Events have shaken me somewhat. I am okay but two prominent people Bryan Gould and Christopher Hitchens have recently both dies from Esophageal Cancer. On top of that yesterday(December16) Karen, one of the members of the Upper GI Patients' support group, passed away. It makes you realise that recovery from this sort of illness is not guaranteed. On the other hand another member of the group Mike who had the operation in 2008 missed the last meeting because he was attending a business conference in Bruges.

The other day I had another acid attack. The infrequency of these attacks makes it more of a chore when it does happen. I can only put this down to eating a mince pie late. Otherwise though all is going well. The winter has finally arrived so it's wrap up warm to stop any chest infections. I am due to see the ONT Specialist at the end of January.

I try hard not to bring politics into this blog but I have to say rumoured Government proposals for work place assessments for those on chemotherapy are plain daft. Having been through this, the effects of chemo vary from person to person. What still sticks with me was that no two days were ever the same. Yes had I been of work age there were days when I could have gone in but more often it would be a non starter. Now I am as anxious as anyone that welfare money isn't wasted on those who are deliberately absenting themselves from the workplace but I wouldn't put those undergoing chemo in that category.

I shall try and post again before Christmas but in the meantime I hope your preparations are going well.

Well I saw someone from ENT at the Hospital last Wednesday. Nothing seems to have changed since the last time I saw them way back in July. I am to see the Head Honcho on 12 January.

I had wondered if the appointment would have gone ahead. For readers outside the UK, 30 November was a day when large sections of the public sector workers were on strike. Though some Hospitals around the country had to cancel out patients appointments St. Mary's here on the Island wasn't one of them. The only difference was that those staff who were in couldn't access the re booking computer system so they made a manual note to send an appointment the next day which as above duly happened. Speaking of the strike, the organisers of the winter of discontent in the 70s would be turning in their graves. There were pickets outside the Hospital but rather than make drinks by heating water from a brazier they came into the League of Friends Coffee Shop in the Hospital for a Coffee.

Otherwise I had a great trip back to the North East to see some ex colleagues who worked on the Regional Training Team. That period was my happiest time in the Inland Revenue. From those who still work there all is clearly far from well.

One of the Ferry Companies is threatened with strike action in the run up to Christmas. It's over the sacking of an Employee. What he is supposed to have done nobody knows except the protagonists.

Anyway my health continues to be good. I am keeping my weight up, take regular exercise and am eating well. On Tuesday Ev and I are going to the Patients Support Group's Christmas Lunch which should be fun and on Thursday on Angel Radio I am looking forward to interviewing Paul Armfield a local singer songwriter who also is the Island Branch Manager of Waterstone's Book shop.

Life goes on. Most days everything is okay so when as happened the other day acid reflux returns it is a bit of a shock.

Now readers of this epistle will by now I hope realise I don't do sorry for myself. Thus I must confess I contributed in no small measure to my own downfall. Occasionally I like to treat myself to a chinese meal. Last Thursday I thought I would try a chicken chow mein. That dish after all consists of easy to swallow soft noodles and very nice it was too but.............

I went to bed at 11.00 feeling fine but at about 1.30 I woke with a throat that felt it was being scraped with sand paper, heartburn that was painful and short of breath. I could taste the Chow Mein. Water is of limited value in these circumstances other than to rinse the mouth out. Swallowing merely returns said acid down the tubes. There is only one solution in this situation which is to sit up for about an hour or until the hiatus subsides.

The moral of this story is not to eat this type of Chinese Food in the evening if at all.

Other than that life has been fine. We had a few days at the caravan at Topcliffe. We went to see Janis Ian in concert which was great fun. Ev and I also met up with some wonderful friends on Teesside. It made me realise how lucky we are to know so many good people.

Following North Yorkshire we went to North Wales to celebrate Harry's fourth birthday. He thoroughly enjoyed himself. It was then back to the Island.

As a final medical note I have an appointment with the ENT people on 30 November to check over my vocal chords. I shall keep you posted.

Given the slightest hint(thanks Norman) it really is time to give a health update.

Last Monday I saw the wonderful Oncologist Dr. Judith Cave. She told me that my blood tests were fine, my weight constant and in short all was okay. The real bonus was that I have been put on a 6 month review instead of 3. As I put on Facebook this week, I regarded this fact as a good result. At the risk of repeating myself I know I am fortunate in that the operation and chemo don't always work out. It's also worth remembering that the 5 year period since the operation does not expire until August 2014.

It would be wrong however to think that all has been 100% these last weeks. Recently I had the embarrassment of dirtying myself. This happened without warning and started when I was walking home form the Surgery. I found this disturbing because the dreaded word incontinent came to the fore. I dread the thought of this happening when I am out visiting. Dr. CDave thought this was one of the after effects of the operation and may result in an alteration of lifestyle if it persists. Hmm we shall see.

To happier times. I mentioned that I was due to have my second Birthday Bash on 9 October. Nineteen of us gathered together and we had a really lovely day. Yes as a family we do get on. There's no don't sit so and so with such and such. My niece Clare produced some marvellous cup cakes, which were more like works of art to be honest.

Yesterday I recorded an interview with Ventnor resident, Musician Richard Studt. My good friend Terry Pearson recorded the interview for me. It will go out in my show on Angel Radio on 10 November. Richard was very accommodatingly and I thank both him and his wife for their kind hospitality.

Today it's Grand Daughter Emily's tenth birthday so I am off to help celebrate.

Wow it has been a long time since I posted. Perhaps I should use the cliche time flies when you are enjoying yourself.

Fundamentally my health remains excellent. I look okay(well physically if you see what I mean) and feel great. Thankfully there have been no more "hot flushes" and dizzy spells when we have been out walking. Oh sure there have been one or two acid attacks. They have with one exception tended to be mild compared with some over a year ago. I find now I am having the same size portions of meals as Ev and also I am able to eat a bigger range of food. I still need to keep my liquid intake up.

The power of the Internet knows no bounds. When we were staying at Topcliffe in August one of the other users there said he has been following this blog. Fame at last. He found it through the Angel Radio website www.angelradioisleofwight.moonfruit.com. The other person was a woman I met at a patients' support group. She had had the same operation as me earlier this year. It turns out Gill Jones the clinical nurse specialist had recommended this blog. Thanks Gill.

Speaking of the Patients' support group Ev gave a talk at this meeting of what it is like being a carer. She put a lot of thought into this and had made some notes. Essentially however she spoke from the heart. She did brilliantly. I don't know about you dear reader but I always know when a speaker is holding an audience's attention in that there is no shuffling or coughing or any noise really. When Ev had finished and questions were asked one of the men present remarked no, Ev had said it all. I felt really proud of her. As I have remarked before I shudder to think what I would have done without her.

What else has been going on? I have had a good run of guests on my Thursday Radio Show and that is set to continue for the rest of the year. This Thursday we are talking tax with an expert(definitely not me). Then we have in the following weeks a representative of the Island Food Bank, Jazz Historian Ian Campbell and representatives of local pharmacists and Age Concern plus an interview with the new Director of the Island Hospice.

Finally we have just got back from 2 weeks in the Algarve with Christopher, Gillian, Harry and Gillian's parents where amongst other things we celebrated my 70th birthday. This coming Sunday(the 9th) the rest of the family is coming to the Island for another celebration.

I am a lucky guy.

I finally made it to the Doctor. I missed the previous appointment due to rank carelessness on my part. I had to wait a week for a new one. I figured the results of the tests would be not serious or they would have hauled me in earlier.

Anyway the good news is that the 24 hour blood pressure monitor showed up no abnormalities. I was within the 140/90 range throughout. The ECG is fine and though my cholesterol is slightly high it's apparently nothing to be alarmed about. The Diabetes test showed no symptoms.

Whilst all this is fine it still does not explain the flushes and sweating. The Doctor did point out that these kind of incidents do happen. He did think(and I agree) that I don't drink enough fluids so I must make a better effort to drink at least 2 litres of liquids a day.

My voice still comes and goes a bit. This Wednesday I am going to have an x ray whilst swallowing in the presence of someone from the Speech Therapy Department. Well it's different I suppose. In my next blog I'll report on that result.

But hey it's two years since the operation and I feel great.

Truth to tell I've been waiting for something concrete to report before completing my latest entry. So to matters medical.

Last Monday I went to see the good Doctor Cave, Oncologist. She told me that my latest blood tests are fine, my weight is steady and my chest and lungs are fine. I have to say that I consider myself fortunate in my reccovery. My brother Perry pointed me to an article about somebody called Bryan Gould who has had two operations for this type of cancer and for a time had to be fed through a tube. At the self help group some of my fellow ex patients suffer from what is known as dumping. This is where food is digested too quickly due to the re arranged digestive system. This causes all sorts of stomach pains. For me I have missed all of this and I am eating larger portions of food. Curiously the one item that I have really struggled with is the good old English Sausage. However that is still a very small price to pay.

Health wise, it has not all been plain sailing. For some time I have been getting hot flushes and thought little of them. These have been accompanied by a tightness in the stomach and shortness of breath. I had one such problem whilst we were in Florida. A couple of weeks back we were out walking with two visitors in the Botanic Gardens in Ventnor. It was sunny but hardly hot. We had been walking for about an hour when I felt rather odd. I didn't feel I was about to faint but I definitely needed to sit down. Sweat was pouring off me. A welcoming cup of tea and a sleep did a fine job to pull me round.

I mentioned all this to Dr. Cave who bless her arranged for an ECG at the Hospital which showed up fine. I was however recommended to go to my GP. I saw Dr. Groves who asked a number of questions and took my blood pressure which she noticed had dropped momentarily when I stood up. She sent me for a blood test to check for Diabetes. Fortunately that did not show up. I was also given a 24 hour blood pressure monitor which I had to wear. They seem to think it may be Vasa Vagal which affects the Vagas Nerve causing a slowing down of blood circulation. I am going back to see Dr. Groves on Tuesday afternoon to get the results of the various tests and see what she suggests. They say a little learning is a dangerous thing but from a cursory reading of Google it does not seem anything to worry about. I shall report here next week.

Onn the Radio front, alas the FM transmitter for Angel is off the air at the moment due to an electrical problem. Hopefully it will be up and running again soon.

It's been a while since I blogged here. It's been a good news month health wise.

Since increasing the gavescon dose and in particular taking some every night last thing before bed time, the incidence of acid attacks has mercifully all but disappeared.

I have also been referred to a speech therapist. She has given me all kinds of exercises to do the purpose of which is designed to improve my swallowing. She thinks the problems I have been having with my voice originated with the acid reflux. The exercises do seem to be helping to improve matters. The next step is for me to have an x ray whilst eating something and drinking no doubt a revolting liquid. The therapist will be present to observe what actually happens when I swallow. This will happen either on 20 July or in August.

Elsewhere we have just returned from 10 days at our caravan in Topcliffe North Yorkshire. The site has new owners who are making changes that are as far as we can see an improvement.

Just a short note to say I have had tooth removed. The injection numbing the mouth was very effective as I didn't feel a thing. Now the numbing has worn off it's another story.

Back to Angel Radio tomorrow to interview someone from the Salvation Army.

Since I last posted, I had a very productive meeting with first of all a specialist in the ENT Department followed by a visit from someone from the speech therapy department.

I was referred by Dr. Cave in view of the fact that my voice has shown signs of strain. The |Consultant put a camera up my nose(charming). The voice box showed a haematoma. This was a cue to send for the dictionary. Haematoma is a collection of blood in the tissues which causes bruising. Apparently this has caused the voice box when I speak to move both side to side and backwards and forwards. The good news is that this condition is likely to heal itself. We had a useful discussion at which having plenty to drink was emphasised. Whilst I can have tea and coffee with caffeine if I want, this shouldn't count towards my daily intake of fluids.

Last Monday I was visited by a speech therapist who announced that she wanted to observe me eating a sandwich. This is not as daft as it sounds. She noted that towrds the end I was struggling to swallow at one go. She is sending me a list of exercises to do and I am due to see her at a Hospital Clinic on 8 June.

Both practioners emphasised that they didn't want me to give up the Radio work. I would add that I found both people were very good at speaking politely in plain language.

One of the things I have tried to avoid this past two years plus is to feel sorry for myself. Let's face it there are loads of people who have problems who can't do anything about them and I have not been in that category.

I mention this because last week I found myself in danger of a bout of self pity. This would be silly as I have to take responsibility for some of what has happened.

Since getting the stronger drug prescriptions the number of acid attacks has fallen but still I could not guarantee trouble free nights. A week ago the alarm bells rang. I woke up in the early hours with a mouthful of bile, heartburn and a throat that felt it had been given a going over with sandpaper. Normally when I have had such attacks I sorted them out by sitting up for an hour and sipping water. This time it didn't work. I found myself coughing violently(again) and feeling cold shivering uncontrollably. Eventually feeling very wobbly and also short of breath I did get some sleep and thankfully we were able to get an appointment with the GP.

The Doctor checked my chest for infections and found none. He reckoned all that had happened was down to the acid, which he explained had gone down the windpipe causing discomfort and coughing. He checked my notes and put antibiotics on my repeat prescription. The idea is that I should keep a supply in the house so that if and when coughing started I wouldn't have to waste time making a Doctor's appointment. He then tackled the question of Gavescon. I had to confess that I tended to take it intermittently depending on if I had indigestion. He echoed others(including Ev) in saying I needed to take it last thing every night. Thus Gavescon was also put on the repeat list.

Since then I have been taking anti biotics and the cough has improved though it has not yet gone. One of the side effects of those pills is diarrhoea as I found to my cost in a public space. All sorts of thoughts go through your mind at this stage. I am 70 this year, is this the start of incontinence etc. I needed to calm down.

Just to add to the jolly state of things I have had a grumbling tooth for a while and in the course of a routine check up the Dentist told me it has to come out and that will happen on 1 June.

Like I said at the top of this entry, it's very easy to get things out of perspective. As for the runs I am reminded of the old saying "it's often difficult to appreciate when the bottom is dropping out of your world when the world is dropping out of your bottom."

Though I was not able for reasons that I hope are clear to take part in the Island walking festival Ev was. She raised some much needed cash for the Island Hospice. Altogether some 11,000 people took part. Despite a lot of negative publicity the Island has a lot going for it.

I end with I hope a nice image. Last Tuesday whilst taking Ev and a friend to catch the ferry it was a beautiful cloudless sky, the Solent looked a lovely shade of blue and there sailing less than a mile off the Pier was the Queen Mary 2 on her way to New York. It was a great sight.

Here we are back from two weeks at the always excellent Berkshire on the Ocean in Delray Beach, Florida. The time share units are kept immaculately clean. The weather was glorious.

On the health front, I can report only one acid attack and we put that down to a rather greasy pizza from you guessed it Pizza Hut. Apart from that, I ate well and I reckon healthily. We both probably needed the break and it was nice to spend some time with my Cousin David and his wife MaryAnne.

Mind you on our way I did wonder briefly if we would ever get there. As we had booked quite late, we were shocked at the price of tickets to fly direct to Miami. By travelling out to Fort Lauderdale by Air Canada via Montreal on the way out and by United/Continental via Chicago on the way back we saved about £1,000.

I should say the Air Canada flight to Montreal on the way out was great. The check in was smooth, the loading up process hassle free, the food okay and the cabin crew excellent. It was when we were due out of Montreal that the fun started.

We were settled into our seats when we became aware of the noise of someone trying and failing to close a door. The cockpit door was open and we could see a maintenance man talking to the Pilot. We were in a row of three and the bloke sat next to us in the aisle seat started taking pictures. The Captain then came on the intercom to tell us that not only were they having problems with the catch of the cargo hold door but a woman passenger had indicated that she now didn't want to travel so her case would have to be retrieved.

We waited with bated breath for the next announcement. The Pilot told us some minutes later that though they had managed to remove her case the catch still wouldn't work and that we would have to de plane. He said they did have a spare aircraft over in the domestic part of the terminal. At this point I groaned because as we were going straight through to the USA we hadn't gone through Canadian immigration and Customs. However he received a phone call and said he would get back to us. The bloke next to us was still taking pictures.

A number of events followed and I'm not sure if I have them in the correct order. The chief steward became aware of the pictures being taken and told the Guy he was not happy with this. The steward took the bloke's boarding pass off of him together with his three travelling companions. The passes were taken to the Captain. Looking back I could see the crew's point. With security a big issue pictures of the cockpit and crew could be useful to those who wish ill on the human race. Eventually the passes were returned and all the bloke got was a warning.

Hooray for maintenance followed. They had removed the catch from the other plane and glory be it fitted the door on our flight. The Chief Steward then told us over the tannoy that the woman who had got off the plane was a very nervous passenger who after she had got on the plane had changed her mind about travelling. This, we were assured had nothing to do with the carry on over the errant door catch.

Whilst this little drama was being played out we had become aware of one or two passengers going in and out of the plane. The cabin door had been of course open. At this point panic followed well for the cabin crew anyway. They thought we had lost a passenger and a number of head counts followed. Honestly it was like a Shearings Coach Tour as in is everybody back on the bus. It turned out that a woman had moved seats.

As a result we left nearly an hour late but made up quite a bit of time flying South. I am delighted to report that we both laughed at the silliness of it all.

I end this entry on a health note. When I got back there was a letter telling me I have an appointment with the ENT people on 19 May. My voice by the way though still not back to normal is better for my two weeks away.

Just a quck note to say that I am going to be away for the next 2 weeks. Therfore the next blog will be after Easter.

It's good news. The Ct Scan showed all clear. Apparently the sticky thing near the lung that the chest x ray found was in fact scar tissue from the operation.

I did raise with Dr. Cave the fact that I had had two violent coughing outbursts in 6 months. Her opinion was that the operation had meant that my wind and food pipes were much closer together than before and it was possible that food sometimes got into the wrong channel. She emphasised that at the first sign of coughing I should return to the GP for anti biotics.

We went on to talk about the strength of my medication. I repeated what the clinical specialist nurse Donna had said about staying on the stronger dose for at least three months, which were just about up. Dr. cave was emphatic that I should stay on the higher dose for the foreseeable future. Certainly since going on to the stronger ones I have not had an acid attack.

The only not so satisfactory part is that my voice still isn't right. Dr. Cave will be referring me to the ENT section. There is a waiting list which is fair enough given that it is not urgent.

Overall though, I am in good health and that's what really matters.

Just a short update.

Following all the recent events, I contacted the specialist clinical nurse at Southampton who felt I should see the Oncologist sooner rather than May. As a result I am having a CT Scan at the Hospital on 31 March with results to come the following week.

First of all I must apologise for no entry for a couple of weeks. I had my fifth chest x ray last Thursday and was due to see my GP to get results today(Friday). I thought I would wait until I has seen her so that I could give you an up to date report.

The good news is that the second lot of blood tests showed that the infection had cleared. Apparently though in the earlier tests some evidence of anaemia was found. The GP did apologise for not mentioning this before. It might have explained why I had been feeling a little tired during the day. Anyway that's behind me.

The chest x rays(there were two taken one from the front and one from the side) showed that there was still some infection in the left lung caused apparently by some sticking in the diaphragm. She has given me some more anti biotics in the hope that they will clear the infection.

We then went on to discuss whether there was a more fundamental problem. She asked me whether I was more worried that the cancer might be back or whether I was concerned that I might have another attack of violent coughing. I tend towards the latter view. I am not losing weight and I am eating much better than say 3 months ago. As I have said here though I don't believe that amount of coughing will do me any good. There is also the fact that my voice has still not returned to normal. I am being referred to the chest clinic at the Hospital. This may take a few weeks but if they can suggest anything that would help it will be worth the wait. As far as the cancer side of things is concerned, I am still being seen every 3 months by the Oncologist.

Last weekend was a special birthday for Ev. We all went up to Christopher and Gillian's to celebrate the occasion. It would be remiss of me not to thank both Christopher and Andrea in assembling some friends from both the North East and Shropshire for a very pleasant evening. Ev was surrounded by all five Grandchildren.

Later today I am going to a meeting of the Patient's support group, which is always worth supporting.

More hopefully next week.

Days 644 to 651

I've deliberately held off making an entry until after I had seen my GP.

To go back to where we were when I made my last entry. I started to take the anti biotics and went into Angel Radio last Thursday. I had wanted to do this as I was talking to someone who was organising a sponsored kayak trip from Penzance to Cowes in April. As things turned out the event has been postponed until August but as someone once said that's showbiz.

By Saturday at least I was able to sleep in bed as distinct from an armchair. The coughing if not stopped altogether is now under control but the voice is still a bit croaky.

The importance of the latest chest x ray was that unlike the others it was taken whilst I still had the bad cough. It detected an infection in my left lung. The Hospital have recommended having another x ray in a week's time in which they will take two pictures one front on and one from the side. It normally takes a week for the results to come back to the GP so I have booked an appointment for a fortnight today(Friday) to discuss the results.

I asked the GP what she thought was causing this recurring problem. She gave three possible causes. One is that the operation has weakened my resistance to germs. The second is that some of the acid has got into the lungs and third there's cancer cells. On this last point neither she nor I think this likely. In the last month I have put 4 pounds on so that should knock that on the head.

I feel okay both physically and mentally so we push onward and upward. More next week.

Days 637 to 643

This was supposed after my last blog entry to be a continuing health improvement story. However this last week has been a right trial.

Looking back to an entry last September, I wrote about one particular acid attack that had caused a bad cough which wouldn't go away without anti biotics. History has I am afraid started to repeat itself. The acid had been rolling around in the system and I started coughing quite violently. At first coming up was acid but gradually that went away but alas not so the cough. Though I managed to get through the show on Angel I had to cancel my other radio work. I had to miss Martin's Dad's Birthday Bash on Sunday. Once again I tried the usual non prescription stuff such as Lemsip, Cough Candy(sweets), Honey, Hot Juice etc. all to no avail.

Thus I went back to the Surgery today and saw a new Doctor. She actually listened to me, then checked temperature, blood pressure and chest. She said she could find no evidence of infection. However like me she wasn't happy that this problem was recurring. I was given some anti biotics and asked to go for another chest x ray. However the difference this time is that I am to have it before the course of anti biotics has kicked in. Not only that but she has made me an appointment on Friday 4 March when the results are back to discuss things further. This is an improvement on what has gone before where all you get is a comment from the reception that no further action is required.

Now I don't want this to sound like I have what is sometimes described as a medical condition. However I could do with losing the dratted cough. It's always worse when I lie down so for the last week I have been sleeping downstairs which at least means poor Ev gets some chance for some peace and quiet.

What has been a pity is that I have had this whilst we have had Grandson Harry with us for 10 days whilst his parents had a holiday. It was great fun having him here. He certainly likes his Grandma's house. He is well across the fact that to get here he has to travel on a boat. We returned him to North Wales on Monday and the poor soul didn't want to get off the ferry(well he is only three).

More next week when hopefully the anti biotics have done their work.

Days 629 to 636

I saw the Consultant who operated on me in August 2009 today. No offence but I hope never to see him again unless it's for a social event. He was very pleased with me.

We had the opportunity to discuss my acid problems. Most of the talking was done by Donna the Nurse Specialist. I am to be given a much stronger tablet to take along with medicine to assist in food digestion. She also recommended that I take the tablets half an hour before having a meal. This new regime will last for a minimum of 3 months.

From now on I shall be under the care of the Oncologists whom I shall see every 3 months. My next appointment is in April. Should any problems occur then the Consultant will get to know sharpish.

Thus no more trekking across to Southampton. This is good news. There will be more from me next week when the new tablets have had a chance to do their work.

Days 622 to 628

It's not been the best week to be honest. Not only have I had more acid attacks in the last week than nights of peace and quiet but the night before had a real sting in the tail. As I have recorded before the drill when it happens is to get up, get a glass of water and sit in an arm chair for an hour. I then go back to bed and get a bit more sleep. Thus when I woke up at 230AM downstairs I went. I watched the end of the Super Bowl and at about 330 went back to bed. At 700 I was woken up with another attack. As I have reported here I am struggling to have confidence in the GPs at the surgery who seem to think this is something up with which I should put. Next Wednesday I am due to see the Consultant who operated on me so we shall see how that works.

Last Saturday we had two very pleasant and entertaining guests for a meal. It was one of the those good nights where the hours just flew by. My guest on Angel Radio last Thursday was an organiser of Classical Music Concerts here on the Island. He proved to be a highly entertaining guest with some informative chat about how you go about promoting a concert.

My next post will be on either Wednesday or Thursday next week after I have seen the Consultant.

Days 615 to 621

I have only had one acid attack since my last blog. I have been given a larger strength tablet to take. However it would seem that when I eat is as important as the type of food I use. The acid followed a trip to London to see Charles and Jess. I had Lunch in town which was fine. However as I have recorded in the past I do need to for want of a better expression need to keep grazing. On the way home I bought myself a sandwich and crisps from Marks and Spencer. This was a little bit later than normal. Otherwise my health is doing well. My weight has remained unchanged for the last 4 weeks and I am able to follow a normal life.

Martin has entered the whole family based here on the Island into a sponsored walk in May. It's not the main walk across the Island(that's 26 odd miles of hilly terrain). This is an 8 mile trip along an old railway line. This has the merit of being flat. So Ev and I may well be in the market for sponsorship. Some preparation and training is needed. Let's hope this long and rather dreary winter weather comes to an end soon.

My guest on Angel Radio last week was Dave Kitching who in December 2010 retired after 18 years as a Primary School Head Teacher. It was a classic story of someone born on the Island who left determined never to return deciding to come back.

Here's looking forward to a good week I hope.

Days 607 to 614

I hate to sound like a long playing record but once again the acid is back. I have had two in the last week. One of the problems is trying to find a reason. I tend nowadays just to have a snack after about 8PM. Some time I have this and it's no problem but other times it's ugh. The drill when this happens is that I get up and sit down in an armchair before going back to bed. I am due to see the Consultant on February 16. Hopefully he may have some ideas.

Adrian, Andrea's brother in law, had a Birthday last week and on Sunday we went for Lunch at Culver Haven, which is a nice place on a cliff top with excellent sea views. Gosh I sound like a tour guide.

The Isle of Wight is staging the Island Games later on this year. Martin has been going to some meetings about this. There will be a lot of visitors later this year.

Days 600 to 606

I am not long back from seeing the Oncologist Dr. Patterson. Coincidentally with this visit I had a bad night last night with acid. Until about 2 weeks ago, I was having this difficulty about once a week. More recently that has changed and last night was the third such incident in the last 7 days.

My blood tests were absolutely fine, my weight is not a problem and check of chest and tummy showed all is well. I went through with the good Doctor the history of my chest x rays and reduction in the strength of the anti acid tablets. I mentioned to Dr. Patterson the conversation I had with the GP about the relative cost of the drugs. Dr. P's view was that what mattered was what worked best for the patient. He told us that the cost of a months supply of the stronger version was £25 and the one I am currently on was £5. After some discussion Dr. P agreed to write to the GP suggesting I take a stronger dose. It would be nice to at the very least control these attacks better.

The day hadn't kicked off well with two of the three parking machines not working and the third spewing out money but no ticket. I am due to see Dr. Cave(back from maternity leave) in April.

The past week seems to have passed in a flash. My guest on Angel Radio was from Age UK who are running an exercise and good health programme. This provoked response from listeners. The project is paid for out of lottery funding and is free to customers.

Right here's hoping for a better week. I shall report progress or lack of it next week.

Days 595 to 599

I decided to leave a blog entry until Ev and I had seen the King's Speech. For once I think a film is worthy of all the hype. It has a super cast, is well written and Directed.

It's been a busy old night though with a Hospital Radio Committee meeting as well. Speaking of Radio, both my guests for last Thursday's show had to call off for a variety of reasons. However I was lucky in that Carol Bridgestock one of the organisers of a writing competition was able to come in very much at the last minute to tell us about the various entries received. My guest this Thursday in complete contrast will be Alex Welford of Age UK who is going to talk about that organisation's fit as a fiddle programme.

I don't know if fit as a fiddle would describe me just now. The various radio projects certainly keep me busy. The shop from where I have been getting my newspaper has stopped selling papers so I have a slightly longer walk to do. This may or may not be a good thing.

Acid attacks seem to come down to one a week. I had another one last night and not for the first time I can't offer any explanation as to why. On the bright side there does not appear to be any fluid on the lungs or elsewhere. A source of momentary alarm today was the bathroom weighing machine. For reasons best known to itself the weight was shown in pounds rather than stones and pounds. You can imagine my surprise when the scales showed 184 when previously I was 13 stone one pound. After some thought I worked out I had put on a pound.

That's it for this report more probably next Monday.

Days 586 to 594

A happy new year to all our readers. Apologies for this update being a day late.

We had a spendid New Year break in North Wales with Christopher, Gillian, Jack, Lucy and Harry. Additionally we saw Gillian's parents Ian and Lorna. New Years Eve has been something of a tradition where we play a selected board game until round about 1145, then we get ready to toast in the New Year. This time was no exception. I can heartily recommend a game called Sequence which involves playing cards, is non gambling but does require some thought and of course luck.

Mercifully the weather has relented so the journey both to Holt and back was uneventful. I do though have to say that New Year's Eve in Chester was cold mainly because of the damp. On Sunday I went with Christopher, Jack and a friend Nick to the DW Stadium in Wigan to watch the match against Newcastle United. We won which is nice and full marks to the DJ who at half time gave us some great Motown Sounds.

There was only one acid problem. I blame both the Stolen Cake and the time I ate it. Things are definitely improving. Touch wood there has been no rattling cough to bother me.

I shall try to write the next bulletin at the weekend.