Wednesday 16 January 2013

Cold Weather Dog's Delight

After major surgery in 2009 I wrote my first blog about it, for those who never read my blog then here is the link

http://www.jansmeso.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/100-wipe-out.html

Sometimes it nice for us to go back and read what we wrote, remind ourselves of the fight and the struggle we have gone through to still be here today.
 
Unless you have chest problems you can never understand what it is like to be unable to breathe in the cold.  I remember my mam saying "I can't get my breath" but not understanding what she meant as she was there telling me and showing signs of breathing.  I certainly understand this sentence now, especially in this cold weather, although the crisp cold is a lot better than the damp cold, don't know why, but it is.
 
The change in room temperature can affect our chests, stepping outside into 0 degree's from our nice warm homes is a pure nightmare.  Scarf's kept close to our mouths and nose's we look like we are out to rob some one.
 
On a bright note it was a fab day for some photography, not that I went, oh no I had planned to work from home this morning to discover I had arranged a meeting at 10am in the office... not a happy bunny after I had lit the fire and was looking forward to the heat toasting my feet under the desk.  So as I headed to work hubby and dogs headed for the fields.
Lexi is confused, a rabbit saw the dogs and took off ahead of them, disappearing down its hole, it popped its head up once then disappeared altogether.  Lexi was left wondering where it had gone.


They both decided a time for rest was needed, hubby said they had a good play fight in the snow, wish I had been there to see them, sorry the snow has blown out a bit trying to focus between black and white is quite hard.

My favourite of today is this, the tree looks like something from a fairytale book, it isn't, its real.  I was surprised how many prints were on the ground, so many animals must have been trying to find food or taking cover in the woods from the snow.

It does look beautiful though, everything so white and the sky so blue, we never get such blue skies in the summer.

As for me, well I spent the afternoon at home, I did bring a file of work home to do but the fire was still flickering a little, so I decided to have a quick tidy out of some of my paperwork at home.  Instead of throwing things on the fire I kept reading bits of the information I had kept to do with mesothelioma.  You would be surprised but some of my research goes back to 2004, when to be honest not a lot was published on mesothelioma.  I even found the first Cancer Backup book I was given on Meso, it covered pleura and pertioneal but no mention of pericardium, they didn't seem to think it affected the heart area at that time, probably why I had such a tough time getting the oncologist to realise it was the mesothelioma that caused my heart attack like pains.
 
I found research information on Velcade, Prof Fennel was running a trial in Belfast for it, information on Prof Vogl from 2007 or 8, information on Vitamin C, even then they were sure that the use of Vit C was a good cancer fighter, Mistletoe was also the no 1 alternative treatment then.  Another article on alternative treatment that had to do with herbs.  Information on a trial drugs that I have never heard of since.  Maybe it would be a good project to find out whatever happened to the drugs that fell by the roadside.  First though, I must file these papers into some sort of organised order, I ended up bundling them all back into the 3 lever arch files and a couple of folders.  The clock ticked by faster than I could read.  I also found a really old Mesothelioma UK newsletter, and Chris Knightons first ever published article in the Northern Echo.  Nostalgia!
 
Tea is nearly cooked, the dogs have had braising steak and gravy, we had cooked them lamb chops as well but I think the beef was enough, we are having chicken rolled in various breadcrumbs, hope they are nicer than the curried parsnip soup I had for lunch - curried tasting water the colour of parsnips - pleased I had some fresh bread on the side, the soup went down the sink after 4 spoonfuls.
 
If you are going out in the cold please remember your scarf, ventoline and plenty of warm clothes, tissues and don't be out too long, a chest infection in this weather is certainly not want we could do with.
 
I hope you are enjoying the snow, even through the window and don't forget to put some seed out for the birds.

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