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A sense of inconsequence
Aug. 21st, 2008
08:29 pm - like riding a bike
I did this sponsored cycling thingy at the weekend. Thanks to the folks on my flist that gave me money!
I discovered the evil falseness of that old adage - riding a bike is actually really hard if you haven't done it for years. I managed to fall off twice. The first time was fine, if a little humiliating. I braked and tried to jump straight off but tangled my foot in the crossbar. I'm sure that used to work when I was twelve.
The second time was on a downhill turn about 100 metres from the finish. I grazed my shoulder, a lot of the right side of my torso, my right knee and shin and flayed the palm of my left hand. I also smashed my glasses and gave myself a black eye. The first aid guy was delighted, having only seen one other person all day. I finished it one handed and squinting.
Since it was a relatively simple cycle track and the event was open to seven year olds I have no choice but to blame my own clumsiness. Anyone that witnessed me falling in the River Cherwell at Oxford might not be so surprised.
My wounds are scabbing over nicely now, apart from the one on my left palm which is pissing me off. Just when you think it's starting to develop a bit of a crust it starts suppurating again. Still, it's all for charity. Bah.
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exanimateMay. 29th, 2007
05:08 pm - Brief Cancer Update
I realised in Oxford, from questions I was asked, that I haven't said much about this.
So, it's been over a year since I was diagnosed, and I'm now in the maintenance stage of my treatment. I had 10 months of initial treatment, 8 months straight in hospital and another couple as an outpatient. Getting mostly IV chemo during that time, and that all went quite well. Had a couple of hiccups - pancreatitis, extreme weight loss, brain damage and paralysis. But i'm still alive, and the leukaemia was cleared with my first dose and hasn't returned as yet. So that's a good sign for complete recovery.
Anyway, maintenance therapy consists of a couple of years of oral chemotherapy, which doesn't hammer your body quite to the extent that IV does. And you get breaks between the phases of pills. Luckily, I had my pills stopped for the last couple of weeks because I was being overmedicated and it was hitting my liver a bit hard. So I was feeling about as healthy as I have in months and months in Oxford. And I'm not supposed to drink on the medication, so it was handy for that reason too.
Thanks to everybody for amazon gift certificates, t-shirts, signed audio books and solicitous texts and emails.
The audio book (AFFC from Daj and GoN) was particularly appreciated, since it arrived the day after I'd had a stroke and I wasn't really capable of enjoying other forms of entertainment. Who knows, it possibly saved my life. :P It was frustrating trying to communicate with my parents that I needed the disk changed cause I already heard this one three time purely by blinking vigorously.
Special thanks to Kama for supporting me (literally), letting me drool on her shoulder etc.
Mar. 28th, 2007
07:49 pm - Who Would Win?
In a fight between Kama and me? It's a subject that intrigues me. A skinny Scottish boy, recovering from cancer and slightly paralysed down his left side OR a diminutive Polish girl, timid to the point of absurdity and who has never spoken a word in anger?
I mean, I have the blood of the vikings in me, but who knows what moves she learned to keep one step ahead of the stalinist secret police back in her homeland. Quite the puzzle.