This is going to be the last entry in this blog - an important moment because it represents the move to being recovered.
We had a wonderful holiday in Ireland - did just what "it says on the tin", ie was not very hot or sunny, although there were the odd occasions! It did rain, but not all the time and we managed to avoid the worst. We each took waterproof trousers to pull on but never had to use them.
The first few days when we were staying with Donald's brother and his wife, I was feeling pretty awful. I now think it was a combination of recovering from the chemo and the initial side-effects of the new hormone treatment I have started. But when we arrived at the first cottage, it started to clear, especially the feeling of nausea and heartburn. I still had little energy and my fingernails were very sore but things were improving.
On the first day in the west, I managed to walk about 2 miles/3 km, and it was an enormous struggle. By the end of the trip, I had done 7.5 miles/ 12 km on the flat (alongside the Shannon) and 6 miles/ 9 km in the hills, with a 230 metre rise during the walk. Both exhausted me but it was a big improvement over 2 weeks. Now we will work on it over the autumn and winter so that I can consistently do longer and faster. That is the plan plus losing some weight that the steroids have placed upon me - not that I was silf like before this all happened!
It was a dreadful shock to hear the first week that my close friend and colleague in Aberdeen, Linda MacHardy, had died after a long and very complex illness. It was also awful that I was unable to go the funeral during the second week - just too complicated from the west of Ireland. We will be in Aberdeen in mid September after we have buried Pat's ashes. We will have a meal with friends and Linda's husband and remember Linda, who was a great character, brilliantly intelligent and a very strong and sensitive psychologist.
Back to me and the symptoms: I still have very little hair and my fingernails and toenails are still very peculiar, but you can see that the strange bits are beginning to grow out. I've had a lot of trouble with water retention in my legs and ankles but that is now beginning to wear off. Other than these symptoms, I'me beginning to become reasonably normal!
Next week I am officially back at work, but phasing in on a part-time basis. So 2 days next week (8th and 9th) and 2 days the following week and then we review. But it feels good to be at this stage, although a little anxiety provoking. I don't know how my energy levels will hold up.
So this is the end of Helen's blog through cancer. I believe and hope that it will not come back and we, plus the hospital, will be keeping a watchful eye on a regular basis. I still have to plan the breast reconstruction and expect it to happen sometime next year, but that will apparently only take 4 weeks of recovery - nothing compared to the last 9 months.
Thank you for following this blog through my treatments. It certainly has helped that Donald and I have not had to explain all steps of the process every time that someone has called. Hopefully it has helped friends, colleagues and relatives keep up to date and also to learn a little about what you have to go through when this sort of thing happens. I sincerely hope that it never happens to any of you - or to me any further.
Signing off, but do keep in touch by email, phone etc, with best wishes, Helen and Donald.
