Saturday 16th February 2019
“I like to keep busy, otherwise my brain starts ticking.” — Nicholas Hoult

Weekends can be tricky, they are usually time to kick back and do the things you enjoy doing. When you are not feeling so great, it can be a worry about how to best pass the day without getting too bored or down in the dumps about things when you should be enjoying yourself, and getting things done.

No such worries today though, the good health continues. I didn’t sleep well last night again, probably the steroids from yesterday. The kids caused a fuss at 6.30am which woke us, and I drifted in and out of sleep until about 9.30am, although I woke up feeling very tired. I stayed in bed a while tinkering on the laptop, I managed to snazz this website up a bit with a pretty picture at the top, and a few new bits down the right hand side like a calendar of my blog posts, a link to my JustGiving page, a countdown to my last treatment, and something showing how many hit’s its had. Over 4,700 to date !!

I got up, did some jobs around the house, and then suggested to Jayne that we go to a few garden centres to buy plants for a large planter I made last year. The milder weather is inspiring me to get the garden started for the year. The kids were not thrilled about that, but once we were out they had fun chasing each other around. We found a few shrubs and bought a tree for the front garden, although the tree will arrive tomorrow as it wouldn’t fit in the car.

I planted some of the plants but it was getting dark so I’ll do some more tomorrow and plant the tree when it arrives. The back lawn is a mess after the winter so I’ve seeded and fertilised it given we’ve got some mild weather for the next week or so.

We also picked up a pork joint on the way home, so I cooked up a roast dinner for us all. As usual, about 7pm I started to feel sleepy but it’s not too bad, and it’s too close to bedtime to bother with a nap.

I’m conscious that I intended this blog to be informative not just for friends and family to keep up with how we’re all doing, but that I wanted other folks going through or embarking on the BEP journey to be able to see how it was for me. The reality is this last week or so, there really hasn’t been a lot to mention. This last week has been relatively normal, and 6 weeks in I think I’ve got a good hold on how it effect you, along with the ebb and flow of these effects through the cycles. I would point out again though, compared to others I’ve met along the way, I’ve not had it bad at all. I’ll catch a few of them on Monday at the hospital, I’ll catch up with them and maybe post a few headlines of their journeys compared to mine.

In terms of symptoms today, the usual slightly phlegmy cough following the Bleomycin has kicked in today after yesterday’s session. My nose has almost stopped running and I’m sneezing less, hopefully that will be gone tomorrow. The inside of my nose is far less sore than it was, although it’s repairing very slowly so I don’t think it will be fully healed before Monday’s 3 day session starts. Not a symptom per se, but I was 14st7lbs this morning, down from a peak of 14st11lbs earlier in the week. I’m trying to be more conscious of how I eat and I’ve made improvements this week.

New symptom alert though! A side effect can be tingling or numbness in the fingers, or sensitivity to cold/warm in the fingers. Well today I’ve noticed the tips of my fingers hurt a little bit if I tap them on the table for example. It feels a little like that tingling and burning sensation you get in winter if you’ve been making snowballs or snowmen without gloves and they get super cold, but when you get inside and they start to warm up, they tingle and burn, it’s just a milder version. So far, I’d just noticed the skin on my hands drying out and being a little sore on the surface, but the soreness inside the tips of my fingers is new. I’m sure I’ve felt this sensation after doing a lot of DIY, intricate stuff with the hands. I can’t think what I’ve done in the last few days may have caused it though. If it carries on or gets worse, I’ll know its chemo related. So far not a hassle, but I’ve read it can hinder fiddly activities like doing up buttons.

So all in all, not a bad day, it passed by pretty quickly. Current health is good so it’s been another quite active day, and tomorrow will likely be similar. I don’t mind going into the hospital a bit tired and weary, as I can never sleep due to the steroids and it may just help me nod off. I might as well enjoy the weekend and tire myself out, I’ve got 3 days coming up with nothing to do but lie in a bed or sit in a chair !

Friday 15th February 2019
“Every day is a good day to be alive, whether the sun’s shining or not.” — Marty Robbins

Well today the sun was shining down, a taste of spring, and it was one of my better days along the way. I certainly didn’t enjoy the alarm going off at 6am, so much so I fell back asleep and was awoken by a finger in my ear at 6.50am. No, not Luke or Parker, my immature wife ! Although that meant just 15 minutes until we needed to leave so it was a little frantic.

I checked in at the hospital at 8am as planned, bloods done at 8.15am, then I saw the Dr at the earlier advertised time of 9am. All good again, the 5 days of filgrastim injections since last Friday (where my neutrophils were 0.4 against a target of 2 to 7.5) had shot my neutrophils up to about 43. Wow ! If I need the injections again, they may revise it down to 3 days of injections, not 5. I asked about my runny nose, apparently a high white blood cell count can cause this, so no further action required there for now. That was it, all good to go for the afternoon chemo, and to come back on Monday for more.

I then had just over 3 hours to kill, as my chemo appointment was at 12.30pm. I checked in at reception about 9.30am, and said I’d be around if anything earlier came up.

So with 3 hours to pass, where did my mind go ? Yes, well done. Food. I love the food there, both on the ward and in the restaurant. Except the restaurant breakfast. The sausages taste like they cost about 7 pence to produce, and are 50% salt. With time to kill, I fancied something greasy and tasty, so I walked the 0.8 of a mile to a McDonalds up the road, walloped a sausage and egg bagel, sausage and egg muffin, and a hash brown. Yummy.

I walked back, got back to the hospital around 10.20am, and as I was about 20 metres from the chemo waiting area to find somewhere quiet to sit, my phone rang and I was asked if it would be ok if I could go up early. Hell yeah ! 2 hours of waiting now not required. Up I went, and into the chair next-door to last week, the same one from a few weeks back.

The nurse was really chatty, easy to get along with. It all went as it should have done, the cannula went in first attempt, my chemo was ready and waiting, so I was able to text Dad and give him a 12pm pick up time. I felt a bit tired but resisted the temptation to nap. In an upright chair, just like on an aeroplane, I’m one of those people that can only sleep with my head back, mouth wide open, and normally some snoring in there for good measure. Not a good look.

I was finished around 11.45am, great going to say my appointment was for 12.30pm ! Super efficient ! I went and sat outside today, as the sun was beaming down and it was quite warm compared to recent weeks. I got a great photo of the sun shining down on the hospital… either that or it was Dr Evil’s “frickin laser beam!”

Dad arrived on time, took me home and dropped me off, I’d got a second wind at that point though. All those carbs kicking in. I did some work stuff, recording my weekly video, and managed it in one take this week. Then I decided to spend some more time in the sun and wash both cars. I threw the roof down on the clean car and went to pick the kids up from school. I’d predicted in advance that Parker would see the weather and ask to go out on our bikes, so I said yes and we did 2.2 miles at a 6 year old’s pace.

After that, we decided to have a Fajita night, so I went to Tesco again topless (car) with Parker, got some supplies and headed home to cook. I slaved over a hot stove making all the ingredients, and we sat down together to eat.

To say it was a 6am start (well, 6.50am), I’ve done 2 miles on the bike, 8,300 steps so far today, done a bit of work outside with the cars and inside cooking, I’ve handled it pretty well. It’s 9pm and I feel like I need my bed, but I can have a lie-in tomorrow so it doesn’t really matter. I’ll stay up a bit longer yet. Getting in and then home earlier was a bonus. Spending time in the sun is a novelty in February. Only one attempt for the cannula in my arm today, great. Best Friday chemo day to date, everything went well. Apart from the finger in the ear, the only blot on an otherwise fine day. Revenge will be sweet…

All that remains of Cycle 2 is 2 days of weekend to chill out, enjoy, and then start it all again for the last time on Monday with Cycle 3 🙂 3 weeks to go…

Thursday 14th February 2019
“There’s no better way to treat your Valentine than with a delicious meal.” — Rachel Hollis

Happy Valentines Day !

The Evans household rose at around 7am today. The boys and I were treated to a lovely card and a chocolate rose each from Jayne, which was a very nice way to start the day.

I logged on to work, then took the kids to school, and worked from home for the day. I’ve been trying to do all my meetings face to face on the Tues/Weds when I’m in the office, so today was a bit of an admin/catch-up day, nothing too tiring.

Just after lunchtime, the postman came and knocked on the door. I was waiting for something I’ve ordered off eBay, and was expecting it today although the box looked a little smaller than I’d expected. I took the parcel, went back inside and opened it. Much to my surprise, there was a card and two giant packs of Mint M&M’s (my absolute favourite, only available in the USA) contained within, and that was definitely not my eBay order !

It’s Random Act of Kindness week, which is particularly well encouraged where I work. My old colleagues from the job I left last December had sent a card with some nice messages, and my favourite sweets. #RandomActsOfKindness written on the box. I sent a thank you message back, I was certainly feeling the love from them 🙂

I logged off work around 6pm a bit later than planned owing to needing to get something sorted out, and set about making a Valentines meal for Jayne and I, which was my treat in return. I do love cooking. I had Lamb Rump, Jayne had my home made cheese stuffed & breaded Pork Chops, both with massive chunky chips and vegetables. All washed down with a Kopparberg Light (only my 2nd alcoholic drink of the last 6 weeks,) and then spot of dessert.

I’m tired now (8.30pm) but it’s the first day I’ve not had a nap for quite a while now. I don’t think I’ve needed one today, I’ve been sat at my laptop most of the day, no rush hour commutes to contend with.

Not much to say on the symptom front again. My nose is much better, still sore and skin a bit broken but much improved. The lingering headaches have gone, although I’ve not drunk enough water again today and I need a gulp before bedtime. I have a bit of a sniffle which started to come on yesterday, nothing more than a slightly runny nose, which I’ll mention tomorrow.

It’s a 6am start tomorrow, so an early night required tonight considering I didn’t nap today. I am due in at 8.20am for bloods at The Christie, and then to see the Dr at 9.20am. Chemo at 12.30pm, not quite as much waiting around tomorrow. They called me at about 5pm this evening to ask if I could get in a little earlier, the clinic is busy tomorrow apparently. I’m first to see the Dr so they want to get ahead of the game and see me a little earlier. Fine with me, I’ll get in for 8am for bloods. Then off to the restaurant for a feed before it’s steroid and chemo time. No doubt I’ll want to eat a horse or two when I get home again after those steroids !

Wednesday 13th February 2019
“Son, if you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now quiet! They’re about to announce the lottery numbers.” — Homer Simpson

Today was almost a carbon copy of yesterday really. 6.30am get up, at work for 7.40ish. Another productive and enjoyable day in work, left around 3.30pm and went home to get the kids. Parker’s tablet broke yesterday so I took him to the shop down the road to get it looked at under warranty, despite feeling a bit knackered and ready for my afternoon nap. He loves the thing though, so off we went, got a refund and a new one is on order for him already.

When I got home, I sat chatting to Jayne for a little while, but the familiar sensation of my eyes wanting to close on me was apparent, and around 6pm I went upstairs for the usual nap, just an hour today. All good, the routine works and at 7pm after 5 minutes to come back to life, I was back in the land of the living and have enjoyed a few hours of downtime before bedtime.

That sense of excitement remains, that it’s 1 day of work, then off to the hospital on Friday for the usual Friday routine, and we start cycle 3 on Monday. It’s getting closer. They are some really uplifting milestones to hit, as by this time next week all I will have left to face is hitting the rock bottom point of Cycle 3 around Sunday/Monday, then 2x Friday top-ups on the 1st and 8th of March.

In terms of symptoms, I’d just note that the vaseline for the inside of the nose remedy, has done wonders so far. It’s no longer sore and it appears to be healing. It also takes away the temptation to shove tissue up there to poke around, which just does more damage. Hopefully in a day or two it’ll be back to normal.

Appetite has been lower than usual today again, a flapjack for breakfast, I only managed half of my lunch, and then I had a ready meal after my nap followed by a few squares of Dairy Milk. That’s really not a lot compared to usual. I started this journey at 14 stone. This morning I was 14 stone 11 lbs. I have never, ever seen the scales say 15 stone in my life, and I’ll try desperately to make sure I don’t in the next 3 weeks.

On days like today it’s hard to find a quote that fits the day, as from the point of writing an interesting chemo-blog it’s been a pretty average day, and I picked an unusual quote today. One of my all time favourite quotes comes from the great Homer Simpson – “We all make mistakes, that’s why they put erasers on pencils.” When I came across the one at the top of the page, it made me reflect a little. I really enjoy work, and I enjoy working hard and seeing the fruits of your labour, I wouldn’t change that. But, there also happens to be a £141M jackpot on Friday, and I may have bought a good few tickets for it.

Only around 2,200 people get diagnosed with Testicular Cancer in the UK each year, in some way I beat some pretty long odds to end up with the disease itself. They are not quite lottery winning odds, but it’s still one of those things you never expect to happen to you. So here’s hoping for another long shot to come in. I always find it interesting daydreaming what I’d spend some money on. I’d just like a warehouse full of cars of all shapes and sizes, and I’d be a happy bunny. Maybe a racetrack too, maybe.

And if my blog prompted you to buy the winning £141M ticket, just remember who reminded you 😉 Just a single Lamborghini would do…

Tuesday 12th February 2019
“When the going gets tough, the tough take a nap” — Tom Hodgkinson

A really good day today, other than the football result. I’d set the alarm for 6.30am so I could go in work a bit earlier, and leave a bit earlier to pick the kids up from school. It’s the first alarm I’ve set for a while, so I didn’t mind it too much. Do you ever do that thing where you wake just before your alarm ? I woke naturally at 6.28am, so it wasn’t too bad getting up. I was up and out pretty quickly, and the traffic was much better at that time than I’ve been experiencing later on.

I got to work early on, and from 9am onwards I was pretty much back to back in meetings, which always means the day passes pretty quickly. It felt like a really worthwhile day and I left mid afternoon to get to school.

I picked up Luke and Parker, but while I was at the school I could feel the tiredness from the early morning and the slightly longer workday. Off home we went, and having now learned to embrace the nap, I went straight up at about 4.15pm and slept until the alarm I set at 5.30pm. While I’m getting used to this now, I know that if I sleep too long I can’t get to sleep at night, hence setting the alarm.

I’d felt fine all day, yesterday very much an anomaly, however about 7pm that headache had crept back in. A couple of paracetamol and it’s gone, so not as bad as yesterday’s, I suspect it’s from not drinking enough water and I’m trying to make up for it before I go to bed.

Symptom update. Tired enough to nap again today, yes. My nose, it’s as bad as its been today, extremely sore and still bleeds a little if I blow my nose. I did some research on this today and found a tip to use vaseline in there to help it heal, and so far if anything it’s provided some real relief. Tinnitus, par for the course. Appetite, well I haven’t had steroids since Friday and I’ve not eaten or wanted to eat as much today.

Similar day tomorrow, work, nap, eat, sleep, and we’re another day done !

Monday 11th February 2019
“Life’s a rollercoaster. You’re up one minute; you’re down one minute. But who doesn’t like rollercoasters?” — Conor McGregor

I signed off last night saying I was starting the week on a high, and that it’s been a rollercoaster. Well wham, bam ! I seemingly tempted fate. I got to sleep around 11pm, and around 1.30am the dog woke me up because she needed to do some business outside. It was all downhill from there. For no obvious reason, it was one of those nights from then on where you toss and turn, and just never drift off properly. Then I got a headache, and I barely slept for the rest of the night.

At 7am the alarm went off, I was awake already when it did and I felt awful. Just a headache and incredibly sleepy. We went through the morning routine and I drove the kids to school, then came home to attempt work. It wasn’t long at all before I realised that was a bad idea and actually I desperately needed some rest. So I rearranged a few things, and took the day to rest. I had some paracetamol but the headache didn’t go away, and I can’t often sleep with a headache. I just sat and watched TV, and waited until I could have the next dose. When I could, I went for the codeine/paracetamol option, which finally took it away.

My stomach had been really bubbling before bed last night, and I’ve had to go to the toilet a few more times than usual today. Maybe it was a stomach bug, and the headache is dehydration, I can tell I’ve not drunk enough today and I’m trying to catch up.

It was then a bit too close to the kids coming home to nod off, so I waited until Parker got home, cooked him some tea and then went to sleep for a couple of hours. I felt a good bit better after that, and after a decent feed I feel almost back to normal other than a dull lingering headache. My temperature has been ok all day.

Nothing else to report chemo wise, no change in any symptoms. Here’s hoping I get a good nights sleep tonight, I certainly feel ready for it. From such a high to a very quick low, hoping to bounce back quick. I’ll keep my mouth shut on here next time, try not to tempt fate !

Weirdly though, I have a sense of excitement to get to Friday this week, a little like when you have something on at weekend you are really looking forward to. Friday ends Cycle 2, but then it’s a case of enjoying the weekend, then get the hard part of Cycle 3 out of the way starting with the 3 days in hospital again. Rather than dreading it, because it’s the last cycle, I really want to get on with it and get it done.

Sunday 10th February 2019
“Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week” — Joseph Addison

I’m starting to figure out the balance between being active, and napping ! Napping seems to be the currency you have to pay with, for being more physically (and to an extent mentally) active.

We were both ready for bed as soon as we got in from the Arena last night, and got to bed around 11pm. Not bad for a fairly full on day with no nap, but I’d need a good 9 hours sleep or more I guessed. Unfortunately the kids woke us up being noisy about 7.30am and we couldn’t get back to sleep, I felt pretty tired still.

Anyhow, Luke and I went to the supermarket before lunch and got some supplies while Jayne and Parker were out shopping elsewhere. After sitting messing on the laptop for a bit, around 2pm I started to feel tired from getting up earlier than I could have, and had about 30 to 45 mins nap on the sofa.

I’d hoped if the weather was ok, I’d go for a bike ride again today, a bit more than the last two. It would get the endorphins flowing, and I could figure out how much more I’m safely capable of at the moment. Also I’d burn a few calories and try to shift maybe 1% of the fat I’ve accumulated. I’ve also been conscious of my diet today, and I’m trying to eat healthier and still enough to keep fuelled. I’ll try to keep this up all week.

About 3.15pm I ventured out. The roads were dry so I decided for maximum psychological lift, I would take the summer bike out 🙂 I’ve barely ridden it since my diagnosis because of weather and lack of opportunity. I planned to quite slowly ride a mainly flat 10 mile route I do when I have half an hour or so spare. I wore my Heart Rate Monitor so I could work to what that was telling me and adapt my effort.

Off I went, and got round it a reasonable amount slower than usual. My first ride as a bald man without a hat, the top of my head was bloody freezing !! Cycling cap next time ! In peak fitness, I’ve done it in around 30 minutes. Today it took me 42 minutes, which was perhaps a little faster than I expected. My Heart Rate was high the whole way, but I wasn’t out of breath at any point, my body just has to work harder to get the oxygen around.

Getting home I could feel that was a fair effort, I was tired. Not achey legs at all, but kinda tired in the core, it was my heart and lungs / breathing that had worked hard. I had a quick soak in the tub, then we had a roast chicken dinner which was delightful. However, by this point I was feeling very sleepy, which was perhaps to be expected.

At 7pm, I listened to this and wandered up for another hours nap. I set an alarm because sleeping too much later in the day means I can’t sleep come bedtime. I felt a bit groggy but I got up, and had a chilled evening infront of the TV with Jayne. And so I paid for forty odd minutes of enjoyment and exercise, in the currency of naps, 1 hours worth.

If I feel like doing it again, I’d perhaps aim to do it in 45 minutes or more, certainly no more than 10 miles. There was a point today where I saw a florescent jacket on 2 wheels about 100 metres in-front of me, and that’s like red rag to a bull. I couldn’t help put a little more effort in and reel them in slowly, eventually passing them. I could have done with just ignoring it, but my enthusiasm got the better of me.

Chemo life is good just now, balancing my activities with the right amount of rest seems to be working. Taste is fully back, sore lips and gums has gone away. Friday’s Bleomycin blast has had no noticeable side effects other than the steroids making me a hungry boy again. My nose is still really sore inside, I’m just putting up with that. Having the Filgrastim injections before bed seems to have worked to stop me feeling physically tired from them during the day. The proactive glug of Gaviscon at bedtime works to prevent the 2am heartburn. Tinnitus is still rife but almost just normal now, and I’ve not had fuzzy hearing for a few days now.

Hopefully I’ll manage 4 days in work, 2 from home and 2 in the office, as I’ll have another week and a bit (at least) lay off due to more chemo. Then it’s Friday Bleo again, and Cycle 3 starts a week tomorrow with my last 3 day stay. I started the week on the lowest low so far, and I’m starting the coming week at one of my high points. The rollercoaster continues…

Saturday 9th February 2019
“Science is different to all other systems of thought because you don’t need faith in it, you can check that it works” — Professor Brian Cox

I’m reporting on what could be considered a normal day today. One of the most normal of the last 5 weeks !

I struggled to get to sleep Friday night because of my 2 1/2 hour nap, and dropped off about 12.45am. We woke around 9am in the morning and got up. I went shopping with the kids while Jayne went to the gym, and came home. I managed a brief trip down to the park with Parker on our bikes, covered about 2.5 miles, but it wasn’t half windy !

We watched the football, then went to my sister’s house for a bit of a family get together and spent a couple of hours there, ate apple pie & custard and had a brew.

Home about 5pm, had some tea and then straight out to the Manchester Arena with Jayne, I’d bought her tickets to see Prof. Brian Cox for Xmas and I was hoping I’d be well enough to go with her and I was. It was a really great, though provoking 2 hours.

Other than that, not a lot of things to report. My nose still bleeds in the morning, and is really sore all through the day, although it’s a minor annoyance. On Day 14 of Cycle 1, I went to bed and then woke in the Monday morning with a sky high temperature, but also had horrible back spasms. I felt my back going a bit today at points later in the day, not as bad but uncomfortable. No temperature though. I had some codeine a couple of times for it and it’s gone away seemingly. I think this is a result of bad posture today, and an accumulation of sitting on the sofa a lot more than I’m used to, with my feet up. Not great for my back.

On the plus sides, I’ve had a good amount of energy. Despite an action packed day, I never really felt like a nap. I think in theory, this should be the easiest part of the cycle, it just so happens I caught something around this time in Cycle 1 which derailed me for a week. I’m hoping for more luck this time around.

Friday 8th February 2019
“It’s so important that people know there was a time before the NHS. It makes them appreciate it more.” — Miriam Margolyes

Friday hospital day today ! Early start being in for bloods at 8.40am, I actually got there at about 8.15am, checked in and took my ticket to have blood taken. It was unusually about 30 minutes today before the screen moved from number 53, to my number 58.

Then I rushed off for some breakfast, had a triple sausage butty and reported back to the waiting room for my 9.40am Dr’s appt. I went in about 10.05am, and saw Dr Welch, the head consultant. Happy for me to go ahead with today’s chemo, although my Neutrophil (again read immune system) count had dropped to 0.4, a really low figure leaving me vulnerable. This just means I start another 5 days of Filgrastim injections into my belly each day to help the count up. I did have 5 days of them last week from Thursday to Monday but they’d still dropped a fair bit by today clearly.

I asked about my bloody nose each morning, apparently the chemo can upset the very thin layer of skin in the nose and some of the blood vessels can burst quite easily. Nothing to worry about, it’s not a sign of my platelet count being low, those numbers were fine.

I also asked about my fuzzy hearing this last week, which incidentally has been far less noticeable yesterday and I don’t recall noticing it at all today. It’s definitely a result of the Cisplatin. Apparently a different drug was trialled previously to replace it, but the relapse rate of the cancer was higher so it was not taken further. I’m a little more at ease this time knowing it seems to be recovering, it may perhaps be worse with cycle 3 but should bounce back. I’m in the mercy of the gods with this one I think, ultimately the cisplatin is there to kill the cancer.

With that, off I went to pharmacy to order my drugs, took ticket 13, and reported for chemo. I dropped my notes at reception, and then wondered how to kill 3 and a quarter hours until my 1.30pm appointment.

I just had a bit of a wander around the hospital, found some quiet places to sit and read the news on the internet, and generally chill out. I wanted to eat a bit closer to chemo time. I went to the charity shop, to pick up my free running t-shirt for the Great Manchester Run in May, and look for a Cycle Jersey too for the bike ride in September. I had a quick chat in there, and got my stuff. The Cycle Jersey was £25, but I really didn’t mind paying my way, I know how expensive they can be to produce, even for a charity. Can’t wait to get training in them…

Then just as I was starting to think about lunch, my phone rang at 12.30pm and it was the chemo ward asking if I was free to go early. Hell yeah ! So I shot to M&S, got a meal deal, a banana, and wandered up. I was in the chair next to the one I was in last week, the only difference being it was full today, last week it was almost empty. I also arrived just as lunch was being served, so I added a cup of hot mushroom soup to my lunch collection.

Everything went to plan bar a few hiccups. Firstly, the nurse hit a valve in my vein both times trying to put the cannula in, meaning that weird thing where the needle just pops back out seemingly by itself. Cue another nurse coming over, as I learnt last week they only try twice then get somebody else, luckily the 3rd one went in fine. Just the 4 needles (incl the one to take blood) today in my right arm !

In went the steroids, and boy have I been hungry again tonight. Then 30 minutes of Bleomycin, then 10 minutes or so of saline. Unfortunately when Lilac Bob (the IV pump) finished, the lady next to me had took a turn and was rightly garnering a lot of attention. So a short 10 minute wait and they unhooked me, and off I went.

I always try to time it just right for Dad to turn up when I’m downstairs waiting, and without having to wait too long myself, but I hadn’t planned for such a delay and I still needed to go to the pharmacy to pick up my injections I ordered before. I legged it across the hospital, with about 7 minutes before Dad was due, and it’s always a painful wait in there. Today no different, I made it out with a minute to spare and legged it to the front door bang on time, and my luxurious lift home arrived a few minutes later. Every week they ask how you are getting home, driving yourself is a big no-no.

Home for 3pm, the kids were dropped off at home, and a bit later we ordered a chinese. Did I mention I was hungry ? I ate the probable 3000 calorie banquet infront of me, and had a big drink to keep the kidneys moving. This was after 4 packets of walkers crisps and 3/4 of a box of mint matchmakers. I’d started to feel a bit lethargic (surprisingly, with rice nearly coming out of my ears), and about 7pm I went up to lie with Jayne who was chilling out upstairs. I probably fell asleep within 5 minutes of being up there, and slept until about 9.30pm really very easily.

I considered staying there for the night, but I needed my injection, and I definitely need to drink a lot more before I go to bed to keep flushing the system, no matter how many times I pee in the night. It’s a good thing really. We should also get a a lie-in in the morning, so no pressure there.

The Christie really is an amazing place. Others may have different experiences, but it seems to be a quite well oiled machine. The NHS gets some stick these days. I could have called in my private medical insurance at various points along the way, but the NHS care has been great. I still remember the look my Dr gave me when I asked early on if there would be any benefit of invoking private, and the look alone said it all. It said “you’re already in the best place, if you go elsewhere then you take your chances.” I might have got a nicer private room on my 3 day stays at The Christie, but things wouldn’t have moved any quicker at the points I enquired, and the treatment would be the same. Looking back, I wouldn’t trade the private room for being in a small ward of some brilliant characters along the way that brought some humour to the journey. I’ll take my chances again in Cycle 3 that I meet some more rather than be locked in a room for 3 days.

I’m off with the boys to see my family tomorrow afternoon, and then off to the Manchester Arena with Jayne in the evening to see Professor Brian Cox, one of her Xmas presents from me. Sunday will be a down day, watch the football and chill out. I would hope I can make it out on the bike at some point too if I feel up to it, if I have to nap then so be it. We’re on the home straight for Cycle 2 now, the 3rd and final Cycle is in sight.

Thursday 7th February 2019
“Little by little, one travels far” — J. R. R. Tolkien

There’s not a lot to say about today that was really any different to Tuesday and Wednesday, other than I worked from home, not the office. I slept the same, same routine, same symptoms. Just the half hour afternoon/evening nap today.

The fantastic thing about today though, is that I’m exactly half way through Cycle 2, and half way through the 9 weeks !! It’s a great psychological milestone. Even better, I’ve had more than 50% of the Chemo treatments, 8 planned days in hospital done, with 7 to go, the next one being tomorrow and the last one on 8th March.

It’s been a funny old journey so far, but I know what to expect for the remaining 4 weeks. Hitting a milestone makes you reflect a little. Something I’ve not often thought about often or mentioned so far, is that it’s all for a reason, kill the cancer. I’ve been very focussed so far on getting this 9 weeks of treatment out of the way and getting back to normal. Hopefully it’s doing it’s job, and come my next CT Scan, it’s some really good news. That’s the aim of the game.

I can’t really influence it other than to navigate this treatment as best I can. Back at it tomorrow, 8.40am Bloods, 9.40am Doctor consult, 1.30pm in the chemo chair again for the Friday shot of Bleomycin. I’m keen to see the Dr tomorrow and particularly chat about the fuzzy hearing. I don’t want “getting back to normal” to include being half deaf !