Has been a
long time between posts…….
When last we talked I had just broken up with Dr G but in a good way and Boxing Day marked 6 months since I left hospital with my brand new baby immune system.
In short I’m pretty well. Hopefully MS has been kicked into
touch, only time will tell. Blood
results last week were good – all the numbers that needed to be up were up and
the ones that needed to be down are down. All is looking quite stable for the
moment. I’ve been granted permission to
stop taking the anti-viral meds. (on high alert for the mere mention of chicken pox and shingles).
May have to
start a blog about an island café …………………………………..
When last we talked I had just broken up with Dr G but in a good way and Boxing Day marked 6 months since I left hospital with my brand new baby immune system.
This is a long
post so settle in – maybe make a cup of tea.
I’d planned
a Christmas post, then a New Year post so have narrowly made it in January – we’ve
been busy! In fact this post only comes
to you by an act of extreme kindness by the best sister ever (she’s at work
instead of me, giving me a day off – love that woman!).
Best sister ever |
This post
comes to you from the land of sunshine.
What a year it has been as we start into 2018 we’ve ended up sort of in a place where
everything old is new again.
- A new immune system
- A move across the world returning from whence we came almost 20 years ago.
- New house and new business.
Here’s how
we got this far…….
Himself and
I never thought we’d leave the UK. I
don’t want to get too political here but it was becoming a very uncomfortable
place to be an “immigrant” following the events of June 2017. (if you’re interested in my political
ranting, you’ll find it on Twitter).
Maybe we were being super sensitive, but a day didn’t pass without some
headline insisting that Britain should be for the “British” – whatever that
means as we’ve all come from somewhere.
Add in some fierce family campaigning – “if you get poorly, we can
help”, Facetiming with grandchildren (not really playing fair), we packed up
our lives into a 40 foot container, engaged the services of a pet transfer
company, (the furry ones are family too) we set off to return from whence we
came.
I’m watching
UK politics from afar with interest – at time a little bit horrified at the duplicity
of the politicians.
Of course,
making sure that I was well looked after was important, in fact a deal
breaker. The lovely Dr N recommended a
Neurologist, Professor B whom I’ve now met and who seems very nice – and seems very
interested in HSCT and there’s only a tiny trial happening here.
Dr G gave me
his blessing to travel and made me promise to keep in touch so he knows how I’m
faring. The Professor also thinks it’s a
good idea to be monitored by a new Haematologist, the very personable Dr W. In all a very comprehensive “package”.
So how am I
faring?
Very well
really – I still get tired but packing up and moving all one’s worldly good
across the world, finding where we wanted to live, finding a house & all
that unpacking would make anyone tired.
Okay so maybe I haven’t quite finished unpacking……………… We’ve been busy…..
I’m back to
work in our new venture, a café by the beach on an island paradise – this must be the best “office” view
ever!
The early morning start time was
initially challenging – the island seems to get up very early………………… Lots of
retired people walking themselves and their dogs, and we are not short of beautiful
places to walk. The café is wonderful,
we have lovely regulars who have been very forgiving as we try to memorise how
everyone likes their coffee.
This may be
a laid back holiday island however coffee apparently is a serious business.
We’ve been very busy over the holiday period and
have great plans for when it slows down a bit – more time in the pool (physical
therapy is so important to recovery) or maybe finish unpacking, and of course
some improvements to the café.
My hair is
growing back though alarmingly I’ve moved on from rocking the Sinead O’Connor
look to a super curly Leo Sayeresque look which is a little frightening! I’m told by other chemo warriors it can take
a couple of years to return to normal which can’t come quick enough for me. We’ve a family wedding in August -the words
chemical and straightening may appear in the same sentence.
Our return
from whence we came has been easier than I expected – I had almost sobbed as we
drove away from my beautiful Chapel in our lovely English village.
And definitely did sob as we drove away from
the wonderful friends we are blessed to know. On previous visits “home” it had all felt
very unfamiliar and the “coming home” feeling was always as the aeroplane touched
down at Heathrow.
I’d previously found
the light too bright, the accents too twangy and the people a little too
friendly – however the sunshine is bliss, the friendliness of the people is a
wonderful thing (my dalliance with “British reserve” has been banished to
another time when I need to take the tone of the company I’m in - not sure I ever really did that but hey ho!). We've settled right back in and it's starting to feel like home. The Islanders are a lovely bunch.
We’re close
to our family so help when I’m feeling in any way fragile, is just a call away. Being able to hug our grandchildren rather than
wave on a screen is priceless. Though I had
to keep my distance initially – nothing spreads germs like little children.
In the
meantime it’s been wonderful catching up with old friends, being close to the
rest of the family and our island idyll looks a lot like paradise, “never
moving again” is a phrase being used quite a bit.