Sun at home

Thank you for your visit Veena, It was lovely to have you here in the breakfast, but sorry to did not stay awoke until you left, I dived in a deep sleep only woke up in the Afternoon. Nevertheless, even without sunlight we managed to go out for half hour to do some exercise :)

Now, we tasted a delicious Dahl meal cooked by Veena, and the day is over. As you see the days around here are much shorter than in other latitudes. You can say why going out to feel the sunshine when it is rising all the time inside doors.

Bye

Symbol of Poland

Ola,

The life is still rolling in a slow pace, Regarding to me at the moment my best friend is the bed. I love it so much, even more during the day time when is all open and free for me. Of course this speed of life cannot be applied to Justyna, she did so many things today, even organised a dinner to our friends Pajo, Kaska & Rafi. It was again a lovely evening and I am sure our beauty Oliwka if she was not sleeping by now would agree with me.

I hope tomorrow I will feel more energetic to go for a small walk outside.

cześć

Responsible team

We still passing through the hangover, today is the famous second day after the chemotherapy session, when all the substances are all around the body, and then the discomfort, the headache and tiredness is more than ever, Even though I obligated myself to go outside in the shy sun shining afternoon for an hour to exercise my legs, because I was starting to fell some cramps due to the excess of time in bed. After backed home I had a nape and finished the evening with a nice meal in the company of our friend Mike.

The picture on top is showing what my eyes saw in the chemotherapy suite last Tuesday. The nurse in the deep background was the one responsible for my account :) He could not forget any drug and liquids, all in the right order. He was also very friendly. After this 6 sessions, even if I still do not know whether I need to go back or not, I already would like to set my thanks for all your commitment to do your best not only with me but to all the patients, I never heard any complain, nothing. Even though and to be honest I would prefer to be away from this 4 West B ward as long as possible, I am sure you will understand.

Thank you

Life is wonderful

Today it looked that all the family got affected by the chemotherapy, all of us toke advantage to sleep more hours than it is usual. also the reason is Olivia does not get too much sleep in the night.

But apart of that we are felling well so far, The teas are helping us to keep away the sickness. The good news is we have confirmed our trip to Poland from 19 until 28 of February, It will be good to Olivia meet the rest of the family from the Polish side, I just need to get very warm to escape the frozen temperatures.

I am still thinking to myself what should I do after the tempest past, I been thinking what is my true vocation, I am still dream to be a successful man, when I am saying this is not thinking about money, just to be happy with what I am doing. It is something that I still have a lot of time to think and rethink.

As you notice, today I chose a different approach, instead of a picture of the family I decide to posted someone that we, but special Justyna love it. The lyrics are simply beautiful and the person transmitting such a good energies. Let us and you fill up the hearts with all this feelings at least during the time of the song. The ones who do not liked please sorry and consider yourself out of this exercise.

Kisses

Chemotherapy-Session 6

Olá

We all have reasons to celebrate this day, Apparently the chemotherapy sessions come to the end, Even knock down I know that I have reasons to be happy. Hopefully next week I will feel more restful and I will enjoy the moment and give the importance to this days that they deserved. It was four months always with the timer for the chemotherapy in my head.

It was a long and very boring session, most of the things that I planed to do I could not do it because of lack of concentration, I only watch a movie with British humour, I could not stop laughing :) the nurse was laughing also because of me. I believe my headphones did not allow me to listen my laughing. I managed to do one brain test and it was encouraging, I still know how to do a simple algebraic calculation, it is promising. In the morning I had the visit of John and Maria, we could speak about the life and it was a good way to start the day, the visits continued with Pajo, We updated our conversation, both had been in Portugal and since then we have not seen each other.

Today, unfortunately the masseur was very busy, I asked her to come but she could not come to me side and relax my feet :( Nevertheless a Voluntary gentleman sat close to me and spoke about his experience and I set my feelings, he also had Cancer and now is passing is thoughts to other patients, he reinforced that this Hospital is one of the best, they do not put restrictions of money to help the patients, even a cancer patient beside me with probably around 70's years old also told us that he had always the best he could. Later I spoke to a nurse he and said that before he moved to the Public system he worked in the private system and the medicines there were not better, in the private they did not give the most expensive medicines that are giving in Royal Free Hospital.

Another nurse responsible for the ward confirm also my good blood tests, my white cells in the blood are very much at the same level that when I started what is very good, I am not so expose to the opportunistic diseases that we thought.

In the afternoon I toke an hour to watch pictures and movies there were few ones that almost brought out few tears in the privacy of my headphones, I will show some of those here today.

Olivia in Lagoa, shining as the Sun;



Praia de Albandeira; Praia do Estaquinho


Praia da Nossa Senhora da Rocha; Praia Nova


To the attention of the surfers, this is the best right in the Algarve; Praia de Armacao de Pera

Busy work

Well the working days started very well, today I performed my last scanning of this trial, it was the DOTA-NOC after I did already some weeks ago the DOTA-TATE. The first one is a substance that is injected in the body and is expected to show all the lesions that not light up by the DOTA-TATE. All this scanning are performed in the PET-CT scanning.

After I finished the examination in the morning the doctor straight looked for the results and told me that his first impression is that my body do not have any more Cancer apart of the two metastases in the Liver. Also the good news is almost the confirmation of havinng "only" this two metastases and not five as it was in the beginning of the chemotherapy :)

In the end, the doctor thank you for my help, it looks that this new substance that it was injected in me and they want to be used normally in all patients with neuroendocrines although readiolabelled is more accurate and do not miss the disease, special when scanning small tumours or tumours which have the potential to be more aggressive. In my scanning the disease was very highlighted as all of us pretended, nothing was missing in the picture.

Back home in the afternoon I decided to rest and I slept for four hours. Now I am trying to get some sleep, It will be difficult because of my excitement, Tomorrow it might be the last chemo session, It will be all day fighting against this silent intruder but I cannot wait to finished the day. I will take with me some movies and books to break the tedious. Also I will try to do some maths and language tests to practise my frozen brain. Additionally I also organized fruit salad and Polish soup that Justyna cooked to take with me. This things is the only things that I can eat with pleasure in this days. I think it is psychological, but in the day I am there I cannot stand bread and fish.

So, see you tomorrow

Back to job

Hello,
Lastly it came to an end the Holidays, firstly Portugal now Sofia and Julian sharing the weekend with us. To be honest I feel more happy than sad for this end, You can called anxiety, I really want to go and do whatever I can and quick to fight the Cancer. I think only after I can focus in other things, such as go back to work.

Meanwhile I have the advantage and lucky to be all the time close to Oliwia and Justyna :)

So Sofia & Julian left already London, after another big brunch.

As I said the Holidays is over, thus, tomorrow I will need to be very early in the UCL Hospital to have a PET DOTA-NOC. IT is something new, it is still in a trial this type examination, It pretends to find all small Neuroendocrines Cancer I might have spread in the body. It will be all the morning in the Tunnel :)

At least because I will be a Guinea Pig or Cobaia I will have a free lunch and transports paid.It ill be my contribution for the Humanity Healthy

Lastly, the pictures above today it is related to another moment of us in Portugal, when we went visit STAP, my former job in Portugal, it was lovely to see almost all the friends and colleges once I left there when I decided to move to England. Happy to see all are very well.Thank you also for your support.

Kisses

In the beach track

It was a very relaxed and pleasant day in the company of my friends Julian & Sofia, Again we decided to enjoy an experience in the kitchen, thus we had a magnificent breakfast, with in the top of the table some Polish sausages, Portuguese cheese, jam with chocolate offered by Jaine, Portuguese Bread cooked by my mum, and "Bela Luisa" tea from Portugal and others delicious things that I forgot.

later I decided to challenge Julian for a chess match, in bad time I did it as the result it was another painful defeat. To recover we went for a dinner in the most typical Portuguese restaurant in London -The Nandos. Sofia had her prosaic desires, a grilled chicken. In fact we all were very happy to satisfy her wishes.

It has been good to relax and past time together with them, even more after just came back from Portugal, as the impact it was not so strong. Shame, tomorrow we need to say goodbye

Some other pictures in my portfolio to show you is this ones related with the penultimate day when we went for a walk in the Armacao de Pera beach, To be honest I could not enjoy too much, because I was feeling very tired, Thus in some point I preferred sat and take a sun bath.

N.Sra da Rocha

Ola,

Definitely after I had my moral very down in the last time it has been busted and today it past days that I do not remember about what I am carrying with me. It was a very busy day and I am tired, but even though we had few things that made us very happy.

Early morning I did my blood test and I went to see Dr. Tim Meyer, He confirmed that the news are good and I will see the Surgeon even before than I expected, Now the appointment with doctor Fusai, or Dr Richard Gere, if you remember, should happen in 10th of March, after the scans to measure the impact of the Chemotherapy. Tim Meyer also confirmed that the six session of Chemotherapy, next Tuesday will be the last one :), This it was something that I was not totally sure before. He also examined my body and confirmed that the Pancreas and Liver look regular, In the last weeks I have not feeling any pain or pressure in that areas what is good. Regarding to the heart burning he told us that is very common to happen due to the steroids of the chemo, and now he prescribed me some pills to sort out that. He looked also in my scalp for an injury or infection that I carry for a years, and for him it never can be a Cancer, because the infection come and goes, anyway I need to book an appointment with the dermatologist soon as possible. As you know the diabetes it will never help me to healing all this infections, I need to be careful all the time. Lastly I informed him about our intention to finish our cycle of trips and this time travel to Poland in the period between the next chemotherapy session and the day I will have the scans at 3 of March and for him there is no problem, we are totally free :) Now with Oliwka having a Portuguese citizen card nothing can stop us to go around.

The next chemo session it was moved to the day after, then it will happen this Tuesday instead of Monday, This because of my special Gallium scanning been booked to Monday and in that way it would be difficult to conciliate both events in two different hospitals.

In the afternoon I have the visit of Julian & Sofia, It was time to updated our conversation and feel the support of them, Both have been always close in the bad moments, inclusive when I most needed they used their holidays in the Summer to be close to us. Today Julian cooked a beautiful Bacalhau from a book that also they offered us in the Christmas. So, it will be needless to tell that fish was delicious. Great to know that they will be in our place during the weekend :) It will be a good fun.

The pictures are related to other devotion of the family, N. Sra da Rocha. It symbolises what the Earth it has the best, the Sea and the people working there.

Also good to be back

Ola

It can sound a paradox, but in spite of I loved the days in Portugal but also I am very happy to be back to the wet and grey London. I think is either for the close friends that I have here, but overall for the things that are pendent here. For example I cannot wait for the appointment with the oncologist tomorrow morning but also I am excited for another chemotherapy session in next Monday, In the same day very early I need to go to UCL Hospital to do a special Pet Scan. The Gallium. Very busy days ahead, but also will bring us the feeling of movement. I enjoy when I am going everyday to the Hospital, It is were I find myself more safe. The worst is when we are at home waiting for something, without knowing what is it next.

During this weekend I still have the flavour of Portugal, because I we will have the visit of Sofia Esteves and Julian, It will be good to share some laughs with them :)

Another good news is my weight I checked tonight after my bath and it accused 64.4KG, what was an improvement of 1.5KG. It is Mum's food fault, We did not stop to have brilliant fish in the table during the time in my parents house.

As you can see in photos that are witnessing the moment, we left Algarve today and we are already in our house in London, The moment to say good bye to my mum was very sad, she could not stop her tears drop from her eyes, It is hard to be far away from somebody you love and are passing for a critical time.

Soon I will be back, Promise I will do my best.

Hold the Breath

The last day arrived, We toke advantage and went for a walk in he beach of Armaçao de Pera, I tried to swallow as much Sun as possible and trying to do not breath out too much in order to do not waste cleaned air needed in London, Fortunately today the weather was much better.

My condition as been very well, I have not feeling any special pain, what is good. The only thing is the sugar levels is keeping very high, This can be because of the chemotherapy that it still in my blood and also because of the food, I have eaten much more than in England.

In England after tomorrow the Agenda will be totally different, but to be honest I am happy to be there already tomorrow, Because I know my life depends from what will happen there, And all this events will happen very soon, in the next months.

Last spells of Algarve

Difficult to see the time going by, already after tomorrow I will be back in London. But about that I will have time to think about. Today we relaxed at home, some family came around during the lunch to share a good time, Again after the meal I cold resist to a siesta. I am curios to check my weight, some opinions are saying that I might have put on weight, I will check that in the Oncology clinic this Friday.

In the evening we had a pleasant time with parents, sister and Dani.

The pics below are related with my birthday party in Chiado, tomorrow I will try to show the other party in the Algarve.