Who or what knocked the stuffing out of my Turkey?

Not that for the last ten years there has ever been much evidence of Turkey on our Christmas menu, preferring to prepare more exciting fare such as venison, wild boar and ostrich, but here we are in 2011 and as I look back on the dying embers of last year I have to admit things are not starting off too well at the moment. Just before Christmas on the advice of the research team I paid a visit to my GP to raise the level of my pain killers as the paracetamol/ibuprofen meds were having little effect on the increasing amount of pain in the areas between my shoulder blades and through to my sternum. Tramadol was prescribed as that which would be less likely to trigger any bleeding of inflammmation and the first thing I noticed was the onset of nausea and sickness especially early on Boxing Day morning (though I did put this down to a certain amount of general over indulgence and particularly over familiarity with a bottle of Drambuie the day before). However as the sickness was presenting before and after this event it became another problem to sort out (more Metoclopramide from the doc), together with excessive fatigue, the return of laryngeal palsy and loss of appetite brought about by losing the edge to my taste buds and everything having the same dull flavour and texture.


As I contemplate Wednesday's next cycle of chemotherapy and the approach of the end of the Real 3 trial my positivity is waning and to restore a balance I have to reflect on what was in the event a remarkably good Christmas spent at my daughter's house in the bosom of my family; my brother Mike and Tersia having made it to the UK from Jo'burg on the second attempt and at the eleventh hour.

William, Jennie and Ellen on Christmas Day

After a session down at Jennie's local pub, I thoroughly enjoyed cooking the Christmas Day lunch - a fully matured 5lb Rainbow Trout, stuffed with fresh herbs and wild mushrooms then oven baked in white wine and vermouth; served with new potatoes and salad (there were traditional veg options which Andy had cooked to accompany his fabulous nut roast)


On Boxing Day we were joined by Valerie (Jennie's mum) and John, and Sarah and Phillip and, mainly for Valerie's benefit as she and John had not managed to make the event in South Africa, were treated to a viewing of Sarah and Phill's wedding video (the highlight being Mike's epic speech) whilst snacking on hot mince pies and leftovers etc. Unable to tempt anyone else into the fresh air Mike and I went for a walk with Chaka in Windsor Great Park

Windsor Great Park, Boxing Day

In the afternoon we all (except Jennie and Valerie and their partners) returned to Yateley where Geraldine prepared another meal - roast 3 bird (chicken, turkey and duck) crown and all the trimings while Mike anticipated watching the Spurs match against Aston Villa on the telly before they left for Sarah's home in London. Between New Year and Sarah's 30th bithday on the 8th, Mike and Tersia planned a trip to Las Vegas where soon, no doubt, will be watching his annual bonus disappearing into the coffers of the casino magnates (.....money magnets????)

Mike, Sarah, Tersia and Phillip at Yateley on Boxing Day

Our own New Year celebrations at Ken and Christine's brilliantly organized party was abbreviated at around 10pm by my queasiness and fatigue......but I did wake up in bed as Big Ben chimed and the firework display in London started. And as Chaka is allowed to sleep in our bedroom only on this one night of the year, when the local fireworks scare him, I did get more than one kiss at midnight!


Happy New Year to all my family and friends and I hope it will be as pain free, physically, emotionally and financially, as possible.


With love and light
David xxx

Garry Mimbly; have a cool Yule!

I am pleased to report that Santa arrived safely in London after stopping to deliver Christmas presents at Yateley and Windsor:



A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to One and All.


Lots of love and light


David

Bring me fun, bring me sunshine, bring me love.......

.....instead of all the other minor nasties life has thrown at me in the last 24 hours and since my last (the 5th) bout of chemo on Thursday. It has been a right old mishmash of trials and tribulations both on the medical and the social/domestic side of things:


Bearing in mind it usually takes a week or so to recuperate from an infusion of chemo I suppose I'm a little surprised this last one is taking it's toll more doggedly. I have felt much more fatigued and the pain in back and sternum has been more persistent. A very bad tummy upset yesterday morning is still lingering and for the first time ever since starting treatment I was sick a little while ago after a drink of lemon and ginger tea. There are of course numerous reasons for this, none of which a particularly alarming unless I fail to get things under control soon. Following the good advice of Liz Martinez I visited my GP earlier and he prescribed Tramadol for the pain which is proving much more effective than the proprietary analgesics I have been using up until now. But I do wonder whether or not they are responsible for the nausea and whether they eventually will counter my current spate of chronic diarrhea (reaches for more immodium and another glass of water).


On the matter of the run up to Christmas all was looking good until yesterday when, reports from Windsor regarding my daughter's heating system, and the combination of my brother's flight from Jo'burg being cancelled simultaneously as his son Chris had a serious accident involving an under-construction swimming pool in Cape Town, have put our plans for a family reunioun on hold. Contingencies are in place but much, like everything else at present, depends on weather and circumstances beyond our control.


Determination to get out and about for a blow in the fresh air, even when snowing, is still very much a priority as it is more beneficial than being cooped up inside with the central heating on full blast to combat the current icy weather conditions. So excursions with Chaka are not curtailed as long as I wrap up nice and warm.


Most of the Christmas shopping is done but the Xmas cards I designed and had printed have still not arrived so we took emergency action tonight to send out replacements and so apologise to friends and family for the inevitable lateness of our Seasonal Greetings! In the meantime Chemo the Snowman wishes you all a truly festive holiday and says a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (just gotta love his blue suede shoes - Uh huh huh.!):

First the pills and now the pricks

Thank you all so much for the invaluable support which has in no small way contributed to an almost unbelievable mid term result with the Real 3 trial. By way of interpreting my title of today's submission I am delighted to say that it is in fact good news day: After a busy and anxious two days, I eventually arrived home yesterday evening from celebrating with Geraldine at our favourite Italian restaurant; Al Frescos in Fleet. Yesterday I had a re-scheduled (because of getting stranded in Spain) CT scan in preparation for the mid term review in clinic with Dr Gary Middleton, the chief oncologist running the Real 3 trial at The Royal Surrey Hospital, Guildford. We actually witnessed members of the research team as they scurried through the corridors chasing up the results of Tuesday's bloods and scan in time for the following day's meeting and I am happy to report that they showed that without a shadow of doubt I have won the first fight with Goliath, who is down..... but not out, after a technical knockout in my favour. His seconds and minions are also lesser entities now that the 3 months of chemo have taken their toll without, I hasten to add, hampering my health too much by way of the side effects.


The decision is therefore to carry on with the successful clinical trial and when the inevitable re-match occurs, hopefully after a long period in rehab and training for Goliath before attempting another shot at the title in a future fight (and coincidentally after rest and recuperation and close monitoring for me), then there are several very attractive options available to ensure he remains the under dog in this contest: These include a second session of chemotherapy using the tried and tested EOX combination of Real 3 or possibly inclusion on another new trial administered by the Royal Marsden. Although no further hot spots were detected, sadly but not surprisingly the incurable status has not been reversed and an operation is still out of the question. In a funny sort of way I am pleased with that situation; as wielding the surgical knife does seem to stir up a whole hornets’ nest in many cases and I am not sure I would want to risk that having as many metastases, even though now weakened by the chemo, lurking around my body. Presumably, without quoting specific timescales, my current quality of life can be more or less maintained and extended for a good period of time, and despite the tears and the frustration of unrealistic greater expectations en route to yesterday's clinic with Dr Middleton I now share the obvious euphoria (slight exaggeration) he displayed when announcing the results and saying that after a particular grueling day he was pleased to finish on a high note in having one of his easiest consultations.


The one downside bit of news was the discovery of blood clots in my lungs, which in the bad old days would have given cause for alarm but nowadays is fairly common place under the circumstances and instantly treatable as I discovered almost immediately after two injections of a blood thinning agent; a procedure now to be repeated on a daily basis by self administration for at least the next six months. So now as well as being a guinea pig I now also become dart board (One-hundred-and-eighty for the guy on the oché with the pills and the pricks)


Geraldine and I were almost the last to leave the Oncology outpatients department on level B of the St Luke's Cancer Center but both bearing beaming smiles unerasable by thoughts of the prospect of the snail's crawl in the mass of traffic leaving the Surrey Science Park and the following day's 5th cycle of chemo when returning to the Chilworth Suite day ward.


So in raising a very expensive, but equally as delicious, glass of Borola my toast is: Hoping life is treating you all as favourably as possible too!


Signing off by quoting the lyrics of a song by one of my favorite 60s groups, The Peddlers and one of my all time favorite artists, Babara Streisand:


"People who need people are the luckiest people in the world,


Lots of love and light


David X

Home Again

Although delayed by two hours our flight from Alicante finally touched down at Gatwick at about 02.45 hours this morning and, despite APH ripping us off to the tune of nearly £60 for a 12 day park up, our onward journey back to Yateley via M23, M25 and M3 was chilly but thankfully uneventful. So all in all our extended (3 nights into 12 nights; courtesy of slEasy Jet) two centre holiday package was OK once the initial traumas subsided. Update to follow once rested!


One of the highlights of returning at this particular time was that on Saturday night I fulfilled a promise to Anna that on the occasion of her birthday, when she was hosting her 'Come Dine With Me' dinner party for her girl friends, I cooked my 'Chanterelle Dijonnaise' recipe for starters. Fortunately for the assembly meat and two veg with dumplings did not feature on the menu so I was allowed to wear more than just my new Bad Toro pinnie bought in Spain especially for the event:

MotD - Final Score: Real Locaiba, wins 'v' Real 3, loses

Real 3 only loses in the sense that I am having an enforced 'holiday' from Capecitabine while on holiday out here in rural Andalucia staying at Casa del Toro with Sheila. Lovely walks in the hills amongst the almond orchards with her dogs Roxy and Alfie and lunching al fresco in the old town square (Plaza Mayor, Albox) 15 minutes drive away or on the veranda of the hacienda surrounded by olive groves, which need harvesting very soon. Already sample fresh almonds, prickly pear juice and pomegranates straight from the trees but learned a bitter sweet lesson when trying the same thing with an olive! (Don't forget to click on photos to see them large)

Casa del Toro

Andalucian Dawn

Day break viewed  from 'Casa del Toro', Locaiba, near Albox, Spain

As the sun rises over the hills this morning we send our best wishes to Dave Lavelle who celebrates his 60th birthday today back in the UK.
Many Happy Returns Dave and thanks for all your help and support.
(Weather here wish you were lovely!)