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.