couple of hours.

I am sitting here quite amused at the tune my stomach is playing me, and it's very loud. I have had a few minor sickness incidence, which I always assume is the consequence of the chemo, but tonight, I ate half a punnet of grapes, which I think maybe was responsible. The choice to cook at home, really speaking is my own. I was getting bored with the customers, and menu at the cafe, as good as they have treated me, but I need new horizons. I won't stop using them of course, but I need new things to eat, and more importantly, a different time for eating. I am used to eating around 19.00, not 17.00, as in the cafe, and the change in menu is refreshing, and probably necessary. Whilst I am still able to do this for myself, I will, it's all part of my plan going forward.

Bodily functions have been good of late, with no sign of a problem from the chemo, so it helps to have a grip on this now. It's only taken me 9 months, but better late than never I guess, and one less thing to worry about for now. My rib is now feeling a little easier, and I hope soon to start using my bed again, which will also help my legs function a little better. One of the problems caused by the chemo is the lack of feeling in my hands and feet, because of the damage done to the nerve endings. This will never go away, but might reduce slightly when and if the chemo is stopped for an extended period. I find it very difficult to tie my shoes, and deal with buttons etc,.

It's back to the hospital on Monday after this little rest, for a meeting with the consultant team, also the dietician, I would appreciate it if it was a quicker affair then usual, as the kids are back at school now, and that makes a huge difference to traffic conditions on the homeward journey, in fact it could double the time taken. I don't know if  other parts of the country have similar problems, but I would imagine that it's similar wherever you go. As stated previously, it's back again for the next chemo on Thursday, which I must admit I am nervous about. Maybe I will handle it a bit better this time round, hope so.

Thank you all once again for taking an interest, it has, and does mean so much to me.

Morning Dougie. I love a good thunder storm at night and we weren't short of them in Cape Verde, tropical rain and all.  

Now you're doing your own cooking, consider foods such as salmon, liver, nuts and green leafy veg, which are not only good for cancer fighting but also for repairing nerve endings.  As always, I believe diet plays an enormous part in health. Garlic, mushrooms, tomato purée and beef are also good, so spagetti bolognese would be a good meal to cook.

 My services are needed now. Catch you later. I'm back!  Had to collect some timber with hubby. He's building a veranda across the back of Daniel's house.  

With regards to your next chemo session.  You know what to expect, so go into it with new resolve and with all the determination you've shown over the past few weeks.  The medics are doing their best for you, so you need to do your best to make their efforts worthwhile, as well as to give yourself the best chance possible.  

In the meantime, make the most of life.  Do things that make you happy to keep your mind healthy and eat the right foods to keep your body healthy.  Then you'll be ready for battle!  

Enough of my fighting talk for now.  It's a lovely day here and I hope you've got some warm sunshine in Sidcup that you can enjoy.  I think I might be needed for a bit of construction work so I'm glad the weather's fine.  

Have a good day  x 

Good to see you are in better form. Have you been doing a calorie count of your daily food intake.  It might be important to know. Always good to have some sachets of soup in in a mug type for when you need a boost also the instant porridge type. They do come with different flavors these days .  Have a good day Dougie. Hope the sun is out for you. 

Good morning Caz and Art, thanks for posting.

Your food advice Caz I have always found good. I am not a food gormet, food is food as far as I am concerned, but I know what I like, and you have introduced me to some new ideas, which is always good, even at my age. Garlic, mushrooms and the like, I have always liked, and eat when I can, in fact I use garlic in tinned soup, along with a little salt and pepper to enhance the taste, especially with lentil soup. I am eating quantities of food now that I could only have dreamed of just a few short weeks ago, and I will take great interest on Monday, when again I get weighed, it's always a useful guide as to what is going on. My stomach is still singing merrily to me this morning, so something is going on in there, hope its all good.

i have become very aware of the stent, which I can feel front and back, it's more a feeling of discomfort than pain, and can be quite annoying as pressure is being exerted on it from the tumour. I hope this will subside a bit if the chemo is doing it's job, but it's a bit early for progress in that department, maybe another few weeks will tell.

Art, always got porridge and soup's in the house, they are a part of my staple diet, and were the only things I could keep down during the sickness periods, and will remain so.

Tonight for dinner, I am planning on sweet and sour chicken breasts, with some new potatoes with herbs and butter, all from M&S, and I am already looking forward to this, and later, I will be going out somewhere for a drive and some music, ahhh the simple things of life.

Have a good day yourselves, and Caz, don't work too hard.

PS. The sun IS shining as well.

Hi Dougie.  We're still waiting for Daniel to let us know he's home. They've taken Rachel's mini into the body shop as someone reversed into it and left a dent.  It's a mini One, not a clubman as I said in an earlier post. Daniel's also looking at other cars as he's thinking of changing his mini to something suitable for a family.  A sign that he's growing up, although I think they might get married first!   

The chicken sounds good for your evening meal but a bit of broccoli would go nicely too and add to the nutritional value. Freshly frozen veg is convenient and is as nutritious as fresh veg, so add some to your shopping list.  Don't cook it for as long though as it can go a bit mushy.  Don't forget the smoothies as well.  They're a nice alternative to a pudding.

Right!  We've had our calling. Daniel's home so we're off to start work on his veranda.  I enjoy getting involved with DIY stuff and don't mind bending my back or getting my hands dirty, although I'm not quite as fit as I used to be. Aaaah, aging has a lot to answer for!  

 As it happens, tomorrows dinner is chicken and broccoli pie, might have some chips with that. I have not had chips for months.

Cars are very much a personal choice, I have always been a Ford man, but at the moment, I am driving a VW Golf. It was cheap, and a one owner, so drives like new, and very easy to manage compared with the Transit camper I was using. I do miss the van, especially on nights like last night, with storms around, but hey ho, there always has to be compromises.

It's probable that the Golf will be the last vehicle I own, but if things go well, I will get another camper, a brilliant vehicle just to chill out in, summer and winter, seaside or countryside.

Ahhh!  Chips!  A bit of what you fancy does you good.  We've just had chips with our steak, which is our Saturday evening ritual.   Hubby prefers new potatoes, boiled and buttered and that's what we have through spring and summer months but I like it when I can get main crop spuds and cook chips.  Hubby always cooks the steak and mushrooms but I control the salad and the spuds. 

Daniel managed to burn out hubby's heavy duty drill whilst breaking up concrete for the veranda posts to be set.  So he's surfing the net for parts to repair it.  Hence, I'm doing my own thing with my phone while we sit on our veranda finishing our wine. Almost time for coffee though.  

I referred to the joys of aging in a previous post and it's occurred to me how we develop steady habits, as we age, like our Saturday steak night, which follows the same routine, but we love it.  

Yes, my hubby likes Fords.  He's just had a new Focus Zetec Ecoboost and his previous car was exactly the same, even the same colour, just an older model, which says a lot about age again!   I'd love a camper van though.  We had touring caravans when our kids were at home but when they grew up and our last caravan hadn't moved off our drive for a year, we decided to sell it and I was sad to see it go.  Maybe when we both retire we'll have more time to get back on the open road.  

That's enough about me.  Half a bottle of wine and I'm waffling!  I'm hoping you're having a drive to Blackheath to do what you enjoy.  Coffee time for us now!  

The best thing about this thread is it's now moved into a general posting thread. That says a lot about our Dougie's condition. Whilst still a long slog, think of where it was a month or two back. You couldn't even keep water down. 

Caz - you can **** ***. "HALF" a bottle of wine???? Have I taught you nothing??? It's Saturday FFS!! Get the rest out and then open ANOTHER bottle. 

Hi Dougie. Sorry for not posting in here as much as I should do but I do lurk and follow your progress in my own private manner.

I thought you might like to see these photos of the now completed Folkestone railway viaduct (and it's got some weather in the form of photogenic convective cumulus - it is that which re-ignited my long lost photographic mojo).

Even the Burstin actually looks a little better from this newly discovered angle. However the station itself is still undergoing intensive restoration and won't be ready for another two months.

Hi all.

Thanks for the posts Caz, Matty and Ian.

Matty you are right, things have come a long way since the early posts, and the positive vibes are shining through, from all of us.

 Still a long way to go, and anything can happen , but I remain determined to beat this thing.

Ian , thanks for the photo's, the area is looking a lot better now than I remember it was, and I can't wait to see the cafe up and running for the winter. Are they still planning on having the old carriages?

I have had a really busy day, catching up on things ignored during the bad times. Washed my nets, and cleaned the windows, serviced my weather station, and had a good clean up all round. Whilst I can do these things, I will, but perhaps today I did overdo it a bit, as it's taken a lot out of me, but I feel much better for at least trying to live a normal life.

 I have today applied online for a blue badge, why oh why can't they make the application easier, without all the silly questions, they know who I am, and either I am entitled to the badge , or not. It took 45mins answering questions, and providing proof of who I am, where they already have my details being a pensioner. Now I wait with baited breath

I am enjoying my new found freedom on the eating front, I did pop up to the cafe in the morning for a quick beans on toast, and I think that's the way I will probably play it from now on, the best of both worlds.

During the day, I was eagerly eyeing up that rain coming in from the west, hoping that it would arrive whilst I was out and about, but sadly it never really got going. I love sitting in a vehicle when it absolutely belting down, the sound on the roof is soporific. I did go to Blackheath where it was quite quiet for a Saturday, also cool and calm, definitely autumn is on the way. I am beginning to notice that the tree's are changing colour, and the conkers are on the ground, and I am looking forward as to what winter has in store. I would love to see a lot of snow again, even a white Xmas

Bodily functions all seem to be working well, but there has been a change in the effect of the anti sickness pill, it no longer knocks me out. It may well be that the reduction in the steroids is also having a knock on effect, but I am not getting very much sleep now.

OK, enough from me for today, I hope that tomorrow is as productive as today has been, it's nice to be normal.

Morning Dougie and all.

Matty, you're right about the tone of this thread changing and it's nice that we can all chat about normal things while supporting Dougie's fight.  A bit of R & R to recharge the battle batteries! As for the wine, I've never been much of a drinker.  I do enjoy a glass of red but more than a couple of large glasses would definitely spoil it for me.  I did have an amaretto liquor with my coffee though.  

Dougie, it sounds like you had a very busy day with domestic chores and I'll be surprised if you're not feeling the effects today.  Maybe the physical exercise helped you sleep a little better last night.  Maybe the application for the blue badge did too.  Why they make these things so difficult, I don't know.  I don't know if Macmillan told you that when you get attendance allowance you are also automatically entitled to other benefits such as an additional element of pension credits and housing benefits. 

With my mum, Macmillan did the attendance allowance application but I had to apply for the pension credit increase and it made a substantial difference to her income.  She wasn't entitled to housing benefit as she owned her house but your circumstances will be different, so apply for everything you can to make your life easier.  The last thing you need is to worry about finances and I know hospital visits cost money.  I may be preaching to the converted and it's a bit personal, so pm me if you need to know more.

It will be another day at Daniel's working on his veranda.  The concrete that has to come up was put down by real builders and is proving difficult to shift, so there's a few weekend's of work there.  

Enjoy your chicken and broccoli pie and maybe beans on toast at the cafe!   X

Morning Dougie, glad to hear you are still feeling reasonably well. i`ve not posted for a week or more as i`ve been on holiday at a house without wi-fi.

Great to hear that Dougie- long may your excellent recovery continue!

Good morning Caz.

I don't feel particularly rested this morning as I did not sleep for very long, but at least I was not up and at it at 06.00 as yesterday. Weather wise, the day has started off with cloud, and a nice refreshing breeze, but it seems that it will remain dry. I take on board what you say about the social benefits, and perhaps upon reflection, it may have been better to wait a little longer before applying for the badge. It seemed a good idea, and to be honest right now, is the more important element of the two for my day to day development. Obviously more money would be great, and if/when it comes, I will be more then grateful.

I have not made any plans for today as yet, but like yesterday, I would think I will not remain idol for too long. I think it's an upturn in that I now need things to do, whereas a few weeks back, surviving the next hour was the most important aim.

It sounds like you have your work cut out with the patio, but you take it easy, even a stiff back from straining too much can be very disarming, so please be aware of your limitations, we don't need two sick members here I am guessing you are back at work tomorrow, so you will have to get used to the regime all over again. Holidays are great, but there is a downside to everything.

Will catch up with you all later.

As it stands, are there any refreshment providers on the upgraded area?

OK, thanks Ian.

It's been another ordinary day, well, ordinary of late anyway, so not much to report. After being busy yesterday, I have had a somewhat lazy day, but still got a few things done. Body functions have again be good, but the discomfort around the stent remains, which I will enquire about tomorrow. It may well be that it will be a permanent reminder of my condition, and I could live with that, after all thats gone on.

My appointment with the consultants is for mid afternoon, so will update sometime during the evening. Thanks for all the interest and the posts.

Morning Dougie.  Ordinary days are good sometimes.  Much better than bad ones!  We got on fairly well with Daniel's building project once we'd bought a replacement drill to get through the concrete and hopefully we'll complete it next weekend.

Hope all goes well with the consultants today.  Go in with a positive attitude!  I'll look forward to an update later.    X

Very little to report after the consultant meeting. More semi non-committal comment from them when addressing my questions, this time on the performance of my hands and feet, which I feel/know to be getting worse.

Chemo will take place on Thursday as planned, so all in all a very average day.

More as I have it.

Morning Dougie.  I can understand you would be less than impressed with your hospital visit when you want answers and don't get any.  But as good as the medics are, they have to account for us being unique individuals whose bodies are, to some degree, an unknown quantity and perform differently.  That your treatment is going ahead as planned shows they have no immediate concerns and is a very positive sign.  

I was always impressed with my mum's doctor whenever he said he was researching the best course of action for her.  He didn't just resort to standard answers, he did his homework and tailored treatment to suit her as an individual.  

Human Biology was and still is my favourite subject and I often do a bit of my own research to make sense of things.  Chemotherapy can affect the myelin sheath that protects your nerve endings, which is the likely cause of the numbness you're feeling, or should I say, that you're not feeling!  

The good news is that myelin sheath can recover and rebuild and diet plays a big part in that process - here I go on about nutrition again!  Just a good healthy balanced diet is what's needed.  Nothing fancy, just variety to make sure you get a balance of nutrients and your body will do the rest.  So have faith!  

You've probably figured out from my ramblings that I'm not working today.  My 'as an when required job' doesn't require me today, so I'm a lady of leisure. Well, at least until my kids find out I have a free day and employ me elsewhere!  

Have a good day and do things that make you happy!   X