37 – Up, up and away
24th June 2022
‘We’re not trying to poison you Warren – we’re always trying to balance effectiveness against quality of life’. This was explained to me by my Oncologist, Dr Grant, as I’d finished my second cycle of chemo – totalling six weeks so far.
And as ever, he has it bang on the nail.
I say this because I seem to have tolerated the chemo quite well. Fewer side-effects than I was expecting and overall, felt okay – all things considered.
I have four more cycles of three weeks to do, but this will recommence in August.
The reason for this pause in treatment is that I’ve been passed as ‘fit to travel’ – therefore the trip I haven’t been able to take since all this started in 2020, is allowing me one more visit to see friends and family in Vietnam and Cambodia.
It’s a relatively short trip for me – just a couple of weeks, so I don’t push my luck. Samros and Nisa will be able to stay a week or so longer. But enough time for me to revisit some of my favourite places in both countries.
Among them will be around Ben Thanh Market for excellent street food in downtown Saigon (HCMC) and Kep – a small town on Cambodia’s south coast, which is famed for its amazing seafood.
All places of course offer good and cheap Beerotherapy, so I’ll be suitably 'hydrated' throughout.
All the chemo should be out of my system and infection resistance reasonably okay by the time we fly on 10th July. My PICC line has already been removed and will be reinserted when I’m back, ready to start treatment again.
But between now and then, it definitely feels like freedom for me – no tubes or medication for a few weeks!
And on that happy note, I should start thinking of packing but as ever with me, will just do it on the morning we fly 😊
I’ll be back on here with an update around mid-August.
Until then, take care x