54. Round 2 Paclitaxel

Maureen (my mentor Maureen not Maureen my former colleague with her defiant high heels) sacrificed a whole afternoon for what was basically a 90 minute treatment for me. It’s very reassuring to have her around - she has a lot of insight.  Over 5 hours is beyond the call of friendship!

It’s too soon to find out how it affects me. Last week wasn’t great but it didn’t debilitate me to the point of not functioning. I just need to make sure I don’t succumb to the dreaded numb limbs and nerve damage (which, btw, can be permanent - they just sneak that little bit in where it’s barely noticeable). Soon as I got home, having remembered my homoeopathic remedies at the right stages, I went into eating mode and haven’t stopped in 2 hours. Of course not all of it is healthy (face it, most is distinctly not, like the Cadbury’s) but I’m just grateful to find things that taste.

At Nurse T’s suggestion, I took my electronic thermometer and compared results with the hospital’s ear thermometer. TWO degrees difference in the same body at the same time. This is mine, theirs said 36.8!

Obviously it has to go back and I’ll invest in the ear thermometer (it just seemed a bit excessive at the time for someone who hadn’t used a thermometer for decades). But it takes me back to that night when, had I not rung the emergency number to appease anxious Dennis, had I stuck with the temperature readings I was getting, I would have been increasing my chances of a fatal infection by the hour. 37.3, which I thought too low to worry about, must have been close to 39. It’s quite a scary thought. So I don’t think I’ll buy Lloyds again, just request a refund and an explanation (if they have one).

Meantime, there are reports in the press about the low uptake of breast screening and letters saying how essential it is as it saves lives...Hmmm, don’t put all your faith in it. It’s not infallible. Maybe we need a campaign for teenagers to get friendly with their boobs, know every nook and cranny, every bump, lump and rib while they know they are healthy. Self-examination with the right knowledge seems way more important than screening which isn’t available till you’re ‘old anyway.’ Get young women to know their boobs and feel confident. But I still want to research the data about breast cancer screenings missing the signs...One day.

Next I’m going to have a go at some creative writing, which has been on hold too long. The perfect 300 word challenge has cropped up: Finding Something Unexpected. Think I have a bit of atobiographical cathartic writing I can have a go at. Might be fun.