July 15

Took a big risk today! I accompanied my partner to the movies!

I was sick for at least two hours.

Nothing to do with the cancer or the treatment thereof.

I am afraid that the Walt Disney production of "Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest" was perhaps the worst movie I have seen in decades! The only consolation was that the tickets we had pre-purchased are finally used up and I will not have to see more drivel like this again. I cannot believe that people actually got paid to do this movie! Hell I don't believe that people like me paid to SEE it!

Well, eleven days of treatment are over only another 19 to go!

Alas it will be prolonged as there are days requiring a rest called weekends, and maintenance days. So by the time that the middle of August comes around I should be finished with this latest part of the nightmare!

At present, I seem to be keeping the dreaded side effects to a minimum (he says swiftly looking for and touching wood).

Lord only knows how long this can last. So I still have my hair (well at least what remained of it from getting older and the last bout of chemo and radio therapy ).

I do once again feel the cold more than usual.

I have been finding that while I cannot eliminate the sinus problems I can at least minimise them by not overheating the rooms and drying them out too much.

According to George Mikes, (a Hungarian humourist) who wrote from England, I am using an English method of contraception to manage the effects of overheated dry rooms!

The hot water bottle.

I no longer seem to be able to sleep for long periods at a time - I seem to be able to cat nap at will though. Perhaps this is in keeping with my sincere intent to emulate a cat and try for a few more lives!

Hydration is a small problem. Drinking tea or coffee seems to be contraindicated as they both contain caffeine which is not really kind to the stomach and which actually helps with dehydration. There is I find just so much apple juice you can drink and as for the water from the tap - yeah, well it's fine for a few glasses a day, but frankly I do not want to get hooked on the fluorine! Still it has to be done.

Practising with the voice. There are times when I can actually produce real sounds again and then I deteriorate back into the hoarse whisper that seem to be the norm at present. (wasn't there a movie about a horse whisperer?).

Still thanks to the conversation with the Speech Pathologist the other day I am at least trying to exercise the vocal chord and there are a few minutes in every day when the damned thing actually works. So I guess moderate practice daily until my appointment and then I can start the hard work which is doing what I am told rather than the other way around.

That will be difficult!

That's really all for today and for the week end.