10 September - Fifth chemo

Thursday September 10. Yesterday was the fifth chemo session. All went OK apart from a blown vein on the first attempt to get a canula in. Thank goodness I only have one more to go…we are running out of decent veins.

I had a long chat with Dr S about side effects. He didn’t want to skip the Neulasta jab because of the risk of the White Blood Cell count being too low during our hols and also not good enough for the last Chemo session so I have agreed to have it again but with some heavy-duty pain relief starting this afternoon just after I have the injection in about 40 minutes time. Hopefully this will work although the pharmacist has warned me that I will need to take large doses of laxative to alleviate the side effects of the pain relief – so on it goes!

The other thing of note during chemo was another visit from the pastoral care chap who told me that he wouldn’t be around next time I came as he was leaving. Naturally, being a polite sort, I asked why and he confessed that he was about to become a Roman Catholic priest. Apparently, he is a Church of England priest but has become confused about C of E doctrine and isn’t sure what he is supposed to believe in. I’m not sure if the RC church is any clearer as they seem to go through as many crises of faith as any other system of organised religion. Still I wished him luck – I hope he isn’t married. I forgot to ask.

Looking forward to going to Spain on Sunday. I will try and get an update onto to blog while I am away.

The wig is looking forward to the trip and has been making some mysterious preparations!

24 August - I spoke too soon.

Monday 24 August. I feel like s**t. And am having to work from home again because there is no way I could stand the commute. I thought I would get away with the worst of the Taxotere side effects but I haven't. I have 'Bone Pain'. This means simply that all my bones ache like hell. It is a common side effect of the chemo and the Neulasta, the drug they give you to boost white blood cell count. As a result I haven't been able to sleep much, am swallowing Ibruprofen and Paracetamol as quickly as I can and wanting to sleep. It will pass and I probably over did it at the weekend by playing two rounds of golf. I've learned. Next time I will only play one round - with a buggy - at the LGC mixed open.