Blog

Most of this blog was written in group therapy as a ‘free writing’ exercise.  It’s fair to say they were preaching to the converted with this particular task! People imagine that I must b…
Not for the first time this week, I started today with an empty diary and no agenda.  No commitments, no obligations, no pressure on my time.  Once I’d taken my chemo tablets at 7:…
It’s fair to say that chemo has hit me hard.  How hard?  Just have a look at the video I took after I got home from chemo 2.  If a picture paints a thousand words, that v…
If you’ve known me for a while, you’ll know today is the hardest day of my year.  If you haven’t, it’s likely you’ll feel really sad after reading this and never be able to look at me in qui…
Generally, it’s helpful to know what’s coming.  Specifically too with chemotherapy cycles.  But this week, that familiarity has bred all sorts of contempt. There’s no point in w…
In 2019, 1.5 million people died from diarrhoea.  This week, I gained a real insight into why this is the case. Like all sorts of chemo side effects, this one was predicted and I took a l…
On balance, it’s not been such a bad week.  I’ve grudgingly gotten myself into the tablet routine and have made it out of the house precisely five times.  That’s some semblance of …
We all get tired.  All the time, I’m sure. Like most people who’ve reached middle age, I’ve experienced all kinds of tiredness.  That dehydrated post-swim tiredness comes to min…
Chemotherapy is the treatment of disease by the use of chemical substances.  These are ‘cytotoxic,’ meaning they kill living cells.  The aim of these drugs is to kill cancer cells.…
Good morning everyone! This is what writing looks like on steroids.  And caffeine, sugar, anti-sickness, and let’s not forget chemo tablets 4-8 of 112 for this cycle. I wonder if this is …
As I’m headed towards the second of these, what about the first? I suppose to ‘live fast’ is to cavort about in a drink and drug fuelled frenzy, enjoying all the good stuff, whilst driving one’s body …
Chemo is coming. Again. It was meant to be this Monday just gone, but as that’s delayed by a few days, I’m sat here, not for the first time, wondering what to do with myself.  Chemo time …