Keep our NHS Public!

This blog has been all about my treatment for thyroid cancer. Although I've got issues with the way I've been dealt with at different points along the way, my treatment has all been free and if I don't like the way the NHS is going politically I can - at least nominally - vote for a different party who will fund the NHS properly to do its job (yes, I know you can't get a blue Rizla between the political parties in the uk at the moment - but its the principle).

In the US healthcare is almost entirely determined by the publically unaccountable shareholders of the insurance companies that provide the healthcare - resulting in a grossly unequal health care provision and one of the highest infant mortality rates in the developed world. So - if you want to fight for the NHS to stay public and against the creeping privatisation that is invading the principle of free healthcare, come along to the Keep Our NHS Public demo on Saturday in central London - more details here - http://www.keepournhspublic.com/index.php the unions involved are funding coaches from different parts of the country - details on the website.

negativity

Well - I shouldn't be so negative. The consultant in charge of me at the Oncology Centre rang me in person on Friday morning to tell me that the whole body scan I'd had was clear, and that he'd be seeing me soon to sort out my T4. Fantastic! and thank you....I'll just wait for the letter. I'm happy enough on the T3 at the moment apart from having trouble remembering to take it. It's started to kick in again, and tonight I've actually been out for the evening and managed reasonably sensible conversation although I still can't take a drink.

freedom

I'm out. Got out yesterday afternoon in fact - time off for good behaviour? I'm fucked though, I was sitting outside the hospital waiting for my lift and I was thinking - is this the same person who cycled clear across the city only two weeks ago? - and if you knew this city you would know that would be mean at least one hill of moderate proportions. Walking up the the stairs is presenting a challenge at the moment. What would life be if you had an underactive thyroid? Lethargic and depressed I guess. Well - I'm back on the T3 and waiting for it kick in, got kind friends who are looking out for me, and my own comfy sofa in front of a fully functioning TV - who could want for anything more. And to top it all it looked as if the whole body scan they gave me before I left was completely clear! There certainly isn't any trace of thyroid left in my neck....Only change is constant as old Charlie would say. The next hurdle is going onto the T4 and dealing with another new consultants face, but I'm getting better at it - smile, and.....breathe!

rainy tuesday

it's been raining all afternoon, that special grey Bristol rain that looks like it'll never stop - and quite often doesn't for a few days. Kind of suits the mood. I watched Good Will Hunting, too schmaltzy for a hypo-so-low rainy Tuesday, I hate when Hollywood movies make cry, although it was well acted and kind of nicely underplayed really. I'm trying to make a very short film while I'm in here, but I'm running out of hard disc space. Here's a still from it.....

second time around

Ho hum, the incarceration begins….. I’ve got the room with the view again which is great. This posting is being brought to you by the generosity of The Scotchman and his Pack, a fine Bristol pub round the back of the hospital who have given me the key for their wireless network so I can use it. How cool is that? I’ll be in for a pint just as soon as I can. Things are much the same as last time, although I’ve noticed the TV selection is better in the autumn. The aerial for the TV is bandaged onto the top of the TV with half a reel of inappropriate sticking plaster and keeps falling off. Still I suppose it gives me something to do.

Saturday diet

what I ate yesterday. Saturday is an unusual day in that I have time to have something other than my normal breakfast of meusli with apple juice and a piece of home made bread with sunflower spread and marmalade. I can tell your mouth must be watering already....

• fried potato white egg omelette with home made bread toast with olive oil on it, cup of tea with milk (I'm allowed a little dairy and cutting it out of the morning cup of tea is a step too far...)
• lunch - baked beans on toast another cup of tea, try to remember to drink some water.
• snack- matzo with tahini on it - tahini has become a staple on this diet and is actually quite nice. Couldn't say the same for the matzos but they are a vehicle for the tahini in much the same way as lettuce is a vehicle for salad dressing
• Home made Harira for dinner made with lamb and lots of other delicious things - it's a Moroccan recipe and very tasty I made enough for a about a month of hypo non cooking so I guess I'll be sick of that in a few days. It's in the freezer so I don't have to eat it all at once. Modern technology eh? Also had baked apple stuffed with dates and covered with honey which I burnt guttingly watching the All Blacks (not all in black - I think that was the problem) being beaten by France. It made a nice change from my staple of Spag Bol which i seem to eat a lot of and Roast Chicken. I also had a very nice bottle of 'katy' cider which i would much recommend whatever your state.

Blimey - what am I complaining about? The problem with all whole thing isn't so much that it's a bit restrictive but that you have to check the labels on everything and you can't just say - sod it I'll have pizza tonight.

I don't think I'm hypo at all, but then it's only been a week. But I didn't sleep at all well last night - that's what comes of reading crime fiction as you're dropping off - either that or it's indigestion.

Cheese in the fridge

I've got a big lump of cheddar in the fridge left by a friend living in Barcelona who forgot to take it back with him. People living in Barcelona always want cheddar when they come over - in my vast, three people experience. I'm joining them. You don't realise how much you eat of something til you can't eat it any more. Two weeks to go til I get nuked again and I'd better start taking this low iodine thing seriously. There are so many random things to steer clear of it's difficult negotiating food, and I haven't bothered so much this time. It's too boring to even write about, but if you're reading this because you came across it while you looking for stuff about Thyroid cancer and you want some tips, leave a message.

This blogging business is a bit like having one of those Tamegotchi fake pets that kids have, you feel you have to keep feeding it or it will die, but really it's a kind of pointless circular thing. Like - is anyone actually reading it? I don't think I'm a putting down in black and white kind of person - its a bit committing for my liking, but I suppose its good to have a record.