Confused about the title of this post? Well, it's the sound of me heaving a huge sigh of relief, after holding my breath for the last week. Yes, folks, it's good news: I am officially cancer-free.
It may have been apparent from my last blog that we were worried about the hole in my neck. Not just us, though: the medical professionals were sufficiently concerned that they arranged a CT scan, and frowned a lot when examining me. When Charlie the registrar shook his head and said to me, "it looks suspicious" and "healthy skin doesn't behave like that", what I was hearing was, "you're going to die".
Well, I'm not going to die, at least for a while yet. The scan has confirmed that there is no cancer in my mouth or chest. Great news. I've been cautious about saying this, but I'm finally coming to the view that maybe everything's going to be alright.
So what's the latest on the hole in my chin? On the basis that every silver lining has a cloud, all is not completely well there. The old wound has indeed opened up, and it goes all the way through from the underside of my chin into my mouth. There's no infection, or anything nasty there, fortunately. The short term implication of this is that I've been prescribed some drugs to dry up my saliva, as the wound needs to be dry in order to heal. The real sting in the tail is that I'm nil-by-mouth for another two weeks at least: i.e. until 29 December; i.e. no eating or drinking over Christmas. Bang goes my dream of a glass of Champagne on Christmas Day. Oh well, maybe New Years Eve.
But it would be churlish of me to go into a sulk over an inconvenience for a couple of weeks, when the main news is so overwhelmingly positive. It will be a Happy Christmas, because I'm still here, and - relatively - healthy.
Here are ten songs about my feeling of relief.
1. Everything's Gonna Be Alright - PP Arnold
2. I Think It's Gonna Work Out Fine - Ike & Tina Turner
3. Walking Back To Happiness - Helen Shapiro
4. Feelin' Good - Nina Simone
5. Everybody's Gonna Be Happy - The Kinks
6. Everything Will Be Alright - The Killers
7. Happiness Is Here - Tobi Lark
8. I'm So Thankful - The Ikettes
9. Get Happy - Judy Garland
10. When You're Smiling - Louis Armstrong
Sweet relief!
RP
Wednesday 15 December 2010
Tuesday 7 December 2010
Fixing a Hole
Curses!
Just when things were going so well, a setback. We hope it's not a major problem, but a setback nonetheless.
Do you remember that post-surgery, I had a fistula in my neck, which wouldn't heal, and was the main reason why I was prevented from eating and drinking, until the medics were happy that it was fully mended? Well, yesterday evening, I was happily chomping on my mashed banana and custard, when I noticed some moisture on my neck. A quick check in the mirror revealed that, fully three months after the wound had repaired itself, it had opened up again!
This morning, the hole had grown, and was attractively oozing a yellow pus, not entirely dissimilar in appearance to my unfinished custard. So, off to the familiar surroundings of Barts for Catherine and myself today, where we were seen by the registrar Charlie, who decided to do a biopsy and put me through a CT scan. We're all hoping it's nothing nasty, but we won't get the results until next Wednesday. We will, of course, let you know the news as soon as we receive it, but please keep fingers and toes crossed.
In the meantime, I'm back to nil-by-mouth, in order to avoid the risk of infection. Just when I was getting the taste for yogurt!
Here are ten songs about holes.
1. Holes - Mercury Rev
2. Wholly Holy - Marvin Gaye
3. My Bucket's Got A Hole In It - Hank Williams
4. Falling In A Deep Hole - Emmylou Harris
5. Hole Wide World - Wreckless Eric
6. The Bottomless Hole - The Handsome Family
7. Hole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
8. Fixing A Hole - The Beatles
9. Hole In My Shoe - Traffic
10. Hi Hole Silver Lining - Jeff Beck
RP
Just when things were going so well, a setback. We hope it's not a major problem, but a setback nonetheless.
Do you remember that post-surgery, I had a fistula in my neck, which wouldn't heal, and was the main reason why I was prevented from eating and drinking, until the medics were happy that it was fully mended? Well, yesterday evening, I was happily chomping on my mashed banana and custard, when I noticed some moisture on my neck. A quick check in the mirror revealed that, fully three months after the wound had repaired itself, it had opened up again!
This morning, the hole had grown, and was attractively oozing a yellow pus, not entirely dissimilar in appearance to my unfinished custard. So, off to the familiar surroundings of Barts for Catherine and myself today, where we were seen by the registrar Charlie, who decided to do a biopsy and put me through a CT scan. We're all hoping it's nothing nasty, but we won't get the results until next Wednesday. We will, of course, let you know the news as soon as we receive it, but please keep fingers and toes crossed.
In the meantime, I'm back to nil-by-mouth, in order to avoid the risk of infection. Just when I was getting the taste for yogurt!
Here are ten songs about holes.
1. Holes - Mercury Rev
2. Wholly Holy - Marvin Gaye
3. My Bucket's Got A Hole In It - Hank Williams
4. Falling In A Deep Hole - Emmylou Harris
5. Hole Wide World - Wreckless Eric
6. The Bottomless Hole - The Handsome Family
7. Hole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
8. Fixing A Hole - The Beatles
9. Hole In My Shoe - Traffic
10. Hi Hole Silver Lining - Jeff Beck
RP
Saturday 4 December 2010
The Perfect Match
Hello Again
Just a quick blog today, because it's Saturday morning and I've got a busy day ahead of me. I'm in a fever of excitement and a bit of apprehension, as I'm going to my first football match of the season: Chelsea vs Everton at Stamford Bridge.
Yes, I'm being allowed out on my own for the trip down to Parsons Green, where I will meet my good friends Barney and Richard in the excellent White Horse pub, for a couple of pre-match pints. That is to say that they will have a couple of pre-match pints. I may take a chance on half a shandy.
Although I've been experimenting at home with various alcoholic libations, I'm just not up to it yet. I'm not sure whether this is because my mouth is still raw from the radiotherapy, or that my taste buds have changed, with the result that I just don't like it. What a confession, and how the mighty have fallen!
Anyway, after an afternoon of sitting in the cold watching my team being thoroughly humiliated, expending my energies shouting incoherent abuse at the ref, players and rival supporters, I expect to be pretty exhausted, but I'm looking forward to it.
Of course, the practicalities for a day out when one is fed by tube can get a bit complicated. I can't just get a bag of chips on the way to the match, and I can hardly inject my feed into my stomach in the middle of the pub. Ever resourceful, Catherine has been in touch with the hotel at Stamford Bridge, and arranged for them to have a room for me to feed myself after the game, at no cost. What nice people.
She Who Must Be Obeyed is herself off on her own excursion today, with her girlie friends, for a pampering, drinking and who knows what else overnighter at a hotel in Essex. Lucy is going to something called the Jingle Bell Ball at the O2, so this evening I'll be on my own with Molly the dog. Still, it gives me the opportunity to enjoy Everton's glorious victory on Match of the Day in peace.
On another matter, I sort of returned to work this week. I've commenced the limited working from home as prescribed by the doctor. I've reinstated my access to the office network, to find 2,500 emails waiting for me. As there was an out-of-office message returned to any senders, and most people who worked with me regularly knew about my situation, there was a high proportion of Spam, I've still spent my first couple of days back wading through that lot.
Here are ten songs which could be about football.
1. Can I Kick It? - A Tribe Called Quest
2. God's Footballer - Billy Bragg
3. All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit - Half Man Half Biscuit
4. I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5. Kickabout - Teenage Fanclub
6. Park Life - Blur
7. You Win Again - Hank Williams
8. Keep On Movin' - Soul II Soul
9. Born To Lose - Ray Charles
10. The Beautiful Game - Acoustic Alchemy
Just a quick blog today, because it's Saturday morning and I've got a busy day ahead of me. I'm in a fever of excitement and a bit of apprehension, as I'm going to my first football match of the season: Chelsea vs Everton at Stamford Bridge.
Yes, I'm being allowed out on my own for the trip down to Parsons Green, where I will meet my good friends Barney and Richard in the excellent White Horse pub, for a couple of pre-match pints. That is to say that they will have a couple of pre-match pints. I may take a chance on half a shandy.
Although I've been experimenting at home with various alcoholic libations, I'm just not up to it yet. I'm not sure whether this is because my mouth is still raw from the radiotherapy, or that my taste buds have changed, with the result that I just don't like it. What a confession, and how the mighty have fallen!
Anyway, after an afternoon of sitting in the cold watching my team being thoroughly humiliated, expending my energies shouting incoherent abuse at the ref, players and rival supporters, I expect to be pretty exhausted, but I'm looking forward to it.
Of course, the practicalities for a day out when one is fed by tube can get a bit complicated. I can't just get a bag of chips on the way to the match, and I can hardly inject my feed into my stomach in the middle of the pub. Ever resourceful, Catherine has been in touch with the hotel at Stamford Bridge, and arranged for them to have a room for me to feed myself after the game, at no cost. What nice people.
She Who Must Be Obeyed is herself off on her own excursion today, with her girlie friends, for a pampering, drinking and who knows what else overnighter at a hotel in Essex. Lucy is going to something called the Jingle Bell Ball at the O2, so this evening I'll be on my own with Molly the dog. Still, it gives me the opportunity to enjoy Everton's glorious victory on Match of the Day in peace.
On another matter, I sort of returned to work this week. I've commenced the limited working from home as prescribed by the doctor. I've reinstated my access to the office network, to find 2,500 emails waiting for me. As there was an out-of-office message returned to any senders, and most people who worked with me regularly knew about my situation, there was a high proportion of Spam, I've still spent my first couple of days back wading through that lot.
Here are ten songs which could be about football.
1. Can I Kick It? - A Tribe Called Quest
2. God's Footballer - Billy Bragg
3. All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit - Half Man Half Biscuit
4. I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5. Kickabout - Teenage Fanclub
6. Park Life - Blur
7. You Win Again - Hank Williams
8. Keep On Movin' - Soul II Soul
9. Born To Lose - Ray Charles
10. The Beautiful Game - Acoustic Alchemy
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