Over a week with no treatment; no hospital visits and the sun is shining. Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit a friend in Porto so I caught the train home, getting off at the further station from the house and walked back on the beach pathway. It was so warm and so wonderful to see the sea, feel the warmth of the sun and just enjoy myself without feeling ill. Life is great when it is normal.
This week I have been much stronger, we think that I had a something on top of the after effects as Bill was ill as well. I had a flu type cold but with no immunity it knocked me out. This week we are both doing so much better. My chemo is Tuesday 5th April so we praying and hoping that my blood count is ok to do the chemo. Don’t get me wrong - I don’t enjoy the treatment; I just want it finished.
It is exactly 13 years today since Bill and I arrived in Portugal. We spent six and a half years in Lisbon and the rest of the time here in Porto. If I had a chance to be somewhere else with everything that has happened; the answer is no. Although it is often difficult to be in a country where your knowledge of the language is poor and things don’t always work out like they should; I wouldn’t have changed anything.
Next Tuesday is going to be crazy; although my friend seems to think everything will work out. The main problem is timing. According to appointments I have a CAT scan which takes ½ hour at 11:30; my doctor’s appointment at 11:40; blood tests at 12:00 and my chemo at 13:30. Now anyone who knows any public health system knows that appointments do not run on time. It doesn’t help that Isabel is in France next week so is unable to help out. Isabel has asked a colleague to help me and so I have to be at the hospital at 9:30 and she is going to take me to the analysis department. Hopefully she will help getting the blood works out of the way early. Somehow we have to arrange everything else. Fortunately Julie is coming with me to help with the language because by the time I have finished I will probably want to scream; or something worse. We will have to wait and see how the Portuguese public health system will work this one out.
I am writing this in two parts as I went out with friends this morning. It was only a visit to MAKRO to buy apples for the CASA project; this is an organisation that works with the homeless and Alison who was with me is going out with them this evening; hence the apple run as we now call it. It was nice to do normal things; even to the point of having a laugh that you can only have with really close friends. We stood in front of the shampoo counter and discussed which shampoo I could use; although it may have to wait a while. The other customers must have thought we were crazy; or they would have done if they spoke English.
I also realised that I have been out in the car two times this week and will be driving again tomorrow. This is the most I have been in the car driving myself since November; it is nice to be free again.
The only annoying part at the moment is that I have no body heat at all. Even though the weather is very nice with a blue sky and it is quite warm; 25+ degrees I only feel warm when I actually stand in the sun. The other problem is that when I stand in the sun my head actually starts sweating when I have “the hair” on my head. By the time I took it off my head was dripping wet.
Apart from that everything is looking good.