Hi All
New year and a new blogger - this is an entry from me, Martin.
This leg of the journey has been just as revealing as the others. As you know Vicky had the 3rd chemo last Thursday, a familiar event itself by now but not the consequences. Vicky's starting point is getting lower each course. Even though she tried to do as little possible (not easy as you all know her well ! ) over Christmas, she felt washed out on Thursday before the nurse had even arrived.
The medicine takes a few hours before it starts to make her feel crap. Mixed with feeling tired, achy, and sick it's been a tough few days and nights. We've both noticed it takes slightly longer before we start to see a gradual improvement. Another issue which seems to be getting worse is Vicky's hand. After each treatment the back of her hand, where the drugs go in, has been sore but this time it did swell up quite noticeably and the swelling spread to her lower arm. It has settled down now but it was a bit worrying. Popeye would have been proud of a forearm like hers.
We did try and get out of the house... retail therapy is ALWAYS a reason for Vicky to get up and out. John Lewis, M&S and B & Q.. not quite Oxford Street but necessary nonetheless. Even this little jaunt proved hard work but at least I got the things I needed to carry on with my DIY jobs.
We had a quiet New Years Eve.. Popped next door to Pete & Anne's early evening for a drink. Then, we just snuggled up on the sofa and played Frustration with Iona. She's a demon with the dice that girl.. just how many sixes can one person throw on the trot ! Iona did win and we sent her to bed, not because she won of course but it was getting late ! We opened up a bottle of Moet to cheer us up, Vicky struggled through half a glass while I guzzled the rest.. well it would have been a shame to waste it. Ok the lager and few glasses of brandy were excessive I agree. We managed to stay up til midnight.. Very easy these days to confuse the New Year with November 5th !! ( grumpy old man syndrome setting in early!! ).
New Years Day started without any breakable resolutions being set.. we thought that would suit us fine. .the six pack will have to wait another year. This year it's simply a case of New Year new hope..
I'd just like to thank all of you for all your support. Either by simply reading the blog or by leaving a message. It's a fantastic distraction and the kindness, love and energy helps us all.
I wish you all a very happy 2007.
Love from Martin x
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18 comments:
Hi Vicky, Martin and Iona,
Happy New Year to you too - sorry to hear that Vicky has had a bad time following the chemo again, but hope that she picks up before too long.
Love,
Karen xx
V,M and I - Happy and hopeful New Year to you guys and to all the other bloggers. So glad you had a good Christmas and well done for staying up till midnight last night - we just about made it too!
Great to hear from you Martin - I always love to see Vicky's entries of course but it was really nice to hear from you too. Vicky, I do hope you start to pick up again v v soon so you can have a decent period of 'wellness' before the next session. Keep your spirits high - we're still all with you and rooting for you. Keep going for it girl!
Love
Diana
xxx
Happy New Year Vicky, Martin and Iona! You did better than me - I was in bed at 11pm - and very grumpy old lady as the fireworks kicked off!!
Hope you're feeling a bit better soon Vicky, amd keep up the shopping...it's therepeutic, definitely! (and usually my excuse). See you soon.
Love
Kate xxx
Hey Vicky,
Aww, I hope you'll be feeling better soon. Happy New Year and welcome to the world of ipods! Good to hear you've been keeping Martin busy with DIYing. I've been keeping poor Aharon busy with carrying all my shopping bags as we trail around the shops.
So now I'll have to find a top celeb to sign the Bristol guide. Hmmm.... Joe Pasquale?! Maybe not. I had the pleasure of meeting Jonny Wilkinson at the London Marathon a few years ago. It's just shame that it was pouring with rain and I was wearing my tightly zipped cagoule as he scribbled his name on my soggy sheet of notepad!
Anyway, best go as it's late and I need some sleep as it's back to k tomorrow. okbye!
Emma xxx
Hi Martin, Vicky and Iona
Happy New Year and yes, agree new hope as it brings Vicky beyond the half way mark of her treatment.
We're 5 hours behind your time in Canada and at 7pm we toasted you all in the UK and raised our glasses especially to you three. You have a whole Canadian following and support you have never met!
I could have quite happily been in bed by 10pm having 'done' the New Year already but we share time with New York so watched the Times Square Times celebration - bit different to the 'Hootenanny' from home where the music is definitely better!!
No fireworks here at all, I remember the problem in Bristol was always you could hear them but never see them, which is what used to make me grumpy!
Good luck with the next stretch, lots of love to you all,
Ali xx
Happy New Year!
Andy got a new drill for christmas that he's itching to play with -so Martin if you need a hand....!! and don't mind cleaning up afterwards - any excuse to get the scrubbing brush out!
See you all soon
Mick
DB Housekeeping Manager
XX
Dear Vicky, Martin and Iona,
I am very happy to see that the wheels on the bus are still going round and round. But do the wipers go swish? Does the horn go poop? I think, Martin, we ought to know.
The Landales have just returned from their annual national Christmas tour of family outposts and once again my new year resolution is to persuade the rellies that perhaps it might be a good thing if they came to us next year. I do not want to see a travel cot for a long while. Nor do I want find new ways of cramming yet more molded plastic into an already packed car.
Yet amid the alcohol and presents we've all been thinking about you. You at least have a good reason for feeling lousy. Too many mince pies won't wash.
On new year's eve, at lunch with my godmother, I happened to find myself on the other side of the table from an oncologist. I told him about the blog and he said he wished more of his patients were this positive. As someone once said, in Blog We Trust...
Good luck with the next round, hope you feel better soon,
All our love,
James, Cath, Ellen and Alex
Hi V, M and I
Good to read your entry Martin. As everyone on the bus knows getting the rather dynamic V to sit still willingly is a tough job. I have a sneaky feeling that she may only sit on the sofa if she can tell you what jobs to do on her behalf!
Lots of love
H,C,O and R
Hi folks and Happy New Year to one and all. It sounds like you had a lovely if rather hectic time in Edinburgh, it must have been great to get away for a few days though. Martin will be turning into Mr Muscles with all that gyming. I should have got gym membership for gobi as he complains of the 5 min walk to catch the train into work! I hope youre feeling better after your last treatment, it sounded terrible. Try not to push yourself to do too much before round 4, we all know what youre like.
All my love, Allisonxxx
Hi! Vicky Martin and Iona
Happy New year to you all - and with these greetings comes the very best of wishes for the next round of medication. We rather hoped that the bus might have made a slight detour on route to Scotland - not sure if you made it that far though - but you know our `stop` is always delighted to welcome weary travellers!! Even if its just for a cuppa and the bathroom!!! Hey Ho!
Keep up the good spirits - we are still on the bus with you.
Much love
Muir and Rod xxx
Hi Vicky, Martin and Iona,
Happy New Year to you all- and all I can do, being a late new passenger to the bus tour, is echo what everyone else has already said. We all know you are a tough girl, Vicky, and your chirpy outlook is one of the most amazing things about you, so here's hoping that it can carry you on to round 4 and out the other side. Keep smiling.
Lots of love
Vanessa, Paul,
Isabella and Alessandra
xxx
Hi there dears,
Glad you managed to get some shopping in before the sales started/ended! We're back from Germany to try and get the boxes emptied and the house in order! Hope yours is looking nice - sounds like it. I think I've had enough of DIY for a while...but I think there is a bit more IKEA construction on the horizon...bleaugh! All the best and lots of love from us and the German family XXXXXXXXXX
Hi Vicky, Martin and Iona,
Happy New Year from Melbourne, Australia from Pete, Frances, Matthew and Stephen.
As Mark will have informed you, we are not just on the bus, but also in the same boat! We all wish you well and will follow your example, through a positive and determined approach. Frances starts the first of 8 chemo sessions next Wednesday (17th) and has taken heart from your resolve and spirit.
Go girls! Go boy!
Happy New Year to all three of you.
Vicky, it's not fair I missed you in Edinburgh but Claire was telling me all about your meet up and I even saw Gerald's blurred photos !
Our Christmas and New Year was verrry quiet and we've been frequenting the crumblies so much that we are feeling a bit crumbly ourselves now. Two weeks of Maurizio's stone deaf mother, my grumpy Dad who now talks to the television and Mum who keeps repeating herself has proved quite enough and I'm pushing for a trip to the sun next Christmas.
I do feel guilty about not managing to Bristol but am definitely getting it organised. I don't think Isabella would have survived a day alone in Peebles.
Love Barney.
Happy New Year to all three of you.
Vicky, it's not fair I missed you in Edinburgh but Claire was telling me all about your meet up and I even saw Gerald's blurred photos !
Our Christmas and New Year was verrry quiet and we've been frequenting the crumblies so much that we are feeling a bit crumbly ourselves now. Two weeks of Maurizio's stone deaf mother, my grumpy Dad who now talks to the television and Mum who keeps repeating herself has proved quite enough and I'm pushing for a trip to the sun next Christmas.
I do feel guilty about not managing to Bristol but am definitely getting it organised. I don't think Isabella would have survived a day alone in Peebles.
Love Barney.
Best wishes for the New Year to Vicky, Martin & Iona and, of course, Iona's pussy cat...
It was great to see you at Christmas and to see how amazing you look in spite of all you have already been through. As Barney posted above, my Dad's photos came out all blurred and so very disappointed - we'll just have to meet up again soon and take some more!
Hope you can now take things very easy and find your form again.
Will send you the photos of Sarah & Isabella as they did come out well.
Lots of love & vibrant thoughts
Claire, Vladi, Paul, Julien & Innes
Dear Vicky, Martin and Iona,
It was lovely to be with you all on Christmas Day, which feltreally special. Good to meet you Martin, and great to see the kids racing around.
We thought you looked amazing Vicky, and I am sure that your fighting spirit wii enable you to pick up again after the chemo.
Love to you all,
Jim and Jennifer.
Hi your Majesty, King and the little princess,
we hope and pray that this year will be an extraordinary special year for you in the most positive possible way.
Vicky keep up the fight, and reading you blog, you can give yourself a "BIG" hand... ;-) And so will we just to encourage you and your family.
Martin, giant warm hugs to you and kisses for the ladies.
Know that you all are in our minds and hearts.
Marco & Fleur
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