Friday was a chemo day. My latest bloods done on Wednesday after my oncology review also arrived. Unfortunately my PSA score was not included as the oncologist did not ask for it on my bloods form. He clearly was not interested in it for the purposes of okaying the start of Cycle 6, todays Cycle. My partner went out and I got myself breakfast, meds and a shower before sorting out my mail and getting what I was going to wear for chemo sorted out. when my partner returned we had pizza for lunch and I changed into my chemo three piece suit and ordered up an Uber.

Before I could get in the Uber the neighbour waylaid us and said our bamboo is invading her fence in the back garden. Its a clumping type so I am suspicious but will plan an intervention to be appropriate at some point. We arrive at the hospital and before we go into the cancer unit we buy strawberries from the hospital fruit and veg stall as we know it will be closed by the time I come out of chemo. I hand in my “dance card” and get provisions from the sweet machine. I am expecting a long wait as they are usually running behind time but in the dot of 3 o’clock I am called in.

The nurse starts by putting in the cannula in my left hand and then starts the pre session stats on me. My heart rate is up and my blood pressure just about acceptable. I am so unfit. The heart rate wont come down so she decides to do an ECG on me and to let the doctor see the results. SO I get carted off to a side room and wired up. All of this taking up time, necessary time, but still prolonging the session. With the ECG done I return to my poison station and try to relax until the word from the doctor comes. In the end my heart is fine, no arrhythmia, just beating fast, so on we go. First the pre chemo anti allergy stuff, then a saline flush and then onto the poison bag. I check the numbers to ensure it is my regular dose, and it is. So finally I get to have my poison. They ask me if I have it over one or to hours, of course I tell then its one and we get on with it. I try to relax and read for a bit whilst sipping water and nibbling Twix. After a while I chat to the woman next to me, who I have chatted about travel insurance to before. We chat about families and travel before she finishes her session and goes on her way. I have my final saline rinse shortly after and then I am on my way.

My partner and I walk to the hotel across the road and get the fastest Uber we have ever had, just a 1 minute wait for it to arrive. I am feeling wiped out, and my partner feeds me mascarpone pasta, which was delicious. We settled down to watch more episodes of Slow Horses, to which I am now addicted. In a moment pf decadence and not giving a crap I open some strawberries and a bottle of champagne and sit sipping the cold champers and nibbling strawberries. Which seemed to to be a good way to round off the evening and to drop my night meds on and go to bed.

Saturday and I wake up feeling okay and reinstitute doing my daily Sats. I bring my record book up to date and plug myself into the measuring devices. My temperature is good however my heart rate is up ( unfitness is my hope) and my blood pressure is up around 139/83, which is well above my fit levels. My oxygen saturation is around 96, which is at least 2 to 3 points below my normal average, (once again my explanation is lack of exercise.) I am not happy with this so action needs to be taken.

I get up and make myself breakfast and take my meds while my partner goes off to see her mother in hospital with her brother. I then begin to watch the women’s six nations rugby on TV. Three games in a row is a bit excessive but it provides me with a backdrop against which to answer messages and to sort out my post. It also gives me an excuse to rest and let the chemo do its work. I am already losing the ability to taste anything leaving me to resort to Red Bull and peppermint creams. In this state I try to keep things organised and tidy but it is an effort. I have ISAs that need dealing with and a tax code to attend to. I’ve ordered more compost, which is now being delayed and I have a pressing need for more ordinary socks now that I am upping my clothes game for the summer and for chemo. All of this gets done alongside a Tesco order. By the time the evening meal of crockpot comes around I am tired again and gratefully sink into an evening of more Slow Horses and football highlights. I finally get my night meds down me go off to bed past midnight.

Sunday arrives and it is clear that the chemo has bitten in. I slept heavily last night and this morning I am tired. I take my vitals again trying to get back into my routine. They are much the same as yesterdays and all the time I tell myself its to do with not training. I like this explanation as it means I can empirically test it. I have 14 training days to go before my next set of pre chemo bloods, I expect to train on 50% of those days. I am not hoping for a spectacular movement in the Sats but at least a small indication of shift. It will take at least two to three months consistent training to make a difference.

I get up, make breakfast and take my meds. The garden guy arrives and I make him coffee and explain what I want doing in the garden. As I am explaining it starts to rain and so I leave him talking to my partner while I return to my sofa end and start to draft the blog. I catch up with more messages and order more summer socks. Just as the sun came out the garden guy leaves to return another day to do the job required. My plan today is to research chemo toxicity questionaniares now that I know for sure that it is just an assessment made by oncologists by a combo of blood tests, clinical observation and mostly self report data. The self report data seems to be the crucial bit assuming the bloods are okay. As my WBC and platelets counts are good and my eGFR is 40% + my bloods are okay. So it seems to be that my self report data is the key issue. So if I can provide something that sounds thoughtful as a score then I can probably keep my chemo dosage up for the rest of the ten sessions. This afternoon there is rugby to watch and questionaniares to find.

I watch the rugby and find some toxicity assessments but they are not useful as they are either a prediction of the likelihood of toxicity, which is like stating the obvious. Or they are for primary level medics which sign post them to advisory bodies. So they are not a lot of use to me as a patient really. My partner returns from visiting her mother in hospital and we eat an evening meal before a quiet evening watching more Slow Horses and The Capture. I watch the the football highlights having taken my night meds and finishing off the blog draft. I am hoping that tomorrow I can get training again but I also have to ensure I have my medication orders and GP visits booked.