Do what you feel in your heart to be right. You'll be criticised anyway.  Eleanor Roosevelt 1884 - 1962

The public is the only critic whose view is worth anything at all.  Mark Twain 1835-1910

Since my last blog I have received a couple of adverse comments.    It seems my comments about my experiences in Weston Park Hospital weren't to everyones taste, a little too graphic in their description.  Well, I've thought long and hard about them and also about quotes like the ones above, and the reason I've used the two above quotes is that the message is quite different.

I absolutely take on board the comments - yes criticism - I have received.  But, I was doing/saying what I felt to be right - and while I hadn't expected criticism for that - I can fully understand why.

I won't dwell on it - not here anyway - but I hope that if my comments have upset anyone that you can accept my apology first and foremost, but also understand my reasons for posting what I did.

Cancer is a very serious illness.  However I should emphasise that survival rates are improving all the time - for example 80% of breast cancer patients will survive - and so many more people will walk out of Weston Park with a smile on their face than the people I outlined last week.  I guess I just had a bad week...

Anyway - enough of that.

Since I left Weston Park last weekend the pains in my mouth have still not subsided.  I was given stacks of medicine, 2 lots of antibiotics (one of them a double dose in strength), an antacid and also morphine.  I also brought home some more pottassium tablets that are soluble in water to put through my peg.  While in hospital they did various blood tests and apparently the potassium levels in my blood were low - which would explain why I had been feeling so lethargic of late.  By the time I left they were back to normal and I felt so much better I actually mowed the lawns at home on Saturday afternoon!!

So Ive been feeling fine for the last week except for the mouth pains.

Yesterday was my second review following radiotherapy - can you believe its now been 8 weeks since my final radiotherapy session?  Everything was fine and they took another swab of the coating on my tongue - they think now that the oral thrush could be a different strain than the one we have been trying to treat - which would explain why a double strength dose hadn't cleared it.  New medication hopefully supplied next week will then hopefully get me back on the road to recovery.

A word on morphine.  WOW!!  Some of the hallucinations I've been having are incredible!!  I keep feeling like I'm asleep and apparently I'm not, although I am very tired for about 1/2 an hour after taking it.

Well, as its Friday I should wish you all a very good weekend, hope that whatever you have planned will go well and you come to Monday relaxed and refreshed.  Make time for your families....

Ooooh - as an aside - and while I'm mentioning families - lots of people have been asking about my Dad and his hip.  He was told he could take the brace off his leg on Thursday but have advised him he needs a new hip - to be fitted in 6-8 weeks.  So not the best news but we will get through it.

All the best

Nigel xx