I`m off to sunny Spain

Well judging from all accounts it's more likely to be the warm rain on the plain than wall to wall sunshine, but hey who cares it's bound to be a more pleasant location to recover from Wednesday's bout of chemo. And Torrevieja, where our friends Lyn and Graham live, tends to have it's own micro climate anyway. Just hope the snow forecast here for this weekend doesn't hit Gatwick before we leave early on Sunday morning. Planning to return on Wednesday afternoon but with any luck well be bound in by the UK weather by then!

I am bouncing back quite well from this cycle of chemo although there were a few minor hiccoughs along the way and finding a serviceable vein remaining in my left arm meant resorting to the right after two aborted failures. Once again I refrained from the 1 off high dose of anti-emetic and steroid so the bowel balancing act is becoming easier to juggle. Though the colder weather is making me highly susceptible to peripheral neuropathy symptoms and the first night I had pins and needles in my toes all the way through. Every thing else except the pain between my shoulder blades, which seems to be baffling everybody, is making waking an experience akin to having spent the night at the base of an All Black ruck. Interestingly it may not be as I thought associated with the spinal metastasic hot spot but is acknowledged to be a symptom of the main OC tumour:

"SYMPTOMS OF OESOPHAGEAL CANCER INCLUDE:

* acid reflux (symptoms of acid reflux itself include heartburn, pain in chest / feeling sick /     bloating / belching / pain when drinking hot drinks).

* difficulty in swallowing and even regurgitation of food a few mins after swallowing

* unexplained weight loss

* pain in the form of pressure, or a burning sensation, as the food goes down the oesophagus

* hoarseness or a chronic cough

* vomiting

* pain between the shoulder blades"


A relief in some ways to now know this but upsetting in others; as I have been aware of such low key nagging pains in this area for a good many years but didn't pay it much attention putting it down to wear and tear or referred pain from all the throw overs from my days of  abusing my body on the rugby field for 20 years:  How much sooner could they have caught the coming of Goliath had I reacted differently????



Never the less all is well in my world at present despite having it re-affirmed at a clinic on Tuesday with research team that in my case the non-operable status is highly unlikely to change no matter how well I am doing and how postive the results of the forthcoming CT scan on 8th Dec show up. So palliative treatment continues either in the form of the current Real 3 trial, which will not necessarily be taken to its max 8 cycles if the balance of its effectiveness and usefulness is not matched by the current quality of life its providing me just now. The side effects may become cumulative and less tolerable and although Goliath seems to have temporarily surrendered (apart from increased pain between my shoulder blades*) it is inevitable that there will be a resurgence later on which will be closely monitored and treated as best possible. On this score I am told that once recovered from the current trial there is every possiblity that new trials at The Royal Marsden are in the offing for which I may meet the criteria: Let's hope so!


In the meantime recovery from cycle 4 proceeds with less effort this time round apart from combating the lower temperatures and the increasing back pain. Anne, my visiting chiropodist pampered my feet and now if we can race the snow to Gatwick and hop on the plane to Spain before we are all grounded life will be so much more pleasant for a few days.

I had a tingly outing in the cold with Bob and James of Mutts & Moggies and managed a few shots of their canine charges including a big old bruiser of a boxer called Lenny who came to blows with Chaka after forcing him into retaliation. the encounter with old Jasper was much more sedate.

Jasper and Chaka

PS (Sunday afternoon) - Just to let you know after leaving Yateley earlier today at 03.30 in temperatures of -5 degrees we had a trouble free journey out to Torrevieja and we our now enjoying a can of San Miguel and a glass of white Rioja on the sunbathed veranda of Lyn and Graham's villa