Hello
I am occasionally admonished by Catherine and others for my lackadaisical approach to updating my blog. It's partly, but not entirely, due to laziness. It's also because I have reached a stage in my recovery when not much happens: my life at the moment is unremittingly mundane, and long may it remain so.
Nevertheless, the boss has spoken, and who am I to argue? I will try to maintain your interest, but if you read this stuff looking for pain and suffering, I fear you will be disappointed. Move onto another web site, go and update your Facebook account or something. I hope and believe that the horrors are well and truly behind me, and now it's just a matter of getting better.
Anyway, as far as my current condition is concerned, I'm afraid the non-malignant hole in my chin has still not healed, after six weeks. This is what's preventing me from learning how to eat and drink again, so it's intensely frustrating. We've recently decided to experiment with Mannuka honey dressings, which I'm told have an excellent healing effect, although I'm not sure that there's total consensus among the medical fraternity. Maybe it's just an expensive con, but worth a try, we think. The hole is so tiny as to be almost invisible, but it's still there. We're keeping our fingers crossed that the honey will be the magic ingredient to close the gap completely.
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I've recently been speaking to some old friends and have been struck by the impact my blog has had upon them. They've used words like "humbling" and "inspiring", and I've even been described as brave. Blimey! I don't think I've ever been used as an example for others, unless you count the times when mothers have pointed at me in the street and warned their children, "that's how you'll end up if you don't stop playing with yourself".
If you enjoy reading the blog, then I'm happy. That's partly what it's here for. But I don't recognise myself in some of the very positive feedback I've been getting. I definitely don't consider myself brave. All through the treatment, I've just followed orders, often with fear and trepidation. What else can you do? And for those of you who have commented on my seemingly positive attitude, let me assure you that's just the bit you see from the blog. There have been times when I have been a quivering, weeping bundle of negativity.
Sorry if I seem to be labouring this point, but I wouldn't want to raise false expectations for the next time we meet. I'm still the same old inadequate wretch that I always was, just a little uglier from the surgery.
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As I am pinning my hopes on the healing powers of Mannuka, here are ten songs about honey.
1. Honey - Bobby Goldsboro
2. Honey For The Bees - Alison Moyet
3. Sweeter Than Honey - Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes
4. Honey On His Hands - Jeanne Pruette
5. Honey Chile - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
6. Money Honey - Elvis Presley
7. Honey Pie - The Beatles
8. Honey Hush - Big Joe Turner
9. Honeydoo - Dan Bern
10. Honey Honey - Abba
Sweet!
RP
Monday 24 January 2011
Monday 10 January 2011
Drinking Sensibly
Greetings, and a belated Happy New Year
Another slapped wrist for me, for neglecting my blogging duties. In the weeks since my last missive, we've had Christmas and New Year, and I've had a birthday. But the hole in my chin remains, although I'm reliably informed that it's getting smaller.
So how was the festive season for you? Ours was nice: we spent the Christmas period at my Dad's place in Bognor, and descended on my brother Dave for Christmas lunch. As for oral intake, I'm afraid that my role was mainly confined to watching others chewing and slurping, but it was all very pleasant anyway.
We were back home for New Year, and had a relatively quiet time, with a few friends round for the evening. Flaunting medical advice, I actually consumed some alcohol! Champagne and all proper drinks still being too harsh for my palate, I opted for some Sainsbury's Pink Fizz. This is a beverage presented in a sparkling wine bottle, the label of which describes it as an "aromatised wine product cocktail". It comprises some non-descript Chenin Blanc wine mixed with hibiscus flower extract, and comes in at a whopping 4% ABV. It's booze for pre-teens, or a Christmas tipple for teetotallers. Don't pitch up at a dinner party bearing a bottle of this stuff, or your host may rightly spit in your food.
Anyway, Sainsbury's Pink Fizz tasted okay to me, and I managed a couple of glasses
on New Year's Eve, with no ill effects other then the scorn of my family and friends, but I've not tried it since. The bottle stands forlorn in our fridge, untouched in 2011. We really ought to chuck it down the sink, but throwing away alcohol - even of such poor quality - goes against the grain, so it may still be there next New Years Eve.
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In my idle moments over the festive period, I've been looking back at earlier blogs, and I've been struck by how unprepared I was for the ordeal ahead of me. I'm not sure whether this was because the medical professionals didn't tell me straight, or whether I chose not to hear the truth.
In the early postings, I was assuming that it would all be sorted within a matter of a few weeks, and even when it was decided that they would be butchering my face, I was expecting everything to be back to normal within six months: the eternal optimist!
I also told the world that I would be in hospital for two weeks. How was I to know that there would be complications and further operations, which kept me inarcerated for over six weeks, from late June to early August? I anticipated having a tracheostomy for 4-7 days. In the event, I kept it for about 4 weeks!I also vastly underrated the sheer misery of chemo and radiotherapy.
With hindsight, I actually think it was no bad thing that I was so naive about what was in store for me: if I had known the truth, I would certainly not have entered the whole process in such a sanguine state of mind. On balance, now that the worst is behind me (fingers crossed), I'm glad that I didn't know in advance just how awful it was going to be.
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In the hope that I may one day be able to move on from Sainsbury's Pink Fizz, here are ten songs about sparkling wine.
1. Champagne Supernova - Oasis
2. Sparkling Wine - Red Sovine
3. A Glass Of Champagne - Sailor
4. Bubbly - Colbie Caillat
5. Drinking Champagne - Willie Nelson
6. No Sex In The Champagne Room - Chris Rock
7. Champagne Charlie - George Leybourne
8. Champagne Life - Ne-Yo
9. I Drink Sparkling Wine - Pjs & Art
10. Pink Fizz - Albert Marland
Cheers!
RP
Another slapped wrist for me, for neglecting my blogging duties. In the weeks since my last missive, we've had Christmas and New Year, and I've had a birthday. But the hole in my chin remains, although I'm reliably informed that it's getting smaller.
So how was the festive season for you? Ours was nice: we spent the Christmas period at my Dad's place in Bognor, and descended on my brother Dave for Christmas lunch. As for oral intake, I'm afraid that my role was mainly confined to watching others chewing and slurping, but it was all very pleasant anyway.
We were back home for New Year, and had a relatively quiet time, with a few friends round for the evening. Flaunting medical advice, I actually consumed some alcohol! Champagne and all proper drinks still being too harsh for my palate, I opted for some Sainsbury's Pink Fizz. This is a beverage presented in a sparkling wine bottle, the label of which describes it as an "aromatised wine product cocktail". It comprises some non-descript Chenin Blanc wine mixed with hibiscus flower extract, and comes in at a whopping 4% ABV. It's booze for pre-teens, or a Christmas tipple for teetotallers. Don't pitch up at a dinner party bearing a bottle of this stuff, or your host may rightly spit in your food.
Anyway, Sainsbury's Pink Fizz tasted okay to me, and I managed a couple of glasses
on New Year's Eve, with no ill effects other then the scorn of my family and friends, but I've not tried it since. The bottle stands forlorn in our fridge, untouched in 2011. We really ought to chuck it down the sink, but throwing away alcohol - even of such poor quality - goes against the grain, so it may still be there next New Years Eve.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In my idle moments over the festive period, I've been looking back at earlier blogs, and I've been struck by how unprepared I was for the ordeal ahead of me. I'm not sure whether this was because the medical professionals didn't tell me straight, or whether I chose not to hear the truth.
In the early postings, I was assuming that it would all be sorted within a matter of a few weeks, and even when it was decided that they would be butchering my face, I was expecting everything to be back to normal within six months: the eternal optimist!
I also told the world that I would be in hospital for two weeks. How was I to know that there would be complications and further operations, which kept me inarcerated for over six weeks, from late June to early August? I anticipated having a tracheostomy for 4-7 days. In the event, I kept it for about 4 weeks!I also vastly underrated the sheer misery of chemo and radiotherapy.
With hindsight, I actually think it was no bad thing that I was so naive about what was in store for me: if I had known the truth, I would certainly not have entered the whole process in such a sanguine state of mind. On balance, now that the worst is behind me (fingers crossed), I'm glad that I didn't know in advance just how awful it was going to be.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the hope that I may one day be able to move on from Sainsbury's Pink Fizz, here are ten songs about sparkling wine.
1. Champagne Supernova - Oasis
2. Sparkling Wine - Red Sovine
3. A Glass Of Champagne - Sailor
4. Bubbly - Colbie Caillat
5. Drinking Champagne - Willie Nelson
6. No Sex In The Champagne Room - Chris Rock
7. Champagne Charlie - George Leybourne
8. Champagne Life - Ne-Yo
9. I Drink Sparkling Wine - Pjs & Art
10. Pink Fizz - Albert Marland
Cheers!
RP
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