Well I think it's time for me to abandon this blog as nothing much is happening treatment-wise and my life really isn't interesting enough to carry on posting.
I'll quickly say that the result of my first heart scan showed that there was no significant change in my heart function, which means I can carry on with receiving Herceptin. I've had five sessions, 13 to go.
So a big thank you to everyone for keeping me company and giving me support during what has been a bit of a challenging year. It made a big difference, especially when not feeling at my best, so it has been gratefully appreciated.
I leave you by wishing you all a Merry Christmas. Here's hoping 2008 will be exceptional for everyone, and for all the good reasons.
20 December 2007
30 November 2007
Training
There isn't much to report, which isn't a bad thing I guess. 'Work' is going well, I'm enjoying going there every week even if the task isn't exactly fulfilling. There are plenty of opportunities to do some more hands-on volunteering there and I'm looking into doing a couple of things. The only problem is my body as I'm not quite sure how much physical work it can take, but they're fairly flexible. I'd be quite interested in volunteering in their wildlife garden as it would nicely complement the Wildlife Gardening course I'm taking. There's also a water vole project which I'm hoping to get involved in.
One of the reasons I'm quite keen to do more with them is that they've offered me the opportunity to go on a training course on MapInfo, which is a GIS software quite widely used. They're not paying for the whole of the course but they are contributing towards the costs. It'd be a bit silly of me to miss out on it since a Masters in GIS is still on the cards. I'm very, very grateful for this opportunity.
Other than that, the knitting's going well. I'm a tad obsessive at times so I'm spending hours doing it instead of getting in touch with people or studying. Hopefully that will wear off. Especially as I've registered for an Open University course - a research course on geohazards. I'm looking forward to it, and I'm hoping it'll come in handy at some point. I'm thinking of writing my project on floods if possible.
Things are looking good in other words. I hope they are for you too.
One of the reasons I'm quite keen to do more with them is that they've offered me the opportunity to go on a training course on MapInfo, which is a GIS software quite widely used. They're not paying for the whole of the course but they are contributing towards the costs. It'd be a bit silly of me to miss out on it since a Masters in GIS is still on the cards. I'm very, very grateful for this opportunity.
Other than that, the knitting's going well. I'm a tad obsessive at times so I'm spending hours doing it instead of getting in touch with people or studying. Hopefully that will wear off. Especially as I've registered for an Open University course - a research course on geohazards. I'm looking forward to it, and I'm hoping it'll come in handy at some point. I'm thinking of writing my project on floods if possible.
Things are looking good in other words. I hope they are for you too.
21 November 2007
Treatment and first proper day at work
First of all, thank you all for my birthday messages, emails, cards and pressies. I had a good day once the trip to hospital was over. One of my presents was a knitting kit, as I'd said I wanted to try it again after being told by a teacher that I wasn't much good at it - childhood scars, eh? My hands and arms are now hurting quite a lot, which is a clear indication of my level of fitness. Appalling.
My first day at 'work' went very well. I was basically inducted - and not induced - and shown how to use the software. It doesn't seem to be too complicated - at least I hope so - and everyone seems very friendly. We - the other volunteer and I - were told several times that they would be opportunities to do different types of jobs, so it's all looking very promising. I gather the Trust is expanding and there certainly seemed to be a lot going on. I'll be working Thursdays to start with, and should be able to increase the number of days in the future. They took on five volunteers out of 33 applicants, so I'm very happy I was taken on.
I had my fourth Herceptin lot on Monday. It was fairly straightforward, as always, and I sat next to my friend Leslie and chatted for the whole session. It's nice to be able to talk to people who've been through the same thing. She told me that if you miss a session, and miss your 28-day window between treatments, you have to start from scratch. I had no idea. I should get a heart scan in the next couple of weeks to see whether it's affecting my heart, but I'm not worried either way. It would be better if I didn't have to stop treatment, obviously, but any damage should be reversible.
I got a text from a friend in Switzerland. We were in primary school together but I hadn't heard from her in a long time. It turns out she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, too. It came as a bit of a shock. She seems fine and I hope I'll be able to catch up with her soon enough. That's three friends of mine who have had cancer, and I find it worrying. It just goes to show that it's affecting young people more and more and there's no room for complacency.
On this rather sombre note, I'm off to rest my arms. Hope you're all well and happy.
My first day at 'work' went very well. I was basically inducted - and not induced - and shown how to use the software. It doesn't seem to be too complicated - at least I hope so - and everyone seems very friendly. We - the other volunteer and I - were told several times that they would be opportunities to do different types of jobs, so it's all looking very promising. I gather the Trust is expanding and there certainly seemed to be a lot going on. I'll be working Thursdays to start with, and should be able to increase the number of days in the future. They took on five volunteers out of 33 applicants, so I'm very happy I was taken on.
I had my fourth Herceptin lot on Monday. It was fairly straightforward, as always, and I sat next to my friend Leslie and chatted for the whole session. It's nice to be able to talk to people who've been through the same thing. She told me that if you miss a session, and miss your 28-day window between treatments, you have to start from scratch. I had no idea. I should get a heart scan in the next couple of weeks to see whether it's affecting my heart, but I'm not worried either way. It would be better if I didn't have to stop treatment, obviously, but any damage should be reversible.
I got a text from a friend in Switzerland. We were in primary school together but I hadn't heard from her in a long time. It turns out she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, too. It came as a bit of a shock. She seems fine and I hope I'll be able to catch up with her soon enough. That's three friends of mine who have had cancer, and I find it worrying. It just goes to show that it's affecting young people more and more and there's no room for complacency.
On this rather sombre note, I'm off to rest my arms. Hope you're all well and happy.
16 November 2007
New job starts today
Well I start my new 'job' at 11am today and I have to say I'm a bit anxious. My Mum reminded me that I haven't worked in over 10 years and it all suddenly seems daunting. Still, I'm sure it'll be fine.
I had an appointment with my oncologist this week and it went very well. My mammogram came back clear so I can try to relax about that abnormal tissue in my other breast. I'm getting my next dose of Herceptin on Monday - my birthday, now can you think of a better way to spend it than on the chemo unit? - and I should be getting a heart scan in the next few weeks. The oncologist doesn't believe I'm at risk of heart damage but obviously they need to be sure. They stop Herceptin if your heart function decreases by 10% or more. The good news is that the damage is mainly reversible, so whatever happens, I'll be fine.
I'm adding a few photos. The first is of the smoke I could see when the fire broke in one of the Olympics' site. It doesn't do the scale of it justice - it was impressive. Thankfully the winds were blowing that horrid smoke away from us.
As you know, I have bird food placed on the tree in front of my room. I've seen a few species feed on it - mainly blue and great tits and starlings - but I had a surprise visitor this week which was clearly hungry. I didn't expect to see a grey squirrel on an urban street but there you go.
Another shot of the obviously starving thief.
And him sitting there looking at me, crumbs all around his little mouth.
I don't think he's come back again but I'm keeping an eye on it. Not that he responded when I tried to shoo him off.
I hope you're all well. I know I owe people emails and I will do my best to get some written very soon but special messages required.
First, to Isabelle and Yann, who are expecting their first baby. I'm so happy for you - felicitations! J'espere que tout se passe, et se passera, pour le mieux, et je suis impatiente de voir la nouvelle addition (quadrilingue!) faire son entree.
Last but not least, to Justin: Happy 6th Birthday! I hope you have a great time today and get lots of presents and cake. Hopefully I'll talk to you later.
I had an appointment with my oncologist this week and it went very well. My mammogram came back clear so I can try to relax about that abnormal tissue in my other breast. I'm getting my next dose of Herceptin on Monday - my birthday, now can you think of a better way to spend it than on the chemo unit? - and I should be getting a heart scan in the next few weeks. The oncologist doesn't believe I'm at risk of heart damage but obviously they need to be sure. They stop Herceptin if your heart function decreases by 10% or more. The good news is that the damage is mainly reversible, so whatever happens, I'll be fine.
I'm adding a few photos. The first is of the smoke I could see when the fire broke in one of the Olympics' site. It doesn't do the scale of it justice - it was impressive. Thankfully the winds were blowing that horrid smoke away from us.
As you know, I have bird food placed on the tree in front of my room. I've seen a few species feed on it - mainly blue and great tits and starlings - but I had a surprise visitor this week which was clearly hungry. I didn't expect to see a grey squirrel on an urban street but there you go.
Another shot of the obviously starving thief.
And him sitting there looking at me, crumbs all around his little mouth.
I don't think he's come back again but I'm keeping an eye on it. Not that he responded when I tried to shoo him off.
I hope you're all well. I know I owe people emails and I will do my best to get some written very soon but special messages required.
First, to Isabelle and Yann, who are expecting their first baby. I'm so happy for you - felicitations! J'espere que tout se passe, et se passera, pour le mieux, et je suis impatiente de voir la nouvelle addition (quadrilingue!) faire son entree.
Last but not least, to Justin: Happy 6th Birthday! I hope you have a great time today and get lots of presents and cake. Hopefully I'll talk to you later.
09 November 2007
Headaches, migraines and a job
Thought it was time to update you on how things are going. I'm having a few problems with headaches, which I believe are caused by Herceptin. I ended up having two migraines last week and - would you believe it - they have left me feeling quite tired. I think it's not unusual when you're taking Herceptin to have such problems but I'm not very good at not knowing. I'm seeing my oncologist next week so I'll mention it to her and see what she has to say. This week actually hasn't been too bad - I'm just exhausted.
On a more positive note, I got myself the ideal volunteering post. It's one day a week, office-based at the London Wildlife Trust. I'll be working as part of the London Biodiversity Partnership and this will involve entering data in Recorder, which is the primary database used in conservation. They haven't said what I'll be doing exactly but it involves all things linked to survey work. They have warned me that it will involve 'routine work' but I'm not particularly fussed. There should also be plenty of scope to get training if I stay there long enough. It really is the ideal opportunity for me, and I'm very happy I got it. The whole process of getting it was a bit vague: I had to send in a CV and a statement - "How I will use this experience to benefit wildlife conservation" (120 words) - and attend an informal interview. But all along, I had no idea what they expected of applicants so I just went with the flow, as they say. I had the interview last Friday and got the phone call yesterday - it's been a long week. I knew they were interviewing people on Tuesday of this week, too, so it meant having to be patient and hope for the best. Anyway, here I am - very, very happy. I've also been teaching myself a new programming language (PHP, for those who know what it is) and despite a few problems with the software, it's now all running smoothly-ish. I'm happy.
Michael, it was great to see you again, even if it meant missing the Liverpool game ;)
Hope you're all looking forward to a good weekend.
On a more positive note, I got myself the ideal volunteering post. It's one day a week, office-based at the London Wildlife Trust. I'll be working as part of the London Biodiversity Partnership and this will involve entering data in Recorder, which is the primary database used in conservation. They haven't said what I'll be doing exactly but it involves all things linked to survey work. They have warned me that it will involve 'routine work' but I'm not particularly fussed. There should also be plenty of scope to get training if I stay there long enough. It really is the ideal opportunity for me, and I'm very happy I got it. The whole process of getting it was a bit vague: I had to send in a CV and a statement - "How I will use this experience to benefit wildlife conservation" (120 words) - and attend an informal interview. But all along, I had no idea what they expected of applicants so I just went with the flow, as they say. I had the interview last Friday and got the phone call yesterday - it's been a long week. I knew they were interviewing people on Tuesday of this week, too, so it meant having to be patient and hope for the best. Anyway, here I am - very, very happy. I've also been teaching myself a new programming language (PHP, for those who know what it is) and despite a few problems with the software, it's now all running smoothly-ish. I'm happy.
Michael, it was great to see you again, even if it meant missing the Liverpool game ;)
Hope you're all looking forward to a good weekend.
29 October 2007
Herceptin #3 and conspiring hair
I'm off for my third Herceptin session this morning. I've got an early-ish appointment and I'm hoping I'll be seen more or less on time as it should mean being done before the poor souls around me start getting the nasty drugs. It's kinder on my nerves this way. I'm not holding my breath though. I'll probably be boring you with how Herceptin works soon, it's quite interesting if you're into such things.
These past few days have been quiet again. Going out made me very tired, and my sleep has been interrupted by some ulcer-type pain, which is not unusual for me. This has resulted in me being a bit of a zombie for the past few days. Still, I managed to go shopping on Friday - Oxford Street no less - as my weight isn't budging much and I've not clothes that fit. I managed to get a few items but I can't say it was enjoyable. My weight and body shape are starting to stress me now so having to try on a number of trousers was slightly depressing. Anyway, to cheer myself up, I decided to dye my hair. So far, whatever I've used has resulted in me getting orange hair - auburn and copper both led to orange/ginger hair, and golden blonde to light orange. Since I wanted orange hair again, I opted for auburn. And yes, you've guessed it, my hair's now auburn. I suspect this is good news as it should mean my hair's thickening.
Oh, I've finally updated Bradley and Laura's website - you can check the wedding photos and profiles if you don't believe me. Oh and good luck to those starting new jobs - I'll be thinking of you.
I'd better be off. Be good and enjoy your day/evening.
These past few days have been quiet again. Going out made me very tired, and my sleep has been interrupted by some ulcer-type pain, which is not unusual for me. This has resulted in me being a bit of a zombie for the past few days. Still, I managed to go shopping on Friday - Oxford Street no less - as my weight isn't budging much and I've not clothes that fit. I managed to get a few items but I can't say it was enjoyable. My weight and body shape are starting to stress me now so having to try on a number of trousers was slightly depressing. Anyway, to cheer myself up, I decided to dye my hair. So far, whatever I've used has resulted in me getting orange hair - auburn and copper both led to orange/ginger hair, and golden blonde to light orange. Since I wanted orange hair again, I opted for auburn. And yes, you've guessed it, my hair's now auburn. I suspect this is good news as it should mean my hair's thickening.
Oh, I've finally updated Bradley and Laura's website - you can check the wedding photos and profiles if you don't believe me. Oh and good luck to those starting new jobs - I'll be thinking of you.
I'd better be off. Be good and enjoy your day/evening.
24 October 2007
Autumn walks
Nothing of much interest is happening at the moment. I'm working on some web design and trying to be patient - I'm quite frustrated at not being able to do much but I'm not managing to settle down to much of what I can do either. Still, I was wheeled around Kew Gardens (again) and Battersea Park in the past few days so I'm attaching some photos.
This was a posing cormorant that more or less welcomed us as we got in. It stayed with its wings stretched for some time - probably trying to dry them, unless it's a specific behaviour I'm not aware of.
This is one of the lakes and the building (on the right) which houses the permanent Plants and People Exhibition.
And this is just a typical autumnal photo. We went along a path that could easily have been named the 'world oak path', with a number of indigenous and introduced species. It was interesting to see the different leaf shapes and stages.
Last week I was able to go to Battersea Park and managed to get a decent picture of a heron. They are either very photogenic or I'm very lucky when I take a photo of them.
I'm hoping to go to the Wetland Centre and Richmond Park in the next few days - it's the perfect time of the year for it all, especially if you're lucky enough to have good weather.
My headaches are still a bit of a problem. I've worked out it's down to posture most of the time so I'm being careful and it's helping. Tiredness is certainly not helping and I need to make sure I drink enough water, which I don't always do. But I'm happy enough, things are progressing and I'm now considering going away - Cheshire and Cornwall are on the cards if people will have me there...
If you have the time, check Bradley and Laura's blog - I'm not even remotely jealous.
This was a posing cormorant that more or less welcomed us as we got in. It stayed with its wings stretched for some time - probably trying to dry them, unless it's a specific behaviour I'm not aware of.
This is one of the lakes and the building (on the right) which houses the permanent Plants and People Exhibition.
And this is just a typical autumnal photo. We went along a path that could easily have been named the 'world oak path', with a number of indigenous and introduced species. It was interesting to see the different leaf shapes and stages.
Last week I was able to go to Battersea Park and managed to get a decent picture of a heron. They are either very photogenic or I'm very lucky when I take a photo of them.I'm hoping to go to the Wetland Centre and Richmond Park in the next few days - it's the perfect time of the year for it all, especially if you're lucky enough to have good weather.
My headaches are still a bit of a problem. I've worked out it's down to posture most of the time so I'm being careful and it's helping. Tiredness is certainly not helping and I need to make sure I drink enough water, which I don't always do. But I'm happy enough, things are progressing and I'm now considering going away - Cheshire and Cornwall are on the cards if people will have me there...
If you have the time, check Bradley and Laura's blog - I'm not even remotely jealous.
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