Culmstock beacon’s Millennium bench. My new training ground.

I’m so tired these days that I find it extremely frustrating. Against Neil’s advice I started gardening a few days ago and lasted just 15 minutes before I had to come in exhausted. This is not good enough!

My dear friends from Fleet came to visit yesterday as I’m missing our annual girls cycling holiday this year which they’ve based in Dorset. We had a delicious Sunday lunch in Culm Valley Inn. It was great to see them as I didn’t get the chance to catch up properly with them at wedding. After they left I was very happy, but very tired.

So last night I decided I must get fit no matter what, and I’ve decided to walk up Culmstock beacon every day, come rain or shine. This is my challenge.

Neil joined me today, as he will whenever he can. My legs were fine but my pulse became quite fast and I had to stop a couple of times to rest and recover on the way up. Once at the top we rest and enjoy the view, then it’s an easy walk back home. This up hill walk is a perfect way to gage my progress.

Next I’m having a massage at Dart’s Farm. Thanks to all Hens who contributed to this generous gift. I need to thank many many more people but that deserves a post of its own.

Supplement to initial blog:

I’ve been googling! The doctor’s nightmare patient, ha ha, but not really. I’ve been concerned about my lack of energy, so in a way it was reassuring to know that it’s extremely common after chemo/rad treatment and could last a quite few more weeks. I thought I’d bounce straight back, but sadly no. Exercise is advised, so I’ve got that covered, and I’ll just have to be patient, which I’m not so great at.

My swallowing seems to be getting more painful too and I was hoping it would start to improve now my radiotherapy has finished. The pain starts about a second or two after I swallow, as the food makes its way through the affected area. Again, I’m expecting things to happen too quickly and, indeed, this could get worse before it starts to improve in a few weeks. I was being a rather over optimistic describing it in my last blog as it’s extremely painful these days, which makes it rather difficult to keep my fluid intake up to a sensible amount. I’m working on that.

So………. I should have investigated earlier. It’s only that I’ve come to realise that I’m no super woman, but just a regular human being going through the same process as most others who have received this chemo/rad treatment for oesophageal cancer. And with that in mind, I’ll brace myself for a few more trying weeks and I will wait patiently for the improvements which I know will follow.

AND……we’ve both got itchy feet! I don’t think either of us has ever remained in the UK for 5 continuous months before and it doesn’t suit us! We’d LOVE to go away AND before surgery!! We have our ideas but we’ll simply have to wait to see my progress and get a fixed date for surgery. Watch this space!!! If ever there’s an incentive to recover, this is one!!