07/02/21 Snow and finger splits

Mid-day, and some VERY light snow has arrived. For the second shot, my phone preferred to focus on the raindrops on the window. Temperature at freezing or very close - "too cold for snow".

Did the Sunday pill thing in forty-five minutes this morning but have some more stuff to order. It all takes time. I think I'll be staying in again - if nothing else that should give the finger splits a chance to heal a bit. They really do not like getting even a tiny bit cold, Typing is easier  than it was yesterday, only the right middle finger is causing a problem.

06/02/21 More rain again. Snow expected tomorrow

Rain. Rain again. Heavy, continuous, stair-rods of it. I don't think we'll be going anywhere today. The floods will be re-flooding, and there's thick snow expected tomorrow. Fortunately I have plenty to do in the kitchen today - as long as the power stays on...

Afternoon Update: The rain did stop eventually but I was too busy in the kitchen to take advantage. Made slow-cooked pork, leek, cider and sage hot-pot, and because Tesco gifted us with a kilo of carrots we never ordered and four of the biggest leeks imaginable, made improvised cream of carrot, leek, and tomato soup in the Thermomix as well. That's tonight's dinner (plus more for the freezer) and tomorrow's lunch sorted. Sometimes cooking helps me keep a grip on sanity in this crazy world.

Now raining again. Of course. Snow expected in the early hours of the morning. No walk today, but my Oura Ring health monitor tells me I've already hit my activity target for the day (409/400). Should be well over 500 by the end of the day.

Next Morning Update: Snow? Did somebody mention snow? As in Essex being under four inches of it this morning? Not a flake so far...

05/02/10 Onion bhajis. Or not.

A much warmer, brighter, sunnier day so we went to Rayne for a healthy walk along the old (Beechinged) railway track. Onion bhaji & mango chutney sandwiches from the Dunmow Co-Op for lunch. They tasted completely unlike any onion bhaji or mango chutney that I've ever eaten. Which reminds me that I should make some more onion bhajis - something the Thermomix does rather well.

I'll be back on the Senna tonight, possibly a Fybogel too. Things can change very quickly!

04//2/21 Oaklands

Went  to Oaklands Park for a slightly longer walk than usual to avoid the mud by taking to the roads instead, and it started raining (again!) on the way back afterwards. The ground is now so saturated after an exceptionally wet January that even a tiny bit of rain just lies on the surface. All the cross-country walks through the fields that I did back in the summer are completely out of the question now and will be for a long time to come.

More evidence that the propranolol is having a beneficial - or even slightly too beneficial effect on the constipation brought about by the dex or the len or possibly both. I'm planning on skipping the Senna again tonight, I don't think I need it. Diarrhoea is a listed side-effect but there again so is constipation! 

Dr.Ku's response to my letter about propranolol has been to arrange a 'phone call on the 19th. Obviously not seen as urgent (which it isn't). So I'll keep going with the 80mg propranolol for the time being.

Two different views of Oaklands from the bench we normally use for coffee-drinking. One with Walter, one without. The big house containing the Chelmsford Museum is behind us.

03/02/21 (2) Dex, cycles, fingers, time

I collected my next monthly package of meds from Springfield at 13:00 and didn't get to take my first 10mg of dex until after lunch at about 14:30 instead of the usual after breakfast (which is late, but not that late). Not sure what the effect on tonight's sleep will be.

Constipation has improved since I started the beta-blocker - to the point where I decided to forego the nightly Senna tonight. Only the second time I've done that, I think, since I started on it over a year ago. Now back on Lenalidomide again for the next three weeks before the week off at the end of the cycle - and speaking of that I'm just starting Cycle 10 of this consolidation/maintenance treatment with Dex and Len. So I've been on it for forty weeks now.

The finger splits have been better today - not healed yet but on the way. The  warmer weather may have something to do with it. I walked up to Peppers Green Lane and back, with gloves but without feeling the usual chill on the ends of my fingers. All the gloves I use for these walks claim to be well-insulated, but all I can say is not well enough. OTOH I don't like thick gloves so there has to be some sort of a compromise.

I've decided against doing the second Patient & Carer Panel thing - it's a rather wooly and airy-fairy study about how starting new hobbies affects time perception and therefore makes the bad aspects of myeloma more tolerable. Panel members are free to decide which requests to accept and which to ignore, and I don't think this one's for me:

"a research project and associated campaign to support people living with multiple myeloma to enjoy new experiences, such as learning a new skill or trying out a new hobby. They are also developing a new app called the Time Keeper that will share the activities and hobbies of myeloma patients and examine how their perception of time has changed in response to these activities; has it passed more slowly or quickly. The idea is that by supporting people to undertake activities they enjoy, their myeloma journey may be less challenging."

 No snarks tonight, except perhaps in my dreams...

03/02/21 A perfect and absolute blank

Nothing about myeloma today (or yesterday), except a phone call from MyelomaUK's Advocacy Panel to set up a video call (i.e. interview) for next week. Otherwise, I refer my readers to the magnificent metaphysical epic to be found here: <https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43909/the-hunting-of-the-snark>

01/02/21 Bloods, phones, fingers

Had my phone call with Dr.Ch not long after 09:00 - only a short one as we didn't have much myeloma to discuss so it was more about beta blockers and COVID vaccines. I wouldn't mind if I got paid as much as he does for the pleasure... Then breakfast and off to Springfield for them to take more bloods and do the monthly COVID swabs (for some reason we missed those last month). Stopped of at the GP surgery to collect a prescription and drop off my letter to Dr.Ku about propranolol, then spent most of the rest of the day with the problems of getting my old mobile number ported across to the new phone. Success finally achieved, although I'm still far from sure that my accounts with O2 (new provider) and Samsung are as they should be. I seem to have at least two of each, with the critical information spread around and each one wanting a different password every time. But that's a job for another day because most things on the phone now seem to be working.

The skin-thinning effects of dex are haunting me again. I thought I'd got on top of the finger splits but they're back in full force (and making typing difficult). More - much more - hand cream and cotton gloves overnight for a few days.