Saturday - Chemo Day 4

She has flutterings in her throat, breathlessness (but no significant increase) & the feeling that the tumour is growing ... it all sounds absolutely VILE but is fully in keeping with the Mac Nurse's warnings.

It's the tiredness which seems most debilitating, but EVERYONE says that's to be expected!!

I missed WeightWatchers this morning; I decided a sleep in would be more beneficial. ;o)

Friday - Chemo Day 3

We're into a new phase now; chemo has started. Today hasn't been brilliant but, over all, it's "so far, so good".

We met her Oncologist last Monday, then her Chemo Nurse (Hannah) this Monday & she went to be pumped full of toxic chemicals two days ago. When her GP told her she'd be "pretty busy" once Chemo started, I wasn't aware quite how literally he meant it.

She's on a 3-week cycle: Gem/Cis on Day 1 + Day 8 & then 2 weeks off (which, basically, means two Wednesdays on & one Wednesday off).

The treatment took 5 hours in all;

1. Water Tablet

2. Saline drip (half hour)

3. Anti-nausea meds

4. Gemcitabine drip (half hour)

5. Saline flush

6. Cisplatin drip (one hour)

7. Saline & mineral drip (one hour)

8. Home until next time

She said she felt nothing during the treatment & has been feeling pretty okay (apart from exhaustion) since then. Today was the first time she talked of nausea, some tingling & a bit of tinnitus.

It's all so new & so scary, but at least the treatment's started & we're on our way.

... & how am I?? ... I bought a new television (retail therapy never did anyone any harm & I'm not interested in clothes). I wonder what I'll buy next week ... ;o)

Teaching Weekend - Saturday

She's now put on an overall 1.5kg, since she came out. I was sooooo ungruntled with my own eating pattern yesterday, that she bought me a handful of Thorntons' Continental Chocs to comfort me. Some of you may consider that cruelty in the extreme, but she did succeed in cheering me up no end & I lost 0.2 kg on them; I'm now back under my acceptable limit of 5lbs over Gold.

PHEW!! Thanks, honey ... & bring on the Thorntons!!! :o)

Poll: Cholangiocarcinoma Awareness Month

Here's the link = Poll: Cholangiocarcinoma Awareness Month - click on it & vote!!

Wednesday

She's put on a WHOLE 1.1kg in the past 2 weeks, after eating chocolate (belgian, of course), ice-cream, pizza & drinking whole milk, lucozade, full-fat Lilt & 3 x Fortisip per day.

I've put on a least 3 times as much in a shorter period, after living on air & optimism.

Laura?? Don't know - but she was damned heavy sitting on my bad leg all night ...

GOOD MORNING, WORLD!! I'm actually much happier than that message sounds!! :o)

Another Monday's Arrived Already!!

I can't believe another teaching weekend is creeping up on me & I still haven't posted since the last one!!

It's been two whole weeks since she came out & she's doing well; we're all doing well, in fact. In many ways, the trickiest bit has been the fact she's under doctor's orders to regain the weight she lost in hospital - but, however hard she tries, I seem to be the one who's putting it on!! She does find it rather ironic that she should be ordered to eat for England, after all the money she spent at WeightWatchers getting her weight down in the first place, but she did lose a lot during her stay in hospital & appreciates the need to increase her energy levels before starting chemo.

I, of course, have no such reason to pile on the pounds - &, if I don't stop trying to match her intake, I'll have to start paying at WW again. I've been at my Gold weight for 2 years without ever being charged - & last week I was RIGHT ON THE BORDER ... one more measly ounce & it'll start costing me again. If that isn't an incentive, I don't know what is!! :o)

My new guest bed arrived last week & it is - without a doubt - THE most comfortable bed I've ever owned. I've been sleeping like a log every night since I got it. I had to go & buy a set of Allen Keys to put the headboard on, but - wha'th'hell - it's GORGEOUS. I'll forgive any little niggle for the sake of a good week's sleep.

Talking of sleep, Laura's started to divide her nights between my sister's bed until the early hours & then mine until I get up. The only problem with her choosing this particular arrangement is that, when it's my turn for her company, she doesn't walk round the bed to get to her chosen sleeping spot, she walks straight across me. At 4am, it's not the most restful experience to be trampled by an adult cat who is putting on weight at the same rate as her human!!!

Oh well, my new bed is calling me. I'll try & post again soon. Night, night all.

Saturday - & October Already!!

Blimey - it took FOREVER for my legs to stop aching after the teaching weekend; I had to up my painkillers in the end, which has left me feeling queasy. Hrrrumph!!! GRRRR!!!

H-O-W-E-V-E-R ... we have some GOOOOOOD news, too. She's OUT. The docs did the ward-round on Monday & said "you can go". In NHS terms, of course, it doesn't actually mean you "can" go ... it means "begone & free up this bed forthwith, if not sooner".

So, within hours of being told to begone, she bewent ;o)

And here she is - & it's SO GOOD to have her here (if a little disorientating for all 3 of us - sis, me & Laura, who's not sure whose bed to curl up on at the moment).

My new guest bed arrives on Monday. I saw it online & phoned to get some more information on it & was very impressed with the guys who run the website. When they heard why I'm buying such a good (& by no means cheap!!) foldaway bed, they did everything they could to expedite delivery. In the end, I had to reassure them that I'm not actually sleeping on the floor at the moment - I have a perfectly decent sofa bed already - I just want one upstairs which is more for "permanent" use, rather than having to make up the downstairs sofa bed every night & put it away every morning. They phoned me yesterday & said it's arrived from the warehouse, so they'll bring it round on Monday morning.

Ooooh, I can hardly wait!! I so love gadgets!! :o)