Chilly Willy

You may be pleased to hear that life here at Colon Towers has been pretty ‘normal’ for the past few weeks.  We (me and Mrs W) are now settled in to a routine with the chemotherapy treatment that is following a pretty regular pattern through each dose.  I am now four doses in, to what is likely to be twelve dose total over six months.  Dose three and four have been at full strength, as up to that point I was tolerating the treatment well, with very few side effects.  Following the increase in dose strength, I have continued to cope well although I am experiencing one or two ill-effects that although tolerable are not pleasant.

Worst of all is an increased sensitivity to the cold and cold things.  If I am stupid enough (and I am regularly) to grab something from the freezer, then I experience a sharp burning sensation through my fingers.  Cool breezes are very noticeable and best avoided and cold drinks are off the list as these result in a very unpleasant feeling in my throat.  However, I know that I have got away on the lucky-side so far and whilst I would rather not have to experience the side-effects they are minor when compared to some of the more fearsome effects that chemo can have.

Listening to PM on Radio 4 last night, I heard Steve Hewlett, BBC media commentator and Guardian columnist, announce that he had been diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus.  I have always liked him, as he tends to present topics with little or no bullshit.  He spoke about his own experiences having been diagnosed earlier this year and many of which them with my own.  But one thought really resonated with my own personal experience of this thing.  Steve talked about the very difficult task of breaking the news to his loved ones and how it affected him, the words that really hit home were “you know what they mean to you, but you don’t really know what you mean to them”.

I wish him well.

Working hard at the moment to find my next client and to getting back to work as I really need to get the braincells churning once again.  So that’s the challenge for the next few weeks, along with staying away from the freezer section in Waitrose.