Saturday… an update!
Feb 3rd 2007PeterLife on hold!
First things first, it has been a while since I last posted a picture of Olivia, so here is another one! It does seem that in most of them she is asleep - but I can say that she is now a pound heavier than when she was born! (I am about 8 lbs heavier than when she was born - her percentage weight gain is much greater than mine!)
I have had a couple of good days. Mark (fellow blogmaster) rang me yesterday to ask if I felt up to going out for a bite to eat. Well I did, so we went to a local pub, where I am delighted to report that my taste buds made a welcome re-aquaintance with beer! It did taste a little more bitter than I expected, but it was very welcome! I then went on to have a bacon, brie and redcurrant baguette! Delicious, although by the end of the second half of the baguette, my saliva was drying out so I couldn’t manage the end crusts, but then the beer helped wash it all down. So an excellent lunch!
Our friend Marian came round in the afternoon and we sat and chatted in the conservatory - it was a lovely sunny afternoon, and it got really toasty. I have to say that as I sat there, I felt good. Yes, diving in Ascension might have been more active, and I do miss the frequent trips to Washington, but given that I am where I am, and things are as they are, life felt pretty good! I did think at the time “It doesn’t get much better than this”. However there is no room for complacency - so get to work my little lymphocytes!
This morning a work colleague, Adrian, popped over for a visit, in his boy’s toy - a Caterham 7! Next time Adrian, I’d like a blast! Adrian has been very supportive to me in the last few years, and this is a chance to publicly say ‘thank you’. Again we sat in the conservatory, which given the clear skies, got really warm again, and reflected on the state of the world! A good morning! While we were chatting, Katie came back from Bournemouth to pick up some stuff and do a few things here - it was good to see her! And tomorrow my parents should be coming down for a visit!
On a more serious note, I have added a new link to the websites list. This a site called Quackwatch and is a non-profit organisation that takes a critical look at some of the extravagant ‘miracle cures’ for cancer and other serious illnesses. When people are diagnosed with a serious condition, they will look for any miracle cure, and sadly there are plenty of charlatans willing to exploit this and take advantage of it. Quackwatch looks at some of these claims, and any supposed science behind them, to give an informed opinion. It is an interesting site, and worth a look.
I must say that looking back over the last 3 weeks (and it is 3 weeks since I went into hospital) it has been an emotional rollercoaster for all the family. I was looking at one of the photographs of me with Olivia just after I was discharged, and I looked positively skeletal. However I think I look a bit better now (although I still have the problem of trousers falling down - sorry - TMI) We have been through the emotional mill - and of course the waiting game for the GvHd will be a bit tedious, but hey - no-one ever claimed things would be easy. Yet again, thank you all for your support - it really has helped us get through the last couple of weeks.
End of serious bit - in time honoured fashion…. Onwards and Upwards!