Back to the treadmill

Treatment is over ! Had final scans (all clear) and told to go out and enjoy life. So not much more coming from me about the treatment now - there will be follow up scans every 4 months for a year, every 6 months in the following year, and then annually for another 8 years. But these are merely precautionary, so it's time to get back to...

Health ! I was doing pretty well, pulling my weight down to around 17 stone before all of this started. And after the surgery (dropping to 14 stone) and the chemo (keeping my weight level as it burned up caloires) I've now got back to a healthy state but a less healthy size again (over 18 stone). On top of this, been getting an inflamed back, probably from the lack of exercise, and not assisted by my tummy muscles recovering from 2 bought with the surgical knife.

So back to weekend running, weekday cycling to work and yoga for me ! And the dreaded Monday weigh ins - you should see a little graph on the right hand side now, nothing like a bit of public shame to kick start a good habit. On top of which, I feel a little winter snowboarding might be in order this season - one trip booked so far on Feb (to St Anton in Austria), but I feel another trip either State-side or Euro, would top that off nicely ! Anyone interested ?

The road to recovery

A year ago today, someone put a camera somewhere one never expects a camera to go, and I saw my tumour for the first (and last) time; a week after that it was gone.

Now I am going through the final steps of recovery - the spots are still hanging around, esp. on my neck, but they are simply a small nuisance now. I had my portacath removed, so have a sore shoulder for a couple of weeks while that heals over. And I'm still quite tired in general, but slowly building up my hours at work.

But one thing the medical world will not allow is to be hurried along ! I still have a few little thing, like having the stitches out for the portacath removal in a fortnight, then one more invasion of the camera to check everything is working correctly internally at the end of the month, and finally two scans (CT and MRI) at the end of September to check everything looks clear.

So in truth, it never truely feels 100% over - after that scan, there will be regular check ups throughout the years to come. But I do feel I am through almost all of it now, and hopefully by the time I return from my upcoming holiday to Australia, I hope to be at full energy levels and working full time again. It can be somewhat demoralizing to work part-time, you feel a lot less valuable and can often feel marginalised, and whilst I'll miss the 9-10 hours of sleep a night, I am looking forward to it.

Scars and Consolations

Last Tuesday, I checked into the specialist liver unit of the Basingstoke and North Hampshire hospital. They prepped me for the operation, warning me that they expected to remove around 60% of my liver, which would be survivable but might require months of careful eating and drinking as it regenerates.

Fortunately my surgeon, Mr Myrddin Rees, came around later in the evening, and confirmed that we were NOT expecting to remove so much liver. There were three lesions, one on the left of the liver and two smaller lesions on the right, and he expected to remove them all with wedge resections - literally removing a wedge shaped portion of liver to remove the nasty part.

The next morning I was taken down, operated on, then spent 24 - 30 hours in recovery - sleeping for short periods between having mad morphine dreams and trying to do deep breathing exercises. Finally I was taken back to a private ward room where I was told (now that I would actually remember things I was told !) that the operation was a success and only 10% of my liver had been removed. Recovery was swift - almost too swift, I felt great and ready to leave by Saturday, once all the tubes and drains into my belly were removed.

But I stayed one more night until Sunday - which was the most painful day of the recovery ! With the anaesthetic lines removed, the pains in my belly started up, reminding me more of my bowel operation when the pain control had not been as good. But I was ready to leave and go stay at my parents, where at least the pain was tempered with mothering and care from both Mimi and my folks. With the dressing removed, I could now see the scar on my belly - a large 1 foot scar starting from the top of my belly (where my bowel scar starts) and heading down and across to the side of my belly. Along with the bowel operation scar, I makes a large number 7 shape :)

Three days at home and things are getting better - slowly. Main pain comes from sleeping - it's hard to find a comfortable position and moving into or out of a lying position is quite a chore. But the days are getting better, I'm getting looked after, and paracetamol is a highly underrated pain relief drug - it really does take the sharp edge off !

One week to go...

So I come into the last week before surgery starts... and what a week it is ! Cinema, dinner, karaoke, gaming, seeing friends and family - everything a perfect week should have :)

A few people mentioned visiting, so I thought I'd put some details here. I am going into the Basingstoke and North Hampshire hospital on Tuesday for surgery on Wednesday morning. After that I expect to stay in for 6 more days. If you would like to visit, please arrange all the journey details yourself, but do drop Mimi a quick text to let her know what time you are planning to come as she is managing vistors to prevent too many people coming down at once.

That said, it's a way out of town, and I look forward to seeing everyone during / after my recovery period of 4-6 weeks (if not this week !) so please don't feel obliged to come down. Oh, and if you do come, please don't bring any books - I am still well provided with literature after my previous hospital stay !!! Grapes are always welcomed though - seedless ones, mind you ;)

Getting more and more nervous about the uncoming stay - not been sleeping well for a number of nights now, which I suspect is due to anxiety or bottled up emotion (so typically British) or something like that. Ah well, best focus on the week of fun ahead rather than worrying unneccasary worrying !

A scanner lightly

Yesterday I had two scans taken - a CT and an MRI scan - the check the progress of the chemotherapy I have been taking now for almost 2 months.

The CT scan showed that there were no other "mystery spots" other than what was on my liver, pretty much as expected. The MRI scan then offered better imagery on the lesions on my liver and was compared to the previous scan I had the day before going in for surgery (just over 3 months ago now).

The MRI showed that the largest lesion on my liver had reduced in size a little, and a smaller cluster of lesions elsewhere on the liver was not as pronounced. Which in summary is great - it means the secondary cancers (which we must surely now presume these lesions to be) are shrinking under the chemotherapy drugs I am taking, and hopefully will be easy to remove.

I have a meeting with a liver specialist next week to talk about what exactly the new MRI scan shows, and what my choices are regarding removing them. It is expected we will book some surgery for this; surgery which needs to be at least 1 month after I stop chemo, and preferably not much more than a month. So it is my hope we will stop the chemo mid-Dec (which is after one more full cycle) and schedule the surgery mid-Jan, giving me xmas off. Which would work well for enjoying that time with my family, as well as the cheeky snowboarding weekend I've booked in the new year !

The only way is up

Today is a good day.

I picked up a winter cold at the weekend, and after a good couple of days rest, it's finally starting to shift, I feel. It also seems my face, covered in tiny yellow spots for the last couple of weeks, has now started to react to the Ocytetracycline a litte now, and most of the spots have retreated, just leaving some red dots (which blend slightly with the freckles :). Futhermore, I am near the end of my cycle, so free of most pains and tiredness caused by the drugs, and the extra dose of Cetuximab I had on Monday does not seem to have added to any of the less pleasent side-effects. Also my facial skin, which had gone very dry, is beginning to feel a little better after all the moisturising I;ve been doing - partly thanks to my sweetie for actually getting me some mosituriser and reminding me to do it when I forget !

So now just trying to make sure I get out and about and do some more outdoors things before the next injection on Monday, which I am dreading a little naturally. Not sure that any form of exercise is going to be a good thing - burning up energy stores seems crazy when you've got less energy than you're used to. Long walks and slow burning exercise could be the best idea - I feel a long walk around London Zoo might be in order - exercise AND monkeys, ideal for anyone's recovery.

Not much more to report, other than a larger stack of boardgames and a couple of Wii games, which I have been enticing people round mine to play in leiu of heading outside too much. Don't be shy people ! Also another scan is coming up later this month, hopefully then I'll know a little more about "what happens next".

Rested and starting the road to recovery

Ten days in Portugal amongst my family, including my two little nieces, was spent profitably reading some books, relaxing and eating seafood. After this, I feel much better and ready to begin my chemotherapy course. Some preliminary meetings and a PET scan later revealed little new information, other than to the best of medical knowledge right now, we must assume the liver spots are secondaries, even though they are not textbook examples. Some more information came back on the tumor as well, and it appears to be genetic in origin, more blood scans will confirm a little more going forward.

This began today, with a four hour long trip to the treatment suite at the London Oncology Clinic (LOC). This space age center has a dozen booths all decked out in white, and electrical adjusting big comfy chairs. During the hours, they injected a large dose of something called Oxyplatin, whilst explaining all the side effects I might feel (nausea, vomiting, tiredness, aching feet and hands plus a sensitivity to the cold). I also got a large stack of drugs to take over the next three weeks, including tablets of the 5FU-based main chemotheraphy drug, called capecitabin, who's side effects include nausea, vomiting, tiredness, aching hands and feet and hold on, it sounds just like the other one. They also bought me all the tea, coffee, water and sandwiches I wanted - awesome.

Actually, there are a few differences, and I was given a large number of other supporting durgs to help control any expected and not-as-expected side effects. The staff were very friendly, and I really felt I understood what was due to happen over the next few weeks. They discussed 8 "cycles" of three weeks each - which I realised meant the seventh cycle would begin on my birthday ! - but then again I think there is a solid probability of further liver surgery interupting things halfway through, once we have had more scans and seen what effect the chemotheraphy have had on the cancer secondaries on the liver.

Still coming at this from a positive viewpoint - I have no adverse reaction to the oxyplatin today other than a slight prickling from cold wind coming through my jumper and an odd reaction to eating cucumber from the fridge - packed full of slightly cold water, it was a little bit like my tounge being burnt - ouch. But I take it as more positive news that my body coped with the initial dose well. Other than that, I need to do some ongoing blood tests to monitor white blood cell counts, keep away from prolonged access to infectious people, and just listen to my body - rest when it's tired and report any side effects felt to the LOC team, who can tweak doses of the drugs to manage and reduce them as much as possible. I might even manage to fit a bit of work back into all of that - back into the office on Wednesday and seeing how things go.

Thanks to all who have offered best wishes and kind words during my reappearances in social society ! I really don't mind talking about it, even at "fun" situations, because for me talking about it and acknowledging everything that's happening is a superb way of avoiding falling into a "denial" situation, where I just try and put my head down and ignore everything, which as a long term strategy could be an emotional disaster. Equally don't feel obliged to hide any sad feelings from me - I don't have the monopoly on being upset about this - and sharing sadness is also another way this situation becomes more real and manageable. Naturally I am trying to keep positive, but some sadness and venting of emotions is an essential part of that.

Right, off to put all my new pills in my fancy new pill holder (yey ! Toys !) - look forward to seeing people soon, but you may just need to allow a couple more rainchecks here and there. I'll be sure to let you know though - don't withold any invites on MY account ;)

Scans and the liver

I saw my Oncologist (cancer specialist) today for an update on treatment going forward. So far no-one has been able to determine exactly what was on my liver, but the evidence points strongly towards cancer secondaries, and I expect my liver specialist / surgeon to confirm that in the next week. I am also down to have a PET scan to add to the MRI and CT scan and to confirm the spots on my liver are behaving like cancerous cells. The tumor had perforated the wall of the bowel, so I guess some cells may have spread that way. The 31 lymph nodes they removed with the section of the bowel all tested negative for spread however, which is good news - it means the tumor is graded as Stage II (or Dukes B).

In any case, I am due to start chemotherapy toward the end of the month, which will involve tablets and some intravenous drips. The exact composition of what they intend to give me will depend on some further tests of my genes (something called the K-ras gene, to be exact) and will be made much clearer in a few weeks. This should discourage any regrowth in the bowel, and hopefully help with whatever is going on with the liver too. Side-effects should NOT include hair loss, but might be some tiredness and sore hands / feet. Oh, and probably some of my old companion, diarrhoea, as well. All quite acceptable for the benefits it will bring me, I think.

Then, after 3 months, it will be time for more liver scans to check if there has been any change. At this stage, on the assumption that nothing has improved, I think there is a reasonable chance I may need to go for liver surgery to have the small sections removed. Liver surgery has come on leaps and bounds in the last 10 years, and the overall prognosis for this operation is not dissimilar to the bowel operation I had. Plus the liver is super-regenerative, so should heal easily. After a recovery period, I'd expect another 3 months chemotherapy.

So some quite tough roads ahead, but one step at a time and it should all be manageable. My key philosophies are that I am not my illness, and life is not getting put on hold for a year (or more) because of this - although it may come down a notch or two for a little while ! The specialist indicated some people do not return to work for the duration of this treatment, but I think that would stand against this main objective of getting back into life properly. There will still be frequent clinic appointments and tests going on in the background too, so whilst other plans should still go ahead, much of my time will very much be in the hands of doctors for the next year.

As always, armed with this information I am keeping a positive head on it all. It is all a bit scary, but I have had some good news with the lymph nodes being clean and the surgery so far has healed very well - only 2 weeks after the operation and I am up and about to a very favorable degree. I walked for almost 30 minutes today, cooked a big meal this evening, and my muscles don't hurt too much as a result. Still have a few back pains when the various muscles there are overworked (compensating for the weak tummy muscles) but hopefully that will improve in the coming weeks. Looking forward to heading out for some sun and relaxation at my folks place in Portugal in the next week. There both Mimi and I can relax a bit more, and get my head away from London for a while, and into a few good books.

Weighting for a silver lining

Have now been home for almost a week and so far recovery from the operation has gone well. I am eating most foods again, having cautiously avoided hard to process foods for a few days, and even treated myself to a small glass of wine last night - gosh. Digestion is almost back to normal too.

Mimi is still looking after me quite a bit - too much moving around gets my back muscles quite tired as they overcompensate for my weak belly muscles. But I am trying to do more of the light household chores and take a short walk each day for exercise. Walking is also fairly easy on the stomach muscles these days, but there is still a problem that none of my trousers fit, and my belt pushes unpleasantly against my scar.

Pre and post op, I was not eating for a few days to facilitate medical exams and the operation, and this has all caused me to drop just over 1 and 1/2 stone - I am now 15 stone 1, 25% lighter than I was a year ago, and only 6 pounds from my target weight (14 stone 9, or BMI < 25). Not a recommended way to drop weight by any means, but I am glad to see it go in anyway. Expect to put a few pounds back on as I continue to relax and eat my way to recovery, but it is still scary to be this new size. I look lanky, not big, and feel almost skeletal in places !

Unable to make it to shops, I will just have to find temporary solutions for upcoming weddings and other events that require trousers (so many do, these days). Then toward the end of my few weeks recovery, I may need to do a quick wardrobe update so I can return to my workplace with at least fitting clothes.

My poor belly

This is mostly copied from mails sent out in recent days, to update blog readers on my recent health news.

Two weeks ago was examination time, and after 2 days fasting and drinking a special drink, I was truly empty and ready to see what be lurking within me, causing this discomfort. In a fit of bravery / stupidity, I refused the sedation offered for this examination (involving a tube, a camera, and a small level of embarrassment) so that I could see the camera. Seeing your internals on screen goes down as one of the more surreal experiences of my life, and aside from some mild discomfort at points, was not too bad. This "incredible journey" recalled some films of the 80's crossed with those medical documentaries on TV I try and avoid during mealtimes.

Finally we came face to face with what seemed to be the trouble. It looked large and angry, and I was a little concerned, but my doctor seemed quite calm. Unable to go any further (they should of equipped the camera with a laser gun), they took some sample (biopsies, to use the medical name) to work out what my lump was. One thing was for sure, this was not a simple inflammation as expected.

Friday came around, and I was told more about my lump, and that surgery was going to be required. This was sounding a bit more serious than I'd expected; I had still had hopes of taking a few pills until it goes away ! Fortunately I was already in some excellent hands and was being referred to some extremely well respected hands for this next step. Next step was scans to check the whole area for other potential bumps - don't want to miss anything ! And then on to see my surgeon to discuss options. It seemed that a bowel resection was required, which put simply is chopping out the section of bowel with the lump, and to connect up the two tubes. The area was surrounding my appendix, so it was removed as well (2 for 1 bargain).

But the reason I needed this treatment was quite a shock to someone my age, it seemed the lump was a tumor and I had bowel cancer.

With barely a day to take in the full extent of this news, they had me checked into a private wing of Saint Mary's hospital in London for the operation, which took place on Wednesday (20th August) at 7:30am. As you might have guessed, the operation was a success and the tumor has been removed. A short stay in hospital got me to the position where I could finally walk around slowly and eat again, and I have now been discharged and am back at home. Mimi has been working from home to help me out with cooking and other heavy chores that otherwise are quite tiring or hard for me to do. With most of my stomach muscles still weak from the surgical incision down my belly, moderate to heavy lifting is out, coughing, sneezing and sitting forward are hard and I have been advised to allow around 4 weeks to recover from the operation. That said, so far every day I have been feeling better and better, so hopefully the road to recovery will be relatively smooth.

After the 4 weeks it looks like I will begin some low-strength chemotherapy (nothing hair-losing, I have been told) to ensure nothing comes back. In addition, there are a few spots on my liver that are a little suspect and will need monitoring during the treatment to ensure they don't grow; and hopefully go away during the chemo. More information on the exact nature of the treatment will feed back to me as the removed section of my bowel is analysed, and the appropriate
authorities spoken.

So still some things going on, but with some very competent professionals who so far have been highly reactive, supportive and positive about coming through this illness. I am looking to maintain a positive outlook going forward, without wanting to just "put a brave face on" and thank everyone for the support and kind words so far.

In the meantime, it's back to the important things in life; resting, taking holidays and playing games.

Spoon and Belly

Long time readers might recall a post over a year ago proclaiming Spoon one of the most awesomest bands ever. Well, nothings changed. The last album was released around a year ago, and is still one of my favorite listens. All the tracks are also still available to listen to free of charge on there "jukebox" website as well. Plus they are Adam Buxton's favorite band too !

My belly (another great band) has felt like there is lead (the metal, not the dog thing) in it today. Ouch - cramptastic. Keep thinking it might still be that penny I swallowed a year ago ! Will find out what the next step is after my appointment (now set for a week Wednesday).

Have "frozen" my gym membership today (about 1 month later than I should). I am now paying about 25% of the cost for the privilege of not attending the gym now ! Silly really, but it preserves the good membership rate I have when I rejoin, which is quite a few quid below the cost should I "rejoin" later. I figure back into winter, with hopefully a restored tummy, I'll be heading down for vital happy-chemical inducing lunchtime runs. And maybe some training for this 10 mile run in October, which is looking less and less likely going forward.

The last gas

It's been one of those big "blog pauses", which often follow in step with one of those big "life pauses". Not to say I've not been up to much - in fact it's the amount of things going on with weekends away in the country, meeting family and a driving holiday around the UK that has kept me away from following my goals.

... oh god - he's going to make a goal list again... Not so :)

The main thing I've been blogging about was weight loss, and I guess with this on hold I am feeling a real "pause" on my life. Well - not weight loss as such - but more like running training. Because whilst I have hardly ran since the 10K race, I have still lost a few pounds through a different and less fun avenue - nasty stomach infection :(

For two months now, my digestion has caused me some pain and bloating, and then I got a lot of acid pains in my stomach and heart. The heart thing spurred me into the doctors, and after several visits I am now taking some high-powered acid reducing pills, lowering my intake (to zero) of spicy / acidic / alcohol and fizzy things, and currently seeing a gastroenterologist (sp?!) who reckons there is an infection in my intestines.

Hopefully I can get on top of this soon - with stag dos and wedding's coming up, it's going to be quite strange not being able to enjoy a glass or two of booze, plus one of the stag dos involves climbing mountains, which might not be a great idea given it hurts when I jog for a bus right now. Need to go book an appointment so the doc can take a closer look <shudder>

Running beyond targets

Last weekend, whilst stretching my back out to try and ready myself for the 10K run and looking at the weather forecast of heavy rain, I had a lot of mixed feelings about the run itself. But rather than just focus on the negative, I had a rather fun BBQ and Eurovision night on Saturday - I tell ya, those Latvian singing pirates shoulda won - and a great family get together where aunts, cousins and family alike we locked in constant battle to hold my now more expressive little nieces (apologies, new pictures going up soon !)

So the day of the run came, and I headed out garbed in my running vest and extra waterproof layers (including the essential "discard it by the starting line" bin bag vest !). It was cold and wet and took a couple of kms to get my system feeling warmer again, after which it welcomed the rain to keep cool. I kept as modest a pace as I could, cheered on by Mimi and my running mate's partner around the 1km. Of my running mate, I saw noting - a clerical error with running numbers put him near the back with the charity runners (people in animal costumes mainly) which meant even at his better pace I finished a few minutes ahead of him. Water stations did a poor trade during the run, and I kept myself fuelled without needing to join the long queues for the toilets (pre-race fluid consumption is a finely balanced thing !)

Around the 7km I felt tired, but had been keeping pace just under 6 minute a km - so making excellent progress for a sub-hour time. Worried that I might have slowed pace, I glanced at the stopwatch and realised I was due for the 8km mark soon, but a couple more minutes on I still had not seen it. Reaching 48mins (8km x 6 mins) I was getting quite annoyed indeed, all of which had probably pulled my pace up as I soon hit the 9km mark at 50 mins ! A little burnt out after my worried acceleration, I took a modest jog uphill toward Trafalgar square, eager to make sure I jogged the whole thing without walking (when I did this 7 years ago, I felt the need to walk around the 8km mark to prepare for the final 2 km). I also wanted to be sure to be putting on a good jog for the final run down the Mall, where people would be cheering runners on. As I rounded the corner, I heard my name called out from the girls who had managed to get a good photo spot near the final 400m mark, rounding the corner from Trafalgar square into the Mall, encouraging me to push hard for the finish. A slight burst of energy faltered near 200m, where I saw I had just crept over 55 minutes (my initial "ideal" time), but I pushed hard to ensure I kept it within a minute of that, and came over the line in 55 minutes and 47 seconds.


I was very pleased about just finishing the race at the time, and in good spirits down the pub later, after a quick change at home into warmer, dryer clothes ! But I think it's this week, now the legs have recovered and my back feels better post-painful physio involving elbows and vertebrae, that I am looking back and feeling the accomplishment more.

Another great achievement came after a few more post-race donations bought me over my charity target as well. Thanks to everyone who helped me reach what was an ambitious target. Knowing that the run was adding so much support for charity helped mentally both leading up to the day and on the day itself, as both a stick of not wanting to let people down and a carrot of knowing so many people were supportive of my little run. Hopefully I can keep the running and training going over summer in time for our 10-mile run in October (the Cabbage patch 10), but more on that later.

And finally, this all came together this month as I stood onto the scales. 16 stone 13 (and a quarter) - finally breaking through the 17 stone mark. Again, good encouragement to try and keep up with healthy eating, often quite hard in a city that seems to rob you of spare time and has so many easy eat out / take away options ! All the more reason to avoid restrictive diets and stick to the great "moderation is everything" philosophy - pizza and sofa evenings should always be allowed - now and then :)

Up and running

After a little scare last weekend with some pretty sharp belly pain, which pretty much has kept me off training for the last two weeks, I am pleased to say that I am feeling a little better and should still be on for the BUPA 10K run, which is this coming bank holiday Monday.

Thanks again for everyone who sponsored me for this - it really added a lot of weight and encouragement to getting back into shape to ensure I can get around the course. Still hoping to break the 1 hour mark with my run, but essentially just looking to keep jogging for 10km this Monday, hopefully avoiding cramp which has been a problem for many previous runs.

Will be equipping m'ladyfriend with camera to grab a "before and after shot" to post up here, dressed in my wonderful running vest of course. Might even catch an "in action" shot too, pending being able to work out a good point for Mimi to shoot from !

As for the pain ? Possibly a bit of bad gas :) Not so life-threatening...

Suddenly, from nowhere... an update !

Ok, three people commented on the lack of posts here - which is a lot in the micro-world of blogging. Besides, one of them was my mother, so what kind of son would I be to ignore my own mother ;)

I am assisted with getting today's blog going with the handy firefox plugin ScribeFire, which offers you a little pop-up writing panel, which allows you to quickly start typing when the mood strikes, as well as easily adding links to the page you are looking at. Recommended to all firefox bloggers out there... yes, both of you :) - or maybe not - I just finished this blog post, clicked the wrong thing, and lost everything without a warning message. So it's a power tool without a safety catch :(

Today's post will be sidestepping my #1 project of weight-loss with a simple "click the Traineo link" comment. Things are going pretty well, I'm feeling healthy, and have gym sessions, cycling to work and now an occasional swim at weekends going for me. I have also signed up for the BUPA London 10,000 run next May, which is the furthest I have ever ran (and then that was almost 6-7 years ago !)

Moving on to more important housing news. Mimi has moved in with me, and along with Jon and his girlfriend we are cosily filling our 2-bed / 1-bath house. Not TOO cosy yet, although occasional morning waits for bathrooms and tripping over drying suggests that 1 month is the longest we can sustain this these days ! At the end of this month, Mimi and I move onto out new rental place in Barnsbury (which is located here). It's a basement flat with a large bedroom, kind of modern interior, good storage space and a large shared garden at the back. There is also a large park space infront of the house, which might be fun next summer. The garden is shared with the house above, which I am led to believe has a lady occupying it who is often away and quite friendly, so that sounds like things should get on fine. We have men and large vans hired for the move, otherwise it would be just me lifting the heavy things, which wouldn't be great, not with my back...

Yep, more back problems for me. Nothing major, just a slight stoop which was quickly "popped" out a large and brutal Aussie Physiotherapist. It has caused me a bit of neck pain, which became aggrivated at a recent trip to "the electric ballroom" rock / metal club in Camden. I probably didn't need to be rocking out TO THE MAX, but when in rome... Anyway, it's all on the mend now, and I'm sitting much straighter at work, the threat of a post-rugby victory trip back to the defeated antipodean physio filling me with dread. All that neck twisting, if done a little too hard, might... &lt;shudder&gt;

Well, I had some more here (before losing it) about writing (still ticking along a little), coding (not ticking along at all) and finaces (£240 mystery transaction with Tesco being disputed - people, check your bank statements every 2 months, it can pay off !) but they will have to remain part of my signing off paragraph for now. Apologies for the break from blogging, hopefully I'll have some more news closer to the BIG housemove. And once Royal mail stop sitting about drinking tea, they might deliver my camera from the repair shop so I can get pictures too !

You get what you pay for

Today heralded a trip to the dentist, but not for any old routine check up. I had a check up just over 6 months ago back when I was living in West Hampstead where I was told I was fine and did not need to come back for a couple of years. However the other night I broke a little bit of my molar tooth biting down on some shell in a seafood mix from Tesco, and whilst it was in little pain, it seem prudent to get it checked out as it felt jagged.

The surgery I visited seemed awfully overblown in attitude - more of a "cosmetic enhancement parlour" than a simple dentist. However the interior of the building, like the dentist himself, was a little small and "pokey". I felt at ease until I saw the price list - over 50 quid just for a checkup, with filling hitting around the 100 quid mark each. This was more than the 20 quid I throw down for a check-up in West Hampstead, but I guess you truly get what you pay for, as this dentist showed me x-rays of two fillings I required on opposite sides of my mouth.

Long story cut short, I was 250 quid down and feeling is just coming back to my mouth now. The check up and fillings took two hours, but was essentially painless due to large quantities of anaesthetic in my gums. How it that got there was a little painful, but feeling better for having a healthier mouth. Feeling a little lighter of wallet too :(

Next year I might take up work's dental insurance (only 120 quid a year...) although a gambler might say not to bother - after all I just had the fillings I needed, so the odds of needing more in the next year are lower than they've been for a while...

After straining my wrist quite badly on a London bus, I am on the road to recovery, having taken full advantage of my private-health care through work. God bless free Health and the NHS, but if your a neurotic accident-prone giant then I can heartily recommend Private Cover for getting your bits and pieces fixed up :) How quickly the city can turn a boy away from his hippy communist roots...

Speaking of capitalist joys, with my wrist back in action, it's been time to re-engage myself with the Wii. The game I'm mostly playing at the moment is Legend of Zelda : Twilight Princess. It's a slow bloomer, with a little too much dialogue in the first hour and quite linear play for the first twenty hours as you discover new areas and powers. But those twenty hours of play are all good fun and the linear style introduces parts of the overall land to you in bite-sized chunks whilst teaches you dozens of tactics and tricks to get round obstacles and enemies. What this means as you get to the "now I have most of my basic powers" point, and the whole map is opened up for free exploration, is you can really get immersed into being part of the larger world, which is why Zelda games are great. Good, logical and immersive worlds to discover new things in. Only problem is all of this free exploration has left me somewhat lost of to what my overall mission was...

Some more quirky titles for the Wii seem to be set for release soon. A Greek software house has spoken (in Greek) about an upcoming game where you can use the Wii remote as a baton to conduct an on-screen orchestra ! Another title seems sets to take biometric readings as you exercise, and then upload them to a hospital for a fitness test. A little over-ambitious in my mind, but I applaud the idea ! Can't see it working in the UK really, unless you have some form of well paid medical service in the country you live in... hmmm...

Tonight sees a rest for the Wii (and my wrist) as we go old school gaming and pull out "Fury of Dracula" (see previous post). We shall see if the game mesmerises anyone into being bitten by the board gaming bug - it's getting hard travelling 30 miles West every time I fancy a quick game of something :)