General Update

Here I am at the end of the first week of my second round of chemo.

My back has improved considerably thanks to the application of industrial quantities of Aloe Vera gel. It is now just itchy rather than extremely sore.

I have as expected suffered from diarrhoea for the last few days. Bizarrely though it seems to be limited to mid to late morning, the rest of the time things are a little firmer, so  have not felt the need to take any medication for it.

I have managed to have a daily walk albeit only round the block. This is mainly because of tiredness, achy legs and my slight nervousness about being away from my loo.

As you are probably aware I take a lot of pills. The problem I am now having is that whereas I used to be brilliant at taking pills I am now completely useless. I can't swallow them, I retch and generally have the devil's own job getting them down.

My taste buds have gone south, so stuff tastes of nothing. Mayonnaise tastes like cream. Honey Nut Cheerios have lost their appeal, fortunately Sugar Puffs or as they're now called Honey Monster Puffs taste roughly the same as do Quavers. Consequently, although I know I need to eat I find it rather a chore. This leads to me feeling more tired and generally grotty. So I have to make a concerted effort to eat food rather than cereal and crisps. Fortunately choc ice lollies taste very good.

I find that this time round the first week or so after chemo is not a linear progression from feeling completely crappy to feeling better. It is more a case of two steps forward and one and a half steps back. Still onward and upwards.