It has been one of those weeks we will remember for all the wrong reasons.
Last Monday, we went to hospital thinking that Steve would undergo tests to see if he is eligible for the VanSel drug trial. But because of the problems of arranging a scan appointment at short notice, most of the tests have been pushed back a week or so. As a result, we are still in limbo - not knowing whether or not he will be able to take part in the study.
On Tuesday, I headed off to Guernsey for one of my occasional work-related visits, only to find on arrival that my mobile was misbehaving and I was unable to send texts or make outgoing calls, just receive incoming. Not a complete disaster, but annoying because it made communication that much more difficult. But at least the hotel had wifi, so I was able to catch up on news via e-mails and Facebook at the end of each working day.
Thursday morning, I woke up to the news that one of our cyber friends and fellow meso warrior Jan had died after a long battle with cancer. It was not unexpected, but still heartbreaking.
Friday in Guernsey dawned wet with low cloud, which did not lift as the day went on. The fog closed in and the 4 pm flight back to the UK was delayed, then cancelled. Rebooked on the 6pm flight which was delayed for a couple of hours, then cancelled.
By that time, there was no availability on the early morning flight the following day, so I was rebooked on the Saturday afternoon flight back to Southampton.
Saturday brought news that Steve's mum had been taken into hospital in Bristol and was undergoing tests to find out the source of the problem. That was still up in the air by the time my afternoon flight was due to take off. But the plane was still on the ground. It had developed technical faults which they were unable to fix, so we had to wait until early evening for a replacement plane to come across the Channel, landing in Southampton around 7.40 pm.
Earlier that day, a short but very vicious storm had brought down trees in the south of England, blocking railway lines and roads. Trains from Southampton Airport Parkway station were replaced by busses and I found myself on the road to Basingstoke where we were dropped off at the station and left to fend for ourselves. No direct trains to Oxford from there. Trains to Reading to make a connection were cancelled or severely delayed.
I began to doubt whether I would get home that night. However, meso warrior Mavis kept me company chatting on Facebook until my knight in shining armour - i.e. Steve in the car - came to the rescue. After a long detour to avoid fallen trees, we eventually arrived home at 11.30 pm last night.
Today, we learned that Steve's mum is still in hospital but has had a good night. We expect her to be discharged back to her care home when the consultant returns on Monday.
We have also been told details of the celebration of fellow meso warrior Jan's life. However, it's the same day that Steve is due to start the VanSel trial (if he is accepted) so I doubt we will be able to attend.
That was quite a week, that was, for one reason or another - and I am happy to say goodbye to it and move on....Let's hope more positive things will happen next week and we are both able to re-charge the depleted body batteries and recover from the coughs that have crept up on us over the last 5-6 days.
One last thing. Sadly, the merry band of meso bloggers is shrinking. I hope more people will come forward and share their experiences. Jan found that writing about her cancer was a release for her and helped her deal with her disease. I feel the same way as a carer. It might help you too, if you are in the same position. Think about it....
Last Monday, we went to hospital thinking that Steve would undergo tests to see if he is eligible for the VanSel drug trial. But because of the problems of arranging a scan appointment at short notice, most of the tests have been pushed back a week or so. As a result, we are still in limbo - not knowing whether or not he will be able to take part in the study.
On Tuesday, I headed off to Guernsey for one of my occasional work-related visits, only to find on arrival that my mobile was misbehaving and I was unable to send texts or make outgoing calls, just receive incoming. Not a complete disaster, but annoying because it made communication that much more difficult. But at least the hotel had wifi, so I was able to catch up on news via e-mails and Facebook at the end of each working day.
Thursday morning, I woke up to the news that one of our cyber friends and fellow meso warrior Jan had died after a long battle with cancer. It was not unexpected, but still heartbreaking.
Friday in Guernsey dawned wet with low cloud, which did not lift as the day went on. The fog closed in and the 4 pm flight back to the UK was delayed, then cancelled. Rebooked on the 6pm flight which was delayed for a couple of hours, then cancelled.
By that time, there was no availability on the early morning flight the following day, so I was rebooked on the Saturday afternoon flight back to Southampton.
Saturday brought news that Steve's mum had been taken into hospital in Bristol and was undergoing tests to find out the source of the problem. That was still up in the air by the time my afternoon flight was due to take off. But the plane was still on the ground. It had developed technical faults which they were unable to fix, so we had to wait until early evening for a replacement plane to come across the Channel, landing in Southampton around 7.40 pm.
Earlier that day, a short but very vicious storm had brought down trees in the south of England, blocking railway lines and roads. Trains from Southampton Airport Parkway station were replaced by busses and I found myself on the road to Basingstoke where we were dropped off at the station and left to fend for ourselves. No direct trains to Oxford from there. Trains to Reading to make a connection were cancelled or severely delayed.
I began to doubt whether I would get home that night. However, meso warrior Mavis kept me company chatting on Facebook until my knight in shining armour - i.e. Steve in the car - came to the rescue. After a long detour to avoid fallen trees, we eventually arrived home at 11.30 pm last night.
Today, we learned that Steve's mum is still in hospital but has had a good night. We expect her to be discharged back to her care home when the consultant returns on Monday.
We have also been told details of the celebration of fellow meso warrior Jan's life. However, it's the same day that Steve is due to start the VanSel trial (if he is accepted) so I doubt we will be able to attend.
That was quite a week, that was, for one reason or another - and I am happy to say goodbye to it and move on....Let's hope more positive things will happen next week and we are both able to re-charge the depleted body batteries and recover from the coughs that have crept up on us over the last 5-6 days.
One last thing. Sadly, the merry band of meso bloggers is shrinking. I hope more people will come forward and share their experiences. Jan found that writing about her cancer was a release for her and helped her deal with her disease. I feel the same way as a carer. It might help you too, if you are in the same position. Think about it....
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