The New Term

So September has arrived! It won't be long now until the leaves on the trees begin to change, households start arguing over when the central heating should be switched back on and the kids, of course, are already back at school. Teachers all across the country are full of lament, whilst parents breathe a huge sigh of relief. Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn!

In our household, this September is a bit different from normal. Our son has now moved up to secondary school and appears to be dealing with the transition with great aplomb. He's puzzled at how anyone can get lost in what is a fairly new, purpose-built building and is discovering the joy of new subjects like art, history and Spanish. (Yep, that's next year's summer holiday planned, with our resident interpreter!). Of course there has been the fun of sorting out the new school uniform, and like all year 7's, our lad is dwarfed by his new outfit. He's had to build his confidence by getting on the school bus on his own and establish new friendships with people who weren't at his primary school. I've had the joy of teaching him how to tie his tie and he has been clomping around in his new shoes and leaving a series of impressive footprints on our carpet. I've also finally sorted out a mobile phone for him, so he can contact us if he needs to. I was impressed with Google's Family Link app, which allows me to manage most of his settings; track his location; approve any app his wants to install; and limit when he can use his phone and how long for. So Daddy has become Big Brother!

There are changes for the rest of the family too. For our daughter, she can maybe establish a bit more independence in what is now her territory without her brother around. She certainly hasn't missed him so far! There are new clubs for her to join (street dance being her favourite) and she is going to start learning to play the flute (I am relieved it isn't the recorder or the violin!). As an online teacher, my wife is getting to grips with a new main piece of software that is effectively her classroom, and channelling her frustrations with an IT department that have left everything to the last minute in terms of moving things over and testing that everything is working. They've only had a year to do this apparently.

So the world carries on around me. I'm not so much at the beginning or end of a term, but I am actually at the half way point. I have now completed 4 of my 8 chemotherapy cycles. Some people have commented on how quickly that has gone. I can't say I feel that way. It has been a slog, and there are another 12 weeks ahead of me. But as before, it is a case of taking one cycle at a time and plodding on, step by step. The good news is that as I begin cycle 5, I have dropped one of the two drugs that I was taking. This means one fewer visits into hospital, and no more intravenous infusions. Woo hoo! This drug was also responsible for many of the side effects I was experiencing, so the treatment should in theory be smoother from now on. This was the main reason why my oncologist wanted to drop the drug at the half way point. Some of those side effects can become permanent and that was something he obviously wanted to avoid. But keeping up with the other drug for another 3 months would improve my chances of not seeing the cancer return. So on we go.

It seems my sensitivity to cold food and drink has been reduced, so I have been able to enjoy some chilled soft drinks again. I've left alcohol alone for now and I haven't gone for ice cream really. A friend has advised me these aren't the best fuels for my system! I haven't radically changed my diet though. My parents will tell you how fussy an eater I was as a child. The prospect of carrot and ginger smoothies isn't enticing - and my stomach is still queezy with the chemo tablets I am taking.  But I have dramatically cut out processed and red meats. We still don't know what caused all this in the first place. An initial investigation into my genetics didn't produce any answers, though I have provided a blood sample to see whether I am in a very, very small group of people who have inherited damaged DNA from my parents who would have only been carriers. It seems unlikely, but is worth checking out, particularly as it could have ramifications for other family members.

In the meantime, I've learned that the results in my blood tests over the past few weeks have been trending in a very good direction. I've a couple of counts and one is down by nearly 3000 since I was first admitted to hospital, and the second is currently hovering around the 2-3 mark. All very encouraging. My platelets level is still a little low which means I have to be careful when shaving and using sharp knives (which reminds me of a joke - never assist the Grim Reaper if he asks for help chopping up vegetables. It is simply dicing with Death!) It's good to maintain your sense of humour and stay positive, right?! But more importantly than that, I know that I can get through this - because Jesus is giving me the strength to do so. Thank you, Lord!