tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54216316292829004712024-02-06T20:14:36.156-08:00My cancer storyDocumenting my fight against stomach cancerChris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-71937118410106891092013-06-22T06:08:00.001-07:002013-06-22T06:08:37.028-07:00The End? It's been over three and a half weeks since I've last blogged, and Johanna is saying that people are asking how I am and what I've been up to. So I thought I'd better get you all up to date with my life so far.<br />
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As you know, after my second infusion at the Christie I was quite sick. It took a while for the meds to settle, but we eventually managed to find some anti-sickness tablets that actually worked. During that time, I didn't really get up to much, barely did any cycling or walking, and lost yet more weight. I'm down to 189lbs at the moment. That's low for me.<br />
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We managed to go to the Beechwood Ball last weekend, which was a great evening. I'm a little wary of eating out due to not being able to eat all of what's put in front of you, but the table we were on had a great group of people and I wasn't embarrassed by leaving bits of everything. The evening itself was great, but by 10pm my stomach was hurting and I'd had enough. I'm a bit of a lightweight when it comes to socialising at the moment. I'm sure that'll get better in the future.<br />
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Like I said though, I've not had the energy or inclination to get out on the bike much lately due to the chemo coming on really strong, and on top of that, towards the end of my last tablets I had an allergic reaction. This made my lips swell up and that then started to spread to my mouth. I phoned the Christie Hotline, and they said call an ambulance and get to a&e straight away. I didn't think it was that bad, but Joh came home from work and took me into hospital just to be on the safe side. We spent a few hours in the resuscitation department at Stepping Hill and was eventually released. I was told to stop taking the final few days of my tablets too, which was nice. My lips soon cleared up, but it left a question mark over whether I'd be able to continue my final infusion and tablets.<br />
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I was back at the Christie for my final infusion on Monday 17th June, and there was some discussion over whether or not to proceed with the final course. The registrar made the decision to give me the infusion, but then keep me in for observation over the next 24 hours. So that's what I did. I stayed in the Christie overnight on the monday, and as I'd had no reaction to the tablets, was allowed home on the Tuesday evening. Of course, sods law meant that not long after my lips swelled up! Back onto the hotline and I've now been told to stop taking the tablets all-together. I'm not to take any more chemo until my lips have settled, and even then, I may not have to finish the course if this keeps happening.<br />
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I can't describe how good it is to hear that I don't have to take anymore chemo. However, before I get too excited and think this is the end, I've got to bear in mind that Dr. Mansoor may well say continue with the treatment, at our next review. I really hope he doesn't because I seem to be having the same reaction everytime. Maybe they'll have to change the tablets or something? Or hopefully they'll say I've had enough and my body has done all it can to fight.<br />
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The annoying thing about the whole tablet situation is that I'm cancer free now, it's all gone, cut out along with my stomach, oesophagus and lymph nodes, but I was still taking chemo to mop up any last remains.<br />
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I just hope that it has all gone and I can now look forward to my proper recovery. I've a lot of work to do to get fit for work and back into life again.<br />
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Finally, in case you missed my twitter or facebook updates on Friday 21st June, I was invited by Richard Thomas to join him on a ride with Sir Chris Hoy. He'd won a competition via Evans Cycle Stores to ride with Sir Chris and was able to take a.n.other along as well. Big thanks once again for taking me Richard. I really did get dragged out of bed by Johanna to get ready on time. The day before I'd spent most of the day in bed I was so tired. The ride itself was only 12 miles long, but it near wiped me out! It was worth every pedal stroke though as I doubt I'll get to ride with Chris again. I even got him to sign my Wheelers top afterwards :)<br />
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See you all soon xxxChris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-90701975082988714352013-05-29T10:00:00.003-07:002013-05-29T10:00:43.241-07:00Sick, sick, sickDo you know that feeling you get when something makes you feel like gagging? Perhaps you're a little squeamish and something on the telly has made you gag, or you're out and about and you see something that makes you a little sick in your mouth. Well, that's how I feel all the time at the moment.<br />
As the chemo drugs once again start to fill me up, my bodies reaction is to try to get rid by making me gag. The only problem is, there's no sick, just the motion of being sick. The slightest thing can set this off. Thinking about doing something like eating a piece of toast can make me gag, tablet taking makes me gag and so on. The relief from this all consuming sensation is in the drugs. Once administered they provide some normality from the gagging but then bring along sleepiness and lethargy with them. So perky and sick, or tired and not so sick. Top choices.<br />
Such is the effect of chemotherapy. Far worse than any operation and so much harder to overcome. The pains from my operation are getting less everyday. I've got loads of sensation back in my shoulder and my stomach is feeling less swollen now.<br />
This is a struggle, I'll be honest. I really wasn't looking forward to this final piece of the treatment, knowing how I felt the first time round makes it even worse. If I could stop now I would, but the doctor said that even though all the cancer has been cut out, this final dose of chemo is proven to be very beneficial.<br />
So, onward and upward (or downward more like).<br />
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That's me for the next few weeks now, according to my calculations I should be finally off the chemo by the 9th July.<br />
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Later xxChris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-9376082315634122752013-05-18T13:56:00.002-07:002013-05-18T13:56:50.004-07:00Day 13 - The past weekWell, that was an interesting week. As you're no doubt aware, I had some trouble with sickness after starting this last bout of chemo. All seems to have settled down though this last week and I've picked up considerably from last week. I just had a small bout of sickness this evening which was as much due to not taking all the meds as anything. I can take six tablets a day, by tea time, I'd only had 2. My bad. Lesson learnt.<br />
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With my improved health, relatively, it was time to get back on the bike. However, the weather had other ideas and meant a couple of sessions at home on the turbo trainer were a better place to start back than on the open road or trail. I didn't mind, as it was prudent to test my legs after the week before doing nothing at all. By Thursday, I was on one and out on the open road, probably overdoing it a bit by climbing all the way to the top of Mellor via Glossop Road and Gun/Shiloh Road. Gorgeous views up there:<br />
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Legs were tired after that ride, but it was so worth the struggle to get to the top. While I was up there, I managed to see the Lancaster Memorial Flight over Chapel en le Frith, and then watch it head for Derwent Dam. Awesome. Wouldn't of seen that in the flesh sat on the sofa (although I did watch it on BBC local news later)</div>
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I was out again on Friday, this time a nice flat route accompanied by Jon from the Polocini cafe. Steady pace but a bit further, 22.8 miles to be exact. After doing nothing for a while, that was quite a leap. Still, as always, nothing ventured and so on. </div>
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Saturday and Joh and I had plans to cycle again in the afternoon, but the weather once again transpired against us. Joh doesn't like riding in the rain, then again, who does? So we used the time we had, children free, for other means. </div>
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I must add at this point that it's been a while since we've spent some quality adult time with each other. I was actually getting a bit worried about my own ability to perform as there'd been no stirring in that department for a good few weeks. I've been worried that my libido was in some way broken. We'd discussed this at length but it always came down to me. No pressure, just when I was ready. Well, I was ready Saturday. Hallelujah. </div>
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Joh was pleased. </div>
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Not in any way a celebration of what we'd finally been up to that afternoon, but we decided to go out for a nice meal on the Saturday night. Oddfellows in Mellor is a fine restaurant We'd been before and were very impressed, as we were this time. I toyed with the idea of going for a starter then a main, but was so glad I just had the main, an 8oz t-bone steak, duck fat chips and peppercorn sauce. Bloody delicious. Although not quite as nice as the steak we had in Belgium. </div>
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It looked like this: </div>
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and I looked like this as I finished eating the lot! </div>
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Can you tell how much weight I've lost yet? I'm down to 205lbs now. More meals like that will keep me on an even keel though hopefully. </div>
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So that was a week in the life of Chris the chemo taker. Only around 53 days of chemo tablets to go and 2 more infusions. No worries. </div>
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More bike riding tomorrow, see you out there xx</div>
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<br />Chris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-34246455804012986122013-05-12T12:51:00.002-07:002013-05-12T12:51:21.093-07:00Day Seven - Not quite going to planI do apologise, as I said I'd try to keep this blog going on a daily basis and have so far failed miserably. In my defense though, since my infusion on Monday, it's been a shit week. I was hoping that this final bout of chemo would go like the first one, ie: first and second sessions quite easy, soaking in nicely with no major side effects, and the final session being the worse, with all the sickness and fatigue in the last 20 days. That's not what's happening. From the outset the fatigue is there already. My energy levels are really low. The feeling of sickness is quite pronounced. I'm off instant coffee again, food is a struggle and the urge to retch at the slightest thing out of the ordinary is ever present.<br />
That all came to a head on Saturday when I spent most of the day in bed, hardly ate anything and just generally felt rough. Joh called the Christie hotline and asked if there was anything we could do to alleviate the sickness, and they recommended changing the anti-sickness tablets I was taking. So off Joh went to the doctors on saturday afternoon to pick up my new medication.<br />
Now that seems to have done the trick for now. I've felt well enough today to eat 3 meals and a little bit of snacking in between, and even managed a half serving of pasta carbonara at the italian in romiley this evening.<br />
It must seem odd to a waiter when this 6 foot 1 inch bloke orders a half portion of food off the menu.<br />
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My weight seems to be holding steady around the 208lb mark at the moment. My fitness has taken a real tumble though in the last week. Today was the first time I've been out for a walk all week. Time to do something about that I think. The sooner I start trying to get fit again, the easier it will be in the long run.<br />
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So, there you have it. Progress so far. I'm not promising any more daily updates, but I will update when I feel the need to let you know how it's going.<br />
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Take care xxChris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-10270088102857958602013-05-08T12:41:00.001-07:002013-05-08T12:41:47.872-07:00Day Three - Surgeon appointmentSo far this course of chemo is not going so well. I'm unable to take the tablets out of the blister packs at the moment without feeling sick and starting to gag. Joh kindly prepares my tablets for me in that case and it's just down to me to swallow them without bringing them back up.<br />
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Hopefully that'll settle down as my body and mind get used to taking them all over again.<br />
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In the meantime, I was at Stepping Hill today to see Dr Ducadt who performed my surgery. Just a checkup. All's well and he's happy with my recovery so far. That's good news.<br />
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After that, I popped over to see Stacey, who looks like she's about to pop. Between the pair of us, struggling with our stomach pains, we looked a right sight :) Take care Stacey, nearly there x<br />
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Home and to bed this afternoon. Joh did tea, kids tidied up.<br />
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Short and sweet xChris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-30247992129141791382013-05-07T12:20:00.000-07:002013-05-07T12:20:57.938-07:00Day two - Here we go again!6 weeks and 3 days post operation and I'm ready, according to the doctors, to receive my last round of chemotherapy treatment. Personally, I beg to differ, but what do I know.<br />
I'm nowhere near 100% at the moment, I'm still taking regular pain medication as my back still hurts, but by far the worst pain without medication is from my stomach. If left without medication for any period of time, I get an acute stabbing pain just above my belly button, inside my stomach, ouch!<br />
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Eating wise though I'm doing quite well. Lots of people ask what can I or can't I eat. Well, I can eat anything you lot can eat with your posh stomachs and all. Not having one only means that I eat a lot less of it before getting full. I also don't get hungry. The stuff that was around my stomach telling my brain that it was empty has gone, obviously, so there's nothing to tell my brain to eat. However, I'm eating small snacks around every 2-3 hours or so, with the occasional bigger meal at tea time. That seems to be doing the trick for now. I am still learning my limits though. If I eat too much, I get a very bloated "stomach" which can be quite painful. Also, my journeys to the toilet have still not settled down yet. Sometimes it's like shitting through the eye of a needle, sometimes it's solid. Hopefully that'll settle down soon.<br />
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I've got 21 days of chemo tablets to take now. Then another 10 hour infusion, then the tablets again, then the infusion again followed by my final 21 days of tablets. By that time I'll be well worn out I think and I'm really not looking forward to it at all.<br />
I reckon I'm going to struggle to keep this blog going on a daily basis, but I'll try my best.<br />
In the meantime, thanks once again for all the words of encouragement on FaceBook and Twitter, it's nice to know you lot are thinking of me.<br />
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See you soon xxChris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-82896966262995667572013-04-22T10:57:00.000-07:002013-04-22T10:57:33.529-07:00Two weeks on, four weeks post opIt's been 4 weeks and 3 days since my operation now. In the last week, the infected scar on my back has nearly cleared up, and I'm down to a small dressing on one section of it. I'm still being visited by the district nurse, but now only every other day.<br />
As you may have noticed on FB & Twitter, I've been back on the bike, albeit only on the turbo trainer kindly loaned to me by Richard, but at least my legs are spinning a little.<br />
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I've only done 2 sessions of 30 minutes so far, but it's a start. I'm beginning to get a little frustrated about not being able to go out on the bike for real, but I'm aware that if I push too hard I could end up doing myself some damage as my internal wounds heal. </div>
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I'm still in some considerable pain, and am taking regular liquid morphine around every 4 hours a day. I'm sleeping so much better at night though, with the past weekend being the best nights sleep I've had for ages, almost sleeping all the way through the night. The only problem with that is that I miss my medication in the middle of the night and wake up with some rather acute pain. Swings and roundabouts I guess. </div>
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I've been monitoring my weight for over a year, and especially so in the run up to the operation. When I was diagnosed with cancer back in October I was 208 pounds. I was advised to put on weight both to help me through the chemo and to offset the weight loss I'd have after the operation. I found it easy to put weight on during my chemo as I wasn't having any problems eating. As well as keeping the cycling going, I put weight on to the point that I weighed 238 pounds on the day before my operation. Plenty enough I thought. I could really feel the extra pounds too. I'd had to buy bigger pants, none of my t-shirts would fit properly and I felt sluggish and slow on the bike. </div>
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I weighed myself yesterday and I'm back to 208 pounds! In only 4 weeks I've lost 30 pounds. That's some diet! :) </div>
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I'm going to have to keep an eye on that. I can afford to lose a little more, but not too much bearing in mind I've still got another full course of chemo coming up on the 6th May.<br />
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Happy days xxChris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-36690545865662903282013-04-15T03:24:00.001-07:002013-04-15T03:24:44.175-07:00One week later - updateI've been home a week today now. Within a few days the swelling in my legs and ankles had gone down and I was beginning to feel normal again. I've had loads of rest, sleeping in chunks of at least 4 hours at a time, waking for some meds, then sleeping again.<br />
The district nurse comes out everyday to check up on my scar, and dress the wound. That is clearing up nicely now as well, with the worse pain being everytime the dressing gets ripped off and takes a little bit more of my back hair with it! Ouch!<br />
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I've only been out for one walk last week, which was on Friday when we went down to Polocini for dinner. I felt ok walking down, but coming back was a bit of a struggle. I mean to improve on that this week, and starting today am going to make an effort to get out for a walk everyday. On top of that, Richard is kindly lending me his turbo trainer, where I'll be able to get my cycling legs working again. I've just got to be careful with my stomach, as the amount of cutting that's been done in there means without my meds, the pain is quite acute after a while.<br />
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I'm at the Christie this week as well, to see when I can start my next (last) course of Chemo. I'm really not looking forward to that, but it has to be done. As far as I'm aware, it will be the same course as I had in the first place, so 3 x 1 10 hour infusions and 21 days of chemo tablets, 66 days of chemo in total. If I had any spare energy getting over this operation, that should wipe it out completely for a while.<br />
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Plenty of time to take it slow, don't rush into anything, and get better right. If I try to rush things I'll possibly make it worse, so I'll take my time. It is frustrating, there's no denying that, but I'm cancer free now and that is the main thing.<br />
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Take care xxChris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-26795538060982772952013-04-09T13:47:00.001-07:002013-04-09T13:47:16.489-07:00Home Baby Yeah (right, I'll stop that now)So I last blogged on Friday 5th, by the Sunday, when Joh came to visit, I was at wits end. I lasted about 30 minutes into visiting time before the curtains came round the bed and I broke down in tears, sobbing like a fucking baby. I'd simply had enough of being in hospital, but on top of that putting a brave face on the constant pain I was in and discomfort.<br />
Joh vowed to do all she could to get me out on the Monday, and home where I belong. She left and I was quietly hopeful that I'd be on my way home by tea time Monday.<br />
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That night, I tucked myself into bed early, put my headphones on and had a doze. I awoke around midnight with my phones still in and unplugged. I asked the ward nurse for a brew, had a piss, then went back to sleep, sat upright in as comfortable position as I could be. I awoke with a start at 4:15 in the morning, and for some reason was holding an empty cup. I thought I'd spilt it down me as all my right side was wet. I reached down into the dampness and it felt sticky, and substantially more than a small glass of water that I thought I'd poured over myself. When I switched the light on, my heart sank and the tears started flowing again. The sticky mess was where the stitches on my back had burst from the swelling that was keeping me in hospital. It was all red and mucky and I just had visions of me staying in for another week to get it sorted. I called the night nurses and they came and cleaned me up, dressed the wound and left me with a cup of tea while they called the house officer to come see. Needless to say, no-one came, and I didn't get seen until later than morning at 11:30 by my own doctor.<br />
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I'd sent Joh a text that night explaining what had happened around 5am, so when she woke she called me and promised to do all she could to get it sorted as best as possible, but to be prepared for the news that I may have to stay in for a few more days. I cried again.<br />
I really didn't want to spend another night there, and it was really beginning to get me depressed. I lay in bed all that morning waiting for the doctor, barely speaking to anyone. The day nurses were excellent, reassuring me and comforting me knowing that I was very pissed off.<br />
Eventually the doctor turned up and was positive from the outset, saying he was glad the swelling had burst and that if I wanted to go home today he'd get it sorted straight away. Music to my ears. He started ordering the nurses around to get him this and that to put a drain on the wound and clean it all up, consulted his underlings for my latest stats, then simply said "you can go home today" and shot off to his next patient.<br />
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AWESOME!<br />
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I called Joh straight away, who'd spent the morning on the phone to the Doctors colleagues and other nurses to ensure he knew my state of mind and came to the right decision, I have her to thank big style for getting out of there. I love you darling.<br />
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Now, reading that back seems that I hated being in the MRI, but the truth is the staff were excellent and the place itself wasn't bad, it's just the lenght of time and the fact that I didn't feel that ill as such, that I needed to stay in any longer. I was ready to come home, and fight my recovery fight here with Joh's and the kids support, rather than in there. I'd like to say a big thanks to all the staff on HDU and WARD 11 who looked after me during my stay, angels the bloody lot of you xx<br />
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Which leaves me here at home, arriving around tea time on Monday night.<br />
The dogs went mad! Toby especially. Ellie was happy to give me a big lick all over my face, but Toby wanted to jump all over me, soft dog he is. Some restraint was called for and he eventually calmed down.<br />
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I spent the first night in my own bed in 17 days, and it was bliss. I slept till about 3 in the morning from getting my head down around 10pm, the longest I'd slept in any period in hospital, then slept through to 6, dozed, slept again till 9, breakfast in bed, egg buttie heaven, then slept again till 1pm.<br />
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Feeling totally rested, I got up, showered and Joh changed the dressing on my wound, and took a few photos of my scars in the meantime:<br />
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You can see I'm having no problems with the one on my stomach, but the one on my back is where the fluid was/is leaking from still. Even today, after being home for such a short time and properly resting, it's clearing up already. There really is no place like home.<br />
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So the fight goes on. I've got some major healing to do and it's going to be a hard slog. With Joh and the kids behind me it makes it a whole lot easier, but I think I underestimated how hard this part of the treatment was going to be. That still scares me shitless, even though I'm technically cancer free now.<br />
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Bring it on. xxChris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-36740941848466082532013-04-05T00:06:00.001-07:002013-04-05T00:06:21.567-07:00Pain baby yeah!I was transferred onto ward 11 on Monday, where I settled in quite quickly and just waited around for the last healing processes to take effect so could go home. My breathing still wasn't right though and the doctors decided to keep me under observation in the hope it would improve on its own. <br />
It didn't. <br />
By Wednesday night I was no better and actually getting worse. I was originally told I'd be released on Thursday but ended up on more medication to sort my chest out. <br />
Unfortunately, taking the meds meant having a new canula fitted. <br />
My veins in my arms have taken a beating over the last 6 months and there's not much left of them, so finding one to inject drugs into is getting very hard. <br />
I lost count of how many nurses tried to fit one on Thursday. Eventually a doctor managed to get a slow line in, but it wasn't to last. By 5pm it was clear that nothing was going down the line and the much needed antibiotics were not being delivered. <br />
On top of that, my scar on my back had become enflamed and extremely painful. <br />
So now I needed two lots of antibiotics and no canula to feed them into me. I was in pain, uncomfortable and getting a little pissed off with the pace the ward was going to solve this problem. <br />
At changeover from lates to nights, I presumed the later would have sorted something out, not quite. <br />
We were now waiting for a nurse to come on shift who can canula the hardest cases, and also a visit was requested by the senior house officer about my back scar. <br />
The nurse duly arrived on shift and had a good fast working canula in straight away. The house officer never showed. <br />
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I've spent the night semi-propped up in bed getting on top of the antibiotics to clear up my chest infection, which is working, but I've had no medication for my scar all night and between my normal pain meds it's been burning like hell. <br />
Hopefully today something will be done about that, while I'm still improving on the chest front. <br />
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Don't think I'm coming home today :(Chris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-77317319583205172362013-03-30T03:09:00.001-07:002013-03-30T03:09:02.575-07:00Operation Baby Yeah!Went into hospital on Thursday 21st march to claim a bed for my op the following day. I'd spent the week eating whatever I wanted and had a few beers. We were told straight away that there was no bed available that night. I could stay in the travel lodge over the road, or go home and have a final meal there. Chinese on the way home? Why not. Nill by mouth didn't kick in till 2am so I had plenty of timeto eat any final treats. Chinese, beer and a couple of chocs did the trick. <br />
Slept well. Up at 5am to get to the MRI for 7. Easy. Traffic was quiet. <br />
Booked in, had a little delay with the spelling of my name, chritopher!, then we were good to go. <br />
Joh walked down to theatre with me and kissed me goodbye and good luck at the door. Tears were shed, hugs and kising all round. <br />
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The anesthetiser went to work, tubing me up and prepping me for the various drugs and chemicals about to go in and come out. <br />
Lay down on the bed, start counting down from 20. 19,18,17,16<br />
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Woke up in ICU. Joh was beside me holding my hand. She told me they'd taken all my stomach out, a third of my oesophagus, removed my lower right rib and made a stomach out of the join between oesophagus and upper bowl. <br />
I felt a bit rough. <br />
Eventually I was moved to the HDU where I've been till today. <br />
This is a specialist unit where patients need high dependency care. 1 nurse to 2 patients in my case. I'd had an epidural fitted for my pain relief, with button access to increase the dose if I needed to. That came in handy. Joh and the kids came to see me on the Saturday but I was well out of it. Spaced! <br />
After a few days of the epidural, it was time to move on to others as that's not supposed to be in too long. <br />
Removing any of the many tubes coming out of me the last few days hasn't been any problem. Removing the drug associated with that feed was though. <br />
When that came out, I was in agony. The epidural had been hiding a very painful and irritated left lung that was now restricting my breathing. Damn that really hurt bad. I spent the next few days in agony. In the search for replacement meds, a drug was finally found that nearly did the trick. <br />
Unfortunately I was on a very strong dose and couldn't stay on that for too long. The key was to remove all my lung drains and reduce my physical pain. <br />
This was finally completed on Friday, my final, of three drains, came out, and the central line into my jugular was also removed. <br />
All I've got left is a catheter, a feeding line directly into my stomach and a canular on my hand. Easy. <br />
I'm not on any solids, as I'm only allowed liquids through my mouth atm. <br />
I'm not on any antibiotics as I've no infections to fight. <br />
I'm healing well. <br />
I'll be out on the bike as soon as I safely can. <br />
A big thanks to everyone who's visited, and anyone else who wants to come along, get in touch with joh or myself to coordinate. <br />
I should be going down to a ward today. <br />
Hope to see you all soon <br />
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It's a long drive down to Dover, I've done it a couple of times before with my car buddies heading for the Swiss Alps and the Nurburgring, so it's essential to get an early start to avoid rush hour traffic, or head off around midday to limit your time losses. We were on the road for around 1pm, which should have given us plenty of time for the ferry.<br />
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Richard was driving us, and a top job he did too.<br />
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John and Richard getting friendly at the stop for services on the way down.<br />
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We finally made it over to France after hitting bad traffic and missing our original ferry crossing. Fortunately we got a later ferry at no cost on the way out, it was not quite the same on the way back.<br />
We stayed the night in the cheapest hotel Al could find, which was fine for a quick nights sleep. Onwards to Nokerne in the morning.<br />
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Once in Belgium, we headed straight for Oudenaarde which we used for our base for the next two days. Working out of Richards van meant we didn't have to go from the hotel to get to the good cobbles.<br />
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Bikes were assembled, kit was put on and we headed on our first epic ride of the weekend to........<br />
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.....the museum cafe, and breakfast. Come on, give us a break, we'd had nothing to eat since the night before, and breakfast in the hotel we stayed in was bread and coffee.<br />
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The cafe was excellent, and we all had the same cheese and ham toasties. A perfect start to the day, washed down with white coffee.<br />
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A few more shirts than at Polocini, or maybe just a bit more wall space to show them all.<br />
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Chill out area to watch your favourite shows on tv while drinking coffee or Belgium beer.<br />
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The first time we were there, the place was very quiet, it was to get a bit busier on subsequent visits.<br />
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John and Al carbo loading for the day ahead.<br />
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Finally, we were on the road, or to be more accurate the converted railway line.<br />
As a warm up for the day ahead, this was perfect countryside to start off with.<br />
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Nice easy pace. It was a wet start, and a little chilly, but what the hell, we're in Belgium, you don't want sunshine do you?<br />
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The first cobbles of the day. God knows where this is, I'm sure Al will know, or I could pour over my Strava file and see if I can work out where it is, but suffice it to say, it was bumpy! Very bumpy.<br />
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But bloody great to be there, in Belgium, riding cobbles that the greats of cycling have ridden over throughout history.<br />
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Awesome.<br />
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As well as the cobbles, and the great company, the countryside itself was actually quite nice too. They're big on churches in Belgium, bit like our small towns and villages really. Very picturesque.<br />
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During the course of the weekend, I got plenty of practise taking pictures of the group riding off in the distance. With my current condition, I'm crap on anything that goes uphill, so they kindly waited for me at every opportunity. Big thanks chaps.<br />
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More cobbles, and this time a lot steeper. Certainly steep enough to have me walking it anyway.<br />
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Here's Rich showing us how it's done. Showoff :)<br />
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Cobbles as far as the eye can see, and a climb too! Perfect :)<br />
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By this time, John was truly embracing the concept of the cobbles, and was telling us all, constantly, how much he loved them. :)<br />
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Richard and John off the front again.<br />
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Finally on our route, we made it to the infamous Koppenberg.<br />
Do you know Swiss Hill in Alderley Edge? Imagine that, longer, steeper and much more slippy. Lovely. <br />
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Look, there's the boys off up ahead again :)<br />
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Although Al did go back down for another try, and managed to get less of a distance than his first attempt.<br />
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Walking. That's what you do on the Koppenberg. Believe me, this thing is a killer of a climb. It's only short when you compare it to say, cat&fiddle or long hill, but the steepness and severity of the cobbles really take it out of you.<br />
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To see the Pros cycling up here in the classics, really gives you a renewed respect for their power and ability. I'll be watching the classics with a keen eye on their technique for future trips to Belgium.<br />
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Al trying to lift his ridiculously heavy Cannondale Caad 10. He nearly fell over here cause it was so heavy! :)<br />
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Group photo on the Koppenberg.<br />
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Me, Rich, Al, John & Richard.<br />
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After all those cobbles and climbs, where else are we going to go?<br />
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Beer and risetarte of course.<br />
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Went down very well I can tell you.<br />
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We were back at the museum coffee shop, and it was a little busier.<br />
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Still great service, atmosphere and food (beer) though.<br />
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Tired, happy and a little pissed :)<br />
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You did this Al, massive thanks for this trip.<br />
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Here's a great shot of John, very happy, telling us all to raise our glasses to the wonderful cobbles that he's enjoyed so much. Cheers John. :)<br />
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Al's just pleased he didn't get too lost today. I'm sure he did, he just made it look like he knew where he was going. :)<br />
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Hang on though, the day is not over yet!<br />
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What is the staple diet of all Belgium's?<br />
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Frites and Mayo of course. Rich goes for a double helping there, he's a hungry boy :)<br />
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Richard tucks in. This was a medium portion!<br />
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We should of ordered small. No-one finished the chips & mayo. Very filling and delicious.<br />
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Time to return back to the B&B in Nokerne. Time to unpack, get settled in and shower and change for upcoming dinner.<br />
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This is not how Stefan, the B&B owner envisaged us storing our muddy & wet cycling kit. He didn't complain though. Top bloke.<br />
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Dinnertime!<br />
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All the restaurants in Nokerne were booked up (2), so we went a bit further afield for a gorgeous place a few villages away.<br />
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The prices were a bit steep..........<br />
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........but the steak was "to die for"<br />
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A few more beers at the bar next door to the restaurant and finally off to bed. What a great first full day in Belgium. Loved every minute of it.<br />
And so to Sunday, more of the same? Yes please.<br />
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Oh dear. Not what you want to see in the morning on a cycling break.<br />
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Still, getting our priorities right, we first headed to the beer warehouse to stock up on essential supplies.<br />
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Camp pose Al :)<br />
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Beer packed away, and it's back on the road. Rain, sleet & snow, all within the first hour or so. Perfect Belgium weather. This place just wouldn't be the same if the sun was shining.<br />
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Richard plodding along trying to warm up for the day ahead, while keeping me company for a while.<br />
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Windmill!<br />
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Windmill & Cyclist.<br />
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Not much sign of the rain easing off just yet, but it was set to get better later in the day.<br />
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We were heading for the Muur today, and stopped off at this famous roundabout, with its cyclist sculpture, on the way.<br />
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You can just make out John holding his bike aloft, shouting "MY TREK IS HEAVIER THAN THIS SCULPTURE YOU KNOW"<br />
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yes John, we know :)<br />
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Nearly at the Muur, in Geraadsbergen. Lovely town. Brutal little climb.<br />
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Proper cobbles this time.<br />
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A pause halfway up the Muur, no, we didn't cycle up those steps. The road is up to the right.<br />
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Al gives it his best shot. It is very steep at this point, and gets a little better round the corner to the left. I walked this bit, Richard fell off cycling up this bit, and John fell off cycling down this bit. Rich cycled up and down without falling off. Showoff :)<br />
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The top of the Muur, with Edmond Hilary in the foreground :)<br />
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Time for food. Here's John once again smiling his little head off. He's so happy he's managed to cycle his enormously heavy TREK bicycle up the Muur.<br />
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He's also happy to be riding on cobbles again.<br />
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He loves cobbles :)<br />
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Camp pose please Al. Thanks. :)<br />
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Mushroom omelette's x 5 please, with mayo and frites. Lovely jubbly.<br />
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Back on the road, and heading back to the B&B, Al takes a slightly different route back. Taking in the last of the climbing cobbles for my trip.<br />
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You see some weird and wonderful things when travelling by bike. I spotted this bike and motorbike in the garden. The motorbike had a load of shopping in the back holder! God knows why. Quirky.<br />
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The final set of cobbles I rode on the trip. And what a set. They were long, bumpy and slightly uphill all the way. I've got to admit to seeking refuge on the pavement when I could. It's just so brutal riding on the cobbles.<br />
John can be seen almost creaming himself at the thought of yet more cobbles. God he loves them :)<br />
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The days cycling done, it was back to the van to pack the bikes and wet kit away, quick change of footwear and head over to the cycling museum for a proper tour. Firstly the film show, and the boys get cosy. (No Rich here as he'd opted to get a few more miles in (showoff)) :)<br />
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The museum was good. Although none of it was in English, so we just guessed our way around. There was plenty to see and do though, here's a taster:<br />
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WINNER!<br />
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And back to the Coffee Shop, for beer. Time to catch up on Twitter Richard.<br />
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Back to the B&B and Al & Rich plan the next days early morning ride. I'd already decided to stay off the bike as I was tired after 80 miles in the last 2 days. I didn't want to spoil my trip with a bad ride.<br />
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Time to order dinner.<br />
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Pizza. Al kindly went over to the local Italian and picked up the pizza. Bloomin delicious it was too. Although I think he dropped mine off the bike on his way back :)<br />
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Stefan, our host and B&B owner. What a top bloke. His place is amazing. If you want to stay in Belgium, stay at Stefans.<br />
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Link here: https://plus.google.com/117057210507156013519/about?gl=uk&hl=en<br />
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3 blokes sharing a room? Of course it's going to look a mess :)<br />
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John woke in the night thinking these two were big blokes in the room :)<br />
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The final day. Plan? Quick ride round for the fit lads, spot of chocolate shopping, head for the ferry.<br />
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Rich is up and raring to go by 07:30. With driving snow, high winds and freezing temps, I'm glad I decided to stay in for this ride.<br />
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Al was first back, a little later than planned after a broken chain and a puncture. The other three were nowhere to be seen. Al had "smashed it" back. I think the boys were a bit surprised by that :)<br />
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Eventually the boys made it back, in high spirits despite being dropped :)<br />
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John loved the last cobbles he rode today. :)<br />
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Home time. </div>
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The journey home was a little fraught to say the least. High winds, snow, freezing temps yet again. Richard got us safely out of Belgium into France were we hit the mother of all traffic jams. At least an hour wasted stuck on the motorway, or no apparent reason. When we finally made it to Dunkirk, we'd missed our 2pm crossing and got stung with a £120 surcharge to cross on the 4pm. Ironically, due to the weather, the boat was delayed on the other side in docking, so we didn't land in Dover until nearly 8pm. </div>
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Off the boat, and the weather was worse on this side. The roads were untreated and it was carnage. Trucks and cars slipping all over the place, getting stuck and generally not being able to drive in a little bit of snow. Richard followed a rather large dumper truck out of Dover, which helped clear the road and onto the clear motorway home. The rest of the trip was uneventful. John took over driving duties later that night to complete the trip back to Polocini in Romiley. </div>
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What a trip, what great rides, what great friends I've got. I feel so lucky to have been part of the trip. Big thanks once again to Al for organising the trip, showing us around Belgium, and introducing me to the delights of cycling in that region. I'll definitely be back, hopefully with Johanna in the near future. </div>
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10 days till my operation, and what memories to go with. :) </div>
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<br />Chris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-28662133443073112892013-03-07T07:12:00.000-08:002013-03-07T07:12:24.092-08:00Pre - Belgium updateIt's been a while since I've posted any sort of update, so while I've got some time on my hands, I thought I'd let you all know how I'm getting on.<br />
As you know, Allen from Polocini Coffee shop is taking me to Belgium to ride the cobbles. We were supposed to be going last weekend, but due to work commitments of some of the group, it meant we'd only really have one full day there. So it was decided we'd go this weekend instead.<br />
We're driving down to Dover at dinnertime on Friday, then ferry to Dunkirk, staying overnight there then driving to Nokere, south of Gent, where we're staying Saturday and Sunday. We'll be returning on Monday afternoon after visiting the beer market for the drive home.<br />
Can't wait. Just got to pack now.<br />
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Health wise the last couple of weeks have been all about getting out as much as possible on the bike. Building up from little rides to longer rides. I've also been to the gym to start some work on my upper body. I've never really been keen on the gym, but circuit training is hard work and structured enough to give you a good workout for an hour. The fact that I'm still aching all over from doing that on Monday is testament to how hard it can be. If the weathers ok though, I still prefer the bike.<br />
My heart rate has improved over the last few weeks as well. I was going out on little flat rides, dead slow pace, no hills, and seeing stupid heart rates like 177 bpm! That's the sort of rate if I was sprinting up hills, not bumbling along on the flat. However, that's improving with every ride, and I'm finally able to climb the odd hill again, which is nice.<br />
Once again, the support from riding buddies has been terrific. I'm posting rides on Twitter, and they'll be at least two or more people replying that they're coming along. No matter how slow I go, there's always been someone to help me along or tow me back to the group. Thanks again everyone.<br />
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With only 13 days left to my operation on the 22nd (actually going into the MRI on the 21st) that doesn't leave me much time to get the last of my rides in, but I'll give it a go. We should get some good rides in this weekend on the Sat & Sun, then back on the bike on Tuesday onwards for the rest of the week.<br />
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I'll leave you with a picture John took of me up Eccles Pike the other day. It was my first proper hilly ride for a while, and I really wanted to go further towards Combs, but just didn't have the strength for it on the day, maybe next time.<br />
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I'll take another picture next time I'm up there after the operation, and see how much thinner I look with no stomach :) </div>
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<br />Chris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-37683908565217418982013-02-27T10:51:00.002-08:002013-02-27T10:51:58.163-08:00ConfirmationOff to see the surgeon today at Stepping Hill who is going to perform my surgery. Bart Ducadt went through the results that he'd already told me about yesterday, the reduction in size of the tumour and the fact that he couldn't see any spread of the cancer anywhere else, then outlined the next step.<br />
As I'd shown yesterday with that very over simplistic youtube video, I'll be getting my oesophagus cut out, a good portion of my stomach cut out, and the rest of my stomach joined up to the top of my gullet. I asked how long I would be on the operating table? "All day" Bart stated. Right then.<br />
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That's scheduled for the 22nd March at the MRI in Manchester. I'll be going in the day before for pre-meds and checkups. I'll be in hospital for around 2 weeks afterwards, so come visit me if you like :)<br />
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We're also not going to Belgium this weekend. With the work commitments of my fellow travellers, it meant travelling down on Saturday and coming home on Monday, only leaving Sunday to do all the cycling and museum viewing we want to do. So we'll go next weekend instead, hopefully travelling Friday and coming back Tuesday. Still looking forward to that.<br />
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After I'd been to hospital, Joh and I came home, got changed, and went out on Joh's first ride on her new bike. To say I'm surprised in how fit she's become down the gym would be an understatement. She was going as fast as me on the flats, and was going very well up the little climbs we tackled. Well done darling. She just needs the confidence to ride on the road proper now, and that will come with time and some practise.<br />
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Looking good on the bike. </div>
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<br />Chris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-1052584140447743492013-02-26T13:25:00.000-08:002013-02-26T13:25:38.252-08:00A bit of good news Today I got the results of my CT scan.<br />
They are good results to get.<br />
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The tumour has responded very well to the chemo. It has reduced in size to the point that Bart, my surgeon, is happy to operate to remove it.<br />
That is great news, and was the reason why I posted on FB about riding this morning with a smile on my face.<br />
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I must of looked like I was on something, chugging along with a big grin on my face. </div>
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Joh is happy, and the kids are too. Happy days. </div>
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I'm in Stepping Hill tomorrow to have a chat with Bart about the next step, which is THE OPERATION. </div>
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If you're interested, here's a simple youtube video of what happens next, it's not gory or anything so don't worry :) </div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M40qPq300g4">ESOPHAGECTOMY</a></div>
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At the moment, that's scheduled for 22nd March. </div>
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In the meantime, and as something to look forward to, Alan, from Polocini coffee shop, has kindly asked if I'd like to go to Belgium with him and Richard to ride the famous cobbles, eat frites and mayo, drink Belgium beer and visit the museum. Er, yes please. Whether I could go though was dependant on my surgeon, who's Belgium, and said yes, as long as I drink his favourite beer while I'm there. Result. </div>
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That's what I'm doing this weekend. </div>
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I'll let you know how I get on xx</div>
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Joh's just come back with a bottle of bubbly! Celebration time :) xx</div>
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<br />Chris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-33407717816603351692013-02-24T10:45:00.000-08:002013-02-24T10:45:35.699-08:00Polocini Winter Sprinter - 13 days post chemoWell, I did it. Firstly thanks to Richard and Pat for dragging me round on a few training rides this last week, the miles I did there really helped me get through today.<br />
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Richard on Torkington Road, Hazel Grove, earlier in the week.<br />
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The route itself wasn't hard by any means, on any other day I'd have done that sort of mileage no problem. However, after 67 days of chemo, and all the extra weight I've put on, 30 miles is about the limit at the moment. I was up early this morning, probably a little bit excited to be getting out on an organised ride again, so I didn't hang around. Had a quick breakfast and then headed to the event HQ at Woodford to see if I could help out before the ride. I spent the first hour filling water bottles, then got myself ready to ride. The turnout at HQ was very good, no idea of numbers but there were quite a few riders there.<br />
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Which kept Al & Clare, the organisers, plenty busy. </div>
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Al chatting to one of the event photographers. </div>
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Finally, we got the riders brief off Al, then it was all go. I managed to get myself on the front of the ride for a little while, which was a strange feeling. Looking back I could see this massive group of cyclist all on my wheel, so I shouted out a few pothole warnings in top ride leader fashion :) </div>
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After only 4.5 miles, the route took us into Alderley Edge and up the infamous Swiss Hill cobbled climb. I'd done this little climb prior to starting my chemo a few months ago, and got up it no problem. However, not today, although I wasn't alone in walking it. </div>
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After that, the route meandered towards the back roads of Macclesfield, along some lovely quiet country lanes, and finally back to event HQ at Woodford. </div>
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All in all, a nice ride in the countryside, if a little chilly. At the end of the ride, there was Lamb curry and spicy lime pickle to warm you back up, which was delicious. </div>
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Once home, quick shower and off to Sarah & Ian's baby christening. I'd missed the service in church due to the ride, but was glad I made it to the pub for the party. It was great to see Sarah & Ian's families again, who were very welcoming and had plenty of kind words for my condition. </div>
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They'd laid on hotpot and cake for the party, which, once again, was delicious. Recovery pint of Guinness, and I was beginning to wain a little. Getting tired. </div>
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Home again. Chill on the sofa for the afternoon watching Inkheart on Film4HD. </div>
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Results of my CT scan on Wednesday, can't wait to see how things are progressing. </div>
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Later xx</div>
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P.S. I was sad to hear of the 8 people who stole food and cake from the event HQ today. They'd ridden the sportive without paying, which both Clare & Al don't mind, but then come back to the HQ and stole food that everyone else had paid for. Shame on you lot. Not the done thing at all. Scum. </div>
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<br />Chris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-1664386375800359692013-02-21T09:29:00.002-08:002013-02-21T09:29:29.204-08:0010 days post chemo - back to normal?Back to normal? No, not by a long shot really. Although the majority of the fatigue has gone, I'm still tiring easily and my heart rate is still higher than before, I'm still peeing out chemo drugs no matter how much water/juice I drink and I'm still getting the odd dizzy spell when I stand up.<br />
Another slightly worrying development of the last 5 days is my eating. To recap; 5 days after starting chemo my tumour had shrunk to the point that I no longer got any food stuck in my gullet. This meant I could eat normally and eat anything I felt like. Now though, within a similar time scale, food has started getting stuck in my gullet again. The first thing that got stuck was a mix of steak stew and bread I ate a few days ago, and it happened again with a chinese noodle and chicken dish I made 2 days ago. So it would seem the tumour is growing again.<br />
I just hope that when I go for the results of the CT scan next Wednesday they decide to operate as soon as possible and the cancer hasn't spread anywhere else. Fingers crossed.<br />
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Anyway, in the meantime I've been getting back out on my bicycle. Sometimes on my own, sometimes with others. I've done a long 33 mile ride this week, as well as a short 14 mile hilly ride, which was nice. I'm crap at climbing at the best of times, and at the moment I'm carrying an extra stone in weight and have a heart that jumps up in speed like I'm on acid, but it's nice to get back in the hills after being off for a few weeks. On top of that, it'll help me out on the operating table if I'm as fit as I can be.<br />
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Oh, and with the lovely weather we've had this week, I've been able to go out on my "summer bike" :) </div>
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I'm glad I've been able to get out as I'd set myself a couple of challenges for this month. One was to do the Polocini Hill Climb and the other was the <a href="http://polocini.com/cyclosportives/2013-events/wintersprinter/">Polocini Winter Sprinter Sportive</a>. </div>
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Unfortunately I missed doing the hill climb as I was just too knackered. I went out and photographed it, and walking a little way down the hill nearly killed me, never mind cycling it! </div>
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However, with my 33 mile ride this week in the bag, I'm feeling confident enough to do the Winter Sprinter this Sunday the 24th. I've opted for the 30 mile route, rather than the 60, which I'd normally have done, so it will be ok. </div>
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Now, if you've not thrown me some money before now, and you like keeping up with my progress so far, could you please donate to the justgiving link at the top of the page on behalf of the Beechwood Centre. Any sportives or rides I do this year are going to be on their behalf. </div>
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That would be most appreciated. </div>
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I'll post on Sunday to let you all know how I get on. </div>
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Later xx</div>
Chris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-40225130944497555912013-02-15T09:56:00.000-08:002013-02-15T09:56:40.514-08:004 days post chemo - feeling better by the minuteYesterday was a good one. Actually got the energy to do stuff again, which is nice. Being Valentines day we started with the mutual sharing of cards, and Joh was off to work. I'd nothing planned in the morning so had the thought that I felt well enough to do a session on the rollers again. However, the weather outside was actually quite nice around these parts, so it was that I found myself kitting up for a little bicycle ride on the mean streets of SK6 & SK7 instead. Nice little route through the back of Hazel Grove, through the village centre and down to the river:<br />
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The above was taken down the back of Otterspool, with the very swollen river on the left. It makes a nice quiet detour rather than coming down Dan Bank. </div>
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Home, shower, chill on the sofa for the afternoon and watched Looper on pay per view Virgin. Quite a good film, second half was easily better than the first. </div>
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Joh home and we had a table booked at the Indigo in Romiley along with Isaac and Kate for tea. Nice. </div>
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Food was delicious as usual. Home, bed, knackered. </div>
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Today, lazy morning, Polocini for lunch, (lovely pastrami and cheese on toast, it works) Beechwood for Johanna, Ikea (shudder!) home and maybe a drink in Romiley later, not sure yet. </div>
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Hopefully out for another ride tomorrow, and if this weather holds, I'll use my summer bike! :) </div>
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Have a good evening xx</div>
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<br />Chris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-42750455662756891932013-02-13T14:00:00.001-08:002013-02-13T14:00:16.002-08:00Two days post chemo - How do you feel? <b>So the chemo is over, and you've not taken any pills for two days. How you feelin'?</b><br />
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Not too bad actually, thanks for asking.<br />
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<b>Any DT like side effects? </b><br />
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No.<br />
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<b>Any immediately obvious positive effects?</b><br />
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Why yes, a little bit more energy each day, less dizzy spells, more get up and go, NO FATIGUE!, a diminishing sense of sickness, a return of a sense of proper taste and more concentration.<br />
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<b>Anything more to add? </b><br />
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Just to let you know I had my CT SCAN today, which should give some indication of how the tumour has shrunk during the chemo. I'll not know the result of the scan for a few weeks, but in my mind I know it's shrunk, so this is just to confirm it and see by how much.<br />
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<b>Sounds like you're doing ok then. Been up to anything else today? </b><br />
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Only the usual visit to Polocini for lunch after my scan. Quiche as always was delicious, as was the abuse from Clar(i)e :) Gave Al a life to assemble his new cabinet, and wished him happy birthday. (No way is he 34!)<br />
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<b>Great stuff, sounds like you've had a good day? </b><br />
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Well, yes, I guess I have. After the past 2 - 3 weeks of shit days, it's nice to finally have a good one or two in the bag. No reason why the next few weeks can't be like that, up to the point where I have my oesophagus ripped out by the surgeon at least :)<br />
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<b>You're such an inspiration Chris, I am in awe of your ability to make light of your plight. I'm sure others would handle the whole situation so differently.</b><br />
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Well, what else is there to do but get on with it, beat the shit out of this cancer crap and move on.<br />
Oh, and eat cake, obviously. Which Johanna kindly made a monster cake tonight. Awesome! Thanks darling xx<br />
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<b>Enough said, good night xx</b><br />
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Hey, that's my line!<br />
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Good night xxChris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-82657113058102256072013-02-11T11:56:00.001-08:002013-02-11T11:56:57.380-08:00Day Sixty Seven - Final DayAnd here they are:<br />
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<br />
My final chemo tablets. All done. Thank god for that.<br />
It was also my last day of relaxation and foot massage at the Beechwood today. That place is brilliant. If you ever get cancer, get booked in asap.<br />
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Now all I've got to do is recover from the chemo and get some energy back. It'll be great getting up in the morning and not having to take any meds, and likewise, not having to do the same after dinner in the evening.<br />
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I'm booked in on Wednesday for my ct scan, so fingers crossed for then. I'll let you all know how I get on as soon as I've got some results.<br />
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For now, the daily updates cease, and I'll go back to blogging when something cancer related happens to me.<br />
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Thanks for all your support over the last few months. See you soon xxChris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-61011475009347371202013-02-10T12:09:00.001-08:002013-02-10T12:09:12.378-08:00Day Sixty Six - 1 day to goOne more day of chemo. Thought I'd never get here to be honest, it's been a long haul. But, here we are now. Just tomorrows meds to take and I'm done.<br />
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Joh has already sorted out my first CT scan on the Wednesday 13th, so I should know pretty soon how the chemo has gone. I've got a provisional date of 22nd March for my surgery. That should give me some time to get back to a reasonable level of fitness as the chemo starts to work itself out of my system.<br />
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As it is now, I'm still fatigued. Usual no energy, tired all the time.<br />
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I did a few jobs around the house today, tidied the front patio, vacced through downstairs, but that wore me out so sofa bound the rest of the day. Bugger.<br />
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Anyway, nearly there.<br />
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Good night xxChris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-75090647980346739412013-02-09T10:26:00.002-08:002013-02-09T10:26:55.043-08:00Day Sixty Five - 2 days to goBit of a lie in this morning, as you do on a Saturday morning. Got up to turn the tele on and had a major dizzy spell, fell back on the bed! Weird.<br />
Spot of cereal for breakfast and chilled on the sofa for a while. Had a gentle walk down to Polocini to meet <a href="http://crankphoto.co.uk/">Chris </a>who'd took some of my recent hill climb photos and printed them out for me. Unfortunately the colour correction was a bit out when I did the edit, and they all had a rather blue tint. Still, it adds to the wintry feel of the day I guess :) He's offered to fix them so I've sent him the original files to have a play with. Cheers Chris.<br />
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Home for lunch and then spent the afternoon on the sofa again. Just as a matter of interest, I took my resting pulse. 61bpm. That's sat on the sofa surfing and catching up on tv. 61! FFS! My normal resting hr is around 45 - 50 at the most. I can feel my heart working a lot harder these days just to pump all that poison around my body. God forbid how you'd cope if you weren't fit on chemo. That would be a nightmare I guess.<br />
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Made tea again. Gonna surprise the family with what I've done with the burgers :) Inspired by Man V Food, I've added a little something to them. Hope they like :)<br />
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Good night xxChris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-68614756980226472452013-02-08T12:25:00.000-08:002013-02-08T12:25:04.786-08:00Day Sixty Four - 3 days to go3 days, that is all, can't wait.<br />
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Felt a bit better today. Still resting, but had to drop Joh off at Ricks to get her car, stopped by Polocini for a coffee on the way home, spot of lunch, then chilling on the sofa for the afternoon.<br />
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Not much to report really.<br />
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Oh, nearly forgot, Alan came round to visit, which was nice. Always nice to have visitors, breaks up the day a little and a chance to catch up with the real world.<br />
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God night xxChris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-83130823157731427442013-02-07T12:17:00.002-08:002013-02-07T12:17:34.737-08:00Day Sixty Three - 4 days to goOff to the Christie this dinnertime for a blood test and review. Simple enough. Dad took me as Joh had my car, and I'm glad he did. From waking up this morning it's been a struggle to do anything today. I've literally got no energy whatsoever. It was an effort to shower, make breakfast, eat it and then take my meds. After that, I just sat on the sofa waiting for Dad to turn up.<br />
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Christie was quite quick this time round, appointment was 12 for bloods, and I was seen at 12:05, but it didn't go so well. The very nice nurse struggled to find a vein in my right arm, so moved over to the left. It took two nurses to get blood out of that one. Ouch. And afterwards I felt very dizzy and had to stay in the bloods room for a while with elevated legs and a glass of water.<br />
My Doctors appointment was at 1pm, and I was called in as soon as the clock struck 1, very good. Blood results were back already as well. Blood ok, but showing signs of liver problems, which is to be expected after the very heavy dose of chemo I've had over the last sixty three days. No more visits to the Christie now for 10 weeks, they'll see me next after my operation.<br />
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Home.<br />
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Thanks Dad, much appreciated today. Spot of lunch, then lay on the sofa all afternoon, just getting up occasionally to pee. Got to stay hydrated. All I'm drinking now is lemon juice.<br />
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Closing in on tea time, and I'd got chops out. Plan was to do mash, carrots and peas, but CBA, so it was chips and peas instead. Even that's been a struggle to do this evening. Made me feel a bit sick cooking tonight.<br />
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Oh well, nearly done, and hopefully things will start to improve next week.<br />
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Good night xxChris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421631629282900471.post-47663516683831061552013-02-06T13:55:00.000-08:002013-02-06T13:55:54.928-08:00Day Sixty Two - 5 days to goWhat a busy day, I'll sleep well tonight.<br />
Joh had a course to attend in Croydon today, so an early train meant dropping her at the station for 6am. But first dropping her car off at Ricks for an MOT and suspension repair. Then home and back to bed for a few hours.<br />
Up at 9 for breakfast, meds and a shower. Dropped Isaac off at college, back to Ricks to drop Joh's keys off, then on to Stockport for some fat clothes. Primark, home of the XL comfort wear. Chinos, Jeans, 2 hoodies and tracky bottoms, bosh bosh all done. HMV for a peruse, nothing in, and finally WHSMITH for Cyclist and Rouleur magazines, and left my bank card in the machine. Chemo brain!<br />
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I then went to the car wash at the bottom of Romiley, and watched in wonder as 6 lads blitzed my car in about 15 mins, inside and out, clean as a whistle, thanks chaps.<br />
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On to Polocini for lunch. Lovely quiche, and the only coffee I can drink at the moment. It was at this point I realised I didn't have my card on me! Quick phone call to WHSMITH and they had it, phew! Told them to destroy it, and phoned the bank for a replacement. Sorted.<br />
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Home. Finally. Knackered.<br />
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So I spent the afternoon on the sofa editing my photos from the hill climb on sunday, here's a small example:<br />
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I do love a bit of saturated colour on black and white. </div>
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Now just waiting for Joh to come home safe. Love you darling xx</div>
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Good night xx</div>
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<br />Chris Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03696827546020974761noreply@blogger.com0