Time to update the blog! A big thank you to a couple of my loyal readers for reminding me!
My excuse is that I have been busy with my Mindfulness Course. It has helped me more than I could have ever imagined. I have finally found a peace and contentment that I wouldn’t have dreamed possible a few weeks ago. I was sad at the thought of leaving but it turns out that I don’t have to. I have been asked to stay on and help the teachers next year, I’m very much looking forward to that.
I had a very enjoyable reunion with some fellow patients who shared the summer of 2013 with me, and some of our hospital drivers. It was lovely to see everyone again. It reminded me that this time last year I was eagerly awaiting the removal of my PEG feeding tube and making plans to return to work. Sometimes I think my progress is slow but when I look back at how I was this time last year I can see I’ve come a long way.
I have a few more social events to look forward to over the next fortnight. I’ll be seeing some family and friends who I haven’t seen since December 2012. Back then I didn’t even know I had cancer, a lot has happened in those two years. Sometimes it feels like it happened to someone else. I think I have finally adjusted now to my new life and I wouldn’t swap it now for what I had before. I’ve discovered I like a quieter pace of life. I enjoy being at home more and having plenty of time for my hobbies.
A few months ago I would have said that my main side effects were my tiredness and my problems eating. The tiredness now seems to have gone, my last tests showed my blood count is finally back to normal after the chemotherapy. I am still limited with what I can eat, nothing chewy dry or crunchy, but I am eating a more varied diet now and enjoying my food more. My main problem now is with my speech. I still get some dryness in the mouth and it is impossible to talk for more than a few minutes at a time. I find this frustrating, I have had to let a couple of career opportunities go as they would have meant too much talking.
Another unexpected side effect of my cancer treatment is that I have developed Candy Crush addiction! I don’t know if the patient who introduced me to the game still reads my blog, if they do perhaps they have some tips on how to spend less time playing!
