Week 4 or Chemo2 week1

Hi Folks,
sorry for the lack of news - no problems other than lack of energy. After a very pleasing week 3 of cycle 1 where I felt my appetite, taste (some of those drugs do funny things to taste), and energy come back and had a great 5 days in Somerset with the family, it was back in to The Royal Marsden Hospital on Mon 9 July for the next three-night round of 17 hour infusions of a cocktail of four chemo drugs.

These actual infusions aren't too bad; the one cannula in the forearm has everthing pass in through it including a good mix of anti-nausea drugs, and subject to towing an IV trolley everywhere I can walk, sit, lie and sleep pretty much OK. And do. Back home Thursday and then the sleeping really starts! At the start of this, Daniela and I met with a worker for a charity called CancerBackup (amazing clear and yet detailed site on www.cancerbackup.org.uk ) and she said two things that stuck: "this is the start of your cancer journey, it will be uniquely yours" and "listen to your body". This didn't stop her giving us loads of useful information, but was helpful to stop me trying to conform or see what's normal and instead just obeying what my body was telling me and not just obeying my wife and clients, as I usually do. (Anyone buying this???)

Every cancer journey is different: Daniela's great friend Jo is undergoing 21 sets of daily chemo to treat a second unrelated cancer after 2 years of battling - wonderfully, nobly - her first. The day before I left hospital, in the next bed came a 28 year old fit-as-a-flea surfer dude who's just had a recurrence of a cancer he "saw off" four and half years ago. It's spread to his spine so he's getting a four chemo-cocktail, but gets just 7 days off between infusions!

Me? I got a hol with the family before Laura and Katie went to Barcelona and then Laura heads back to Sheffield to start work (YEAH!) Luke is off in Dubai holidaying with friends (abstemiously, I trust) and we had a lovely celebration at home of Katie's 21st and Laura's (a few pics on the blog page for those who see this via email forwarding). Now I've had number 2 of the scheduled 6 cycles of chemo, got a load of tests coming to check progression (regression?) next week, but have no complaints.

The hair is mostly fallen this past week. At first it was just the silver-grey ones, and I was thinking there may be a commerical opportunity here, but now it's indiscriminate. But, mustn't grumble, eh?


Paul