Me me, me me-me me...

as our friend Gregory likes to say.

My home internet is causing trouble, so there may be fewer posts for a while. Dunno what's wrong. (What do I look like, some kind of computer geek?) I'm trying to get the Telecom Italia guy to come fix it. Running for now on my mobile internet stick, but not sure it has more than a couple of hours left on it.

In the meantime, I just thought I'd throw out a little health update since people are asking.

We're at Chemo III + 11, and I'm getting better much faster than expected. I am out of the wheelchair at home and walking about the flat without difficulty, and even made it to the shop and back the other day. Last night managed to get in a little swim in the evening followed by a burger at the pub after. Big night out!

Nausea is over, pain is mostly under control, though I'm guzzling down the maximum allowable dose of a fairly powerful painkiller and probably will for a while yet. The neuropathy is a bit worse than last time, my feet and fingers are numb and if I miss a dose of painkiller or am late with it, I hear about it right quick. But it isn't getting any worse and there isn't going to be any more chemo, so the nerves will now be able to start healing. They're only worried about my liver, so I'm still taking a bunch of liver-fixing drugs. I'm sure it will like me again soon. I've even still got most of my eyelashes.

I seem to be doing this weird thing of having an Up Day full of energy, followed by a day of total somnolence. It's kind of like a mini bi-polar disorder.

On an Up Day, I accomplish amazing, superheroic feats of normality: walking more than two blocks without resting! Doing laundry! Cleaning the bathroom! Cooking dinner! etc. On these days I invariably think, "Whoopee! I'm all better! Time to get back to work and do lots of stuff!!! Woot!"

Then I start chanting "Normal-life! Normal-Life! Normal-Life!"

The difficulty comes the next day. The Sleepy Day.

Last week I had two Up Days in a row and of course, thought, "Hey, I'd sure love to go into Rome for Mass this Sunday. It's been ages and I feel great!"

Sunday, as it happens, was a Sleepy Day however. Fortunately, my loyal friend decided that it would be best to take the wheelchair and was willing to show up at my place and push me around all day. It turned out to be a very smart idea. Slept on the train into the City, drifted off to visit the mermaids during the Mass, was a zombie at lunch and slept again all the way home on the train-o. Got home, and zonked out on the sofa for five hours, got up, had something to eat and was out for the night by ten.

So, my body will continue tricking me, I guess. I had my little Up Day yesterday, even went to the beach-o (yes, I know the Italian: spiaggia, OK?) and had a little splash about. Went to Monkeys pub after for a hamburger and a Coke and walked home after with no trouble.

For which I am now paying.

Anyway, things are going pretty well, over all. Better than expected, in fact. I've been inundated with people emailing and saying they're praying and having Thoughts for me. I've been overwhelmed with people coming over and helping during the period when I really couldn't get out of bed at all. There hasn't been a moment when I've needed help and it hasn't been there. So things are good. The weather is even being fairly cooperative.

I am REALLY looking forward to getting back to Normal Life, but the Up/Down thing might be going on for a while I suppose.

Now we have to wait to see if the chemo has had the desired effect. I am scheduled for another MRI/CT scan on Thursday, and for a PET scan some time soon. Whether the tumour has shrunk or not, I will be having surgery in a month or so, when my immune system is back up and running.

Then, at last, it should be over for the most part.



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