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Latest: Thursday 28th August.: Just back from hospital where I went for the last of my "one-year-after-surgery" check-ups, a delightful colonoscopy.I had an immediate response, no waiting for results to be analysed, and they declare that all is in perfect order. All the earlier tests were also with good results. Good news all round, no more checks for a year, that's a relief.

Wednesday 30th April 2014: This may be the last entry! After my regular trips to the Health centre for my surgery wound to be dressed since my last stay in hospital, they said today that they don't want to see me again. No sticky plaster, no stoma bag, no appointments (except for annual check-up). Wonderful, the end of a 20 month adventure I never thought would happen. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else, but it's given me a lot of experiences (good and bad) to add to life's rich tapestry.

Monday 14th April. All going smoothly. Still knackered after walking only half a mile. Daily visits to the doctor for my dressing to be replaced have just changed to every two days. A few more weeks and we'll be finished! At weekends I have to visit the NHS walk-in centre (London Road), an interesting experience!

Wednesday 26th March. Out of hospital yesterday, mightily relieved, it's wonderful to be home even though I'm absolutely shattered!

Sunday 16th March: All systems are go, ready for tomorrow, 7 a.m. at QMC, I should be back to a normal digestive system by mid-day!

Monday 10th March. Pre-op examination was this morning. They couldn't find anything wrong with me! Blood, heart, brain, wee - all examined in great detail. All systems go for surgery next Monday. Apparently I've been booked to stay at hospital for only 2 nights, although I've been told 4 up till now. Time will tell, 7 days till I'm bagless.

6th February. Just had a phone call from the hospital, surgery booked for 17th March, two months earlier than they were predicting. I'll get the same surgeon as last time, that's good. With luck I'll be feeling better in time for some summer holiday. I was given a "Happy re-plumbing" card last night!

24th January. Just seen "my" consul ant, Dr. Mills who we call "King Chemo". He really is a lovely man! He specially went and checked with the surgeon for me, and my next surgery can't be before May, later than we had hoped. Assuming 4 months recovery that clobbers the summer holiday plans! But I'll be healthier and stronger and better to withstand it by then! And Fred's band is busy until then!

New Year's Eve tomorrow! And what a good Christmas and New Year compared with last year. Last Christmas I was half way through radio plus chemo. Although friends and Joy kept me cheeerful, looking back it was the worst time. But now I'm steadily improving and getting stronger (and even performed a morris dance on Boxing day) and awaiting the final surgery whenever it comes. Here's to a great 2014!

Monday 16th December. We just keep thinking what a good Christmas this will be compared with the previous one, when I was in the thick of radio and chemo treatment. I look forward to performing a morris dance in public on Boxing Day, the first for over a year, that would be a real achievement. Two walks of 5km last week, no wonder I'm tired, but all part of getting my strength back.

Tuesday 26th November. All ticking over, getting stronger. Thanks to special supportive knickers I've now morris danced (I've only played for a year) and also cycled. Wonderful, life progresses.

Wednesday 30th October. I'm pestering the hospital weekly to get a date for my next surgery, to put my innards back in the right order and get rid of the stoma bag. They're now saying January at the earliest, but I'll keep pestering. Still, that means a good Christmas!

Thursday 3rd October. Back from a first real holiday abroad. Two weeks in Brittany, living with French friends, speaking French all the time. All went well, no bag or diet problems. Now it's time to start pestering the hospital about my reversal surgery.

Monday 5th August. Now things are ticking over nicely, I've neglected to update this file. I'm just steadily getting better, and various X-rays and doctors interviews all report good progress -- good enough for me to be put on another surgery waiting list, but that'll be in 3 to 6 months. I'll make sure I'm as healthy as possible by then. That'll be my final surgery, to put my innards back into the correct working order, and get rid of my bag. I'll be a normal human being again! BUT a bag would still be better than cancer!

Thursday 27th June. Interview with the surgeon Julian Williams. He said I looked fine, and the stitches were well healed. Next stage is an X-ray of my internal stitches to check that they're healed OK. Then if that's fine (but not quickly) another operation to put my innards back in the correct order.

Time I updated this! It's now 10th June. Time flies. Into hospital 20th May for surgery to remove 20cm of large bowel. 8 nights in hospital (my first ever). Incredibly good care and nursing, you couldn't fault it. Food appalling but I wasn't very interested really. Several nights in a ward of 6 alongside a prisoner chained to two guards all day. Then I moved into a single room, more peaceful and better for sleeping, but more lonely in the day time. Plenty of visitors!Then home on the 28th, one bad day when everything went wrong and my GP doctor came quickly to the rescue, she's an angel. Since then steady improvement, staples out, everything going better than plan except I wish the energy levels would improve. I still need to organise my attached bag, I need practice.

Thursday 2nd May. Estimates of Plan A are now: Surgery date set for Monday 20th May. Then 5 days in hospital, up and about after 2 days. Then home and 5 weeks walking around. Then at 3 months I'll feel better than ever! And the colostomy bag (needed for a while) will not (must not) interfere with accordion playing!

Saturday 27th April. Now into the last of the 3-weekly chemo cycles. I'm getting so used to it that my body is as knackered as ever, but my brain says "Get over it, go out and do things". So the body remains knackered, no resting! The last scan is now done, we see the surgeon next Wednesday after dancing the dawn at Nottingham Castle. He should give us some idea of the future programme. It all seems a long drag since October last year, but let's hope all the chemo and radio has been worth while.

Thursday 4th April. Tuesday was the third "big drip", all on time, only one more to go before surgery. By today I feel good in spirit (very important) but shaky & cold sensitive in body. The latter is pins & needles in hands (so gloves on the fridge), wrap up well to go in the garden, but still pins & needles in the feet after a bit. And a painful mouth if you don't warm the drink in the microwave first. MRI and CT scans next week, then a chat to the surgeon on 1st May. At that stage we should know how things are going.

11th March: The second "Big Drip", presumably to be followed by 2 weeks of chemo tablets with three days of horse pills, and then a week off. That'll take me to Easter, then two more cycles to go before surgery. The last week totally off treatment has involved two night away in Swansea to see the twins, and throwing some pots. The cold clay needs a bucket of hot water to relieve the pain in my hands!

25th February: Into first 3-week cycle. After the Big Drip the next three days I had pick-u-up popper pills, which kept me on a high. We walked about 4km each day. Then down to rock bottom feeling grotty, followed by a steady rise to about 6/10 (not feeling bad, just tired). Dave Scott was a wonderful carer for nearly 3 weeks, since he went I try to walk at least 2km a day, so far so good.

15th February: OK, first drip session completed. 10 minutes of glucose (to give me strength), 10 minutes of steroid (to give me big muscles), 2 hours of oxaliplatin (chemo) and 10 minutes of flushing out (presumably water rather than alcohol). Dropped off and collected by Joy. When I got home, touched the hot tap (which was cold at the time) and immediately got painful pins & needles in my hand. The drip produces more cold sensitivity than the tablets. Evening to the Taste of India, drank warm water and then warm lassi. No cold beer or ice cream for 3 months now?

14th February: The end of my drug and radio free holiday, this afternoon I restart chemo (no more radio though, I had more radio sessions than any of the other people I talked to). It should be a drip (at City hospital) and tablets, but I'll get a better timetable when I arrive. They're always reluctant to plan ahead, presumably in case your response changes.

28th January. Last of the daily radio therapy trips to hospital is tomorrow. That'll be a relief. Doctor's appointment today will give more details of future treatment.

21st January: Interview with doctor gives future as roughly three months chemo by drip (one whole day a week at City hospital) and tablets, then surgery (May?), then another three months chemo drip and tablets.

7th January 2013 The current state is that I've completed one 3-week chemo cycle, and then 13 of 28 daily trips to the "City" hospital (a few miles up the ring road) for radio therapy in parallel with the chemo. After that more chemo, then surgery, taking us to May/June next year. So far no serious problems except tiredness. The serious problem is the lack of time for Christmas preparations, since snoozing in the day becomes necessary! Grrrrrrr! Many thanks to the wonderful folks who've lifted me to the daily hospital radion trips.

2012: I (Eric) had my usual annual health and breathing check-up in early October, and gave the usual lots of samples. I then suddenly got called in for more scans and inspections. The net result was that I have bowel cancer, which might have spread elsewhere and be terminal. Bad news. More scans, and they decided I had the cancer but it hadn't spread and was not terminal. Good news! All part of life's rich tapestry and it'll be a new experience for me, and I'm forced into a more leisurely life-style! And don't forget that in all this it's Joy that has to look after me, she has the most unpredictable and difficult job. The number of offers of help and sympathy from friends is simply overwhelming; I can't be a miserable git with so much support around. "Consider yourself smothered by love" said one heart-warming Christmas card.

 

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This copy edited Thursday 28-Aug-2014

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