I’m well aware that I have slipped over my usual fortnightly update deadline and just to add insult to injury, this will probably be a slightly briefer update (I say briefer, I won’t know myself until I get to the end and add up those lines) as I’m hoping (fingers crossed) to be able to give a slightly more exciting update early next week ish. Read on for more info … 😉
Things have started to wind down on my ‘thrilling’ Hodge goings on as I’m slowly plodding through the awkward gap between finishing chemo some 7+ weeks ago and waiting to find out whether or not all the alopecia and ginger biscuits were worth it! Nevertheless, I was treated to a return visit from Jane to keep me on my toes and out of trouble as I hadn’t actually seen her since way back in September! The major focus of our chats, besides the obvious (dog adoption), was getting some insider gossip for another interview I had managed to line up. A different sort of one I must admit from my usual PR exploits – thanks to Tia (the community worker), I had been inspired to apply for a voluntary opportunity with CLIC Sargent, the role of ‘Online Community Champion’. Application diligently completed, I was rewarded with an invitation for an interview/informal chat with the people organising it from head office. I therefore, thought it was in my best interests to quiz Jane on everything CLIC/TYA support related to which she was very happy to disclose many a tip on her specialist subject! Given the direction of our conversation which also managed to encompass some careers advice, it came as only a little bit of a surprise to hear her turn around to me and say, whilst heading out the door, ‘Well, I suppose we’re ready to discharge you then!’ – I firmly took that as a complement of my psycho-social wellbeing and that I appear to be moving on in the TYA sense! However, this comes with its own challenges as the legitimate threat of being offloaded with a troublesome blue collie continues to grow …
To mark the end of that week, it was time to tick off another thing off the to do list as I made the pilgrimage up the Wirral back to Clatterbridge (for the 3rd time this month!) for my follow-up PET Scan! Successfully cannulated, Isotope injected and Playlist ready, all went by fairly swimmingly/statically I should say, though the expression third time lucky has little relevance for the 85 minute playing dead routine as this definitely doesn’t get any easier. Hopefully, it should strike more of a chord when it comes to the results!!! With a spring in our step as I rediscovered the joy of free-movement, we passed by the fruit & veg stand to do a spot of shopping and with another stamp on the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre Coffee Card (admittedly, the least popular loyalty scheme ever invented), we headed off home.
Back here again and behind very closed doors, sampling the reclining chairs and ‘special’ flushing toilets: Hospitality, Nuclear Medicine department style!
The fun did not stop there as on Friday, after a swift lunch to regain lost calories from my fasting, I had to settle in for my Skype chat with CLIC Sargent. Again, as expected – no stress here and I seemed to please them with my extensive knowledge of online safeguarding (!). Later on, I was pleased to receive confirmation that I had been successful and was now officially, one of the four new ‘Champions’ and would proudly be representing the North of England! Evidently my glowing personality had stood me in good stead … or was that the radiation I was emitting??? The rest of that day was mainly focused around frantically trying to calculate the half-life of Fludeoxyglucose (18F) to know when it was safe for me to cease using my own toilet!
Other free time has, as I’m sure you can imagine, mainly been filled with my new role! For those of you interested, and for those of you not, it involves working alongside the charity to help promote their online support services which principally involve an online forum where lots of young cancer patients can share experiences/advice etc. on education, work, appearance, mental health and everything in between, and so far I’ve really enjoyed working alongside the others to come up with answers and reaching out to those users who come online. Following an in-depth training session, we have also been moving on to focus on our major event of the next few months, A Community Champion take-over of the forum to run some Ask The Expert sessions throughout the first week of December – no pressure. It can be a bit daunting to be referred to as a so-called Expert but so long as questions are mainly focused on take-away alternatives, avoiding Stilton and hard boiling eggs, I should be absolutely fine!
When not peer-supporting, I can also be found behind the wheel, gracing the surrounding cul-de-sacs of Chester and on the hunt for roadkill to bring back for my dinner! I have to say, my first outing was challenging enough as I somehow managed to encounter 2 horses in a residential area, just my luck – well prepped, I remained calm before picking up speed, beeping the horn and rolling down my window to shout some expletives before moving back to my own side of the road!! Slowly but steadily, I seem to be making miniscule progress and should be ready to pass my test at some in the next decade. I firmly believe, that the best preparation I can do for my driving lessons is to avoid having a drink beforehand which should come naturally to me given the past 6 months + of going teetotal – things are therefore looking promising on this front! As well as this, the major preoccupation has been undertaking the momentous task given to me (and my mum) by my dad, of painting the inside of the house so the smell of funny chemicals/paints once more fills my nostrils. I’ve also begun to think about making some plans for the coming months for far-flung trips in the New Year and potential career directions (don’t quiz me on those) – though it will probably be a struggle given the amount of time I plan to spend in my local branch of KFC!
The next steps on my road to recovery … 3 up the way on a rickety ladder! Unfortunately, the lighting does no favours for showing off my impressive all-round hair stubble! People would pay a fortune for that well manicured look – I got mine for free on the NHS!
And it wouldn’t be a blog post without some tale of my VIP adventures – the next on the horizon being yet another Fun-Run/Santa Dash thing over in Manchester on Sunday. As always with me, this did entail some complaining or one-sided negotiations as I prefer to call them over my arrival time as I was slightly perturbed by the advice to arrive from 8AM onwards – Hmm, I don’t think so. After some advice from my newly acquired Agent (Franki from Teenage Cancer Trust) who gave me some stern words to write in an email, the matter seems to have been resolved (not that I’ve had a response from them), but whatever happens, I shan’t stoop to the energy consuming lows of the setting up or running of a Bag Drop stand (as had previously been suggested by the Sports Company), not the Charity I hastily add before you go off to organise some huge boycott).
I suppose that’ll do for the moment, and yes, the Results Countdown is now upon us; Tuesday 5th December, a mere 3 or so days away. Those toes are definitely getting crossed. SO hopefully I should update you all in some form or another asap before I jet off to the wilds of Western Ireland for the rest of next week for some R&R!! Now, time to get back up that ladder then, I hear the paintbrushes calling me ….
A plus x
PS. How on earth have I managed to write 1200 words there on so very little, a real mystery #whatwriter’sblock?
ABVD, The Hodge & Me 