The Less Than Usual Chemo Expedition

This week’s expedition for therapy was somewhat eventful.

The town was finally caught in the grip of the “big freeze” with heavy snowfalls on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons that almost cut us off. It became obvious to the angel and I that a 7am start on Thursday morning in the cold, frozen, snowy dark for a 50 mile road trip to hospital would be foolhardy and unwise.
So, on Wednesday afternoon, a kind friend drove me to the station in her 4x4 on the snow over an almost impassable A1.
After a long, cold wait for a delayed train, I reached the big city. Normality seemed to return as I was met by son D - there was hardly any snow on the bitterly cold, crowded streets or pavements, lots of people were around the rush hour city and Christmas lights still hanging looked very attractive. The snow-filled, quiet and empty streets of home seemed to be on a different planet!

Next morning was still very cold (-2C) but clear with sunshine though the angel said on the phone it was still snowing at home. I was easily at the hospital by 9am and started the 5 and a half hour routine for the IV treatment at 9.30 as blood tests were satisfactory – The oncology unit is so efficient and cheerful, it now seems more like a club or a hairdressers with regulars and new comers mixing well at levels they are comfortable with. I feel more of an old hand now - not the new boy I was in October.
However by 2pm, reports of more snow on the A1 made it sensible to change my normal road-based plans and return home by train. So, after a kind lift to the station at 4pm (an easy, dry drive under clear blue skies along streets clear of snow), I had another wait as trains were running up to 80mins late or cancelled. Cold rather than snow were causing problems elsewhere in Scotland.
Eventually, the “late running 17.30” crept out of the city at 1750 into the darkness bound for London, and into the deeper snows of the country side, – of which one could just catch glimpses in the stretch of track illuminated by the light from the carriage window as we rushed along. Snow was falling heavily as I alighted on to 40+cms of snow on the station platform at 1830 to be met by a long suffering friend who drove me home. He stayed for supper but declined a bed for the night in favour of his woodland caravan.
We had stopped to help push a wallowing car driver on the station brae and marvelled at some people’s lack of snow driving experience as the newly released car stopped again (!) on the hill to pick up a passenger – and stuck again...

...Two days later it is still snowing intermittently and many roads in the town remain impassable, cars are stuck in garages and, though the rest of the country seems to be more mobile, this little corner of it is still getting snow - road travel is only advised for emergencies. The angel is out delivering prescriptions this morning and neighbours are helping each other with clearing paths and pavements.

Recuperation post chemo for the last few days has been as usual with some nausea and tummy ache as the medicine does its routine, gets to where it’s supposed to be and does its poisonous work on the nasty cells. There's good evidence of cell destruction in dark urine and liver ache. It is all very manageable, but it rather limits snow clearing activities and causes some frustration...

No CT scan result was available on Thursday but the liver blood tests show a 20% improvement on the same part of the cycle 3 weeks ago – this can’t be bad news... another thing to be thankful for...hooray...!

CT results at next weeks's appointment..