Autumn Poem

I thought I'd share with you a poem I wrote recently about this season - Autumn a magnificent time of year when colour takes over the surrounding countryside and we are inspired to walk amongst those colours, paint them or write about them.

Autumn by Joanne D
The air is colder now
The leaves are turning brown
All life in the garden is beginning to calm down

The spiders webs abundant
On fence and shed and line
All creatures know whats coming
Prepare for winter time

No frost as yet has graced the grass
Only dampness and the dew
But it won't be long before we see
The sparking icy view

I hope you enjoyed reading my poem as much as I enjoyed writing it and the Autumn images it evokes.

Problems...Remedies...Results

This past week I've encountered quite a few problems but I've also very quickly found the right remedy!

Problem number one:

Low Potassium levels = foggy brain, irregular heartbeat, zero energy. Soon remedied by five days of Potassium supplement drinks...not nice but necessary. Result I'm feeling much better after the five days. Levels are back to normal.

Problem number two:
Unable to have chemo number six due to zero neutrophils. Again! Remedy, Oncologist has recommended a lower dose of chemo from now on in order to complete all cycles without further delay. Result we shall have to wait and see if this does the trick...

Problem number three:
Feeling and looking rubbish! Remedy (and this is my favourite one!)  :) Apply 'Daniel Sandler' amazing cosmetics and follow all his wonderful Beauty tips and voila! Result - I look well, compliments that follow on how well... and thus I feel much better. Daniel's Watercolour range is quite literally Bliss in a pot and applying it is heavenly. I keep all of Daniel Sandlers products in their very own make up bag - because they are so special. A bit like the man himself. Find him at www.danielsandler.com

So, you can see that with all these special remedies I am feeling better. Its good to know that if there is a problem, usually there is a remedy waiting to help!

It's all a bit Bananas...

Having never fully recovered from chemo #5, yesterday James and I set off for oncology to start chemo #6! I know I've mentioned it before but this one is a bit of a milestone. Its my halfway mark at last...

On Monday when I had my bloods taken my platelets were too low, so I was a little apprehensive as to whether there had been any increase and my chemo could go ahead.


So, another blood test before we start...
Naomi's face said it all "Its a no go I'm afraid, the neutrophils are zero again". So we return home. Will I ever get to the halfway Mark!

As soon as I returned home the telephone rang. It was the Oncology nurse to tell me that I needed to go to my Doctors immediately to collect a prescription he had arranged to have written up due to very low Potassium levels! I was to start drinking the supplement immediately and continue for the next five days and then return for more blood tests!

Potassium: vital for internal organ function, particularly the heart. Muscle growth, normal nervous system and brain function...say nothing!
Low Potassium levels result in weakness and irregular heart rhythms.
It was no wonder I had not recovered and was still extremely fatigued!

Foods rich in Potassium: Bananas, baked potato, avocados (top three), milk, honey, raisins, prunes, apricots, dates, strawberries, cantaloupe melon, citrus fruits, beets, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms and soy products.

Later that afternoon the Doctor rang me and said to take the supplement three times a day for five days and after that to eat a banana daily...


Its all been a bit Bananas recently, so I guess another one won't hurt!!!

A Son that shines so brightly...

I'm just coming out of the chemo fog once again, but hey we've cleared number 5! Next Wednesday I embark on number 6 and that milestone is my half way mark...

Since I started my 6 months of chemo (a very daunting amount of time) my son James has been with me every step of the way.

 Devotedly, every other week James picks me up and takes me to the Oncology hospital in the City. He sits with me for the 5 hour duration, supporting me, bringing me endless cups of tea whilst I'm hooked up to the chemo drip. We have wonderful conversations and reminisce a lot about our travels over the years, throughout his childhood. Luxor to Aswan on the Nile in Egypt. Pompeii to Rome on the train through Italy. The Alhambra Palace in Granada Spain. Dubai, Shariah, Fujeirah the UAE and trips to visit family in Germany. James helps to make those 5 hours fly by. With his humour he has me laughing and also the nurses!

I know that this is not easy for him. How can it be? On more than one level, its harsh! Seeing your mum have chemo. Seeing so many people in the Unit having chemo. The initial realisation, just how many people have Cancer is scary. However, we get through with a cuppa, a chat and a chuckle...

So, James, I know you will read this and I'd just like to say - "Thank you for Shining so brightly at this dark time"... You make it more bearable.

I'm going to end this post by sharing with you a very special poem that my dad wrote for me, about my favourite time of year...


Autumn - by Peter Dursley

Trees that were green
Have now turned gold,
Yellow, Brown and Red
The Hedgehog in the undergrowth
Now makes his winter bed.

Chill winds from the Arctic blow
Replacing Summers breeze
The Blackbird harvests on the berries
Among the Hawthorn trees.

The time of Halloween has come
A time for tricks or treats
A woe betide the home that
doesn't keep supplies of sweets.

And soon it will be Christmas
Just two more months to go
Prepare for hoare frost,
Long dark nights
And maybe even snow!