good news from the AC camp!

Thursday 9th October


Well, the holiday was absolutely fabulous. I don’t think I’ve ever had a better one. Andrew found the most amazing apartment right at the side of the River Douro in Ribeira [Portugal]. We had a huge veranda, and could sit and watch the boats and people going by, the sun setting and rising – the weather was perfect, 28° and sunny every single day. I amazed myself by being able to stomp merrily up the hill to the town centre [very steep!!] and managed the 6 flights of stairs to the apartment reasonably well too [rather a lot of puffing on the 4th flight – not to mention legs that felt like burning lead!]. Thanks to Julie I think – my circuit training is paying off! Andrew was funny, as he was pretending that he was also shattered at that flight – I know very well that he lifts tiles every day and could probably run up them singing an aria at the same time. But he made me feel better anyway. As Nat says [and it always makes me chuckle]; My Favourite Husband!

While we were there I really did manage NOT to think about cancer, apart from one evening when I just went into one, very upset about the fact that Andrew is stuck with a wife with all these tedious problems – but hey, as girls, we are allowed to do that anyway right? And as always, Aj was a brick, so that was ok. I think it wouldn’t be normal if we didn’t flip out occasionally.

We had a little get together at the apartment, and it was so good to be ‘normal’ and go a bit mad. With people who accept what’s happening and can mention it in ordinary conversation without getting all maudlin about it, plus those lunatics love my hair...hmm, therapy may be in order methinks! One more person rubbing my head and I would’ve been bald again!

Lots and lots of laughter as usual – it’s the fault of my friends in Portugal that I have so many laugh lines. Well, I’ll call them that anyway...I think I’ll make them club together for a face lift for me as punishment...lots of Planalto [thank you Marina!], gorgeous freshly cooked Rissois [who else but Pat the Little Chef?], a fab Tortilha [aaargh! so bad you weren’t there Bella] and the great company of a new friend plus my usual bunch of crazy people. Only one missing, but that was the fault of Cersaie. Boo.

Anyway, waffling away as usual – the main thing being this: I am in REMISSION!! We arrived back on the Sunday, Monday I went for my blood tests [got into trouble for that – seems they only process them every Tuesday, so mine were rushed in and I should go a week before next time. Ok – salute, salute!] and Tuesday I went for the first of the 3 monthly check ups for the year.

WHAT a nightmare Tuesday morning! Thank God for Pat being so patient or probably my head would have exploded. She gave me some work that is just repetition and called me to be sure I was still sane – and I was still struggling to do it. I was not so much ‘stressed’ as completely deranged. I had a hot flash every hour, my heart kept trying to jump out of my ribs...you know what I mean. It was more ‘anticipation’ than fear – but once I arrived at the hospital, I was so calm. My brain goes: “ah, good, we are back where if we try to drop dead someone will save us, so we can chill!” So I was quite calm when the nurse said to me that I would be seeing the registrar. And I was also quite calm when I told her that actually I WOULDN’T be seeing the registrar, I would be seeing Dr Hong, thank you very much. Registrar?? I don’t think so babe. A small tussle, but we succeeded in the end, and I did see Dr Hong. She did an external and an internal exam [eww – yuck] and pronounced everything to be fine. And my CA 125 is now back down to 7!! Hooray! No more B&H for me thanks...anyone reading this, if you go anywhere, send L&M blues [lights] to me! I will reimburse heh heh. My CA 125 went up when I changed ciggies [yes, yes, I KNOW I should give up, but you try it in the middle of this little lark!]

So...hmm, where was I? Oh Yes!! We got the good news and decided to celebrate...er, difficult! We were so exhausted from the relief that really we just had a quiet drink and collapsed. Celebrate another day. Celebrate every day! Why not eh?? We all should...for no reason at all...