A new Dawn

Hi all again, its been a little while and much has happened as well as nothing much!  Gail came home for the week that we had planned, that was almost three weeks ago now and ended up in Derriford Hospital with infected colitis the day after she arrived.  She was there 2 days and not an experience she would ever want to repeat.  It was sods law that this should happen when she was home and away from the care that she has been getting at the Christie.  We spent the rest of the week quietly not doing much but there were a couple of good times with friends visiting and a bit of time in the garden. I did get my swims with friends which was a blessing for me.  We did return earlier than we had planned as Gail's tummy was not really improving although the temperature had gone.  This led into a chemo week and again  she was not great following that.  Our friends Ang and Emma were here with us and we just spent time mainly chilling out and having some family time.

Emma was running a charity 10K  for Christies on Sunday 7th Sept in Altringham and she did a fabulous time of 50mins 20secs, absolutely smashed it and raised an amazing £755 and there's gift aide on top!  Unfortunately we were not able to get there as Gail did not feel up to it, another thing we did not want to miss but then in the last 7 months there have been many things because of the grueling effects of chemo.

So the scan took place on 8th September and we had the results on 10th.   You can tell the minute you walk in that there is not going to be good news, its a feeling in the gut no matter how much we told our-selves that it was going to be good news, convincing our-selves the cancer will have been contained and held at bay given some many many chemo's .  Sadly not, the scan showed that the cancer has spread into the peritoneum around the pelvic area , although can you believe the original tumor in the pancreas has just stayed the same.  Gail has been offered three options:  a last chance chemo regime, fortnightly 4 hours infusion containing one of the drugs that was taken out of the original treatment as it made her so ill (Irinotecan) and 48 hours pump (5FU Fluorouracil), or possibly a clinical trial that would need to be enquired about or what the Consultant called 'Supportive Care' doing away with any more chemo.

It was devastating to hear this and we know you will all be feeling it too as your love and support has been unfailing.  But that's what we are faced with and we all put our-selves in Gail's shoes faced with choices that we dont want.   We still have some thinking to do, we did not ask all the questions we needed to in that moment with the Consultant, and so we need more information but Gail is done with the chemo pretty much and we are totally behind her in that.   

We decided to take the news as if it was the best news possible and in a strange way it really is, because it means no more poisoning of her entire body and mind, no more chemical abuse and trauma on every level including her soul and more hope for happy and fulfilled days to come.   We will ask what the Supportive option is but we will be completely focusing on what we are putting into our bodies and exploring all the options of natural systems, foods and supplements that have cancer fighting properties and we are going to give this our very best shot.     In doing so we remain positively focused on health and quality of life and enjoying precious times, moment by moment and with as many of you as possible.   We will be learning from our wonderful sister in law Jan who has stayed in optimum health against all the odds for numerous conditions through juicing and supplements, she is simply the juicing Queen.

We leave this cottage in Marple Bridge on Sunday 14th September and I will go home with the dogs, Gail will stay with her mom for a week and then follow on.  She intends to have time at home and regular visits to family in Manchester.  

Its been a busy few days taking all this in alongside packing up to come home.  Our dear neighbour Alan came up for 3 nights and has taken a lot of our things back with him which means there will be room in my car to bring the rest back.    God knows how we accumulated so much stuff, poor Alan.  We did get a lovely day out  in Castleton in the Peak District which is a truly beautiful place. 

I am collecting my new Nissan Qashqai, automatic E Power car today in fact.  It will make the long journey's easier and more comfortable.

We are blessed to have the resources that we do, to have enabled us to live nicely away from home and not worry.  But it will be so good to be home again and get back to our lives there.

We continue to appreciate and thank all our family and friends for standing alongside us in this journey and we hope to repay the love and kindness and the support that anyone may need as we travel together on this earthly path.