Jane's Blog

When I spoke to Michael just before he came home from Japan, one of the things he said he really wanted to do with me was to go climbing. Never one to shirk a challenge, we made our way to the Sports Centre Climbing Wall yesterday morning.

James had organised a few days off work so that we could have a bit of quality ‘Mum and sons’ time together, and he came with us as well. I took my blue Disabled Badge with me, on the off-chance that Kirklees Council were feeling beneficent when it came to carparking and, bless them, they were! Mind you, the sign posts in the carpark didn’t make it at all clear that I didn’t have to pay, and it took a phone call from the lass on reception to sort things out for me (I’m learning never to assume that parking is free with a blue badge). And we were still mightily relieved to come out ninety minutes later to find that the car had neither been clamped nor crushed.

We got to the climbing wall and discovered we had the place to ourselves, rather than having to share it with a group of pre-teens and their teachers. Bliss! So, having changed, I grabbed a chair and sat down to belay the boys rather than standing up – something I have never done in the past (unless I was sitting with my feet dangling over a crag at the top of an outdoor climb, bringing up another climber). But, I’m not quite as strong these days as I once was, so it was either sit on a chair, or don’t belay (I was exhausted simply walking to the Sports Centre, changing into my gear, and belaying!).

The last time we went climbing was in June of last year, just before I went into hospital for my operation, so various muscles and tendons screamed in annoyance as the boys tried ever more tricky climbs. James had a driving lesson at midday, so he left us, and Mike carried on climbing. Normally, I would be climbing as well, which would give him a rest as he belayed, but Dr Hofmann has put a stop to that, so Mike got quite a bit of climbing done before his fingers gave out. I did do one small traverse (don’t tell Dr H!), which left me utterly shattered but entirely happy

After lunch, we set off for Yateholme, a favourite walking area which nestles just below the Pennines. The sun was shining and it was a balmy 10°C, but the snow – which fell over 3 weeks ago – was still very obvious on the slopes of the hills. I ambled slowly after the boys as we made our way through the woods. It was idyllic, only spoiled by the fact that a major reservoir reconstruction prevented us from getting all the way round the paths. But it was good practice for me, as we do the SportRelief Mile on the 21st, and I need to know that I can walk that far without falling over, even whilst undergoing chemo. And the good news is, it appears that I can…

Michael is home from Japan!

I drove over to Manchester Airport last Tuesday to collect him, and we had a very joyful reunion in the Arrivals Hall (along with about 50 other people all waiting for their nearest and dearest to walk through the door). He is here until the 30th, and James has already organised a few days off work so that we can spend some quality mum-and-sons time together. If the weather is good, and I am feeling well, the plan is that we will go climbing (indoor) and walking (outdoor!) together.

During the drive home from the airport, Mike said he wanted to have his hair cut, so it was off to the barber’s the next day. It’s a very, very long time since he had short hair (or walked about the house hatless!).

So, having the lad home and having the whole family together has given me a tremendous boost prior to the next 2-week cycle of chemo, which starts in about 5 hour’s time.

In and amongst the various hospital appointments of the past few weeks, I’ve had several friends who have been kind enough to come and visit me.

At the end of January, Jane (Holt) and Peggy, members of the H&T department at LDI, came along and brightened up my Saturday afternoon with news of what was happening at work. First we put the world of dentistry to rights, and then moved on to archaeology – at which point a flint knife and my bronze sword appeared, as examples of what I used to do in my spare time. Jane and Peggy were also introduced to Sona and Charcoal (our chinchillas), having heard a lot about them when I was at work. The boys were on their best behaviour, and thankfully didn’t chew anyone’s shoes!

Last Sunday saw the arrival, from various parts of the country, of Judith, Anne, Dina, Faith, Peter, Diane and Sue. We spent a splendid afternoon reminiscing and chatting, and then devoured the buffet that Paul had prepared for us. James appeared in time to help eat the food, and he also set up the TV so that we could view all Diane’s photographs, taken whilst on holiday ‘down under.’

(Apologies to Sue as she arrived after the photos were taken).

Many thanks to everyone who is kind enough to set aside some time to come and see me.

December 21st, otherwise known as the winter solstice: the shortest day, and the longest night, of the year. But as far as I was concerned, this was the day Michael came home after 3 months in Japan.

The previous day had seen me sending him ever more frantic emails as the snow blizzards increased in intensity, and we worked out contingency plans in case we couldn’t get to the airport to meet him. Common sense then overtook my desperate desire to meet him off the plane, as I realised that I couldn’t afford to get stuck in the car in the cold weather (my hands and feet are badly affected by the Oxaliplatin, and I can experience tingling in them even whilst sat in the warmth at home – the pain when out in the cold is something else…). Then Paul took one look at the weather forecast the following morning, and decided to catch the train to the airport rather than risk taking the car on the M62.

After he left I sat at my laptop, constantly refreshing the ‘Flight Stats’ homepage to keep an eye on Michael’s flight as it progressed across Europe. He finally landed at 12.30pm, after which I got the car out, slithered in a controlled manner to the main road, and drove to the railway station to meet them. The reunion on the steps of the station was wonderful.

We then had a very special Christmas Day together. The sun shone out of a cloudless blue sky as we made our way down to church for the morning service. We sat at the back, so that I was part of the service, yet away from the vast majority of the congregation due to my immunosuppressed status. Then it was home to open our presents (and thanks to the boys for my WiiSports, which was totally unexpected – now if only I could get on the TV to play it…), and to have our Christmas dinner. Michael had told me that he was looking forward to this whilst in Japan, and he certainly made up for lost time and small portions by tucking in with gusto!

Whilst home, Michael celebrated his 20th birthday on the 29th of December. As this unfortunately clashed with my next round of chemo, we went out for a family meal together two days earlier instead. Thankfully, the weather didn’t prevent us getting to Cubley Hall, and we made sure we all did justice to their superb carvery.

Then, after 3 weeks at home, it was time for Michael to return to Japan. Many, many thanks to him for making the long 24-hour journey home, and to the rest of the family for making it a very special and memorable Christmas and New Year

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is the Graduation ceremony for the Hygiene & Therapy students.

In previous years, I have attended this ceremony, but unfortunately this year I won’t be able to be there with all the students as they receive their diplomas in the Great Hall, in the presence of their families, friends and tutors. I underwent my latest round of chemotherapy this morning, and am now extremely immunosuppressed. The chemo also leaves me tired and nauseous, and so I will watch the ceremony live, courtesy of the University webcast.

To all those of you who will be there, please know how extremely proud I am to have played a very small part in your graduation. No doubt there will be a slight dampness in my eyes as I watch you take to the stage.

I know you will have a wonderful time at the Ball later in the week. For the same reasons, I won’t be able to be there – although I have thought long and hard about this decision. I am sure Paul will celebrate for both of us, and take lots of photographs of you all for me to look at on his return.

Many, many congratulations to you all, and have a wonderful career in dentistry!

I started back on chemo yesterday.

The pain I’ve been getting in my left hip area has been increasing of late, so after speaking with Dr Hofmann it was decided that I should try having a lower dose of Oxaliplatin at weekly intervals. Way back in February of this year, I was taken off Oxaliplatin because I was suffering several side-effects, the most serious of which was larygngeal spasm: not something I can recommend. However, we discussed possible options, and it was decided to lower the dose dramatically, and to place me on prophylactic steroids and piriton prior to having chemo, in the hope that this would help. Needless to say, everyone was a little twitchy as the infusion started, and Paul was on standby, hovering over my buttocks with adrenaline, just in case!

Thankfully, no reaction, so the problem seems to be dose-related, rather than a sensitivity reaction. Of course, we are not totally out of the woods yet as the drug will accumulate over the next weeks, so we’ll see what happens as the course progresses.

But maybe we’ve just bought me a little more time, for which I am eternally grateful

We welcomed ‘home’ a very dear family friend at the beginning of November. Annie was born here but emigrated to Canada when only 5 years old, and hadn’t been back in almost 40 years. However, when she got the news that I was terminally ill, she immediately arranged to come and visit us for 12 days.

This coincided with Bonfire Night, and we all went to a bonfire and fireworks display held at one of our local churches. Annie was shown round the interior of the church by one of our friends, and then we enjoyed the heat from the bonfire and the splendid fireworks. Thankfully the weather was kind to us, and we managed to escape the heavy downpours which had been predicted for the evening.

A few days later, we met up for another ‘girlie get-together’, this time kindly hosted by Diane. So as not to be ‘exclusive’(!), this time we were joined by Paul (Gregory) and Paul (Hyde). Delicious food (including Banoffee Pie) was again provided by Diane, Dina, Judith, and Sue, and a thoroughly enjoyable time was had by all. Many thanks once again to everyone for making the effort to be there, and especially to Diane for her hospitality.

The following week we took a trip over to Haworth, home of the Brontes. The weather was beautiful that day, so Annie saw the gorgeous Yorkshire scenery at its very best. After a pleasant drive, we parked by the Parsonage and visited the church first before enjoying the delights of afternoon tea in one of the many tearooms which adorn the main street. We then took a tour of the Parsonage, which I remember from a school visit there in the early ’70s. I was in Bronte House, which meant a regulation visit to Haworth and the Parsonage to enhance the necessary school project on all things Brontarian (if such a word exists!).

A few days later, we drove to Harrogate to meet up with some of Annie’s English friends, Janet and Mike, whom Annie and her husband Art had met whilst on a cruise. We had arranged to meet with them, plus Dina, for lunch at Betty’s in the centre of Town. Paul was duly dispatched to queue (no bookings can be made), whilst Annie and I enjoyed a good catch-up chat in the car. We then had a delicious lunch before retiring back to Dina’s house to enjoy all the cakes that she had bought from the shop. Many thanks to Dina for looking after us so well – a lovely end to a lovely day!

Having been gently reminded that the blog is still here, and I have been failing in my duties as a blogger of late, a bit of good news after the grimness that was September.

Paul and I were presented with our first great-niece, Seren, on October 2nd. Daughter to Kirsty and Rich, and first grandchild for Jayne and Alan (Paul’s brother).

We raced up to Yarm to see the happy family the day after she was born, and the photo shows Seren (with her very proud great-aunt!) at less than 24-hours old.

And in case you were wondering about the title of this blog, Seren means ’star’ in Welsh

I got a phone call on Thursday to tell me my genetic typing result. I had a better than average (65%) chance of the tumour being susceptible, but unfortunately I fall into the 35% category, so can’t have the monoclonal antibody treatment.

So, I went for the usual chemo yesterday, and will go for my re-scheduled CT scan on Monday. I will get the result of the scan next Friday.

What a wonderful weekend of parties!

Last Friday evening, Faith, Dina, Diane, Sue and I went out to celebrate my birthday. We went to a local Italian restaurant, where we discovered – very bizarrely – that there was another Jane Gregory having a meal there, and Sue almost ended up with the wrong party! Thankfully, the girls didn’t subject me to the ultimate humiliation – wearing a hat with candles on whilst being serenaded (if that is the right word) by the rest of the diners! A lovely evening, and so nice to see everyone again.

On Saturday, Paul and I were invited to Jane Rowbotham’s for afternoon tea. Jane (for those of you who don’t know) is one of the Principal Tutors in Hygiene & Therapy at LDI, and had the misfortune to be the first person to be saddled with me when I started at the Dental School.

After a slight ‘incident’ on the way across (Paul had to do an emergency stop, so the bottles, which had been happily sitting on the back seat moments before, suddenly found themselves smashed on the floor), we arrived at Jane and Peter’s to find that most of my colleagues in H&T were there with their families. Jane had thoughtfully arranged superb weather, so we had a lovely afternoon in the garden, watching the children play whilst chatting away. Very many thanks to Jane for providing all the food and drinks – especially my surprise Birthday Cake – and to everyone for being there.

On Sunday, we had arranged to go for a meal at Cubley Hall near Penistone, with several friends. This was both a belated birthday meal and also a ‘farewell’ meal for Michael, who leaves for a year in Japan this week (Wednesday). The food was typically superb, and Jill had made and decorated a second birthday cake for me, so there was more singing and blowing-out of candles. A fantastic way to end a wonderful weekend – my heartfelt thanks to everyone for making it so special