Update: September 2025

 

2025 09 05

Hi everyone –

A few of you know where I’ve been, yesterday and today ...

My blood counts were found to be very low during the routine pre-chemo check done on Wednesday (chemo was expected to be yesterday). These low counts helped me understand why I had had such particularly low energy recently, and had still been feeling very down.

I was admitted to my favourite ward (haematology) at Constantiaberg for a blood transfusion yesterday. I received three units of blood (once again, thanks to all of you who donate blood!) plus an injection to decrease my susceptibility to infection. They took it all slowly and carefully, so the transfusion went right overnight until after breakfast this morning. (I managed to sleep through it for part of the night.)

There had been talk of my having chemo today, and my counts were found to be excellent after the treatment, but by then it was rather late and they thought it a good idea for me to recover a bit over the weekend, so chemo (Day 1 of Cycle 2) will be on Monday morning (for four hours).

Just before being admitted yesterday, I had a scheduled consultation with Garth, who decided that Cycle 2 will be a lower dose than Cycle 1 was, as I had found some of the side effects extremely difficult to cope with – especially what it does to the inside of one’s mouth. One side effect that I am rather sad about (although it doesn’t involve physical pain) is that my hair is falling out in handfuls. With this chemo, one usually only gets thinning hair, but I have somehow landed up being an exception. So I’ll be wearing hats again for the next few months.

As always, thanks for all your love and support. It continues to mean the world to me.

(Photo: the furry support system to Gail and me at home.)

Lots of love 🌹❤️

 

2025 09 06

Thanks for all the messages and love!

A quick note about a rare sparkle in this often difficult time:

I’ve always known that Karen, hairdresser to Gail and me, is wonderful. But today she outdid herself: she worked with whatever hair really is still attached, and did this!

So, even with the fraction of my hair that I have left, I can feel relatively normal and choose when and where I wear hats.

Lots of love 🌹❤️

 

2025 09 11

Hi everyone –

Thanks for your ongoing support about this past Monday’s chemo and my hair (which is still falling out, yet also still manageable for now).

The chemo went well (it was uneventful, which is always good), and between the steroids in the drip and the blood that I’d received last week, I had some actual energy until yesterday, including for a lovely visit by three family members on Sunday and then yesterday being able to welcome our dear friend Anne from Durban, who is staying here for a few days.

Today my energy has started dropping, and I’m taking things gently. The other chemo session of this cycle will be next Monday.

Side effects (other than energy loss) haven’t kicked in (although there are signs that they may be coming), and I’m waiting to see if the lower dose is going to help keep them less than they were in the previous cycle. Please hold thumbs!

Huge love and appreciation to all of you, always 🌹❤️

2025 09 19

Hi everyone –

Thanks for your ongoing love and support.

This chemo cycle has definitely been easier on me than the first one was, even if I do again have a sore mouth and now definitely have to wear hats!

Anne’s visit was lovely and gentle. Although my energy did drop for a couple of days, we all managed a drive on Sunday to Noordhoek Farm Village, where Anne and I strolled and looked at things and ate ice creams while Gail walked Neria fast.

Monday’s chemo (the short one) was uneventful, and I am now in my usual two-week break before Cycle 3 starts.

After chemo, I was able to see the psychiatrist I’ve been waiting to see: she was lovely and very thorough. She changed just about everything that I have been taking. I’d had a very strong sense that those meds hadn’t been quite right for me. In a week’s time, I’ll let her know how it’s going, and she may tweak the meds some more. It’s such a relief to have more energy, some of the time (I’m taking a third of the amount of Urbanol now, and no longer have to lie down most of the time). But I’m still hoping for a longer sleep time at night, eventually.

In terms of circle dancing, I slowly and reluctantly realised that I needed to close the Thursday morning group I started in April 2024. I have paused the group twice already this year, and have now faced the fact that while I can attend the Saturday group from time to time and dance a little, I am unable to run my own group, with all the planning, organisation, energy, teaching and admin that that entails. My thanks for Gail and Vonni for stopping in when I needed help with all of these.

I’m very sad to have closed the group, and also very touched by the messages that many of the dancers have sent me.

As always, my appreciation and love to all of you 🌹❤️

 

2025 09 30

Hi everyone –

Today has had some sparkles in it! (Today has also been way too hot to think about blankets! So we won’t.)

I had a CT scan on Friday and a consultation with Garth today to get the results: improvements in all the main things we’re tracking:

(Those who like only the “bottom line” can stop reading now! Long message alert!)

-      The lung nodules have decreased in size (the “main” one from 17mm to 7mm).

-      The pleural effusion has decreased.

-      The nodules in my liver have decreased in size by between 15% and 20%.

-      Nothing has increased in size.

-      There is nothing new in my bones.

We also started chemo Cycle 3 today, with the usual long session. Next Tuesday will be the short session, all going well.

It’s been quite a roller coaster ride between my last update and this one. I’ve had various side effects, the main one being fatigue – also linked with continuing to balance the meds for sleeping etc. I have started to feel more like the “me” I know 😊 (I am still taking the most recent sleeping pill, but am off Urbanol, which is replaced by a small dose of Miradep – having started with a bigger dose that made me zonked for hours every morning 🙄).

Other side effects are neuropathy in my feet (which started with the chemo of 2023) and now slightly in my fingers (new in the last few weeks), a small ulcer under my tongue, and ongoing hair loss (I still have some hair, though). When I look in the mirror, I see many differences from 7 months ago ... I think the last time I aged so rapidly was when I was a baby! Also, today my haemoglobin count was only just high enough to allow us to do the chemo without first doing a transfusion. (Amazing that I still had some energy – probably thanks to the mood/sleep meds.)

But all things considered, I’m glad to be on this treatment, which has given the above results thus far. There are no guarantees about how long it will be able to do this, but we are now in this moment and I cherish it, as I cherish all of you and all that you are doing for me.

In other news:

On 20 September I attended just the first hour (welcoming drinks – water for me 😄) of a further reunion dinner of our Class of 1975.

Our friend Lindy from Pretoria came to stay with us for three nights over the past weekend. It was great to have her here, and on Saturday we had an enjoyable outing at Groot Constantia, where she and I ambled (including inside the manor house) while Gail ran with Neria, and then Little Stream for lunch.

Later that day, our back door blew right off its top hinge when it flew open by itself in a howling gale. 🌬️😯 We managed to get someone to fix it on Sunday.

I think that’s enough for now!

Just a repeat of how much I cherish and appreciate your love, good vibes, prayers and dancing energy.

Lots of love 🌹❤️

(Photo collage: the rainbow crystal we hung in the patio window a couple of months ago. Photos in August plus the other day, when the grapevine started getting its new leaves.)