Days239 and 240

The overnight sleep patterns remain as erratic as ever. Sunday night into Monday Morning saw me get up at 2.20 with a mouthful of acid and coughing. When this does happen all I can do is sit up, sip water and wait for it to clear. On this occasion I was able to go back to bed an hour later. In contrast last night I had an uninterrupted sleep.

The weather continues to have an impact on what we do. We had originally intended to travel and see our friend Amanda who lives in the village of Shobdon in rural Herefordshire. The plan was that we would stay the night. However with bad snow forecast we decided to make it a day trip instead. It was nice to see her for the first time in over 3 years. The poor woman has had problems this Christmas with burst pipes.

In the event it was as well we came home on Monday Night because Ev has not been well. She has had some nasty swollen glands in her neck. She has had a quiet day and hopefully will be okay for the New Year.

As I type this Christopher is due to collect Jack and Lucy who live in West Yorkshire tomorrow. The forecast however is dire with snow falling across the whole of Northern England. We shall see how that works out in practice.

Personally my health has been okay over the last week. Let's hope this continues into the new year.

Days 234 to 238

I am typing this in North Wales during a very pleasant stay where we are relaxed and enjoying ourselves. Yet it almost didn't happen. On Day 234 it had been raining. There is of course nothing wrong with that except that the temperature waselow freezing. On my way to get the Turkey my normal route was blocked by a bus that had skidded on black ice. Fortunately I found another route and was able to do the business. When I got back I was filled with too much confidence and set about walking to the paper shop. This seemed a good idea at the time because a number of cars had skidded on the ice. Sadly I slipped and fell heavily landing on my hip. The only things I got were an internal bruise and hurt pride but not necessarily in that order.

We also discovered a downside of living on an Island with no fixed link. The news was filled with bulletins of roads closed due to ice and snow. We might well have put off our travel for 24 hours but we had already booked on the ferry leaving at 10 and there was no guarantee we could get another booking in time for us to make it for Christmas. In the event we missed the road closures. What we hadn't bargained for though was that a lot of people had put off their journeys because of poor weather earlier in the week and the whole world seemed to be on the move. It took us 6 and a half hours from Portsmouth to do a trip that normally takes 4.

We did however benefit from being at our destination at the start of Christmas Eve. The weather in Scotland was much worse than in England which meant that Gillian's parents Ian and Lorna had had to put off their travel until 24 December. They arrived shortly after 4.00PM. We were able to carry on one tradition in the Nove household namely listening to the Festival of nine lessons and carols from King's College Cambridge. This starts at 3.00 and for Ev and I Christmas starts with the sound of the Chorister singing the first verse of Once in Royal David's City.

Harry is 2 years old and of course Christmas Day saw some great presents for him. At that age he hasn't quite grasped the fact that some presents were not for him but despite that he has had a great time. His speech is coming along very well.

Given what has happened to me in 2009 this Christmas was something really special. We drank a toast amongst others to Mr. Byrne who not only operated on me in August but who did the dilatation which enabled me to have some Christmas Dinner. Thanks to Skype we could see as well as talk to Andrea and the Boyce Family. It was a great day.

St. Stephen's or Boxing Day was another good time for one and all. As I am off alcahol at the moment(I have enough acid problems as it is thank you) I offered to drive Christopher and Ian to a local pub to watch Newcsatle United play very badly and get away with a draw. Unlike some Football Fans for whom the game is a matter of life and death we just came back, had a wonderful Eveving meal and played a very clever card game.

As I type this we are waiting for some visitors to come and the weather is starting to improve. As far as sleeping is concerned, so far I have had 2 good nights and 2 not so good ones. I have however got to the point where I just take each night as it comes. Morale is high right now. It's also nice to see Ev able to relax though as those of you who know her can testify she never sits still for long.

Thanks to Christopher and Gillian for allowing us to spend Christmas with them.

Day 233

Today has been somewhat manic mostly it must be said for Ev. There has been packing to do because we are heading to Christopher and Gillian's in North Wales for both Christmas and New Year. There's been some presents still to wrap. Ev and Andrea braved the traffic and shops in Newport(chief town here on the Island). Because we are not going to be at home this time, we had a pre Christmas afternoon and evening at Andrea and Martin's. This was followed by a carol service at their and Ev's church. It's always great to sing the carols and proceedings were enlivened by a sketch with an alternative take on the Nativity. It was very funny.

The benefits of the gullet stretch became evident today as I was able to tuck into some nibbles which previously would have been out of the question. As I have mentioned before I still have to watch it because the smaller stomach equals smaller amounts to eat at one time but believe me this is real progress.

Tomorrow for me starts early. We are buying the Turkey for Christmas Day and taking it with us to Wales. This means driving to Newport very early in the morning to collect said bird. We are booked on the 10.00AM ferry. How long our journey will take is any one's guess. It is by UK standards very cold and with the possibility of freezing fog and snow showers anything is possible. Having said that it is just as likely we shall get through no problem at all. Gillian's parents are travelling from Scotland. Their normal route is partly blocked by snow. We wish them a safe journey.

Though I am sure I can use their PC to keep my blog up to date, I can't promise a daily entry. Thus in case I don't get the chance a Happy Christmas to one and all.

Day 232

As promised on Saturday's blog I put down some thoughts on the NHS.

Quite what persuaded Jan a nursing assistant to take my pulse on the afternoon of 8 August I'll never know. Afterwards she said I looked a bit funny. She noted that it was all wrong and the next thing I knew I was in bed with various Doctors doing various things to bring my heart rate down. I am still not sure if it was a heart attack or not. Jan is one of those unsung heroes. When I call her old fashioned I mean by that someone who knows how to approach each patient. All are treated equally. Her skills in doing dressings etc. is superb. The other thing I noticed was her eyes are every where. If she sees anything on the floor or a bed that shouldn't be there she does something about it. I recall on the following Saturday she had started at 8.00AM. Apart from a 30 minute Lunch Break she never stopped until after 6.00PM. You wonder working so many hours how effective staff can be. I'm not saying any of the others are bad but Jan is someone special.

The next person in the role of honour is a nurse called Allan. A very quietly spoken man he is very attentive and clearly has the confidence of the Doctors. Being very methodical, you knew he would get to you in due course. Watching him at work, I was very mindful not to press the buzzer. Allan's tone was exemplary.

I don't know the Sister in charge of the High Dependency Unit at Southampton. She runs a very tight ship. We were told that at one management meeting when targets were being discussed she had said you can deal with targets my job is to look after my patients.

Dr.Judith Cave is an Oncologist. She is based in Southampton but once a week does a clinic on the Island. She brings her bike on to the ferry and then cycles about 6 miles to the Hospital. Words like honesty and integrity come to mind. Judith has a refreshing habit of speaking in plain English. She does not dodge awkward questions. When she promises to do something that something happens.

I have mentioned Joya Morris a lot in these blogs. Though not strictly front line she acts as liaison between patient and the medical staff. She told me she gets 100 referrals a year. Apart from that she does home visits, runs a support group and has also attended funerals for those patients who sadly have not made it. Such people should be treasured. I remain fearful that if cuts are to happen in the NHS her post might be vulnerable which would be a disgrace.

Who else? Well I must not forget Mr. Byrne who did both the long and complicated operation and the recent dilatation. Without his skill I wouldn't be here. I must also thank the Chemotherapy Staff at the Hospital on the Island plus the marvellous District Nurses. In a way it's sad that I feel the need to comment when people turn up at the times promised and have all the correct information and equipment with them.

My experience therefore once I got past the initial stages of the NHS has been good. For the most part staff cope very well in my experience with often very demanding patients. However no offence to anyone but I hope I can keep clear of Hospitals until my next check up in March.

Day 231

The freezing weather continues though here in the Deep South we have not as yet had any snow. News from further North however is very different.

The difference between now and last Tuesday when I had the "procedure" is quite extraordinary. I wouldn't say I am eating normally as I was before the Summer but you have no idea how great it is to have some food that does not immediately stick in the gullet. I feel almost liberated.

Ev took part in her church group's telling of the story of the nativity. It was well done with some good and varied music. Grand Daughter Emily also took part and all due bias noted was excellent. In many ways the star of the show was a young boy who never mind the choreography did his own thing on stage. The magic of Christmas indeed.

Day 230

As we head towards Christmas and the end of the year I thought I would write down some thoughts about these last few months. I hope you can forgive me a little bit of indulgence this frosty morning.

Throughout the year both Ev and I have been sustained by the cards, e mails, phone calls and other messages of support. There is a presenter at Radio Humberside Steve Massam who observed that the only plus side of a serious illness is that it tends to bring relatives and friends closer together. Steve aside from his excellent professionalism is a real Gent. In wishing all readers a Happy Christmas I would like to thank all of you. In my life I have gone through many periods of self doubt but the level of support I have received makes me think that somewhere along the way I must have done something right.

One of my constant thoughts is that until anyone is faced with a potential personal crisis none of us knows how we shall react. Throughout my life I have tended to shy away from confrontation. That in some ways is fine but it can result in my failure to make my feelings known. This is bad not only for my health but also for others around me. Thus when we were given the news that I had cancer my initial reaction was oh okay. On the drive home in the car I remember saying to Ev that I would believe I would get better unless and until someone told me different. I went on to say that if the news was all bad we would deal with it at that point. The first time I cried was when I had to tell Andrea the news.

I would not regard myself as an expert on illnesses of this nature but I did firmly believe that I wanted people to know and that it was important to say how I was feeling.It was with this in mind that Ev suggested I start this blog. Apart from being very therapeutic, it also has the merit of letting you all know how things are. When I have heard of folk being poorly I have often wondered should I ring or not. At least this way you know the state of play.

This may come as a surprise to some but I have never regarded myself as being mentally tough. Yet I do remember the Anesthetist at Southampton Hospital just before the operation telling me that was what I would need. Looking back I guess I have just got on with it. Mind you without Ev I don't know how I would have coped. She has been patient, encouraging and full of helpful suggestions. As I have remarked before in many ways it is easier for the patient than the carer.

Other funny things come back to me. During my stay in Hospital they gave me some morphine to take to ease the pain. The effect on me was to hear voices. I vividly recall sitting in a chair with my eyes closed(not asleep) and imagining someone was giving me a glass of milk. I moved my hand out to take what turned out to be a non existent glass. This was very unnerving and I can see how people can get hooked on drugs. The other memory was a student nurse trying to disentangle various wires hooked up to drips etc. so that I could change gowns. We did a kind of weird dance. I reflected that outside of Hospital such behaviour would probably have had me arrested.

You may well have noticed if you have been reading these blogs is what I see as the importance of setting goals or if you prefer something you can look forward to(Mr. Addison my English Teacher will be turning in his grave at my ending a sentence with a preposition). For a start living on the Island is good in that we can see Andrea and her family regularly but Christopher and his family live a long way away. Including the ferry you are looking at the better side of 6 hours and that assumes there are no hold ups on the way. So number one target was to get well enough to go and see Christopher, Gillian, Jack, Lucy and Harry. That was a magic weekend in November. There was also our annual visit with friends to the RSC and of course Angel Radio.

For 2010, number one is to continue to get better. Number two is to take the cruise to the North Cape on the Queen Mary 2 in June. Number three is to enjoy life which is very precious. No doubt other things will come along.

I also wanted on this blog to reflect a little on my experiences with the NHS but that will do for another day. Thank you for your patience in reading this.

Day 229

This morning the acid in the mouth didn't wake me up until 630. Rather than disturb Ev I decided to get up and sit in a chair with a glass of water until the nasty taste went away.

This morning (for the benefit of readers away from the UK shores) a bit of History was made with the retirement from his Breakfast Show of Sir Terry Wogan. The guy has with a break of 10 years been doing the business since 1973. I indulged myself by listening to the last show. To add to this, my brother Charles was reading the news on the show. Wogan had invited him and the other members of the crew to Lunch, which was still going strong at 5.00PM.

I resolve not to go on too much about food except to say that with my Soup I tried a slice of toast at Lunch and this evening I had some slices of Pizza. The "procedure" has made a huge difference. There is still a tendency to be constipated but I am sure that can be rectified.

It was very nice in the hurly burly in the run up to Christmas to have a couple of quiet hours this afternoon. The next few days are going to be very hectic.

From time to time I have written about the ferry services and the difficulties when the Companies have no spare capacity. I heard tell of someone today who had booked on the 1030 sailing to the Mainland. This was cancelled. He was not able to get off the Island until the 12.00 sailing. He had a 100 mile plus journey to do as well. We hope the service will be fully functional when we next use it on Wednesday. The worst of it is these Companies are accountable to nobody.

Day 228

Things didn't start too well today. I woke up at about 630 this morning with a mouthful of acid and an accompanying cough. For the first time in a few days it was bad enough to make me get up and go and sit in an easy chair. Reflecting on causes we both felt this was due to me having my evening meal after 8.00 last night. That was due to circumstances beyond my control. Thus folks it looks like I am becoming one of those people who needs to eat early.

I had a good show on the Radio today. My guest had a fascinating story to tell and I hoped I helped her. She told me she had enjoyed the interview. It was nice as well to be able to play some Christmas Music.

The really good news of today though is that I was able to eat some Fish and Chips. Our local shop serves what it calls Light Bites which is a fancy name for half portions. I am here to report that not only were they delicious but I ate them all up. I could not have seen me doing that a week ago. Though the food does not stick, I still have to be careful because my stomach has shrunk. It's very easy to eat too much and I therefore need to gauge how much food intake to have at one go. However it's looking good for Christmas.

Ev is still far from 100% but she is hopefully going to be able to shake off her nasty cold before Christmas.

Onward and upward.

Day 227

The big question of today was whether the "procedure" would make a difference. I did wake up once in the night coughing a bit but in fact had a good night's rest not waking up until after 830.

As far as eating is concerned, I tried a piece of tosat this morning. It was fine. I had quite a big Lunch(well by my standards anyway) and some cream of celery soup for tea. The big difference that I noticed was when I had water with what I was eating. Up until today, when I felt food sticking in the gullet all that happened when I tried some water was that it sat on top of the stuck food. Today on two or three occasions when I felt food sticking the water actually helped to digest what I had been eating. However I do have to remember that my stomach is now smaller and whether anything sticks or not I need to eat relatively small portions but more regularly. The only other problem I still have is constipation but I remain confident that will be okay. The words I would use are cautious optimism.

I did my Hospital Radio Show today. That gave me a chance to play my favourite for the festive season A Christmas Song by Shawn Phillips.

Outside it is certainly getting colder though this evening here in the deep South we got rain rather than snow some parts of the Country experienced.

Day 226

We duly went to Southampton General Hospital. I had what is known in medical terms as a dilatation. The process was that initially the Consultant who operated on me in the Summer did a Gastroscopy to check that a dilatation was needed. This involved him sticking a small camera down the back of my throat. Having satisfied himself it was right, he then removed said camera and then set about widening the gullet. The whole process I am told took around 40 minutes.

I say I am told because they sedated me so I knew nothing of what was going on. In view of past problems with Endoscopy Units, I on my way to the Hospital resolved to go along with what ever was suggested. Bless then they apologised to me and said they recommended sedation where a dilatation was involved. I kept a straight face and said I was happy to go along with what was suggested. As a result I was blissfully unaware of what they did to me. Certainly a good job was done because I felt no after effects. In fact the only blot on their record was that the Nurse hadn't put the Cannula in properly so it had to be redone in the operating room. We were told that it was quite likely further such procedures would be needed one as early as 6 weeks ahead. We shall see.

They told me to take it easy as far as food is concerned for the next couple of days. I had some fish in sauce for tea tonight and coped with that very well. It is too early yet to form a judgement on whether this has made any difference or not.

Having gone straight in to the preparation area to get ready for the"procedure", I left Ev at 10.00. It was after 130 when I was reunited with her. This was partly due to the fact that I had had to wait my turn to go to the operating room. This didn't in fact happen until after 11. I was left to sleep the effects off until about 1.00. I was then given tea and a biscuit. Unfortunately Ev at 1215 was told that I should be out in 15 minutes. Consequently she missed Lunch and had to eat a sandwich almost on the run and we headed back to the ferry.

Strange world continued when we saw this taxi outside but we couldn't get in it without going back into the Hospital and making a free phone call to the Company to book it. We don't half have some weird laws in this country.

We got home shortly after 4.00 after crawling home through heavy traffic between Cowes and Ryde(14 miles in 40 minutes).

I'll report on progress on the next few blog entries.

Day 225

Definitely winter draws on. Now for any readers in North America this statement might seem somewhat ridiculous. We are talking here of daytime temperatures of around 4 degrees Celsius or 39 degrees in old money. It just feels cold and I suspect many will know the feeling of once you get cold it's difficult to get warm.

I went to bed early last night. The only problem with this is that you wake up early. Fortunately the acid and coughing weren't too bad so when I did get up I didn't feel too shattered. Ev's heavy cold still was much in evidence but it was not as bad as yesterday. She remains confident that she can come with me to Hospital in the morning.

Today we had the pleasure of Emily and Adam's company. They were both very good. To help augment their Lunch, I drove to Tesco. Bearing in mind there is still over a week to go until the big day, the queues at the tills were something else. To do this sort of shop, you need shin pads plus wing mirrors on the trolleys not to mention a one way system for the aisles. Still at least we are not due to fly British Airways at Christmas. If the strike goes ahead apparently BA won't offer refunds on the grounds that it is the Union who is responsible for no flights and not the Company. That could form the basis of an interesting legal challenge.

I must away to bed now as it is a big day tomorrow. Watch this space.

day 224

Well last night I had the best sleep in ages. I woke up once but that was to go to the bathroom. There does not seem any pattern to this. However it does make me appreciate the better nights when they do happen.

Whisper it not too loud but swallowing seems to be getting a little better. I still have to eat small amounts at one go but I am finding it a little easier to have snacks as well. I still find I get tired quite easily but I suppose this is only to be expected.

Ev is still far from well but bravely has been wrapping presents today. We are both hoping she will be better by Tuesday so we can both go to the Hospital. More on that tomorrow.

Day 223

Saturday was so good a day health wise for me that I have delayed posting until early Sunday Morning. From a health point of view the same alas could not be said of EV who has a nasty chesty sounding cough. Past experience has shown that the best cure for that is to inhale a load of steam. This literally brings tears to your eyes.

I went up into Town yesterday. It is a good idea to use the over 60s Bus Pass whilst it still exists. All the talk about Budget Deficits suggests that whoever wins the election will either abolish or severely curtail it. We are also quite lucky here on the Island in actually having a 7 days a week Bus Service.

In the evening I went to a presentation by members of the local Methodist Church. The first half was a very light hearted look at some of the Christmas Traditions including a potted version of Snow White. The Methodist Minister made a splendid Pantomime Villain. The second half told aspects of the Christmas Story. The whole thing was a pleasant evening.

On a very positive note I have been to two events on successive evenings and have been able to control my coughing. I approach Tuesday's Hospital Visit in a much more positive frame of mind.

Day 222

Last night was yet another poor one from the sleep point of view. What is particularly annoying is that during the day time the cough is so much better. I went downstairs into our sitting room and was able to have 2 hours of disturbed sleep whilst sat up in a chair. This is not satisfactory. Let's hope the "procedure" on Tuesday will help.

Today was really the first really cold one of the Winter. Unlike other parts of the country we didn't have fog but there was a definite chill in the air. This evening we went to a classical music concert given by some professional musicians under the Direction of Richard Studt who was born on the Island. All was not note perfect but it was worth going. Mr. Studt played the solo part of Lark Rise Ascending beautifully. And I didn't cough at all during the concert.

It's been not been a bad day health wise. I have much to be thankful for.

day 221

Apologies for not posting last night. There was nothing wrong other than I was very tired. This was mainly due to me waking up in the middle of the night swallowing some acid. It tasted foul and of course brought on the dreaded cough.

Mind you I have no cause to complain. I got word that an ex Colleague of mine who had contracted the same type of cancer as me has died. Evidently the cancer had spread so there was little the Doctors could do. The fact that I am still here and that the medical team think I can be helped with what sounds like a straight forward procedure shows that in lots of ways I am lucky.

On my Radio Show, Joya was the guest. She spoke with great conviction about the work she does. Mercifully she was free of jargon.

As to the Telly last night, Question Time was devoted to Afghanistan. The programme was so riveting that I fell asleep after about 10 minutes. It's not that I don't care more that the same arguments were being trotted out. Later on having woken up I did see a discussion about climate change that was well different.

day 220

Last night I had one of my best sleeps for some time, a fact for which both Ev and I were most grateful. Today was weigh day and I find I have lost one pound and now tip the scales at 13 stone 10 pounds. I have not heard from the Hospital so I assume the vitamin deficiency tests came out okay.

We went to see Adam in the school Christmas presentation of Sleeping Beauty. It was good fun. I presented my Hospital Radio Show today without any hitches. I am looking forward to Angel Radio tomorrow when the splendid Joya will be my guest.

Day 219

Thankfully it was a much quieter day. Having said that it was still a busy one. Ev has been writing Christmas Cards. We posted most of them today including ones for Overseas which we hope will arrive on time.

My studio guest was fascinating today. I learned a lot about East Cowes. Listeners always like finding out about the history of the Island. I hope to invite David Burdett will be back in the Spring.

I was able to eat a reasonable amount at Dinner today. Everything now looks to be on hold until next Tuesday.

Days 216 to 218

We are back from London. Normally I would do this journal in date sequence but today was an important one.

When we got back there was a letter from the Hospital in Southampton which suggested I was going to have another Endoscopy and nothing else. As we were due to see the Oncologist Judith Cave today we took the letter with us. We were delighted to see that whilst she was reading the letter she was as puzzled as we were. With help from Joya we worked out that what would happen was that the Endoscopy would be accompanied by a Dilatation. This will involve a widening of what I call the feeding tube. I should within 48 hours be able to swallow much better. This means whisper it not too loud that I may well be able to join in Christmas Dinner. The "procedure" can be done with me as a day patient.

I described how I was feeling to Judith. She looked at the notes and also checked chest, pulse and heart rate. Her view was that all the problems I have currently got are related. Because I am not eating proper meals I am frequently getting constipated. Because I am constipated I am passing a lot of wind. Because of wind there is a build up of acid. Because of acid I am coughing a lot. Because I am coughing a lot(particularly at night time) that is causing problems with the feeding area. The feeding area is narrowed anyway by scar tissue In short this is one giant circle.

Judith was concerned about my weight loss and possible vitamin deficiencies. I was sent for a test. This is one of those no news is good news stories in that if anything untoward is found I shall get a phone call. I suspect that were it not for next week's "procedure" I would be prescribed some supplements.

It wasn't the best of days because one of Judith's colleagues was off sick so she was having to run two clinics. As a result we were seen an hour later than advertised. However at the end of it all there is nothing wrong with me that can't be cured.

Going back to the weekend, we had a nice time in London. We saw my brother and sister in law Charles and Jess plus my ex sister in law Anne and her partner Gerry. We went into the West End to see the 39 Steps which was very funny and well worth going to see. The only down side of that was on the same day there was a big climate change demo in London. Piccadilly Circus Station was packed and the system couldn't cope. There was a crush and being London of course nobody gave way. Police and London Underground stayed the escalator side of the barriers instead of marshaling the queues. Thank goodness we don't have to put up with that every day.

Hopefully tomorrow will be uneventful. On Angel Radio my guest is going to be talking about the 150th anniversary of the floating bridge linking West and East Cowes.

Day 215

The Christmas Lunch with the support group went well. First of all when we arrived we were given little cards not only with our names on but what we had ordered as well. This was just as well because I for one couldn't remember what I had chosen. It was a nice touch by Joya and her team of helpers. We had two courses there first being fish pie with pureed carrot and broccoli. It tasted very nice but the potato topping was very dry. I was able to eat about 75% of what was on my plate. This was followed by some plain vanilla ice cream. The Restaurant in Bembridge had a very nice atmosphere. Many people there had the same sort of eating problems, which is important in helping me realise I am not alone.

Joya asked us if we had heard from Southampton and we said no. As is with the way when we got home we had an e mail saying that Mr. Byrne wanted to do an Endoscopy himself on 15 December. What will happen after that we know not but at least whatever takes place will be in Southampton.

We are going to London for a couple of days so my next blog entry will be on Monday when I shall be able to report on my visit to the Oncologist.

Day 214

Continuing on a down beat, last night was the worst in terms of me waking up coughing in a while. The problem is when that happens neither of us gets much rest. There is no way of knowing whether the coughing problem is related to my very recent eating difficulty. It may be or it may not. As mentioned yesterday, I am due to see the Oncologist very shortly and hopefully get some questions answered. I don't want to bore you too much with news about food but I have had two lots of soup today one of them being Campbell's Condensed Mushroom. This went down okay but I can't permanently manage on that. Tomorrow is the Christmas Lunch for the Upper GI Patients support group to which we are both invited. Joya has organised this and apparently the Restaurant know all about small portions, which may well suit the patients but perhaps not the carers. I shall report on that tomorrow. I forgot to mention by the way yesterday that my weight at 13 stone 11 pounds(193 pounds) is unchanged from last week.

Today otherwise has been fine. I got a very nice text from my Grand Daughter Lucy at Lunchtime. She tells me she is looking forward to seeing us at New Year. Certainly when I spoke to her she sounded in good form.

The Radio Show was very enjoyable. I had a good guest who once again had a good story to tell.

Hopefully tonight will be a little less fraught.

Day 213

Not such a good day on the eating front I am afraid. I struggled with all meals today including Corn Flakes, soft boiled eggs and small pasta in cheese sauce. It does worry me somewhat that up until now I have coped with these no problem. We haven't heard anymore from the Hospital but we are due to see the Oncologist in 5 days time. It would be nice to know what if anything they intend to do and when they intend doing it.

A large chunk of my morning was taken up with a telephone questionnaire. We had received calls from a market research company claiming to be acting on behalf of the Isle of Wight Council. A phone call to the Council established that the company was on the level. Thus someone had arranged to ring me at 9.00 this morning but guess what they hadn't. I decided to ring the Council to say I was not happy. You will not be surprised to know that I got a call and an apology within 30 minutes. Most of the questions were about how highly or otherwise I rated the Council's Services. The one problem area came with questions about priorities with Council Spending. I reeled off Social Services, Education, Refuse Collection, Road Maintenance and Public Transport as the 5 main priority areas as I see them. Nothing however is that simple because they want to know if I think they should prioritise care for the elderly over care for Disabled Children. You could I suppose argue that the Council is seeking our views. My contention is that they are trying to duck their responsibilities by claiming cuts in some aspects of Council Activity are as a result of majority opinions expressed in a survey. You will not be amazed to hear I refused to answer these questions. Just because you are in a minority does not mean you are necessarily wrong.

The Monsoon rains continue. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day all round.

day 212

The Radio Show went really well. Guests were interesting with a good story to tell. I made one of them's day by playing the first record he ever bought.....the ballad of Davy Crockett. Hands up all who can remember those hats. The music selections worked well and I found a wonderful story about farmers in Australia trying to get their sheep to burp less to help combat climate change.

My health definitely seems to be improving. I am due to see the Oncologist on Monday next where I could find out more. I had a good night waking up only briefly. The food thing is becoming easier to control.

Living on the Isle of Wight I am constantly fascinated by different ways you can be held up on the roads. Today was a selection of skip lorries, scaffolding contractors, removal vans and the usual utility vehicle nonsense.

Patience is indeed a virtue.

Day 211

I woke up afetr a disturbed night at 730 this morning and yes it was still raining. As you are probably aware I like to wlk to the Newsagents but today I gave up and took the car. I took a brief look at the Solent this morning. The tide was in and the waves were crashing against the sea wall. However with the wind blowing it felt rather cold. True to the weather forecast it cleared up this afternoon and with a clear sky tonight we are promised some frost. Andrea reports that on a key hill for Island Trafic there appeared to be a burst water pipe which with the freezing temperatures could amke for an interesting drive in the morning.

You will note I have not mentioned food for the last day or so. Things are getting a bit easier now in the sense that I am starting to know a lot more about what I can and can't eat. For example of all the types of Pasta Spaghetti is the one that causes the least problem. I also think I am becoming a lot more realsitic in terms of what is possible. The main thing to remember is that I don't feel under nourished and at no time have I been sick.

Finally I forgot to mention in my blog of a few days ago that Emily told me she didn't believe in Father Christmas. What a calamity I mean she is 8 years old and all that but is nothing sacred?

Day 210

The weather continues to be vile and yes I got soaked on my way back from the Newsagents.

I had a very productive morning in putting together the music for my show on Tuesday. My guests will be from an organisation called Link. They are part of a nationwide group seeking to find out what we think of the work of Social Services and the NHS. It should make for an informative interview. One question that intrigues me is who funds this organisation? And the other puzzle is does anyone in authority take any notice? To find out more listen either on 91.5FM or on line.

This afternoon I watched far more Football than is good for me. Am I already a couch potato?

Healthwise it's been an okay day. I had another decent night's sleep. To some extent I am treading water until we find out what if anything the medical people suggest. More perhaps tomorrow.

Day 209

It has been a very good day. I am definitely coughing a lot less. Ev and I were talking about this and she wondered whether one cause of my difficulties was that I wasn't drinking enough. It may just be a coincidence but since increasing my liquid in take the cough has decreased in intensity. Last night was one of my better ones in terms of sleeping in that I managed almost 8 hours in the land of nod.

Today was a busy time in that not only the local church had its Christmas Fayre so did the school. Our presence was required in both locations. I thoroughly enjoyed both events. The Church had a festival of decorated Christmas trees one of which was all the work of Ev. It definitely helped the feeling of Christmas is coming.

My Son in Law is a dedicated Tottenham Hotspur fan and their match with Aston Villa was on ESPN which we have and he does not. We had tea in our house so we could watch.

Let's hope tomorrow continues the improvement.

Day 208

A number of very positive things have happened today. The best one came early evening. I have made mention of Joya many times on this blog. You may recall that when I went for my Endoscopy 9 days ago I was told that the Biopsy would take 4 weeks to come through(sorry that should have read the Biopsy Results. Anyway Joya said she thought this was too long and she would chase it up. Bless her she got the information today. There are no malignant cells to be found. The Medicos seem to think that my eating problems and presumably coughing are as a result of an inflammation and nothing more. Joya's opposite number in Southampton(Donna) is going to speak with the Consultant who operated on me as to what should happen next. The hope is that whatever needs doing can be carried out before Christmas. We shall see.

What else? Well today Ev was going to Shropshire on the train to meet up with Andrea and friends from when we lived in that delightful neck of the woods. The ferry over was very busy but as it was one of the old ones it meant we could all get on. Ev's train left on time and two minutes later there was a power cut at the station and every thing stopped. I have since heard that she arrived in Shrewsbury on schedule.

Earlier in the day we had seen Grand Daughter Emily in school assembly. She spoke up very well.

Jools Holland's Band are appearing at the Guildhall in Portsmouth on 21 December. I rather feared I had left it too late to book. I went to the Box Office and was told it was a sell out but as luck would have it two tickets had been returned this morning so I got them. I have seen one of Jools' shows before but Ev has not. The shows are great fun and with Christmas upon us it should have an added ingredient.

All told I walked a great deal from the Ferry to the City Centre and around the market so I got plenty of exercise and mercifully the rain held off. Once I got home I thought it a good idea to relax.

Like I say a positive day one way or another.

Day 207

The weather is turning colder. There is a version of Sod's Law which says that if it is a windy day with blustery showers said showers happen when I am out and about and distance from shelter. That happened to me twice today.

It was, though, all worth while because it was a great show on Angel Radio today. My guess was Ian Campbell a self confessed enthusiast for American Jazz and Big Bands. He had chosen 9 such bands, picked the tunes they were most famous for playing and had done some biographical notes. It made for a fascinating 2 hour show. I also got some good feedback from a couple of listeners. Ian will be back in February to do some more. He is a good broadcaster having worked for BBC Radio Solent at one time. He would be a real asset to Angel Radio in my view.

The cough is a bit better today. I got an e mail from the Nurse Joya today. She has spoken to a colleague and they both believe the cough is caused by a combination of a stricture, Reflux Acid and Food Intake. They are waiting to speak to one of the Head Consultants at Southampton General.

Finally a happy Thanksgiving Day to all American Readers of this blog.

Day 206

Things have been a bit better today. Though the dreaded cough is still with me it has not been such a difficulty as yesterday. I can also report that I was able to eat some Spaghetti with red sauce without any problems. This felt like a real triumph.

This morning was weigh day. I have lost a pound since last Wednesday. Also last night gave me the best sleep I have had for about a week.

I took an early decision to miss my Hospital Radio Show. I wasn't sure if my voice would hold up and as mentioned before I particularly want to do tomorrow's show on Angel Radio bearing in mind the work my guest has put such a lot of work into the topic. We shall see how it works out.

On another positive note, I went and booked our ferries for the Christmas and New Year Period. The poor things who run these services are in some difficulty. To operate a half hourly service requires four Boats. The Company used to have 5 available which meant that if there was a breakdown or one required maintenance the level of service could be maintained. One of the ships has been mothballed so there is no spare capacity. Sadly two of their vessels are out of action so we are reduced to an hourly service. At this time of year they can get away with it but if things aren't sorted by Christmas I can see problems ahead.

day 205

From the tone of some recent postings, you may well have worked out that I am getting a little fed up with both the coughing and the continuing difficulties with swallowing.

Taking the cough first, it seems to be getting worse. Up until today I have been able to keep things reasonably under control when broadcasting on Angel Radio. However today was quite difficult. Much as I enjoy the shows, I shall need to take stock. The odd cough or two on air listeners will accept but when it becomes something of a habit people start to get irritated. I hope to be able to do Thursday's show because my guest, a Jazz Historian< has put a lot of effort into doing a session on Big bands their history and signature tunes. As he will be doing most of the talking it should be okay. I e mailed the liaison nurse Joya who said she would have a word with the Hospital in Southampton to see if anything could be suggested.

Speaking of Joya she told me that she was not happy with Biopsy results taking 4 weeks to come through. I really struggled with my main meal this evening. Ev remarked that it seemed at least as bad as when I cam out of Hospital. We await developments.

As you know I do try not to be negative here and I am sure things will get better. However what I can't do is pretend things are okay when they are not.

More tomorrow.

Day 204

One of the things I have to learn is that I need to take each day as it comes.

I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like I was going to choke. As a result I spent some time coughing with great volume. It makes you wonder what can be done to make things better , or even discover there's nothing can be done.

With the weather being as it is, going out for walks is not really an option. To add a little more to the mix, Grandson Adam probably has swine flu. For safety's sake Ev and I are staying away for the moment.

This Evening I am trying to sip water in an effort to keep the cough under control.

Day 203

The good news is that the experiment worked. Not eating after 7.00PM seemed in part to do the trick. In addition to the Liquid Gavescon, I also took two of their tablets one just before I went to bed and one in the middle of the night when I woke up coughing away. Altogether it was a better night. It would be nice to report that the cough shows signs of going away but that is not the case.

The weather does not help. Though it's quite mild, we have had about a week of strong winds and heavy showers. I got caught in one of those on the way back from the paper shop. You know when you are out mid way between the shops and home and the heavens open and you are a long way from any shelter? Yes that happened to me. We must not complain as the good folk of Cumbria have got clobbered really badly.

Still it's been a good creative day. I have put together the music for Tuesday's show featuring songs written by Hoagy Carmichael. I have also booked two guests for programmes coming up in January. There's nothing like planning ahead.

Fingers crossed though that tonight is a better night again.

Day 202

I had a stinky rotten night. I had spent part of the evening coughing but I only managed two hours sleep before I woke up. I went downstairs and sat in a reclining chair. I slept for another three hours. Looking back, I can only come to the conclusion that I paid the price for having a 3 course evening meal. We have mentioned before about the possibility of having the main meal at Lunchtime. This won't be practical on Angel Radio days (Tuesdays and Thursdays)but should be okay for the rest of the week.

We are putting the above theory to the test today. I had a good Lunch and a light meal this evening. I have waited two hours following the evening food before taking my tablet. There will be no more food eaten by me tonight. Just before I go to bed I shall take some more Gavescon. Let us see how that works. I shall report back tomorrow.

The weather though mild is very wet. I congratulate myself on being able to get the Saturday Papers during one of the few dry spells.

Day 201

Though today was a non radio one(slight pun there), it was still a busy day. We were having visitors tonight. Whilst Ev got on with putting the house into order, I went to Tesco to get a few things needed for Dinner. The Island store is about a 5 minute drive away except during the peak Summer Holiday Months when the Council decides to dig the main access road up. It was one of those days when you wish that the store operated a one way system for the aisles and that their trolleys were fitted with wing mirrors. I also discovered that there is a post office on the Island where the post box is about 400 yards away at the end of the street.

This Afternoon because Ev was still busy I went to collect Emily from school. I also went looking for a Birthday Card for a good friend of ours. Those who have Birthdays in November and December deserve our sympathy. Card shops are packed with Christmas stuff so actually finding any Birthday Greetings, still less a suitable one, is quite a challenge.

Our visitors were very pleasant company. Even more encouraging was the fact that for the first time since leaving Hospital I managed a 3 course meal. Of course the portions were quite small but this was quite a significant land mark.

Oh and guess what the Hospital Appointment letter telling me about my visit two days ago turned up today. What the receptionist told me namely that she had typed the letter and sent it for dispatch last Friday was true. However the franking machine date shown on the envelope was yesterday. Quite whether the hold up was in the post room or between that Department and Endoscopy I hope to find out.

Though the cough continues to be a nuisance it has been a better day.

Day 200

From the start I must thank all those of you who have stuck with this blog since my little difficulty was first diagnosed. I am aware that this is the 169th entry but the actual number of days is 200 as stated in the title.

I like to think that through all of this I have tried to remain positive. Yesterday was one of those days I guess most of us get when you just feel pretty low. There's nothing wrong physically but you just feel grotty. It's when that day coincides with somone spraying the back of your throat and sticks an oxygen pad up your nostril that your resolve is tested.

All of that is not intended as justification. Yesterday was not one of my better days and I am not proud of that fact. Today, however, has been much more pleasant one. My throat has suffered no ill effeects from the camera. I was able to do my Radio Show. This turned out to be one of the most testing programmes I have done. My guest was talking about the benefits of Lucid Dreams. I have to confess this is not a subject I know a lot about so I really had to be on my toes. This coincided with the Station's CD players having a wobble and refusing to fire properly. Unfortunately from my point of view I had carefully prepared a selection of music with Dream in the title somewhere and it was all on CD. I did manage to get through the show okay.

Coming home there are two routes to take. The Utilities are digging up the road on both routes. Thus you get stuck no matter which way you go. The journey home seemed to take for ever.

Life could be a lot worse right now but I do just wish this damned cough would go away.

Day 199

To quote the Doctor who did the Endoscopy today there are more pleasant ways to spend the day.

They only partly sedated me and told me that I would be able to see what was happening if not feel too much. I was instructed not to cough but let any saliva dribble from my mouth on to a sheet strategically placed. I have to confess it did cause me some distress. I think the Doctor was struggling to keep his patience. In my defence I was at a pretty low ebb today.

Subject to the results of a Biopsy(4 week wait) the problem seems to be at the bottom of the revised feeding tube rather than the top. What they would like to do is to have me as a day patient and widen the tube in that area. I am assured this is routine for people who have had the kind of operation I went through. The Doctor's own view is that there is nothing malignant hanging around. My only sadness is that I may have to wait until after Christmas before anything can be done.

My weight this morning was unchanged. More tomorrow.

Day 198

I love the NHS dearly but there are times when you want to shake them.

I am due to have an Endoscopy tomorrow. The Hospital had promised to send us a confirmatory letter with instructions. Given that the letter hadn't turned up by today's post, I though I would call in at the Hospital to find out what was going on. The Endoscopy Department at St. Mary's here on the Island is that institutions best kept secret. In other words it's difficult to find. The signeage leaves much to be desired.

Having found my way there I was assued the letter had been sent out by first class post last Friday. Whilst I was there I asked them what they intended to do with me tomorrow. It's alright I was told they are well aware of what happened last time. What they proposed on this occasion was lighter sedation and if that didn't work they would have to think of something else. Evidently there's a 4 week waiting list for General Anasthetic. They asked me if I was okay about it and I indicated I was less than happy but I would at least turn up.

When I got home I looked at the letter. Not only did it say nothing to eat or drink after midnight which I expected but it also said I should refain from eating anything the previous day(i.e. today). I rang them and pointed out that in the absence of the letter I had had Breakfast and Lunch today. After much humming and hawwing they said it would be okay as I wasn't going to be seen until 1.00PM. The only bright side of this is that I had been wondering what to have for Dinner and at least I know the answer.......... nothing. The letter also advised that it may be necessary for them to keep me in overnight.

Whilst I am sure the Hospital did post the letter why on earth in this IT age they can't use e mail for this sort of thing I'll never know.

Right having got all that off my chest, Otherwise I had a good day. My guest on Angel Radio today was great fun.

The distinguished actor Edward Woodward has died. Evidently when Noel Coward first met Woodward he remarked that the name sounded like a fart in the bath.

Days 196 and 197

Apologies Ladies and Gentlemen for getting out of sync. with this blog. We are slowly getting back to normal.

Yesterday I was able to book a guest to complete the line up for December's programmes on Angel Radio. Unlike the BBC, where you have Producers and Studio assistants to do a lot of the leg work for you, at Angel I have to do all the calls, research and music selections myself. It's great fun but time consuming.

Today(Monday) the wind blew again but with nothing like the intensity of Saturday. The dreary cough goes on and on though it does eem to get worse from about 7.00PM. It's difficult to know quite what to do except persevere. The GP told me he knew of nothing to contain the problem other than what I am already taking.

Positively I managed three fish fingers for my tea this evening without any alarms and excursions. We also had good family news. Daughter Andrea has passed her upgrade and is now on course to obtain her PHD next year. She bought a cake for us to celebrate this evening. Sadly I am off the booze just now. Otherwise a drink would have been appropriate.

Day 195

Yesterday we had a day of very strong winds. At the Needles Lighthouse(the other end of the Island to us)a gust of 100MPH was recorded. The worst fate that we had was two of our fence panels blew down. Fortunately we have a good neighbour who we can talk to about it.

I also got caught in a dreadful rain/hail storm. I had only walked 100 yards or so when the heavens opened. In trying to keep my hat on my hands had hailstones bouncing off them. Needless to say, I broke my habit of walking to the paper shop and took the car instead.

So to the cough. Yesterday wasn't as bad as Friday but it did get worse as the evening wore on. Last night wasn't too clever either. I got up at about 3.00AM and went downstairs to the Lounge. I sat up and managed about 4 hours sleep. Honestly I try not to let this bother me but it can be a little wearying at times. Ev is great about it though it can't be much fun for her.

On a plus point, I am making a conscious effort to drink more. As I have said before this has to be managed carefully. If you drink too much just before a meal, you find you struggle to eat anything. The other problem is that the water on the Island is very hard and tastes rather foul. In contrast the water in North Yorkshire seems like manna from heaven.

More tomorrow.

Day 194

Apologies for not doing this last night but we have Grandchildren staying with us for the weekend. Adam sleeps in the office.

I had not one of my better days yesterday. The dry cough has returned with a vengence. No matter what I tried it would not go away. Fortunately this morning things seem better. Certainly I look better.

We heard from the Hospital yesterday. They want me to have an Endoscopy on Wednesday at 1.00. Now some readers will know that the last time I went for that it turned out to be a disaster. I pointed this out but they want me to go for another try. We shall see what happens.

It's a bit windy out there. We have new ferries designed for more reliability to withstand bad weather and guess what.........the service has been suspended until further notice.

Day 193

Apologies for not writing this last night. I got back last night from second Baby Sitting night(the story was Ben 10 since you ask). I was very tired. As is often the way with these things having gone to bed and dropped off to sleep, I woke up early at I guess around 430. If you've ever done that and started getting annoyed with yourself for being unable to go back to sleep you will know what I mean.

I do try in this blog not to sound too negative. There is much to be positive about. I am up and about. I can drive safely. I am not obsessed with personal things taking a lively interest in the worlds of current affairs and Sport. Going back to just before my operation I recall the Anesthetist telling me that in the days and months ahead I would need a degree of mental toughness. To that I would add patience. People who have been through this tell me it takes well over a year to get back to normal. It's less than 4 months since I had my operation.

Now the sharp among you who know me will be waiting for the however..... and you would be right. The cough is back with a vengeance. It is an irritating dry one that is just persisting. Certainly the V shaped pillow is helping in that when I do wake up I no longer have that horrible mouthful of acid and bile. My GP and the Oncologist tell me that there is no cure for this other than to take bot the tablets and Gavascon and as I said in previous paragraph be patient.

We are promised 60MPH winds this evening and tomorrow. Provided it is not too wet it will be fascinating to walk to the Esplanade and have a look at the sea.

My Radio Guest was David Ball the Chairman of an organisation called the Island Games. In 2011 some 4000 competitors will be coming to the Island to compete in a variety of sports ranging from Athletics to Archery. The guy is on the look out for volunteers. Both Ev and I are keen to help.

Day 192

Winter Weather is really starting to kick in. It's wet and chilly out there.

Tonight I was in charge of Emily and Adam as both their Mum and Grandma were out for the evening. The Children are very good really and went to bed as requested at the proper time. Emily has reached the stage in her life where she prefers to read books herself. Adam still likes a story read to him. Tonight his choice was Aliens like Underpants, which I had not come across before. Very funny it was to.

On the food front, I had some Spaghetti with liquidised Bolognaise Sauce. I am delighted to report I was able to eat this no problem. Spaghetti seems to be okay I guess because it is very thin and easily digestible. Not only that but I had a piece of cake and later a small chocolate bar. What I shall have to do is go back to sort of diet I was following when I left Hospital.

I weighed myself this morning and have lost a further 3 pounds. I now weigh some 3 stone plus less than when I went into Hospital. Bearing in mind that my GP said I could lose some more weight some weeks ago this is okay but I am starting to get a little nervous about being under weight. I should add that the current loss is most likely because of what I am not eating rather than anything more sinister.

I got an e mail from Joya telling me that she is talking to two Gastroenterologists to see if they will check to make sure eating difficulties are caused by scar tissue rather than anything else. She will let me know when this is likely to be.

I have often written about the importance of having something to aim for. My next one is looking forward to Christmas and New Year. Nothing is going to spoil that.

Day 191

I spoke to Joya this morning. She said that she would speak to someone from the Southampton Surgery Team and would get back to me. I wait with baited breath.

The problem I am concerned about is that I am struggling with some foods that two or three weeks ago were not causing me any grief. I hope Joya is right when she says that it will be some new scar tissue. I did have a problem with constipation for a few days but that seems to have sorted itself out.

Otherwise everything is heading in the right direction. I had a Magician as my guest on Angel Radio. David Randini(his name) was excellent. He was pleased that the atmosphere was so relaxed. My view on the role of an interviewer is to let the guest speak rather than making it all about him or herself.

More tomorrow.

Dayys 187 to 190

After some setbacks in recent days, it's nice to report some good news. I spoke to the Upper GI Nurse(Joya) who assured me that what I was experiencing was nothing unusual. Evidently as the wound from the operation heals so a new layer of tissue forms. This reduces the size of the reduced tube through which food and drink flows. It is nothing more sinister than that. The Hospital would want to do an Endoscopy first just to confirm nothing more sinister. I can have a small corrective operation to stretch the tube. This could happen more than once. Joya has asked me to keep a record of what I am eating and the degree of difficulty caused. I shall report on progress here tomorrow.

We had a very good weekend celebrating Harry's Birthday. His older Brother and Sister(Jack and Lucy) did sterling work in looking after him at the party. As this date had been a target for me following the operation, the event made a solid impression on me. We are returning at Christmas which should be fun.

Day 186

First the good news. Last night I had an uninterrupted night's sleep. That's two in a row. I feel much better for that.

I did my second Angel radio show today which went very well. My guest was Neve Cullum who is one of the Directors of the United Kingdom Sailing Academy(UKSA). UKSA is a charity that does much good work mainly for younger people from the Island, mainland Britain and across Europe. Neve spoke well and it is an organisation of which the Island in my view should be proud. The show itself is on around Lunchtime and it occurred mainly to Ev that I would need something to have for a meal or snack whilst I was there. So I took a Cup a Soup and some Cheese Quavers with me. That all went well.

Sadly this evening I couldn't manage any Pasta. This follows struggles I have had with Salmon Fillets and Salad in recent days. I am awaiting an e mail from the Oncologist and Joya has asked that in the meantime I don't change any medicines I am taking. I am keeping my fingers crossed. In one sense arguments here about the European Union and Afghanistan that have been raging across the media have proved to be a welcome distraction.

Speaking of distraction we are off in the morning to celebrate Harry's Second Birthday. When we get back on Monday I shall let you know how it went.

Days 183 to 185

Sorry for not doing this blog for last two days. The Decorators have just finished so we are starting to get our house back.

This blog is an attempt to describe how I am feeling at any given time. I am relatively ignorant of the effects from cancer but I have read enough to know that most people experience setbacks along the way. I have been experiencing two of them.

When I left Hospital I was given some Lansoprazole. These Capsules are designed to combat reflux acid. I was told to take one a day. When I saw the Oncologist and told her I was still coughing she suggested I take two a day one in the morning and one at night to help combat the cough. I was concerned that I had been taking two a day when the original idea was to take one. I decided therefore to see if I could manange with one. This turned out to be a bad move. I have had some bad nights waking up with acid and bile in the mouth and coughing. Last night I went back to two a day and had my best night for some time. It must also have been of great relief to Ev not having her night's sleep disturbed by me coughing. We shall see what tonight brings.

The second concern has been that I have been experiencing when eating the same sensations as took place before I was diagnosed. This applied to things like Salad, which up until now I have coped with well. I am assuming this is a temporary blip. Apart from one occasion when I could not stop coughing whilst eating, I have not been sick.

I have sent an e mail to Joya about both problems and hopefully she will come up with some good advice.

I don't want this blog to be entirely negative. On Sunday Afternoon I did a two hour stint as part of the Hospital Radio Charity Halloween Music Weekend. On Tuesday I did my first show back on Angel Radio. It was great to feel so welcome. As I suspect many of you know getting back to my Lunch Time shows was a goal for me and I feel a great sense of achievement. It is also a great relief that I am driving, organising ferry tickets and so on which means I am leading a normal life.

Things will improve of that I am sure.

Days 173 to 182

Welcome to the first post for a week or so. I had planned to do this on Sunday but the decorators were still in. It's a bit of a mess at the moment but I am sure it will sort itself out.

We had a good week. The journey North was fine as we set off early in the morning. By Friday Afternoon the jams on the route we had taken were pretty bad. Coming back on Saturday we were held up by an accident on the M1 but made thew ferry fine. It's still a long long way.

We saw the RSC Production of As you like it, which we both enjoyed. It was nice to visit the Theatre Royal once again. Otherwise we visite two couples who are old friends and saw Ev's two brothers. The village hotel did a very impressive firework display.

Healthwise everything went okay apart from the night time coughing, which happens some nights but not others. It's a matter of trial and error.

It's going to be a busy week as we are off to Grandson Harry's Birthday Bash in North Wales at the weekend.

Day 172

Oh Questionnaires don't you just love them? Sorry for starting today's blog with a rhetorical question.

Through the post(yes I know there is a strike on) I have received one of these from an outfit called the Picker Institute. It concerns my stay in Southampton general Hospital. I am grateful to Andrea(who knows much much more than I do about this kind of thing)for telling me that said institute is the Bees Knees re Patient Surveys.

Part of the difficulty I have with these things in general is that very often the questions asked don't actually fit in with my circumstances. I shall give you two examples. The Hospital in Southampton is a Regional Centre. When I was in the place, a lot of my fellow patients had like myself been referred there by another Hospital. In my case, I was sent to Southampton by St. Mary's Hospital here on the Island. The survey seemed to me to be designed on the assumption I had been referred by my GP. The second concerned waiting lists. I was invited to comment on this, did I have to wait too long etc. In my case I wasn't on any waiting list. It was suggested to me I have three courses of chemo followed by six weeks of recovery. In other words the reason I didn't have the operation until August having been confirmed as a Cancer Patient in April was a medical one.

Generally my opinion of Southampton General is very high. Had the survey been about St. Mary's I would have answered differently(see comments very early in this blog).

Today was Grand daughter Emily's Birthday. Her parents had gone to a good deal of trouble to leave clues around the house as to where she could find her presents. Altogether it was a pleasant Afternoon and Evening.

Tomorrow we are going away for just over a week. As a result my next blog entry all being well will be on either Saturday 31 October or Sunday 1 November.

Finally the clocks go back this weekend(Groan). The early darkness I do not like.

day 171

I got an e mail today from an old family friend(hello Liz).

Liz lives near Ullapool in the West Highlands of Scotland. The local museum is doing an exhibition on times when there has been serious storm damage. Liz asked me about the time when Perry, Dad, Step Mum amd I visited Ullapool on a hiking holiday. I consulted Perry and we agreed that our memories tallied but ween't too sure about the year in question though we did narrow it down to one of 1957 or 1958 Strange is it not how when someone asks you a question about something that happened in years past it suddenly all comes flooding back. The unusual circumstances in this case were not only the ferocity of the storm but that it was in August.

Another show for Hospital Radio was duly done today. I really am getting back into the swing of things and am looking forward to returning to Angel Radio next month. I got back in time to find out that a series of postal strikes starts tomorrow. Both sides seem to be digging in, which is very sad as you know at the end of the day the matter will be settled by the two sides reaching an agreement.

Other than that this was a fine and uneventful day. Here's to many more of the same though I wish I could eat bigger amounts of food. However maybe the new order of things is responsible for the loss of another 3 pounds in the last week.

Day 169 and 170

Ev asked me today if I thought I was back to normal. I thought about the question and then came to the conclusion that apart from eating the answer was yes. Considering various warnings we had been given about what could happen with after effects, I feel very fortunate. I am walking, sleeping properly and generally getting out and about. It's just 2 months since I was discharged from Hospital. I have been trying to remain positive. You would be amazed how easy it is to get into a cycle of despair. Ev has been instrumental in getting me to the state I am now in but the support from family and friends has been brilliant.

It's been sometime since I mentioned the chemotherapy. I heard this week that all who are currently undergoing treatment will need two swine flu jabs. This is on top of the injection for seasonal flu. To say that I feel relieved in not having to go through all that is an understatement.

To keep a balanced picture, I was out in Newport today and decided to try and buy some Lunch. The Cheese Omelette ordered was huge and I couldn't finish it. To use the modern cliche, this was all part of the learning curve(I can't believe I have just written that).

Thus with Autumn well and truly with us, I feel very positive about things.

Day 168

Today(why do I keep typing Toady I can't imagine) Though it isn't Grand Daughter Emily's actual Birthday she had a party for some of her friends. The question of what kind of party children should have was once a subject of a Television Documentary of the keeping up with the Jones's variety.

Fortunately today's do was quiet but great fun. A friend of Ev's runs an enterprise called fired art. The idea is that you can paint a wide variety of objects. The finished article is then put into an oven(hence the word fired). It is fascinating watching a group of children concentrating on painting without making a mess. At the end of the session there was a nice tea and a cake that Ev, Andrea and Emily spent time over.

Altogether this was a good day. I had a good night's sleep and ate adequately. I am developing the art of taking my time in eating and knowing when to stop. This is me getting used to a new way of life if that does not sound too dramatic.

I keep reading a lot of negative NHS stories which is sad. I can only say that I have no quarrel with the treatment I have received both in the Chemotherapy Unit here on the Island and at Southampton General Hospital.

Day 167

It's Saturday. Autumn definitely draws on. Today was cloudy and cool but mercifully dry.

Ev and Andrea were making cakes. I was keeping pace with today's football scores. I also saw my team(Newcastle) in first half action. It was quite one of the worst games I have seen. I gave up at half time.

On the food front, I had another go at a small size fish and chips and ate the lot. The recovery signs are continuing to look good.

If this sounds uneventful that's probably because it was. More tomorrow.

Day 166

Once again I am trying to do various things that a matter of 6 weeks ago would have been non starters. Today it was taking some garden rubbish to the tip(sorry civic amenity site). This went fine. I also went for a walk this afternoon to the Esplanade. The visit was short partly because of a cool wind but mainly due to the tide being out and a horrible rotting seaweed aroma.

Island traffic jams continue on their merry way. The area is roughly 13 miles long and 26 miles wide. There are some 130,000 people who live here and over 100,000 of those are on the electoral roll(meaning they are adults). The roads here were simply never designed to take the volumes of traffic. They are in need of repair so long hold ups will be with us for some time. One positive thing my illness has done(I think) is to make me a little more patient.

Tomorrow looks like it might be quite busy so I shall report back in 24 hours or so.

Day 165

There is more progress to report. Today we went to what passes for the Metropolis on the Island Newport to do some shopping. We met up with a friend at a cafe and for Lunch I managed a well filled bowl of French Onion Soup not to mention a cup of Earl Grey Tea. Our shopping trip revealed mixed results. It's one of our Grand children's birthday next week. Courtesy of Argos we were partially successful in buying what we wanted. When we got to Marks and Spencer we found out the perils of not going regularly. Things that we remembered from our last visit were not there anymore. However it wasn't a bad day as far as the weather was concerned and it was nice to be out and about.

For Dinner this evening, we had Tuna Fillets with salad. Ev decided to give me the same amount as herself. Once again I can report I ate the lot. All this comes in addition to another good night's sleep. The cough is also getting better, which is good news as a week on Saturday all being well we shall be watching Shakespeare's As You Like It.

Day 164

I made it. This was the first time I had been to a radio studio since July. The beauty of the Hospital Radio show is that it is music only so that if I had had problems with coughing I could have run the discs back to back. I am delighted to say that it all went like clockwork. Trade secret is that where the programme is all music and no adverts you can reckon on 14 songs per hour. This works on the basis of a disc being between 3 and 4 minutes long on average. You make of the timing for each song, which tells you how much speech content you have. There are plans at the moment for a sponsored 48 hour music marathon at the station. I have put myself forward for a 2 hour stint on Sunday 1 November. If this sounds like anorak territory I would only plead in my defence that many of us have various enthusiasms in life and Radio is one of mine. Having done a stint at the BBC, I realise that at my age that won't happen again. Therefore Hospital and Angel Radio provide a wonderful opportunity to keep my hand in.

Last night once again I am pleased to report wasn't bad at all. I woke up around 4.00AM coughing but fortunately minus the bile. I did go back to sleep and woke again at a civilised hour.

After yesterday's unfortunate experience, I took greater care with the evening meal thanks to Ev. I don't know how she does it but she seems to have the knack of knowing how much to put on the plate. Anyway I had some very mild Chilli Con Carne without any ill effects.

Finally I weighed myself this morning and can report no change. I know the Doctor thinks I could do with losing another stone but I feel okay at the moment so we shall see how that develops.

day 163

Things must be loooking up. Last night was another quiet one with virtually no coughing. I got up round about 715 and had my now usual cup of tea minus milk. I am getting too wary of the view that this now means everything is okay as I found out at Dinner Time tonight.

I made some bacon, egg, baked beans and chips. I became aware that something was sticking at the back of the throat and made the mistake of taking a big swallow of water. Immediately I was sick. A lengthy sit down was the order of the day. I took this as a signal not that I am going into a decline rather a warning that though things are getting better there is still some way to go.

Other than that today was fairly quiet. There is often a lot to be said for having some time when you can just relax. Wish me luck tomorrow when I have my first go at presenting in a long while on Hospital Radio.

Day 162

In an effort to combat the night time coughing, Ev has come up with the idea of using a v shaped pillow. The idea behind this is in effect to prop me up a little more. The hope is that I won't cough as much. Last night was the first time I tried it and even though at times it wasn't all that comfortable, the plus point is that I do not remember coughing very much. This gives me confidence to try again. It would be wonderful to sustain a period of several days when this won't be an issue. I must remain positive.

Today, I walked about 2 miles without any ill effects. I went to the seafront and walked along part of the Esplanade. It was a very sunny if cool day but the visibility and the sea colours were very good to look at. I then went into Town, bought the first of the Stig Larsson novels and went to Andrea's for tea. I should explain that inadvertently I had read the second of Larsson's novels first. With the third book just published I thought I had better catch up.

Radio wise, I am going to do my first Hospital Radio show in a while this Wednesday. With not being well, I have had to miss various fund raising efforts. One of the ideas is a 48 hour show of continuous broadcasting around Halloween. Before I had my problems I had volunteered to do a nightshift for them but clearly that is out of the question.

More tomorrow.

Day 161

I am writing this blog having just heard Allegri's Misere sung by the choir of King's College Cambridge. In Ev's opinion and mine it is one of those outstanding pieces of music. Thanks to BBC Radio 2 for that.

I should also acknowledge the fact that in Canada it is Thanksgiving Weekend. All the best to readers from that part of the world. We had the fortune on two separate occasions to be in Canada at this time. It's a great family occasion. One of our happiest memories was sitting on a train and as it pulled into various stations watching Parents/Grandparents/Children/Grandchildren greeting each other.

Anyway I digress. Weather wise we seem to go alternate days of sun and miserable cloud. Today was the latter. Maybe this had something to do with the fact that even in a stir fry, I really struggled to swallow pieces of chicken. As I remarked at the time it's enough to turn me into a vegetarian. Seriously though I am advised that the problem with all meat is that it does not break up much when you chew it.

Otherwise it's been a fairly uneventful day. I hope tonight is better than last night where the old and all too familiar coughing problems returned. Fingers crossed.

day 160

I started off by having a relatively good night. I didn't have to get up through the night and we weren't disturbed by that infernal cough.

Because it was a pleasant sunny day I thought I would try walking into Town. I have walked back home from there but as I have mentioned before that trip was downhill. This did involve walking the better part of a mile. I am pleased to report no ill effects.

All this is part of a more general improvement in health(touch wood). The signs are very positive but I do need to keep the proverbial feet on the ground.

Day 159

We duly went to the Classical Music Concert at All Saints Church in Ryde. The Orchestra was a professional one Directed by a Ventnor born Violinist called Richard Studt. It was very nice and the venue being so close to where we live was a bonus.

I mentioned yesterday about this being a good test of cough control. I have to say that with the aid of a couple of Polo Mints I thought I did okay. The beauty of a lot of that type of music is that in between movements it is actually okay to cough so I was able to control it quite well. Two of our friends were also at the Concert and they came back to our house for a drink and a natter. It was altogether a great evening.

Earlier I managed not too badly through the night. I had to get up a couple of times but it wasn't anything too serious. I went to the paper shop and the man behind the counter told me he has lived on the Island for 40 years. To say he spoke unkindly about the Local Authority would be an understatement.

I have mentioned that I intend to return to Angel Radio next month. My guest list is starting to take shape. This I take to be another sign that I am starting to return to at least some of my life before all this illness reared its ugly head.

All this blog entry and no mention of food. That must be a record.

Day 158

Let me start with some great news. We duly went to Portsmouth on a cold but sunny day. Given the slightest encouragement(by Ev), I ordered a Caesar Salad with strips of bacon. A full size bowl duly appeared and I ate the lot. This was fantastic progress. I didn't chance my luck with a pudding. Afterwards we went for a walk along the waterfront in Portsmouth. It's always good to watch the boats coming in and out of Harbour and today was no exception.

The good day more than made up for a dodgy night. This time the wake up call was 315AM. It's difficult to know what to do other than to be patient. One day I am sure the cough will decrease but it remains a thundering nuisance.

I have on these blogs had a go at the ferry company over new boats. Well today I travelled on one of them today and it looked impressive. It was 10 minutes late but you can't have everything.

So after today, tomorrow we go to a classical music concert. I'll try to keep the cough under control.

Day 157

I really ought to know by now not to write so much about how things have improved. There was I thinking that I had more or less got the cough under control than at about 540 this morning I woke once again with acid and bile in the mouth. To put this into perspective it wasn't as bad as some earlier problems. I also know now that if the cough persists I need to sit up not least because at least that way I don't keep Ev awake.

Today also saw at least for the time being I need to keep off bread. I tried a sandwich today at Lunchtime and despite cutting the crusts off I had the greatest difficulty in swallowing more than one mouthful. This comes on top of the fact that I have similar problems with toast. All of this is unfortunate as in my former life I enjoyed both. It's not however the end of the world. I find I can cope with Carr's water biscuits. For those of you not familiar with the product these are dry and contain no extra bits that are likely to stick at the back of the throat.

For tea tonight I had Spag Bol plus Apple Crumble and Custard. Though I had to take my time I was able to eat both. I can also confirm that though some foods do still stick on their way down to the reduced stomach, the period of discomfort lasts a lot less than it did when I came out of hospital.

Tomorrow will pose another test. We are going to Portsmouth to meet up with Ev's cousin. We shall be having Lunch at one of the Restaurants at Gunwharf Quays. This will be a first in seeing what I can eat from a menu. I'll tell you how that went in tomorrow's blog.

Day 156

Weather wise it has been another dreary day. Cold it is not but it's the kind of fine thin drizzle plus one or two heavier downpours. The Scots call it driech.

Good news is another very good night. Not only did I not disturb Ev with coughing but for the first time in ages I didn't have to get up in the night. This is very encouraging but having said that I am aware the last time I posted in this fashion I was awake for a large chunk of the night.

More signs today of a return to normality. Before all this started I used to make many of our meals. Today I did both Lunch and Dinner, which shows progress. One better sign is that if I have water with my food it is now helping to digest as distinct from adding to the problem. I am also developing a taste for tea without milk but please not lemon(acid refers). This is all very positive news.

Today Emily and Adam's school had a harvest festival service in a local church. It took a bit of organising on the school's part. The whole thing was very nice. Children were scanning the rows of relatives and waving when they could. Once again you are reminded how much kids want parents etc. to be present at these type of events.

I hope for another decent day tomorrow.

Day 155

Two things about today come to mind.

First I had a much better night brought on by two things. I didn't eat anything less than 2 hours before I went to bed and I started having Gavascon more than once a day. Following on from that I didn't cough nearly as much.

Second we had our first really rainy day for nigh on a month. You know autumn draws on when you get up supposedly in the daylight but have to put the lights on to see what you are doing.

On the food front, I managed a bowl of soup okay and this evening I had some pasta. Gradually I am starting to learn when to call it a day as far as how much I can eat at one time. This makes digesting food a lot easier. So much so that within half an hour of finishing pasta I could eat two small bars of chocolate.

These may seem small things but in the bigger picture they mean a lot.

Day 154

The trouble is I should listen to Ev more. I told her yesterday and indeed mentioned it on my blog that I felt I had turned a corner both with eating and coughing. Ev had gently suggested the take each day as it comes philosophy.

Thus last night was quite dreadful. I woke up with my mouth full of acid and bile and the back of my throat was burning. The coughing made it worse. Through trial and error I have discovered that the only way to deal with this is to sit up in a chair with a glass of water from which I just sip. At least these days with all night TV You can be provided with some distractions. I've also enjoyed reading Ian Rankin's latest novel The Complaints. Anyway after about an hour I went back to bed(this must have been around 625) and slept until nearly 9.00. Oh for an uninterrupted night's sleep.

As a result it was very much a take it easy day. Ev found a DVD of her Barbershop Chorus performing at Convention at the Sage in Gateshead. I have to say they looked and sounded great.

On the food front I am going to have to give up at least for the time being toast. No matter its thickness or how thin the bread is it sticks at the back of the throat. Carr's Water Biscuits are an alternative. At one level this is all disappointing because I like my toast. On the other hand there are all sorts of stories about people in my condition not being able to eat certain things. This is my particular problem. I have though been able to eat a sandwich. Today I ate a good portion of salad at Lunchtime and managed a small baked potato for Dinner.

To end where I started this entry people I have spoken to reckon it takes 2 years to get back to normal eating. I have been out of Hospital for less than 2 months.

PS If I see that advert for the Go compare website where that bloke dresses up as an Italian Tenor I shall cry.

day 153

Well the good news is that last night I coughed a lot less. I still woke up with acid and bile in the mouth but thankfully nothing else. This has to be good news. I also ate more pasta tonight than I have ben managing recently. I am keeping my fingers crossed but I feel today I have turned a corner.

I went into Town today to buy some tickets for a concert in Ryde next week. I have heard good reports of the Symphonietta and their Director Richard Studt so I hope we enjoy the event.

Otherwise the saga of the new boats continues. One is still being repaired and the other was operating 15 minutes late. Once more one of the old boats was pressed into service. Pity of you had a train connection in Portsmouth.

Day 152

I am afraid to say that I had yet another bad night. This time it was 3.00 when I woke up complete with acid in the mouth and coughing vigorously. This is something that can be likened to a vicious circle. The acid brings on the cough and the cough brings on the acid. As the Doctor said yetsreday there is no cure for this sort of thing so I guess I have to be patient. I do worry a little bit though for when I am in somebody else's house. Yes they will be very understanding but it would not stop me feeling very guilty.

It's been a different story during the daytime where I have coughed a lot less. Yet another first today with me making both Lunch and Dinner for the both of us. This is something I used to do very frequently prior to going into Hospital. The good thing apart from making myself useful is that I had to work out for myself how much to put on my plate. The other thing I have had to stop is nibbling whilst cooking. This practice would fill me up before I could have any proper meal. I like to think I passed the tests with flying colours.

I would therefore describe the day as a good one. I continue to make good progress in so many ways. I could even have a good laugh at the new ferries mentioned earlier in my blog. Apparently on day 2 one of the new boats broke down. The Company said it was teething troubles. Needless to say the new craft have had sea trials for a month before going into service. Fortunately the old boats are still around so one of them was wheeled out fort the Occasion.

It's October now and we can start to feel an autumn chill in the air. We are promised some rain tomorrow which will be our first in about 3 weeks.

Day 151

After another bad night coughing and tasting acid in the mouth, I decided to make an appointment with Dr. Hudson. I wasn't expecting any magic cure and sure enough there was nothing he could suggest that would help other than what I am taking. I wasn't disappointed just more resigned really. He did say that I could do with losing another stone (14 pounds) in weight. The good Doctor pointed out I still had something of a paunch which didn't help. Hey ho I had better cut down on the sweets.
There is no telling when or if the cough will go away.

Whether it is a coincidence or not I have been coughing less since Lunch Time. We went to a Garden Centre on a lovely day this afternoon. Whilst Ev went to the shop I sat in the sun. I observed an appallingly badly behaved little boy rewarded for his truculence by having a cricket bat and ball bought for him. Bah Humbug.

Positively I managed two portions of Cauliflower Cheese without any digestive problems. This again shows how much things have improved over these last weeks. It is very important to remain positive even when you know you can't eat so much of what in a past life I would have consumed in large quantities.

According to weather forecast, Autumn will come in with a bang the day after tomorrow so let's hope for some more sunshine before then.

Day 150

My wish for a less eventful 69th year has certainly got off to a good start.

Today has been very quiet. I did have a reminder that I have some way to go. I tried a bit of cold chicken at Lunchtime and I had the greatest difficulty in swallowing. In contrast Ev did a mild chicken curry this evening and that went down no problem. The frustration is that the food I eat ids frequently very tasty but I can only have small amounts.

I weighed myself this morning. At 14 stone 6 I am down 1 pound since last Wednesday.

And that's about it for today. We shall see what tomorrow brings.

Day 149

Today was my birthday(or should that be is my birthday?). Once again in this so called Indian Summer the Island conjured up a sunny day.

The morning was taken at a leisurely pace. There were cards, phone calls and messages on Facebook. Sadly the Royal Mail was in dispute and though we did get some post with both Portsmouth and Newport Offices strike bound I suspect other mail did not get through.

With the weather forecast predicting that it is going to get a whole lot cooler, we decided to go for a walk along the sea front. I am sure we all have heard people who live say near beautiful countryside or near an historical monument that they never go unless they have visitors. Well we have a big expanse of beach less than a mile away but today was the first in a while since we have been there. Anyway it was nice and warm. The only blot was despite a sign saying no dogs several owners were taking their charges on to the Beach. It would be nice to think Poop Scoops were in evidence but we were not taking any bets.

I spoke to Grandchildren including the youngest Harry who bless him wished me a happy birthday and told me he was having milk, ham and cheese for his tea.

We spent the evening at Andrea's. Martin's parents came along. I had my first bash at fish and chips since coming out of Hospital. This consisted of a third of a standard size fish plus some chips. They went down okay but though I blew out the candles on my cake, I didn't eat any until much later. Emily sang and played the Piano for us.

Altogether it has been a wonderful day. Let's face it when we got the news in April we did even if only slightly wonder if I would be around to celebrate my 68th. As Andrea and Ev put it let's hope the coming 69th year will be a lot less eventful

Day 148

I feel sufficiently better to make the decision to start again with Angel Radio. The two shows a week I was doing enabled me to do some interviewing. What with that I also within certain boundaries had the freedom to pick the music to play. Unlike the BBC I have had no researchers or producers to help, not that I am complaining. Anyway I have had a very nice exchange of e mails with Bev and Chris who run the station. As a result I am due to do my first show on 3 November. I have spent a large part of the day in booking guests. As always in this lark you get a definite yes from some and a definite maybe from others. Twas always ever thus but I have I hope time to sort things out.

Frustrations with new technology continue. I am a member at Portsmouth Football Club. I wanted to get an extra ticket for Martin for a match. Much to my surprise on line I could only do this by enrolling him as a member, for which a fee is charged. I telephoned the club and was told that for most matches the club needed to know the name and address of all ticket holders. Anyway I did eventually give them sufficient information to book tickets. It was a right carry on.

In the meantime I had a good day on the food front. Ev did a great chicken caesar salad and I ate two helpings without any mishap. I am still having problems with night time coughing. I shall try to make an appointment with the Doctor in the morning.

Days 146 and 147

I am taking one blog to talk about two days or more accurately one night. The damned cough continues caused say the medical people by the acid and bile. For this I have been given some tablets. It's also been suggested I take Gavescon. In addition I am taking some medicine for a dry cough.

Sadly I have to report that if I lie at the wrong angle the acid bubbles up into the mouth. This in turn causes me to cough, which in turn produces more acid and bile. This is something of a vicious circle. I ended up sitting in a chair and sipping water to calm things down. You will not be surprised that as a result I had a sleep this afternoon.

It is important though to stress that in any recovery from cancer you have good days and not so good ones. On a positive front I am eating more at one go. Meat however remains something of a problem in that it does not reduce in size before swallowing but I seem to do better with fish and with vegetables. For example tonight Ev put together some fresh salmon with salad and I was able to eat the lot.

It's time I caught up with the Sunday Paper. More tomorrow.

Day 145

This was yet another first since coming out of Hospital.

Martin's parents(David and Penny) had invited us to a pre Harvest Supper plus some musical entertainment. Now this was going to be the first meal I had had out of either the home or family envirironment. I was presented with a Quiche Salad complete with coleslaw and two slices of bread. I managed to eat the Quiche and most of the salad plus one slice of bread. To follow there was Fruit Salad and Ice Cream. I ate some fruit and all the Ice Cream. I was concerned less I got that horrible full feeling which makes me cough a lot. Fortunately I passed th test with flying colours.

The music was provided by a 5 piece Folk Band based on the Island. They are called Slainte Va. They provided some good singing and playing. I have to say most of their material was from Ireland but they did a good job in blending the well known with some less heard offerings. Not only that but the vocalist came originally from Whitley Bay. We were both pleased to have gone to this event.

We nearly didn't make it. The morning was fine and after Lunch I sat down for a nap. I must have been lying at the wrong angle because I woke up with a load of acid and bile in my mouth. I wasn't sick but I had a bout of coughing which went on for several hours. A combination of cough medicine and water succeeded in calming things down.

The weather continues to be glorious and more is expected tomorrow.