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.

Day 144

As I have often remarked here in many ways I have been quite lucky. The cancer seems(fingers crossed) to have been caught early and I seem to be recovering well. I realise that there are many who are not as fortunate. They need organisations like Macmillan cancer Care. Coincidentally on my way to the paper shop I passed a house which said come and join us for a coffee morning in aid of self same charity.

You will not be surprised to learn that I decided to call in. It was a fairly low key event but everyone I met was pleasant. I didn't win anything on the raffle(it's a great game when you are winning and a swindle when you lose) but it was a lovely day and it was a very nice way to spend an hour.

Once again I have been able to experiment a little further. Tonight, for example, I had an English Sausage for my tea and that was the first since before I went into Hospital. What is encouraging is that even though I can feel quite full, the food seems to digest into the system much quicker than before. However I did not make the same mistake as yesterday and waited over an hour before having any pudding.

The local paper comes out tomorrow. I wonder if they have printed my letter.

Day 143

Not much to report today. I am weighing in at 14 stone 7 so that seems to have settled down. I do however need to avoid complacency when it comes to eating.

Ev made a very nice chicken stir fry this evening. She put a small amount on my plate. I managed to eat it all up by the method of taking a lot of time to eat it and cutting some already tender chicken into very small amounts. Anyway that was good and I didn't feel full. I decided to have a very small yogurt to follow and wham that awful stick at the top of the throat feeling returned. The moral of this story is to ensure between main course and pudding allow a gap of an hour. I am sure it will get better but perhaps not for a while.

The other day I mentioned that it seemed quicker to book theatre tickets by phone rather than on line and so it proved. Although we did discover that we were logging in with the wrong user name. The plus side is that we have got good seats for the day we wanted. I suppose this is a good sign in that we are looking for the both of us to be out and about.

May the improvements continue.

Day 142

I walked an extra mile today. I should explain that the part of the Island we live in is a succession of hills. We live in a valley or dip and it is quite a steep climb to the High Street. I decided to get the Bus up the hill and to walk back down again. All went well except for the fact that despite the timetable boasting of 6 buses an hour I still had to wait over 20 minutes before one turned up.

Whilst in town, I had a badly needed hair cut before walking back home. I made it okay but paid the price in that I had to take an afternoon nap. It's a hard life I tell you.

I am also making progress in that I managed some mince today with potato, carrots and broccoli for Dinner this evening. Slowly but surely I am increasing my veg and fruit intake.

In so many ways I really do feel a whole lot better. I shall be looking for further challenges in the weeks ahead.

day 141

It's a sign that I am improving when I can get exasperated by life's little trials. Now those of you who know me will be aware that when it comes to the Information Technology Super Highway I am a long way from the front of the queue. I have nothing against the use of the web at all. Where I perhaps draw the line is when using the computer actually takes longer than ringing somebody up.

Today's frustration was when we tried to book tickets for the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Twelfth Night in London. After going round in circles on the website, we eventually rang to be told tickets weren't going on sale for another two days despite the advertising from the Company telling us they would be available from today.

Otherwise I forgot to turn my phone off when returning a book to the library. This was unfortunate as whilst I was in there a friend from my Radio Cleveland days rang.

Healthwise it's been a decent day though. My next step will be to increase the amount of walking I do. This is a good thing especially to take advantage of some late summer sun.

Day 140

Well I've sent my letter. However whether it will be printed is another matter.

My weight is 14 stone 8 pounds(204 pounds). That is up by a pound on last week. Whilst this does mean that I am not losing anything I need to be careful I don't start piling the weight on.

Another first this evening in the form of a corned beef sandwich. I should explain that one of the warnings you get for the after effects of the operation is the difficulty in eating bread. I am pleased to report there were no problems.

Otherwise we spent a few hours at Andrea and Martin's today which was very pleasant. We also learned that Ev has agreed to be involved with the Church Christmas Play. This has added yet another string to her bow. She certainly keeps herself busy. For my part, I am not making any decisions about returning to Radio until next month. Though I am improving, I need to be sure that I don't get tired too easily.

So another satisfactory day and let us hope this trend continues.

Day 139

Today was altogether a relaxing one. The weather has been unseasonably warm.

My posts lately have been of a positive nature. The continuing fly in the ointment is my dry cough. The NHS did warn me about this. The Oncologist suggested I doubled the dose of tablets to take. I have also invested in some cough medicine but so far this has had limited success. What does surprise me a little is that the condition with acid reflux seems to be getting better. Given that self same acid is supposed to be a cause of the cough I am inclined to feel a little cheated. Nevertheless I intend to continue. Certainly this needs keeping in check if we want to go and see a show.

Tomorrow is another weigh day so we shall see how that is going. I might also write a letter to the local paper. One of the ferry companies operates a fast catamaran service to Portsmouth. The Company is replacing three ageing boats with two new ones. The paper has only just woken up to the fact that these new craft are smaller than the old ones and therefore will frequently be full with folk turned away. Despite enjoying a monopoly on these ferry routes there is no control by anyone on fares, levels of service and quality of accommodation. The new service starts at the beginning of October and will no doubt lead to protests. Gosh I sound like Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells.

Days 136, 137 and 138

Apologies for being off the air these last three days. Alas I struggle with the laptop and our monitor for the PC broke. Now a few quid lighter all is fixed and I am back on air.

Thank you for your messages of support. It's comforting to know that you understand even if you don't agree with what I have decided to do. Today(Friday) I went to have my anti Pneumonia Jab. The health centre nurse told me that if I was due to have chemo she would not have given me the injection.

Otherwise things are looking up. First of all I am back driving. The Island's roads are maddeningly slow but after 6 weeks or so away from the steering wheel they are a good reintroduction to the world of driving. Second I am definitely eating more and better. Yesterday Lunchtime I managed a ham and cheese croissant which I couldn't see me eating even a week ago. Thirdly when food does initially stick at the top of the throat it does not last nearly as long before digesting.

Just about everybody remarks on how well I look. I am also holding my weight so there is no problem about nourishment.

Let's hope this continues.

Day 135

This is it. The decision has been made. I have opted not to have a further three sessions of chemo. As you will have gathered it was not an easy decision. Having had three sessions of chemo before the operation I needed some evidence that having more post op was going to radically increase my survival chances. The more I tought about it the more I came to realise that there was scant evidence one way or the other. In short I could have a recurrence without having more chemo. Equally it seems to me that could occur even if I decided to go ahead. You will all know that I found the treatment difficult. As I have said before if there were more cells present then I would have signed up no matter what. I feel however that in the absence of anything specific I am not willing to have more poison pumped or pilled into me for the next three months for no visible result. I accept that the treatment was offered out of the best intentions but I have exercised my right to say no and live with the consequences.

So now comes the hard part which is to get better as quickly as possible. Number one target is to get rid of the dry cough. Number two is to control the acid reflux. Number there will be to start drivgfing again not I hasten to add because I have any problems with Ev driving me around. Speaking of Ev I would like to thank her for coping with me whilst this decision was being made.

Went to Southampton General today for a post op check up which lasted about 10 minutes. Fully clothed I weigh 95.3 kilos. Doctor very happy with progress. Sadly appointments were running about 50 minutes late. Some things never change.

I shall continue to post here for all to see but please feel free to call or e mail.

DAY 134

We saw Dr Cave the Oncologist this morning. The good news is that she thought that I was recovering remarkably well. She was impressed with the range of foods I was eating and she noted that my weight had stabalised. In short I was in far better health than most patients she sees who have had the same operation. The one down side was that the dry cough far from going away seems to be getting worse. I had a bad night last night. Dr Cave was of the view that the cough was caused by the acid reflux. She recommended increased dosage of the drug I have been taking to combat this plus some Gaviscon. This brings me to the vexed subject of chemotherapy. We were given a number of statistics which showed that someone who had an operation only had a 50% less chance of surviving 5 years than someone who had chemo + operation + more chemo. Unfortunately the one figure she could not provide was the difference between those all of whom had chemo before the operation but only some who had chemo after it. Sadly this meant that I couldn't make a choice based statistics. Equally I can't allow this thing to drag on as it is very wearying for both of us. What I intend to do is to see the the surgical team tomorrow morning and make a decision after that. I hope to be able to communicate this tomorrow, but the computer is playing up so I may have to find alternative means of blogging.

Day 133

This will have to be a short note because the monitor for our PC is flickering like a bad TV picture.

It was another good test today. We were invited to Andrea's for Lunch which consisted of a variety of goodies put on the table. This included fresh bread rolls, cheese, ham, sausage rolls etc. The last time this happened my eyes were bigger than well my shrunk stomach. This time though I was much more sensible and limited myself to what I could manage. The result was that I did not get overfull. However for no real reason I did feel tired and came home going to bed for a couple of hours.

I ate a good tea and we watched a rather moribund Miss Marple story and at the moment we are viewing the Federer/Djorkavich semi final in the US Tennis Open. This is quite helpful in taking my mind off tomorrow's big meeting with the Oncologist. I shall report on this on tomorrow's blog.

Day 132

It's been another good day food wise.

For a start I made porridge for both of us to have for Breakfast. I had my full quota of snacks. I also managed a full tub of yogurt. Prior to this, since coming out of hospital I have only been able to eat half of one. For tea Ev grilled(as distinct from steamed) some salmon and roasted some vegetables and potatoes. That was very tasty. I shall weigh myself in the morning and see if this has made any difference.

This evening I tried a cup of ginger tea in the hope that I don't wake up coughing up acid and bile. Reports on that will be made tomorrow. Apart from anything else this is disturbing Ev.

Otherwise it was a decent day for sitting in the garden.

Day 131

Today has been very quiet. Weather wise it's been okay a mixture of sun and cloud but mercifully dry.

We spent the day in the house. Ev busied herself in the garden. At Lunchtime, I managed some bacon and poached egg. This was a good milestone since this is something I enjoyed pre operation. I also was able to keep up my snacks.

The problem of making sure I have enough fluids remains. You would think given how little I do drink that I would be thirsty but not so. I do occasionally have a dry mouth. There are one or two difficulties. First of all when I start to feel full water does not stop this feeling. It queues up to go down the same reduced stomach. In other words it often makes me feel uncomfortable. Secondly I am advised to avoid drinking too much just before a meal on the grounds that it fills me up and I then can't eat.

Today I have been able to have three glasses of tonic water and I am sipping a glass of water at the moment. I am no medical expert but I think my pee should be lighter than it actually is at the moment. To put this into perspective I am still weeing so things can't be bad but I must keep an eye on this feature.

Let's see what tomorrow brings. Finally for any American Readers (and I guess the rest of us) we should not forget that today is the 8th anniversary of 9/11.

Day 130

Today has been a good one in several ways. To start at the beginning, I actually made the breakfast. I should explain that prior to my going into hospital that was normal for us. Since coming out of hospital I have been wary of doing things like that. I made some toast for Ev and had some cereal myself. I made sure I didn't put too much on my plate.

The second pleasant happening was that we went to visit Martin's parents. Ev had made some muffins and Martin's Mum had baked a cake. The weather today was quite kind so we sat in the garden and had a good chat. I managed to eat half a slice of cake plus a muffin as well as drinking a cup of tea. This was quite an achievement.

On our way home came the dreaded blood test. I say that because whilst in hospital I had one of those wretched things virtually every day. The problem with that I found was that my veins collapsed. Part of the difficulty is that modern methods of getting the blood don't normally have anything to do with a syringe. However in my case the hospital had resorted to that because they could not find any other way getting a sample. Bearing this in mind you can imagine my apprehension when I went to the clinic this afternoon. In the end I need not have worried because the two who were doing the test found what they required at the second time of asking. The results go to the Oncologist whom I shall be seeing on Monday.

For tea Ev made a very nice bolognaise and small pasta dish. This was very tasty. So much so in fact that I had seconds. Ev reckoned I had about the same amount as her. Thus I am beginning to learn how much to eat before I must stop.

I have remarked on this blog that in many ways I am fortunate. Word reaches me that a former work colleague has had problems with chemotherapy. I also late last night spoke to my 92 year old Aunt in Toronto. She says she has been told she has months only to live. Babs(for that is what we call her) is a fine person who has not had an easy life but has always stood up for her beliefs.

In the meantime I count my blessings and hope the improvement continues.

Day 129

Today has been a little different. For a start I managed a night's sleep without having to get up for a wee. Then even though the weather was nowhere near as good as yesterday we decided on a trip to the Botanic Gardens in Ventnor.

Now if dear reader you have not heard of said place, I can only suggest that if you ever visit the Isle of Wight you put this on your must see list. For a start it is set in a beautiful location between the chalk downs and the sea. It also has its own micro climate which allows plants from all over the world to grow outside rather than in a hot house.

It's been a year or more certainly since I have been. For some strange reason the organisers have allowed sculptures of some flowers to be placed in flower beds. We thought they looked out of place. Speaking of things out of place in the Cafe Ev had a cheese scone that had seen better days.

Our visit involved us walking a lot further than I had managed since coming out of hospital. I enjoyed the walk enormously and we spent about an hour and a half in the place. I felt great getting into the car. It was only when we got back to Ryde and I got out of the car to pick up my paper that I realised how tired I was. So much so that Ev suggested I stay put in the house rather than go to Andrea's.

Food wise it's not been a bad day. We had a picnic Lunch. I managed most of a milk shake plus I had Beans on Toast for Tea plus an hour later Banana and Ice Cream. Hopefully this will help keep some weight on. I weighed myself this morning and alas I have lost another three pounds. It's not time to press the panic button but this is something I do need to keep a watch over.

Day 128

Resolution. I must check the text and not rely on spell check. Teat time oh my goodness. I know I have to eat and drink small portions but that is going too far.

Had a bit of a problem both overnight and during the day. I had what I can only describe as a colic pain in the stomach. This is a stabbing pain which occurs every 5 minutes or so. I didn't think it was connected to the operation. However I did ring the surgery. The GP rang me within 5 minutes. He asked me a number of questions about symptoms before coming to the same conclusion as me. He recommended paracetamol. I took two tablets and then had a sleep. The only downside of that was that I missed a gloriously sunny afternoon.

Eating today was better in that I did not get uncomfortably full. I am still trying to solve the liquid intake dilemma. However I am sure this will come. In the meantime I hope to continue to improve.

day 127

I guess today was a bit of a reminder that though things have got better there is still a long way to go. Both at Lunch and Tea Time I got that horrible feeling at the back of the throat which told me I was full. Clever clogs me thought I had this cracked. I wouldn't care but Ev did warn me at Teat Time that I probably would struggle to finish my meal and not to try and eat too much. Sadly I didn't taske this advice.

Otherwise it was a fairly quite day. We went up to Andrea's house to pick Emily and Adam up from school and that went okay. It shows how out of touch I am that I was unaware last Thursday that local Bus Drivers were on strike in a row over Pensions. In an escalation of the dispute the Drivers will be on strike this weekend. The reason is that on those dates the Island plays host to the Bestival, a music festival with a light touch. With no buses running it will be interesting to see how visitors will get to the site from the ferries.

All in all I hope for a better day tomorrow.

Day 126

I am pleased to be able to report more progress.

Andrea was playing with the Trident Concert Band in an open air concert at Rylstone Gardens in Shanklin. This was the first outdoor trip out I have managed since the operation. Despite living on the Island for three years this was the first time I had been to this place. All of which is a pity since the Gardens are very nice. It was a very enjoyable hour. After the concert I was able to do a walk towards the car park involving going down some steps and then climbing up quite a steep hill. Though a little out of puff I made it.

For Lunch Ev made a wonderful chicken Caesar Salad. I had three helpings without any dissasterous effect on my ability to digest food. For afters I had some custard half of which I ate when I got back from Shanklin. For my tea I ate a 2 egg omlette. I also had some Ice cream. To top it all I succeeded in drinking a whole cup of tea.

These developments may seem like they are no big deal. However for me this was a big step forward especially as my weight has stayed the same for the last few days.

And to end the day I confess to listening to a Proms performance of Handel's Messiah. The chorus was made up of some 300 members of Youth Choirs from all over the UK. It was a good listen.

Day 125

In all the excitement about visits from the Nurse I forgot to mention Grandson Jack's excellent GCSE results. I know Jack reads this blog so congratulations.

I have yet more progress to report. Today was the first time since the operation I have walked to the paper shop unescorted. And yes my newspaper was there(hurrah).

We are also noticing that I already seem to be eating slightly larger portions of food. I need to be careful about becoming complacent. However it all seems to be heading in the right direction. There does remain the problem of drinking fluids. I should explain that since I was diagnosed I have not had any alcohol. This is not out of any kind of noble gesture. It's just that a lot of drinks have a high acid content and I have enough bother with that as it is. No this is drinking things like water, coffee, tea and juices. Trouble is that under the new regime the liquids go down the same narrow stomach entrance as does the food. The experts also warn you against drinking between meals as the drinks fill you up and you are not able to eat for a while. As a result the recommendation is sipping some cold drink during the day. Hopefully this will be enough to keep the waterworks and bowels working. In this connection it's a case of so far so good.

I hope this does not come across as me moaning because I regard myself as fortunate in lots of ways. More tomorrow.

Day 124

Today has been an encouraging one in various ways. This morning we had a visit from the Upper GI Nurse Joya. Fortunately Ev has been keeping a diary of the food I have been eating. Joya was most impressed. From what she was saying we appear to be doing everything right. Sleeping has become much easire since I stopped lying on my left hand side. I am remembering to take my anti acid pill first thing in the morning. Joya sressed that the literature regarding diets can only be a guide as everyone is different. We did touch base on the subject of chemotherapy but we agreed to talk about this again when we see the Oncologist. Suffice it to say I did express my reservations in I hope a calm and reasonable manner.

This afternoon we went to a support group meeting at the Hospital in Newport. Joya has very reason to be pleased with the work she has done here. There were twenty odd people there and the guest spaeker was one of the Nursing Sisters from Southampton General Hospital. It was a useful exercise as several people spoke about different problems they were either having or had had. All this made me feel that I have been lucky in so many ways. Other than in the arae where the operation was performed I feel pain free. The wound as I call it is a nuisance rather than anything else.

Thus as I say today has been a good day and we shall see what tomorrow brings.

day 123

I know I do keep going on about food but this remains the big challenge. I thought I would give you dear reader a sample of how a day's diet actually works.

Breakfast, which today was a small bowl of cornflakes. Some 2 and a half hours later I had a snack consisting of 2 rich tea biscuits.

two hours after that I had for Lunch a small slice of Pizza. About an hour afterwards I had sticky toffee pudding with some custard. For evening meal I had a half of a steamed salmon fillet with bechemel sauce, Broccoli and a boiled potato. Some half an hour later I had some Ice Cream with some grated bits of chocolate.

This is what is meant by eating a little but eating often. Part of the difficulty is that when they do the operation I had they cut the nerve that tells you when you have had enough. Fingers crossed but I am beginning to work this out and have avoided that uncomfortable feeling from last week. All this continues to put a strain on Ev who has worked hard to produce a very varied diet for me. We both think that the powers that be will be happy with progress.

It does however make you wonder how someone living on his or her own can manage. My big problem is that I feel neither hungry nor thirsty. If I do think about food it tends to be dishes I have liked but for the immediate future I can't have. Would I if I were on my own be bothered to eat and drink at regular intervals? Perhaps the Hospital would contact the GP or District Nurse to keep tabs but perhaps not.

Today Martin's parents dropped in for a social visit, which was nice and we hope next week to go and visit them. A day early I succeeded in walking to and from the paper shop.......... with an escort(Ev). Guess what though there was no sign of my newspaper even though it is on order. Better luck tomorrow I guess. Oh yes I did have a decent night's sleep again. Otherwise the only news is that I am due to go to the Hospital as an out patient at 1030 on September 15. Fingers crossed things are looking up.

day 122

This has been a better day. It started last night which was the best sleep I have had since the operation. Well I am sure you all know that trying for a decent night's sleep in hospital is virtually impossible.

Food wise, Ev has come up with the brilliant idea of smaller portions. I don't want anyone to think that I have had lots to eat on my plate but clearly not having the discomfort of food lodging at the back of the throat would be a bonus. As a result I have found meals less of a trial. I am also aware that I need to be responsible for ensuring I don't eat too much at one go. Remember though I have only been out of hospital for 8 days and I am very much changing the habits of a life time.

We duly went up to Andrea's house for the day. A big plus point was that I could manage some quite steep stairs well. I did feel a little tired and had an hour's snooze but otherwise I was fine. The weather today was foul, rain and a cold wind but I was still able to go for a short walk.

I keep remembering things from hospital. When you are wired up to a machine they thread the wires through your hospital gown. This is why you need help when washing yourself and when you have a change of gown. I learned the hard way once when I tried to go the loo under my own steam. Anyway whilst I was being intravenously fed, an attractive student nurse was detailed to help me change gowns. When it came however to removing the drip wire from my gown however she found that rather difficult. If there had been a camera watching the two of us trying to prise the wire away from the gown it would have been a prime candidate for You've been framed.

Anyway I am away from all of that now and I can feel a huge improvement in my health. I weighed myself again this morning and have lost 1 pound since Saturday. In other words the rate of weight loss is slowing down.

Onward and upward.

Day 121

Last night wasn't a particularly pleasant experience. I woke up when it was pitch black needing the loo only to discover I had the runs. Fortunately I did go back to sleep but waking up I guess around 530 with the dry cough in full swing and a mouthful of acid.

The nearest description I can give you is that its like swallowing a mouthful of sea water. The worst of it is that it hangs around the mouth. I couldn't get back to sleep so decided to get up and sit in a chair. Gradually the feeling started to wear off.

Today wasn't that bad. I successfully managed toast for Breakfast, a chocolate eclair as a snack, tomato soup for Lunch, some nuts as an afternoon snack and fish fingers and a waffle for tea. This last was the first time today where the food lodged in the back of the mouth. To some extent we are still experimenting I guess.

I also walked that little bit further and hope to be able to get to the paper shop by Friday. The legs are strong and willing but where the operation took place still hurts if I put it under any pressure. Elsewhere a good friend of Ev's came round for a cup of tea and a chat.

Tomorrow will be another test. In the afternoon we are going up to Andrea's house. That has quite steep stairs. However once in the basement there is no need for me to use them again as it contains kitchen, dining room, lounge area and bathroom. I shall report how that went on tomorrow's blog.