Update: July 2025
2025 07 06 (Sunday)
Hi everyone – time for an update ...
My hope for a better start to Cycle 2 of the oral chemo wasn’t realised – as soon as it (2600mg of chemo every single day for two weeks) started to kick in, I experienced almost a week of all-fall-down fatigue and down-in-the-dumps-ness, staying in bed almost all the time. I couldn’t even go to my circle dancing session on Thursday morning. Thanks, Gail and Vonni, for running the session on my behalf!
And then ... the smothering charcoal-coloured
blanket suddenly started to lift, late on Friday. I was able to participate
almost fully in yesterday’s circle dancing session that was dedicated to the
tenth World Circle Dance Day (which is today). This felt miraculous to me!
I still have another four days of oral chemo before my week of respite, and I realise there will still be some ups and downs, but I’m so much more myself again. 🎉
My appreciation to the wonderful people who make up our dancing circle, and to Gail and all of you for helping me to keep on keeping on.
Lots of love 🌹❤️
Dancing, yesterday. (There are no photos of me
on the other end of the scale! 😅)
2025 07 17
Hi everyone – I hope you are keeping warm (southern hemisphere) or cool (northern hemisphere)!
We’re keeping warm, but this chemo is not fun. Continuing the blanket metaphor, it’s heavy and charcoal coloured about 75% of the time, and lightweight, vivid colours and sparkly about 25% of the time. It can completely change (in either direction) from one moment to the next.
Apparently this is unusual – this chemo doesn’t get most people down. For me, it’s entirely different from the chemo of two years ago, where I was one of the rare lucky ones.
In the ‘up’ times, I’ve been able to dance, to see family, to watch my niece Geraldine online as she graduated with a first class degree in Fine Art in London 🎉, to have my first solo walk with Neria since February, and to do some more work on my book.
This morning, having prepared everything last night for circle dancing, I realised that I really wasn’t ok to run my session. Gail (with a sore leg – nothing serious but temporarily not good for dancing) would not be able to do this either. So, for the first time since starting the group 15 months ago, I cancelled on the day. Appreciation to the people (many of whom are now reading this) who sent Gail and me such kind messages this morning.
(Photo:
All dressed up and nowhere to go)
I had even changed the time of my three-weekly oncology appointment to this afternoon to accommodate dancing! Gail and I went to the appointment this afternoon and met Dr Mohamed, a GP who is assisting while Garth takes a much-needed holiday. Dr M confirmed that my blood tests show I’m ready to start oral chemo cycle 3 tomorrow (I’m glad my daily dose hasn’t been increased) and that my lung is still doing ok.
In three weeks’ time, which will be exactly the middle of the treatment, I’ll have a CT scan and Garth will assess how well the treatment has been helping (I’m sure that, physically, it is indeed helping).
Hoping for an increase in sparkly-blanket times and sharing more good times with all of you.
Much love, always 🌹❤️
2025 07 20
Hi everyone –
I hope the Capetonians are enjoying this beautiful weather, and everyone else is enjoying whatever they are doing, too. I’m also aware that many of us are dealing with various issues, be they health (own or that of others), loss, work, etc.
On Thursday night, the reason for my not feeling up to running my dancing session became clear: a very sore throat. Over the past couple of days, this has been joined by a cough, mostly at night and in the morning. Right now, as I sit on our warm patio and type this, I’m not coughing and my throat is fine, but if I have another night like last night I’ll contact Garth’s team and see what we should do.
I did start the chemo on Friday, as having a cold (or whatever this is) wasn’t a reason not to do it.
On a more cheerful note, I’ve been walking around the garden every now and then, and yesterday I photographed four of the five varieties of geranium we have here (the fifth is being shy, right now).
Wishing you the best possible week that you can have.
Lots of love 🌹❤️
2025 07 30
For those who like short messages, the summary is: I’m generally fine; still grappling with various coloured “blankets”; back on some cold & flu meds after a short break from them.
For those who like all the details, read on ...
It’s hard to believe that my most recent update was about 10 days ago. For most of that time, I was in bed, in a haze of cold & flu medication (Sinucon and ACC-200, for those who like details). For the first few days I felt as if I was wrapped in a warm, cream-coloured blanket, but then the caffeine in the Sinucon started to give me insomnia! After taking it until Sunday (as instructed), the coughing and sneezing was gone but the grey blanket was hovering 🙄.
My huge appreciation to Gail for all the care – even while she was dealing with what she’d probably caught from me. 🙏🏼
On Sunday – a beautiful day – I ventured round the corner to the water with Neria (my first time out in 11 days). On Monday I was a bit wobbly but went with Gail and Neria to the off-leash park; yesterday (Tuesday) was one of those rare summer-in-winter days, but the grey blanket was very low and I couldn’t really enjoy it.
Yesterday Gail and I also watched the beautiful funeral (on Zoom) of my cousin Richard, who died suddenly at 75 while on holiday with some of his family in Namibia. What wonderful and well deserved tributes from his daughters and his brother!
I also started feeling a bit breathless and wondered whether the pleural effusion or the infection was causing it, so today I contacted Garth’s team (CancerCare), who organised a chest X-ray.
Excellent news: there has been no change to the pleural effusion since the previous X-ray showed that the chemo was helping to reduce it (and it’s now two months since I last had a pleural tap). And I don’t have pneumonia – I had been worried about this, with my immunity reduced by the chemo. But they did put me back on the cold & flu meds – this time, I’ll only take Sinucon in the morning.
Sr Shelley, the head of the CancerCare chemo room, even came to find Gail and me in the hospital coffee shop to discuss the latter. She is also puzzled by the depressive effect on me of this oral chemo (it’s called Capeloda, by the way).
I found the visit and chat reassuring, and am now back in bed on this cold, wet and windy day (inevitable after yesterday’s stunning one) getting back into the haze of meds.
With all that’s happening at the moment, I reluctantly decided to pause my morning circle dancing group’s sessions for August and September. I will miss the dancers and the sessions! As and when I’m OK enough, I will continue to attend the Saturday afternoon sessions.
Tomorrow is day 14 of 14 for taking this round of oral chemo. Praying for some sparkles during the week of no chemo!
May you all be surrounded by love and sparkly blankets.
Lots of love 🌹❤️
