Slow and steady...

For the  fortnight before I started round two of my treatment I quietly just got on with gathering my strength and getting used to my mouth being a bit different. I can now eat most things albeit slowly, I forgot to mention in my previous posts that when they operated they also had to split my jaw bone for access (it's now got a wee titanium bolt holding it back together) which meant they also removed my bottom front teeth,  so biting into stuff is a bit difficult, luckily with my remaining nine teeth I have one canine tooth and one premolar that still have their opposite numbers meeting them on the left side, which is also the side with a proper bit of tongue which I think helps.  Yaaay, four teeth that work!  Hopefully the couple I've been left with on the right side will help anchor new gnashers when I'm finished treatment and my mouth settles down.   I haven't tried peanuts yet or a nice crunchy salad, I think I'll expend more energy trying to chew that lot than what I'll gain from it!  I didn't lose too much weight when I was in hospital but I'm now back to my fighting weight plus a couple of pounds in store.

I've had a few appointments at Edinburgh's Western General  for CT scans, getting prepared for my treatment and a couple of appointments at my GP's surgery having the dressing changed on the skin graft on my wrist, it's healing nicely but slowly.  Oops, I was out when the dietician came for a home visit, not all my fault, she said she'd come after lunch but arrived at five past twelve, I was home by quarter past.  She came back on Tuesday and is happy with my progress. 

Last Friday was a cracking sunny day and there was nowhere I had to be and with the thought that the next six weeks my routine will be every morning, Monday to Friday, I'll be over to the Western for radiotherapy.  I wasn't wasting the day stuck inside so took myself to the Craigmead car park between East and West Lomond and headed up West Lomond, there were quite a few folk about, not surprising with it being so sunny, there was a big group snaking up the steep path, I was disappointed I wasn't going to get the top to myself, then I frowned at myself for being selfish, it was a group of kids with a couple of adults and nice to see them  enjoying being outside and not spending the last day of their holidays sat in front of the telly with a games console.  On the way back down my legs felt lovely and bouncy and I tried a wee jog only for around a minute, I could feel my jaw jarring a bit so stopped, it was only just over a month since the surgery but it was nice to try.  I'm not going to be daft, my body is using it's resources for recovery and repair and I won't do anything to hinder that but my body isn't used to being a couch potato either so when I got back to the car park I felt fine and wasn't ready to stop so headed up East Lomond , I was out for just short of three hours and it's around eight miles for both hills.  

I've been taking myself over to the Western for my radiotherapy, my appointment time is for 11.00am,so the Bridge isn't busy but I've been leaving in plenty time and getting there early and on both Monday and Tuesday I was in and out before 11.00am, once in position it only takes about ten minutes to be zapped.  Last night I had an overnight stay in the Western for my first skoosh of chemo, except it more like drip.....drip.....drip.....drip..... it took ages.

Pauline took me over for 9.30am.  After the doctor check me over her final words after I told her I'd been up the Lomonds  were "I wish all my patients were as active as you."  (So wheesht you lot that say I should just sit on my bakooky, I'm doing it now, see, a nice balance!)  A cannula was stuck into the back of my hand, then I was send along for my radiotherapy and after I was back I was hooked up to a big bag of fluids just to make sure I was well hydrated, I was drinking plenty too, my urine was to be monitored, I thought they would just want a small sample but no they wanted it all.  So being a girly type I had to place a grey cardboard pan on the pan then pee, I'm not sure about the quality but the quantity reached gold medal standard, twice I thought I was gonna make a waterfall before I stopped!  I pitied the poor nurse that had to carry the sample to be tested, actually no I didn't I just smiled and let her know I'd been.  

The fluids took four hours to go through then a wee bag of steroids then the toxic stuff, now jeezy-peeps it  must be dangerous, the bag was in another bag and the nurse had protective gloves on to hook it up and then she let it drip into me!  (I was also told that when changing the dressing on the skin graft if it is still has weepy bits to bag it twice before disposing it as it would be contaminated!)  The chemo dripped through over another six hours I was asked regularly if I was feeling ok, (I was) then another big bag of fluids which eventually finished around 4.00am.  After the chemo I was told I didn't have to pee any more I hope she just meant in the cardboard potty!  I have never had to get up so often through the night so I didn't sleep too well, this morning I woke feeling like I'd had a late night with a few glasses of wine, not quite hung over but neither bright eyed and bushy tailed, after breakfast and coffee I felt fine if just a bit tired.  I was home by noon after another zap of radiotherapy.  I didn't laze about when I got home I went for the big Tesco shop but I made Pete come with me and I was fine, even walking round Tesco keeps the blood circulating!

Tomorrow I'll take it easy after the last zap of the week, since I'll getting picked up at 4.00am Saturday morning.  I'm not running the Highland Fling any more but Pauline is and Gillian is driving and I'm coming for the fun and to help.  I'll be on duty at Rowardennan, not sure what my job will be but I'll be wearing these babies and they need broken in!  If I hear whimpering...

(Sarah, Andrea says this is your first ultra, you have picked a cracker to start with, you'll be fine, relax, run easy and enjoy.  Hope to see you go through Rowardennan smiling)