Thursday 10 March - steroids starting to kick in...

This is week 2 of this phase of chemo.  So far the chemo side effects are not too bad - the usual cold feet, lack of temperature control, digestive upsets etc, all of which I have developed techniques for coping with.  However, I am back on 4 doses of steroids a week for this phase and they are just starting to affect my sleep patterns.  So yesterday and today I only slept for a total of 5 hours (in two batches) and find I am awake at 6am, mind whirling and have to get up after about 30 minutes.  I have already watered the plants, cleaned the windows in a couple of rooms, cleaned the downstairs bathroom etc etc and it is still only 7:20am!  I shall doubtless crash later.

I thought you might like to see the lovely Mothering Sunday gifts from my girls: flower posies from church on Sunday, cards and a reminder of last August when I had my Mohican.  It was such a special day and now that my hair is getting very thin (definitely comb-over time) I love the reminder of that Sonic the hedgehog look.  I have put the picture in pride of place in the hall.

Not to be outdone, Andrew brought me a very belated birthday present (well, it _was_ my birthday last September!)  He has had new copies made of some of my very favourite slogan t-shirts.  This means that the ones I have been wearing for years can now definitely either only be worn for gardening or even go in the polishing bag.  I can never decide which is my favourite, but maybe 'Hardy Perennial' speaks to me most today.  Next week it might be the two about missing my mind!

It has been a good week treatment wise.  I was in the hospital on Tuesday and need to go back tomorrow for blood tests. Next week will probably be three visits.  My blood counts are holding up so Andrew and I went out to lunch yesterday - how normal.

I have finally been dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century and have acquired a smartphone on which I have learnt to do _some_ things, courtesy of Andrew and the girls. 

 I still can't link to my Google calendar, sigh.  The other annoying thing is that I can now take pictures while I am out and about but have signally failed to be able to transfer them to the computer and hence post them on the blog.  The computer will open them in Windows Picture viewer (via USB link) but not in Irfan View.  Hints gratefully accepted.  Oh, the phone is a Samsung Galaxy A3 for the techies out there.