Rob and I went to B&Q, just before my last chemo. My white cells have been down meaning I can more easily pick up colds, so when Rob was looking around the outdoor area I kept warm and stayed indoors. I was walking down the aisle and was looking at the plants. I used to do a bit of gardening when I lived in the last flat, I wasn’t very good.
But with a bit of time, and patience, the plants started to grow and the balcony looked great, ivy was even climbing the wall, and the smell of the herb garden was full. Even more scary, I realised I had hit the grand age where you are happy to say, “I enjoy gardening”!
I don't want to write about negative things, and also I don't want to upset anyone, but at times, you get down, and at that point, in the middle of B&Q, I felt a deep sadness. I wanted to grow plants again, but at that moment in time I felt I wouldn’t know if I would see the flowers bloom.
A friend in the past has said that I don't live enough in the now and I plan too much for tomorrow. I guess what they meant is, always planning something with my street food business etc.
Cancer violently throws you into a position where you suddenly live in the now, I don't really plan beyond next week. We should all live in the now as we do not know what is around the corner and cancer has made me appreciate this even more, and we should all take some time out of the day just to stop and just really be thankful for that day. But do you know what?
I can’t just live for the day any longer, I have a need, and that need is to try and put a bit of normality back into my life and that means put a bit of planning back into my life, we should all live for today, but also plan for tomorrow. Due to sickness from my chemo, the doctors and the hospital appointments, forward planning is limited, but not impossible. Suddenly with this new train of thought I feel very free - the freedom to plan.
Something has changed in me recently, as you may know yesterday I was in London having the RF ablation procedure, (not NanoKnife as I keep calling it) which I will blog about later.
I’ve been quite passive in the fight of cancer - the doctors tell me to take this pill and have this bag of chemo injected into my system and Rob tells me to take this vitamin pill etc, and I do it. But I do what I get told to do, I’m not very active in finding out what I should be doing myself.
A lady has contacted me via email this week (and I hope she doesn't mind me saying), called Annette, and Annette's family are going through the same stuff as Rob and our families are going through. Annette has said:
"Up until now we have all found it hard to smile but listening and reading things from you and Rob has lightened our spirit. We will continue to follow you both closely and thanks for being such great guys. Everything crossed for you and hope to keep in touch."
What a nice thing to say!
Annette also sent me a video of a gentleman who has pancreatic cancer and is trying all types of alternative medicine and he’s surviving.
This has made me think, and give myself a bit of a kick up the arse, stop feeling sorry for myself and just get on with the things I need to, things like planning to live for tomorrow.
Many years ago I used to perform stand-up comedy, this was when I lived in London when I was 19, so many many years ago. A couple of years ago I did try it again, and still enjoyed it, but holding down a full time job and then travelling to get to a gig and then staying ‘til late was exhausting, I started running the market stall and the gigs got less and less. But this week I saw that Matt Lucas had been tweeting and pushing awareness of pancreatic cancer. When I was in London, our paths crossed a few times as we were both were doing open mic nights. Matt was doing a character called "Sir Bernard Chumley" a very professional and polished act, and my act was more, I don't know, more panic attack! Sometimes it worked and then sometimes it involved 80 words a second, and my 10 minute act fitted into a sentence and the audience, well some of them gave me benefit of the doubt and thought it’s not quite comedy, but maybe it’s an art form when the others just thought it was just shit!
I said hello to Matt and thanked him for the pancreatic cancer awareness tweets, he tweeted back and said “Wishing you all the best x”. I have started to think more about that time and like I said, some gigs it worked and some gigs it didn't. I celebrated the good ones and kicked myself on the bad, but I now realise by living in the now but planning for tomorrow - as long as there’s enjoyment what does it matter? And without the bad gigs you don’t know if the jokes work or not.
So it doesn’t really matter. I’ve decided to get one or two gigs and do it purely for fun so if there are any of my comedy friends reading this, I am writing some new material and if you know of any open mic spots or comedy nights, please give me a shout.
More importantly, I have changed my mind, and with this, I went back to B&Q, and bought some plants. I now understand that I will not only enjoy the flowers when they bloom but also when they’re growing.
Tomorrow is chemo day! I saw one of the doctors yesterday, due to not having a car, and I am leaning on everyone right now, so my Mum came with me, the doctor asked in an round about way, if I was relying too much on my Mum, and maybe I should get out of bed when sick and exorcise for half an hour. I am not sure if they fully understand the state I get in when sick. I am nervous about tomorrow.
My cleaner, who is a really nice person, asked if I had ever turned to God, and even if I did just invite him in, I would be surprised.
Now, i am very opened minded about this kind of thing, and when I was young, I did go to Sunday School every week, until one week when cycling back I was hit by a car and decided that it was a sign of God and never went back after that. So I took my cleaners advice and I have invited him in!
I was NOT stud in the rain outside, naked, in a field, with thunder and lighting at the time, I think the invite happened half way though Judge Judy. Now this was about 4 weeks ago now, and so far a God like person as not knocked at the door, may be I should of done it in a field.
Friday 28 February 2014
Monday 24 February 2014
What to say with someone with cancer
I was told today that one of my old friends hasn't been in touch with me since October 2012 (when I was first diagnosed) as he didn't know what to say to me.
This has made me think, I kind of understand, I guess, I know I've been in situations where I'm not sure what to say or I've said the wrong thing.
A few weeks ago I was working behind the stall, and a couple walked up, and the lady was a dwarf. At the back of my head, a voice said "Don't say anything about her size", they both purchased, I made polite conversation, they both walked away and I suddenly notice that I said the words "small", "short", and "tiny' all in one unintentional sentence.
I'm trying to see it from others' point of view, how would I feel if I had to meet someone in my situation? I must admit, I'm not sure. But, I can see it may be awkward.
But it did get me thinking, and that's why I've come up with this list.
What to say and what not to say to someone with cancer:
Not sure what to say to those affected by cancer? One solution is, simply avoid them. But stop! Before you decide on avoidance remember this - cancer patients don't attack and bite into the ankle*, they haven't got the energy! So don't be scared, please use the advice below on how to handle a conversation with someone with cancer.
Do Say:
"Hello, how are you?"
People with cancer still have good days and bad, to say "Hello how are you is fine" (unless it's a bad day, and the response may be, "How the hell do you think I am?!")
Don't say:
[Wailing]
"First Hayley Cropper, and now you! Why why why?!"
Do say:
"So, what have you been up to?"
Living with cancer doesn't stop you from living, unless they're not living, and if that's the case, by asking "What have you been up to?", won't cause much offence anyway.
Don't say
"WOW, you look really shit!"
Cancer can slightly affect your esteem so tread carefully when talking about looks.
Do say:
"So, any news?"
People with cancer sometimes want to talk about cancer, but then sometimes they don't. Let them lead the conversion.
Don't say:
"Will you stop bloody complaining, you think you feel bad, you're giving me a headache!"
When approaching someone you know with cancer remember that they're still the person you knew before cancer, the situation has changed, they haven't.
*if the cancer patient does bite your ankle, try and look on the bright side, at least they will probably know the quickest way to A&E for you to get a Tetanus. Good Luck!
This has made me think, I kind of understand, I guess, I know I've been in situations where I'm not sure what to say or I've said the wrong thing.
A few weeks ago I was working behind the stall, and a couple walked up, and the lady was a dwarf. At the back of my head, a voice said "Don't say anything about her size", they both purchased, I made polite conversation, they both walked away and I suddenly notice that I said the words "small", "short", and "tiny' all in one unintentional sentence.
I'm trying to see it from others' point of view, how would I feel if I had to meet someone in my situation? I must admit, I'm not sure. But, I can see it may be awkward.
But it did get me thinking, and that's why I've come up with this list.
What to say and what not to say to someone with cancer:
Not sure what to say to those affected by cancer? One solution is, simply avoid them. But stop! Before you decide on avoidance remember this - cancer patients don't attack and bite into the ankle*, they haven't got the energy! So don't be scared, please use the advice below on how to handle a conversation with someone with cancer.
Do Say:
"Hello, how are you?"
People with cancer still have good days and bad, to say "Hello how are you is fine" (unless it's a bad day, and the response may be, "How the hell do you think I am?!")
Don't say:
[Wailing]
"First Hayley Cropper, and now you! Why why why?!"
Do say:
"So, what have you been up to?"
Living with cancer doesn't stop you from living, unless they're not living, and if that's the case, by asking "What have you been up to?", won't cause much offence anyway.
Don't say
"WOW, you look really shit!"
Cancer can slightly affect your esteem so tread carefully when talking about looks.
Do say:
"So, any news?"
People with cancer sometimes want to talk about cancer, but then sometimes they don't. Let them lead the conversion.
Don't say:
"Will you stop bloody complaining, you think you feel bad, you're giving me a headache!"
When approaching someone you know with cancer remember that they're still the person you knew before cancer, the situation has changed, they haven't.
*if the cancer patient does bite your ankle, try and look on the bright side, at least they will probably know the quickest way to A&E for you to get a Tetanus. Good Luck!
Friday 21 February 2014
Wednesday 19 February 2014
My second round of chemo
Over a week later and I woke up in bed to think where the hell have I been in the past 8 days.
Chemo was hard, for people that are about to have the same chemo, I must inform that my experience seems to be not normal, so please don't read my words and think this is what it will be like. Please read this about the cancer treatment and side effects
But it seems for me, I fit into that 5% that have a bad reaction to it, bloody brilliant! its been Hell.
The collection of drugs I take is called 'Folfox' which makes it sound more like a Northern 80s nightclub more than something that beds you for a week but when looking up one of the drugs (oxaliplatin) I was surprised to what it read on the Macmillan website.
Hair loss
Your hair may thin but you’re unlikely to lose all the hair from your head.
I had one chemotherapy, sneezed over breakfast and my hair was in my Frosties, what the hell is all that about.
So, Mum and me was in the chemo ward a week last Monday, I have an injection with a type of drug to stop two of the side effects happening from one of the chemotherapy, and thats sickness and abdominal pains, half an hour into the chemo the abdominal pain started. I guess i freaked out due to thinking that they have given me the drug, so why was it happening, its not a small pain, its a heavy paralysing shooting pain and due to the amount of pain, both me and my Mother both seemed to jump.
The nurse called for the Doctor and he came, the pain eased, and then came back, but then eased again, so I learnt, when it starts to hurt the best thing is, is to breath though it, as I knew it would settle down. Then I was sick.
After 3 hours of chemo, I am attached to a small plastic container with a deflating balloon inside, which pushes more chemo into my system for the next 48 hours, and dangling from my other arm is a compact plastic box containing a large injection that pushes anti sickness drugs for the next 48 hours, and with a look in the mirror, Im ready to hit the town!
Well, to be fair at that point the only thing I'm hitting is my bed. I guess I walk out of the ward and I kind of remember getting into Mums car, I'm not sure of the whole details, as from that point I feel totally drugged up, and I guess thats exactly what I am.
I have an idea on what happens throughout the week of been in bed, it starts off with a lot of sickness, and when sick my temperature raises very high, very quickly, its not a nice feeling, if feels like all the chemicals and poisons of the chemo are trying so hard to escape you are not just throwing them up, they are sweating out of every pores. When having chemo you should always watch your temperature, and if it goes over 37.5C, thats when you start to worry. But with this type of reaction I am sure my temperature goes sky high every time I am sick.
The sickness, wow, I am sick until nothing else can come out, but that doesn't stop my body from trying to get more out, and when it gets to that point, this vile green liquid spews, which I can taste the chemicals in, which makes me gag more, its bad but looking on the bright side! I know this only lasts two to three days.
Day three seems that there is a small light at the end of the tunnel, the sickness started to easy, there is a light.
But then the next stage happens and it is more subtle that the sickness stage, but it seems to last a lot longer. I felt I was hit by a bus, and then was in a comma, and then on day 8, when I woke up, i cried, In the joy that it felt like I had just got home form a very distant and dark and different place, a little battered and a little bruised, but still home.
I am having the nano knife surgery done a week on Thursday and a problem been, my chemo is on monday, I feel I am going to be in no state to have the chemo, and then days later travel to London to go to that ( I feel sorry for the person I will be sat next to on that train journey!) not sure what to do at this moment in time, the surgeons in London like you to have the chemo, and so do the Oncologist in Leeds. I'm not sure if it's physically possible.
Luckily that's where Pancreatic Cancer UK are great for advice, and there are always well known about each of the treatments. will call them today for advice.
When writing this blog I found it difficult to write about how the chemo was. I have three other blog items I have not published which where even more random than the ones I publish. I have been avoiding this one. But, last night I started to write it and once I did, it felt better. I know I have been quite descriptive on how bad it's been. I hope I have not offended anyone.
I have an pre-assessment, and I will let them know how it has been, hopefully they will give me more sickness drugs, but I will write about it on here.
This is now nine days after and I still feel light on my feet, but It's so nice to feel back to some kind of normal again.
Sunday 9 February 2014
Happy Valentine's
So, (hopefully) Happy Valentines day!
Valentines day used to be a just a day where I had to buy a card and a present. Since cancer, celebrations seem even more of a milestone. For valentines I have been thinking about the people around me, and In the sprit of the blog, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who as supported me through this cancer journey, I know this sounds a bit mushy and I can see most of my friends clicking the little X in the top right hand corner right now, but I am hoping due to it been valentines day, I will get away with it.
I am very lucky to have a lot of friends and family and even the ones that live away are always in touch and sending there wishes. My Mum comes to chemo with me and help run the business, Terry my step dad helps my business is able to still run, my Dad and Rita my step mum are back from Portugal and washing our clothes, Mary Robs Mum and family, Lee and Carrie, Graham, Josie, Michael, everyone at work, and all my brothers.... I really could go on, and I know you all know that, and I'm very thankful.
The reason why I have written this blog earlier is not because my Rob and me will be going out on valentines day for romantic meal for 2, the chances are he is probably running around with a sick bowl right now, whilst I'm calling his name each time the room spins, due to it been a chemo week.
Over a year ago at the hospital, when I found out I had cancer and was waiting for my operation, I was in the adjacent ward to a 30 something woman who had come in with her finonce, she found out she had a few weeks/months to live. Her finance left and never came back, he could not handle it, it would be easy to judge, how could someone do such a thing in those circumstances, I can honestly say, quite a few, It does happens a lot, and I would also say, I understand why it does too.
I know Rob and I didn't sign up to this when we both started out in a relationship, we were buying an house and creating our own family, Rob me and the dog.
If it wasn't for Rob I would not be alive now, I don't mean that using dramatic chat show style terminology, I mean it literally. It was Rob that pushed me to the doctors to get checked out and it was him that saw I was getting jaundice and pushed me back into the doctors, but I guess I also mean it in the chat show style too, I not sure how I could have done all the treatments, etc without him.
Rob will not be happy writing about him and sharing his name on such personal subjects, but I am hoping due to to the honesty of the blog and about writing about pancreatic cancer in all areas, I'm hoping by writing about reasonships and friendships, and it been valentines day, he will let me off :)
The thing is when something happens like cancer, the person with the cancer gets most of the attention, meanwhile, the ones supporting get very little.
I am not sure if i knew how much responsibility it would take to look after me. Everything from hospital visits, caring when sick for days, cooking and cleaning, taking to the hospital in the middle of the night when something as gone wrong, then re-organising all work plans due to no sleep. Trying to sort everything around chemo, and picking each other up when the others is down, and running Market Wraps, my business. It is not easy for Rob, or any other partner, family or friend looking after a cancer patent, and especially when they don't get many pats on the back for it.
I think back to the woman in the hospital, and I know how lucky I am.
At our civil partnership last year we left the organisation not just to the last minute, but to others to organise, (I can still see Robs family and mine running around making sandwiches) but at the end, it all came together, because the right people where there, the ones we love, and the ones that could not make it, we know they where thinking about us.
So, i wanted to turn that attention on everyone who really deserve it, and I wanted to use my blog this valentines day to say a very big thank you to Rob for all his support, and all my family and Robs family and my friends who gives me help, and I know they will be there if needed.
I wish you all a very happy valentines day...
Saturday 8 February 2014
BNP, Justin Bieber wigs and hypnotherapy
I look at myself in the mirror and can not decide if I look cancer victim or BNP member, Oh Christ! May be people think I look like a BNP cancer victim!
I have been looking at men's wigs, and I am surprised about the choice.
http://www.wigshow.co.uk/mens-kids-wigs/mens-wigs.html
There is even a Justin Bieber wig! I don't think I would suit that, I would look more like Elton John.
And there's these little numbers available.
They maybe a big choice but for now, I think I will stick with the BNP look.
A friend posted this pic on Facebook...
*(copy written joke of Carrie Hall)
So obviously there are a lot of physical changes happening to me, but at the same time psychological changes too.
In the blog I have talked about how I have built an association with the hosptal and feeling sick, so when I parked the car in any Muti-story I automatically felt sick as it reminded me of the Hosptal one, and anything that reminded me of the hospital I was or felt sick. Obviously this is all in the mind, and Rob suggested his friend who is a hypnotherapist.
Now I know she will read this so I hope I don't insult her but my first experience of hypnotherapy was not a convincing one. I had it when I was younger as I suffered from anxiety, and I was what the hypnotherapist called "hypnotised", personally I would of given it the more truthful description of "laid in a darken room with my eyes closed". I didn't want to tell her, as she seemed to get more out of it (not just £30 quid) than I did. I had to squeeze my finger every time I felt anxiety, I used to leave the hypnotherapist with a very sore finger!
Also at a friends wedding (Rowan.'s) I was dragged up and was "hypnotised", when I was in a trance, he told me when he claps his hand, I would think I look and sound like Robbie Williams, so with the clap of his hand, I pulled a chair forward and danced and sang like Robbie Williams! Sorry Rowan, but I must admit, I was not hypnotised. So why did I do it? Because I KNOW I look and sound like Robbie Williams! It doesn't take hypnotherapy for me to know that! I think the reason why he picked Robbie Williams was he prob heard me singing Angels in the toilet and thought, Robbie is that you....
I have gone slightly off point here, so when Rob recommended Tracy, the hypnotherapist, I did think well there is nothing to lose!
I am now so glad he did. Due to been ill at times we have done this over Skype. Tracy said she has not done this before and it may not work, I have had two so far, and I take it back about hypnotherapy. Even her voice seems to put me in a trance, and I can tell she puts a lot of work in before the treatment as it is very tailor-made. We are now not just working on my sickness, but how I am dealing with cancer and also even how my body is dealing with cancer.
Is it working? Well, I haven't been sick when talking about chemo, which I used to be, and after the sessions I feel great.
The last one Tracy said, you are in a lift, and you are on floor 0 and your going to floor 4, and the more you get closer the more relaxed you are. Now I got to floor 3 and I thought, it's not going to work this week, there is too much happening in my mind to be so relaxed and in a trance.
The next thing, Rob walks through the door and Tracy had to call him as it was an hour later and she could not wake me up! When Tracy told me what she had talked about it did ring a bell so it had gone in.
I am surprised to say, I am converted and I do recommended. Tracy is in the Rotherham area, but for me Skype works really well.
Tracy Is available for treatments and her number is: 07986 855991 (Tracy Woods)
And I am available for a bald BNP lookalike Robbie Williams tribute act, a must for kids party's.
Thursday 6 February 2014
Never let a doctor sit next to you
A friend said the other day said about my blog and how can i make jokes up when I have to handle all this? and I started to think about that.
Personally I think people who only can understand what it is like to have cancer, are the people that have or have had cancer or the people around them.
For me, how I deal with having pancreatic cancer was this, at the very start, it was like getting hit by a bus, there is so much to take in, you are unable to retain and collect and compute all the information.
I think that when doctors are in training, they are trained on how to reveal bad news to patients, and one of the teaching is, when revealing bad news to a patient in a hospital, sit next to them and make them sure there on the same eye level as you, and then you can communicate the bad news. I got to a point when the doctors where doing there rounds, I would lie in bed with my legs spread apart so there were unable to sit down.
But after the dust settles of the total shock of been told you have cancer, after what the body as to go throw via operations then 6 months of chemo, and then the total shock of it coming back again, when that ton of dust settles eventually settles, I ask myself:
I'm not sure how I should be handling this too?
There is no real teachings on how you should behave in these situations, you have seen them in soaps and seen actors performing them but if I am honest, I am not sure how i should be acting, so you act yourself.
I was not sure how people would react to me without no hair, my mates have reacted how they would reacted if I had not lost my hair.... by taking the piss, and people in shopping centres have started to be nice and open doors for me and that kind of thing which i must admit a little, I have started to take advantage of this a little.
Writing about talking advantage! when Rob and me stayed in a hotel a few weeks ago, I did something shameful and please don't judge me on this! When placing the internet booking, I did put "I have cancer" under the dietary requirements, insane? yes probably, but it did get us a free upgrade and a bottle of champaign on arrival!
I guess what I am trying to say is, you learn to live with it and not to feel sorry for yourself or walk around devastated but actually live, yes we have bad days! we have days where we fall apart, but we mostly have good days, and those good days make it all worth it.
Trip to London for Nanoknife
Rob and me went to London today, this was to find out if I was able to have the Nano-knife procedure.
Nanoknife is only available privately and not on the NHS and only available in London. We have come to see if it would be possible to have the procedure, this involves electrocuting the tumour to kill it. This means another scan and I always get nervous about having scans, the tumour is on the liver and is about 2cm, so you get scared it's grown or spread.
Pancreatic Cancer Action was on the radio about its new adverts with its slogan: "I wish I had testicular cancer" and also "I wish I had breast cancer" on LBC
I was interviewed on the way down to London after the gentleman who had testicular cancer and said it was disgusting, at this point the interviewer said we are going to talk to Carl next and he has pancreatic cancer and it may be a good thing to bring us both on to say our point of view, I am happy to say that they didn't do that, as that may of been slightly awkward.
I said that all cancers are terrible, but testicular has a 97% chance of survival when Pancreatic cancer as a 3% chance. I wish I had no cancer, but I wish I had the percentage of survival that testicular as.
Also if the advert said "I wish I had no cancer" then no one would be talking about it on the radio and it needs more media attention due to not changing in the past 20 years.
There has been mixed views on the subject on twitter about this.
We arrived in London, an hour before the meeting with Professor Leen at Hammersmith Hospital. I always get so nervous in hospitals. Professor Leen was really lovely, he made me feel at ease. I first had ultra sound, and noting was found, then there was ultra sound again but with dye.
The tumour was found, and this is the video of it, it is the round black shape in the top left, it has not grown, it is still 2cm, so far it had not spread, and it's not around anywhere dangerous so they are able to do the procedure. It's costing 13,000 pound. luckily I do have cover.
Rob and myself are throwing everything at it, and I will keep blogging to pass on to others the conclusions.
But for now, it's good news.
Also, thank you to you all reading my random blurs! The blog is getting around 200 to 600 hits a day, and I enjoy writing it, it helps me to put it all down.
So, thank you,
Carl x
Tuesday 4 February 2014
How to wind a vegan up!
After my operation last year, i was told i will now start to eat only small but often, and i do eat often, but i also eat a lot which at least I have got one of those things right.
Now people in my situation hang on to any hope they can get there hands on, and I had heard about this thing that people call "healthy eating" but to be honest Im not really into those faddy ideas and I prefire to stick to lard thank you very much, but when I met this lady in the chemo award and she told me about moving on to a diet that is vegan and with that her tumor had shrunk, me and Rob my partner decided to do the same.
Now i must admit, I can not really call it vegan, as very occasionally we do eat fish and organic chicken for protean, but if I get frustrated by my situation then the best therapy is find a vegan, tell them you are vegan, and then tell them you eat chicken and fish (its like lighting up a touch paper on a firework) and sometimes a right good argument does you the world of good, and due to the lack of meat, they have less energy to argue there point so you can usually win! A vegan on the internet said I had a ugly soul when i purposeless told her this, which I think is a bit strong for eating a bit of chicken but there you go!
So, the future is nut cutlets! and I must admit, I have really enjoying it so far, we have been a bit more adventures with veg so instead of just boiling some carrots we have added loads of flavorings to the veg (when i say flavorings i don't mean 'beef!') and we are both plesently surprised!
But, when we have gone out for food, it has been disappointing, we went to a vegan restaurant and ordered mushroom stroganoff (and when i was ordering it due to my dyslexic head, all i could read was beef stroganoff which had the vegan effect yet again!)
Do you know when your hungry and you want to fool yourself that your enjoying something, so our first mouthful we both said it was nice, but the 2nd we realised it tasted like dishwater, after pouring on a ton of salt and adding high blood preasure to my list of issues i have right now, i could taste it.
We have been to a few vegan/vegi cafes now and some are OK, but only one as been great and that was Prashad in Drighlington, which is an Indian restaurant and was a pleasure to go into a Indian restaurant and pick anything off the menu (the starters are amazing).
While I am on this rant, when you go to other restaurant and look at there vegetarian range, some can be really poor too. When you go to Franky and Benny's and order a vegetarian breakfast its like a normal breakfast without the bacon and saussage! not a vegi burger or vegi saussage in sight.
I have also been having supplements which I will talk about next time.
If you want any reference on why the hell I have given up meat, read this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5698784/Being-a-vegetarian-can-cut-your-risk-of-cancer-by-a-half-claim-scientists.html
Foods-That-Fight-Cancer
Dietary Fat, Especially From Red Meat, Dairy, Linked To Pancreatic Cancer
Now people in my situation hang on to any hope they can get there hands on, and I had heard about this thing that people call "healthy eating" but to be honest Im not really into those faddy ideas and I prefire to stick to lard thank you very much, but when I met this lady in the chemo award and she told me about moving on to a diet that is vegan and with that her tumor had shrunk, me and Rob my partner decided to do the same.
Now i must admit, I can not really call it vegan, as very occasionally we do eat fish and organic chicken for protean, but if I get frustrated by my situation then the best therapy is find a vegan, tell them you are vegan, and then tell them you eat chicken and fish (its like lighting up a touch paper on a firework) and sometimes a right good argument does you the world of good, and due to the lack of meat, they have less energy to argue there point so you can usually win! A vegan on the internet said I had a ugly soul when i purposeless told her this, which I think is a bit strong for eating a bit of chicken but there you go!
So, the future is nut cutlets! and I must admit, I have really enjoying it so far, we have been a bit more adventures with veg so instead of just boiling some carrots we have added loads of flavorings to the veg (when i say flavorings i don't mean 'beef!') and we are both plesently surprised!
But, when we have gone out for food, it has been disappointing, we went to a vegan restaurant and ordered mushroom stroganoff (and when i was ordering it due to my dyslexic head, all i could read was beef stroganoff which had the vegan effect yet again!)
Do you know when your hungry and you want to fool yourself that your enjoying something, so our first mouthful we both said it was nice, but the 2nd we realised it tasted like dishwater, after pouring on a ton of salt and adding high blood preasure to my list of issues i have right now, i could taste it.
We have been to a few vegan/vegi cafes now and some are OK, but only one as been great and that was Prashad in Drighlington, which is an Indian restaurant and was a pleasure to go into a Indian restaurant and pick anything off the menu (the starters are amazing).
While I am on this rant, when you go to other restaurant and look at there vegetarian range, some can be really poor too. When you go to Franky and Benny's and order a vegetarian breakfast its like a normal breakfast without the bacon and saussage! not a vegi burger or vegi saussage in sight.
I have also been having supplements which I will talk about next time.
If you want any reference on why the hell I have given up meat, read this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5698784/Being-a-vegetarian-can-cut-your-risk-of-cancer-by-a-half-claim-scientists.html
Foods-That-Fight-Cancer
Dietary Fat, Especially From Red Meat, Dairy, Linked To Pancreatic Cancer
Sunday 2 February 2014
Hair loss
A friend came to see me today and we were sat at the kitchen table when i looked down and saw some hair (which i thought was a bit minging). I had just cleaned the kitchen so could not understand it.
I carried on talking and saw some hair in my eyes, i pulled it away and touched my head, the next this, half my hair fell out.
Now, i knew i would have hair loss, and it doesn't really bother me, there are bigger things to worry about, but i didn't realise it would happen as dramatic as it did.
Its a bit like having a spot, you know you should not play with it, but you can not help yourself and each time i touched my head a shower of hair seem to fall down.
I decided to wash my hair and then brush it, not sure why as i haven't brushed my hair for 30 years, but it felt itchy.
I have been wearing a hat most of the night, and i was not going to put these photos on, but then i thought, what is the point of writing a blog about pancreatic cancer and the effects when i am going to hide what happens, and to be fair I'm glad i got to photo 4 and didn't stick to photo 3 for long!
I carried on talking and saw some hair in my eyes, i pulled it away and touched my head, the next this, half my hair fell out.
Now, i knew i would have hair loss, and it doesn't really bother me, there are bigger things to worry about, but i didn't realise it would happen as dramatic as it did.
Its a bit like having a spot, you know you should not play with it, but you can not help yourself and each time i touched my head a shower of hair seem to fall down.
I decided to wash my hair and then brush it, not sure why as i haven't brushed my hair for 30 years, but it felt itchy.
I have been wearing a hat most of the night, and i was not going to put these photos on, but then i thought, what is the point of writing a blog about pancreatic cancer and the effects when i am going to hide what happens, and to be fair I'm glad i got to photo 4 and didn't stick to photo 3 for long!
This morning, when i noticed the hair falling
After washing it (the Rooney look)
After drying it (the chuckle brother look)
after brushing it, (the breaking bad look)
I did not realise that this would happen all in a day, and the lack of hair makes my ears look even bigger! I am not in pain, and i am not feeling sick. I did say it would not bother me losing my hair and it doesn't but the way it happened is quite symbolic and i think that is what upsets you more than the hair loss its self. I am not sure if it is just hair loss or if i will also loss my facial hair, if i do I can at least pencil in some large expressive eyebrowes and freak people out in shopping centres purely for entertainment, or when I'm angry i can pencil them slightly pointy.
Saturday 1 February 2014
Reaction to chemo
Well...
I did want to do a more upto date blog article. I was going to have chemo and then after write what the chemo was like, but sadly I fitted into the 5% that had a bad reaction to them.
I even planned to do a picture every day of the changes to me and what the effects of chemo can have (in my head i was going to re-enact the person on youTube signing and dancing in the chemo ward attached to a drip while dancing to a Kelly Clarkson song) but believe me i was unable to lift my head off the pillow, never mind smile for a selfy!
I can not really remember what it was like, after having my treatment all was well until i got home,
thinking back it's all bit of a blur but first there was sickness, a lot of sickness. I did not eat before the chemo and i wish i did, i felt that maybe i should not have had chemo on a empty stomach. The sickness is grim, like i said i did fall into the 5% that have a reaction so if you are reading this and about to have chemo for the first time, try and not to worry.
The sick was green! a very bile sickness, it was not nice. I had to go back into hospital and I think I was there for about 3 days, but yet again i am not sure. I was in and out of sleep.
My visitors probably regretted visiting due to the high costs of the Yorkshire Cancer Centre car park and the lack of communcation out of me (on the other hand this may of been a blessing).
It was nice to get back home, but then the diarrhoea started, and at this point of reading this blog, you probably will be thinking why didn't I read the blog about flower arranging or something a little more plesent.
So back to the hospital it was for another 3 days, the good news is each night i stay in hospital I get paid due to my private health care, which is almost getting to be my full time job these days.
The nurses had a welcome back party for me (which i was so out of it the first time I went in I could not remember what i had said, or who they all were) but still, there were really caring.
If you ever want your own room in hosptial just say you have diarrhoea and you will get your own private en suite room, this does come with a warning, the only down side is your not allowed to leave the room, and after 3 days you do realise why the windows don't open.
Another 3 days in hospital and i started to come back to the land of the living. When your sick after chemo, you really appreciate the time when your not sick.
The next time I have chemo there are going to fill me with sickness drugs, i am hoping that all will be better the next time around than this.
I even planned to do a picture every day of the changes to me and what the effects of chemo can have (in my head i was going to re-enact the person on youTube signing and dancing in the chemo ward attached to a drip while dancing to a Kelly Clarkson song) but believe me i was unable to lift my head off the pillow, never mind smile for a selfy!
I can not really remember what it was like, after having my treatment all was well until i got home,
thinking back it's all bit of a blur but first there was sickness, a lot of sickness. I did not eat before the chemo and i wish i did, i felt that maybe i should not have had chemo on a empty stomach. The sickness is grim, like i said i did fall into the 5% that have a reaction so if you are reading this and about to have chemo for the first time, try and not to worry.
The sick was green! a very bile sickness, it was not nice. I had to go back into hospital and I think I was there for about 3 days, but yet again i am not sure. I was in and out of sleep.
My visitors probably regretted visiting due to the high costs of the Yorkshire Cancer Centre car park and the lack of communcation out of me (on the other hand this may of been a blessing).
It was nice to get back home, but then the diarrhoea started, and at this point of reading this blog, you probably will be thinking why didn't I read the blog about flower arranging or something a little more plesent.
So back to the hospital it was for another 3 days, the good news is each night i stay in hospital I get paid due to my private health care, which is almost getting to be my full time job these days.
The nurses had a welcome back party for me (which i was so out of it the first time I went in I could not remember what i had said, or who they all were) but still, there were really caring.
If you ever want your own room in hosptial just say you have diarrhoea and you will get your own private en suite room, this does come with a warning, the only down side is your not allowed to leave the room, and after 3 days you do realise why the windows don't open.
Another 3 days in hospital and i started to come back to the land of the living. When your sick after chemo, you really appreciate the time when your not sick.
The next time I have chemo there are going to fill me with sickness drugs, i am hoping that all will be better the next time around than this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)