On the eight day of Christmas.

On the eight day of Christmas.  Wait, is the eight day of Christmas before or after Christmas?  Either way if it's not the eight day, I'm still using it!

Well, that’s no. 8 done.  Halfway there, well in number of chemo treatments anyway.  After the 16 chemo treatments, I still have to have surgery and then Radio therapy, I’ve no idea yet when either of these will take place, or what they involve, but I’ll worry about them when they happen.  For now I’m just happy to start the countdown to no more chemotherapy.

I haven’t been very well the last week and have been confined somewhat to the couch.  I’ve had what felt like a bad cold or a sinus infection, I’m not sure which, so there was nothing for it for me but to lie on the couch, blow my nose, and be waited on hand and foot. I didn’t set foot outside the house from Wednesday to Sunday, much to Rusty's disappointment.  But with Storm Deirdre ragging about the country, it was really the best place to be.  Surprisingly, even after feeling horrible for the last week, my bloods and counts were all ‘normal’, lying on the couch obviously works!  (I can hear you all saying, "I told you so").  I mentioned to my wonderful nurses of the day about my misbehaving nose and she has sent me home armed with (more!) drugs, a nasal spray and some cream.  I am constantly amazed at the fact that there is a drug, cream, ointment, spray, witches brew of eye-of-newt and leg-of-frog, voodoo doll complete with sticking pin, or rain dance to cure any ailment that I may have.  Hopefully this new set of stuff will cure my nose and I won't look like Rudolph anymore.  I used to have a small bag to hold my stash of cures, but now it is looking more like Santa’s big black bag.  Except I’m not as generous as Santa, I won't be sharing, even if you've been nice, I’ll be keeping the whole lot for myself.  And if this keeps up, not only will I have to make a list of the drugs and check it twice, I’ll have to get myself one of those daily pill boxes that old people use to keep track of what exactly I’m taking.  I also got to see the grumpy man in the suit today.  I didn’t have to leave my chair and sit in his, he came to see me in my chair this time. He's far more personable when he's in the ward.  Result!

Can I just politely ask whoever is doing the rain dance, can you stop now please?  We’re all drenched here, thanks.  And if I find out who's wielding that sticking pin!!!

So, It finally happened, someone else came to see me.  After a long wait, late night phone calls, several not very subtle hints, some thinly veiled threats, lots of swearing, some unashamed begging, and finally a strongly worded letter of complaint from my solicitor (dictated by me), Fergus finally arrived with cake!

Obviously, I couldn’t eat all of those myself, so I had to share them with him.  Hmm... a method in his madness I think.  For now his score has been upped to a big fat 0, as the cakes were rather delicious.  I’m already looking forward to the next lot.  He also said he is not talking to me any more ‘on the record’ as everything he says is being used in evidence against him!  I better not tell you then about the time I put on the beautiful shawl that my sister knit for me to keep me warm and he said I looked like Peig Sayers in it!   I look nothing like her, she has hair, and her shawl is black.  And I don't put mine round my head!  I have hats for that.  Here's pictures for comparison purposes. 

And speaking of hair, more good news.  Well not exactly good news but not bad news.  The little hair that I have left, is growing!  When I had my hair taken off (I hate saying I had my ‘head shaved’), as I explained, they left me with tiny stubble which they said would all fall out eventually.  But it hasn’t, some of it did, but it seems to have stopped falling out now and I have a ghostly halo of baby fine hair around my head.

Did any of you have a Crolly Doll when you were growing up?  I did, and if I remember correctly, she (Susan!) had a plastic head with tufts of hair stuck in it at spaced intervals all around her plastic crown.  I did try to find a picture of one of these dolls, to show you what I mean, but all I could find were dolls with hair.  I did find this photo, which is the nearest thing to what I look like at the moment.

My legs and arms actually look like that too, without the pincers, after I come out of Pilates.  Unfortunately my eyes are beginning to look shrunken like his/hers too.  Not much I can do about that, except try to get some more sleep.

In other good news, apart from knitting un-Peig like shawls for me, Deirdre has also being knitting hats.  Here’s a couple of the first lot. 

I love the pink one, but it’s a little too big, so will have to be adjusted.  The yellow one, which I also like, is a perfect fit and I'm wearing it as we speak.  Deirdre also sent me some scarves that can be tied around it.  I’m currently looking at YouTube videos to see what are the most stylish ways to tie scarves, I’ll have to practice a lot as mine look like I’ve tied a bandage around a sore head or the scarves unravel and keep falling off!  She says she is still knitting hats, so there are more to come.  A (nearly bald) girl can never have too many hats!

I do remember doing a blog some time ago about hats I founds around the house and was wondering at the time why anybody would need so many hats, but now I feel like I can’t have enough!  So thanks Deirdre, and keep them coming.  And thanks too to the others who have donated hats, scarves and lovely head bands that all help to keep my fuzzy hair head warm, and stylish looking!

As my treatment day is normally Tuesday, for the next two weeks the Oncology ward will be closed on Tuesdays.  So I’m going to be ‘infused’ on Monday’s instead.  Mephitic Mondays!  Christmas Eve and New Years Eve have now been officially christened Mephitic.

So only one thing left to say today, a BIG thank you to everybody who has been following my blog, sending me messages of support and keeping up to date with my treatment and my ramblings.  However, as it will be a busy time for everybody over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to take a break from blogging while the holiday season is in full swing.  I will be back in January with further updates and and all going well I will be on session 11 when you see me here again.

All that’s left to say now, is for me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy (and most importantly,  healthy!) New Year.