poet40's blog

OK … this is long, so apologies in advance I’ve been in out of the doctors for the last six months complaining of increasing pain in my LHS groin area. I did initially go directly to my haematologist who dismissed my concerns as unrelated to my ongoing NHL cancer. I was told that I should always see my GP in the first instance of any concern anyway. I was a bit troubled by this as the GP generally can do no…

Hi All! I'm not a great blogger. However, I just wanted to apologise. One of the tendencies with this site is to appear in a flurry of activity and then slowly shrink from view as the novelty, or otherwise, wears off. I've received loads of support on here, for which I continue to remain grateful. However, I'd just like to say sorry for not always returning the same. As I continue to struggle against this monster…

I've just received an email from Gaynor - Angela's daughter - to ask that I might add a note to the site regarding Angela's funeral. It reads thus: Hello Andrew, Would you mind letting the chat room friends know that I am keeping the funeral very small and intimate. Thank you, Best wishes, Gaynor She has really appreciated the huge outpouring of support and is touched by the very many warm and comforting comments…

In March I completed a fairly rigorous chemotherapy regime - RCHOP. For the first time in over a year, I felt wonderful and able to tackle most things. However, in the subsequent months, I quickly noticed that simple tasks had started to make me feel increasingly tired. Then, without warning, came the pain. The pain was isolated to the groin area. It then spread to my abdomen and lower chest – all areas of…

This blog is possibly a form of therapy for me. I’m not too hot on opening-up, so the anonymity of the www allows me to vent my emotions in a way that I haven’t been able to or won’t mention to anyone else. It’s been a rough 18 months, so here goes … Just before Christmas in 2006 I had a phone call to say my mother was severely ill. Two days later and we were making plans for her funeral. Within days of her…