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ups and downs...

It's been a week or so of ups and a few downs.

The ups have mainly been on the social front....

A visit from Steve's brother last Friday so that they could go to the Oxford Probate Registry together to swear the executors oath relating to the estate of their mum, Jean, who died in September.  The grant of probate came through today - much sooner than expected - which is a relief, and another load off our minds.  

A visit from our friends Ruth, Anne and Colin last Saturday who dropped in for coffee and pastries en route to see mutual friends - we loved the chance to catch up on their news and have a long chat, lifting the spirits as always!

Our son is also staying with us at the moment, so we have been enjoying his company much more so than usual and are making the most of it, before he disappears back to Bristol.

On the health front, Steve is in the process of weaning himself off the Prednisolone steroids which he is taking to stimulate his appetite.  The dose has been reduced to four tablets over this last week, and will go down again tomorrow to three tablets a day, for the next week.  

The good news is that his appetite has not diminished with the steroid dose reduction and he's still eating well.  However, after a period of stability, his weight dipped from 53.3 kilos to 52.6 kilos three days ago.  That's just under 8 stone 4 lbs in shorts and a T shirt.  Whether it's a blip or a downward trend only time will tell....

The sporadic coughing continues - usually associated with movement.  As a result Steve does not look forward to getting out of bed or indeed doing any activity which involves physical exertion, knowing that it will probably trigger the cough which makes him feel puffed out. It's an effort to get up, get dressed and get himself downstairs, by which time he needs a rest to recover.  

Not surprisingly, he will happily spend most of the day sitting doing crosswords, sudoku, browsing online, reading a newspaper (and being waited upon...) Not surprisingly also, his inactivity has the opposite effect on me!  Not the best timing, now the nerve root block injection I had back in August is beginning to wear off making the pain in my lower back increasingly noticeable.  

Steve's follow up appointment has now come through in mid-November.  Another three weeks or so before we find out if the course of radiotherapy has shrunk the tumour which is severely restricting the passage of air to the lower lobe of his left lung.  Hopefully, he will notice an improvement before then..

...Keep your fingers crossed for us!


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