What an amazing difference there is in Pete since I last wrote my blog… it’s been about 10 days and, although still feeling a bit tired / fatigued, since he finished the 7-days worth of injections following his first chemo, he’s started to feel a little bit better every day. He’s more or less back to doing his usual day-to-day chores and jobs around the house as if there was nothing wrong including cooking dinner (phew!) 🤣.

His appetite has improved over the past week or so with not too many unusual taste sensations occurring although he says his coffee always tastes a bit weird!? Whilst he didn’t enjoy how the after effects of the chemo, I think he feels a bit more confident about what to expect now and it must be reassuring to know that he can bounce back in this way – it certainly is for me!

I know to many people who are going through similar treatment, the thought of losing your hair is probably one of the most frightening of side-effects but, for Pete at least, it was one thing he was quite looking forward to… for those that know him, he’s pretty bald anyway and has often gone the full Duncan Goodhew – especially on holiday in hot climes! 🤣 It’s fair to say he was a little disappointed that his hair hadn’t fallen out… I am therefore happy to report that the process has now started and he is strangely happy about it! Maybe, now we live in Scotland, his hair might grow back ginger – his Mum, our Jessie, was a red-head after all!

Yesterday, 30th September, we travelled the 84 miles (one-way) to the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh to meet his new Oncologist (Dr Allison). Although it’s not that many miles, it’s a good 2.25 hour drive from Newcastleton to Edinburgh. It didn’t really feel that far though as the countryside is beautiful &, as the journey is a new one for us, there’s always plenty to see! Additionally, until you get within about 10 miles of Edinburgh, the roads are not that busy which makes for a very pleasant drive!

The new Oncologist was very nice – she listened and provided Pete with some new tabs to overcome the side effects he is experiencing which was good. She also confirmed that his PSA count had reduced from 53 to 8 which sounds very positive to us both. She felt this was a good indicator that the hormones were doing the job expected which is good to know… She also confirmed that we wouldn’t have to travel to Edinburgh for the chemo as this would be arranged at the Borders Hospital in Melrose which is only an hour north of us instead of 2.25 hours! We should get the dates for the next chemo session through in a day or so…

That’s all with the big-C update! What else have we been up to…

We seem to have been really busy again over the past week or so… we attended our new patient appointments (the nurse told me I had shrunk half an inch and was approximately 1 stone “overweight” – Ho hum, at least I didn’t hit the “obese” category on the BMI scoring system! After putting my vitals into her system, even the nurse seemed quite impressed (or perhaps surprised?? 🤔) that my BMI score was coloured purple rather than RED! 🤣); we also found out how to order our medication online – the health practice here in Newcastleton is very different to the one in Keighley… staff cannot do enough and although the lady on reception gave us all the info on how to sign up to order our meds online, she did mention that most people just pop in and ask instead! Whilst we were there, she ordered Pete’s usual meds for him – a service we have never been offered in Keighley!

The weather has been pretty nice (warm enough last Sunday to actually sit in the garden with a book which was a pleasant surprise!) and, as Pete’s been feeling a bit better, we’ve had a few nice walks around the village… on one we experienced double Dippers on the river; another day we saw a pair of Goosanders…

I have spoken to Mum via FaceTime too – supported by Bianca, one of the Seniors, it was lovely to see her even if it was only on a screen… I can’t have much of a conversation with her but she looked happy to see me – she said “ There’s Lynne” when my face popped up so that was nice!

We’ve been shopping in Hawick and also visited the garden centre in Kelso where we had lunch and bought bulbs for the garden & a new winter coat each… Driving to Hawick is lovely but the drive to Kelso gave us some different countryside to enjoy as, in the lovely weather we’ve been having, it really is stunning. We’ve decided that living here is like being in the Yorkshire Dales but without the Dales National Park price-tag!

We finally managed to put together the flat-packed shoe rack cupboard thingy we bought from Dunelm several weeks ago! What a nightmare that turned out to be but, thankfully, all done now… we have agreed that we are never going to buy flat-pack again as it’s far too stressful putting it together and we don’t want to risk our marriage 🤣🤣🤣

I’ve also been for my breast screening in Hawick… it was over very quickly and I should get the results in the next few weeks… one thing, when I mentioned just moving to Newcastleton, the nurse said next time I won’t need to travel as far as they park the breast screening bus up in Newcastleton for a couple of weeks each summer and invite all the ladies due their screening to attend… so, in 3-years time, I will be able to walk to this appointment – which is pretty good!

We have been exploring the local butchers and trying out the various haggis-based offerings – very nice – and eaten the most enormous toasted sandwiches whilst at the garden centre.

Oooo, and what about the rugby! We enjoyed watching England Rugby XV win the Women’s World Cup last weekend – woohoo – hurrah for women’s sporting achievements this year… just one question, why was there less hype on the TV than for the Women’s European Football? Surely a World Cup out trumps a European one? 🤔

Today (1st October) is Pete’s 71st Birthday and I cannot believe a whole year has whizzed past since we were up in the Mountains in Spain celebrating his 70th… What a lot has happened in those 12-months, both good and bad!

Pete has bought himself a new shed to stop himself bashing his bald bonce off the door of the old one which we think was made by the previous occupants and has probably been standing for about 30 years! Let’s just say, they must have been a lot shorter than Pete with the size of the doorway they put in as I think Pete has managed to scuff his head every time he’s gone in and out of it! Some men from the garden centre in Longtown (that’s just over the border in England!) are delivering the shed this morning (nice birthday present to himself!) and will be putting it up – it will give Pete somewhere to potter and keep all his tools / gardening equipment plus, added bonus, we should save a fortune in plasters for his head!

Once the shed is up, we are off to Yorkshire to collect the last of our things from the Yorkshire House. Although we haven’t got an exchange date for the house yet (I keep telling myself, it’s only been 9 weeks since the offer was accepted so, if it usually takes 3 months, we are still on course 🤞), we have arranged for the hedge in the front garden to be cut back (nothing like getting your bush trimmed 🤣🤣) by the bloke that does next doors (thank you for the contact number Katie Beck!) as Pete didn’t think he could manage it at the moment and we want it to look nice for the new people. We have also arranged for some lads from Sue Ryder to collect our recliner chairs for resale as they will not fit in the new house… a full circle for our chairs as we originally bought them, 2nd-hand from Sue Ryder – nice!

We will hopefully be back in Scotland tomorrow evening and then get prepared for Pete’s next round of chemo which will hopefully be next week sometime… time is definitely flying by and, if it carries on like this, Pete will have completed his chemo before we know it and Christmas will have come and gone! Only 12 weeks today until Christmas Eve folks… you’re welcome!

You can tell Autumn is here… the wind has got cooler, the leaves are turning, the nights drawing in and Strictly is back on the telly which is always a sign that Christmas isn’t too far off 🤣🤣

Ciao ciao xxx