Small victories

I feel like I climbed Everest yesterday (although I still plan to climb ACTUAL Everest someday. Base camp 1 counts as climbing Everest yeah?! good, yeah I plan to climb Everest. ). I ate breakfast, a snack, I had a 3 hour tea and chats date (thanks for coming over, you really perked me up), I walked the dog, I went to my parents for dinner, came home and watched a movie and had a perfect nights sleep. I'm amazed at how that,totally non-special day, can seem like the best day ever. I think it means I am out if the woods for this chemo dose. Woohoo!!

I have also decided what is by far the best thing about cancer. It is definitely this horrible disease's ability to bring out the best in people. This doesn't just mean the people who are with me every day, taking care of me like I'm a child, pushing me when I need to be pushed, nursing me when I need to be nursed. It extends to people I barely know or have never even met. Here are two examples :

Example one : yesterday I blogged that I was worried about having passed on my pre-cancerous white blood cells to some poor unfortunate blood recipient. I asked that if anyone knew anything about this could they please get in touch. Nobody knew, but plenty tried to find out and called/ texted me with their findings. One in particular, a girl I knew in school and have merely bumped into a maximum of twice in ten years since then, wrote a long text with info,contacts, phone numbers etc. She had taken the time and researched ways I could find out and put my mind at ease. That's amazing.

Example two: did anyone see the comment on an earlier blog post from a lady called Paula in the UK? In 2010, when Nick and I drove to Mongolia in our beloved ambulance (weird sentence to anyone who doesn't know we did that!) we met a couple en route in a supermarket in Turkmenistan. We stayed with them up to the finish line 3-4 weeks later.  This lady was his mother. We never met her, but knowing she was worried about her son's safety (all our parents were up the walls, understandably!), we gave her a link to our gps tracker so she could make sure we continued to move safely in places with no phone coverage (most places!). To take the time to write such a personal, heartfelt, genuine and lovely message to someone you've never met is amazing. Paula, I hope I meet you some day. Steve, you were right, your Mum is awesome.

In terms of chemo effects, I have aches and pains all over and tingling in my hands. Nothing that a good shake cant fix. I had however, the unfortunate experience yesterday of being headbutted in the mouth by an agitated beagle. His rock hard head burst my lip open and loosened my front tooth. Wonder if chemo prevents clotting as it seemed to bleed forever. It serves me right for trying to once again display his 'robo-dog' moves for the enjoyment of others. Lots of disinfectant mouthwash and it should be OK. My head is also super itchy. Either the hair is on the way out or I have picked up head lice. Don't know which is worse actually!

Off now to take said head butting beagle to the dog park for a play. Life goes on during chemo, much more than I was expecting.