An aerodynamic Red Baron! Lunch with Stu Moulton and a ride in his Triumph Spitfire.
I'm now a third of the way through my chemotherapy, just finishing my week off and getting ready to start the next round tomorrow. Looking back, I was really feeling the effects of the drugs towards the end of round two and had some new side effects crop up, one of which was Palmar-Plantar Erythrodysesthesia, Hand-Foot Syndrome. This made the soles of my feet really painful to walk on. It has put a bit of a dampener on my daily walks, the exercise bike now looks to be a better option to get some gentle exercise. As well as the standard side effects, tiredness, nausea, squits etc. I've now got a runny nose and noticed my teeth have gone slightly yellow, a recognised effect of the capecitabine drug. Nothing that tissues and a bottle of bleach can't sort out!
What a difference a week off the drugs has made on how I feel. As the drugs wore off so to have the side effects. I haven't felt sick, squitty or so tired and have had some mental clarity- thinking straight and being able to concentrate. After the sore feel incident I've tried the exercise bike at the gym to take the pressure off my feet. Because I was feeling so much better I pushed a little too hard on the exercise bike and managed to black out for a couple of seconds. There's always a limiting factor, in this instance it was the anaemia limiting how much oxygen I could take in. No harm done and I've taken it easier since then.
One of the highlights of my week off was going in to work for the Friday team call. It was great to catch up with everyone, get the latest news and share more details on how I'm getting on. The level of support I'm getting from all at work really does make a difference. It felt like a bit of normality in my otherwise abnormal world. One of the lowlights was missing out on the annual Dave Spong ski trip to the Three Valleys in France, with a group of fantastic people who excel at skiing and drinking. Thanks to all for the messages and pictures. Hopefully my 'lame excuse' of having to go through chemo will be sufficient for me to be invited to next year's trip. I'm looking forward to it already and working on my drinking capabilities. I think my liver will have fully regenerated by then.
I feel physically and mentally strong going in to round three knowing what to expect. There will be some tough days of feeling awful, lots of sleep, chemo brain and counting down the clock. It's all about perspective, staying positive and having the next point to look forward to. And, also having a fantastic wife and kids helping me out day to day, support and understanding from work and friends.
So, here's to seeing out round three and getting to the half way point. Round three starts tomorrow.
