At the moment life is a tad relentless. By the time I have helped the wife downstairs, gotten breakfast, gone shopping, emptied the dishwasher, put two loads of washing on, hung it out, gotten lunch, cleared and fed the birds, most of the day is gone. Then I will put the drugs out for the wife and the nurses. After that I will cook dinner, clear up and bring the washing in. By about 8pm my duties become fetching wine and munchies.
There are five hospital appointments in 8 days around now, with a plaster cast it is difficult to drive, so it is down to me. Next week I have to take the car to get the front tyres changed. All the medical related mileage has worn them. At around 83,000 miles the car is heading towards the twilight zone.
If the plaster cast comes off there will be physiotherapy appointments as well…
In principal the bulk of the first line treatment for myeloma is over. It took ~8 months of intensive treatment and the wife has really been through the wringer. It is relentless for me too but in a different much less invasive way. There is no dilution because it is just us.
We have established that it is possible to sell here and buy a house further South, say in the Jura for example. There is a question mark over passing a medical for South Africa. I am on the critical {if rusty} skills list, so at a push I might be able to get a job…
Every time we think of checking out the back to blighty option, someone like auntie Liz opens her gob and reminds us of that insular petty mentality, the one that wanted Brexit. Part of the reason we came here was to leave that mentality behind. Comparing France 24 and Al Jazeera to the news on Sky and the BBC it is clear to see how far up its own arse the UK seems to be. Even the local {very} newspapers have good international news coverage.
It is possible even likely that I will never return to the UK.
Hopefully after the visit to the haematologist and the orthopaedic surgeon next week things will calm a little. The maintenance chemotherapy will be only lower dose and tablet based.
But experience has shown us that just when we think things are calming down something else comes along…
IT is a tad relentless.
Traou an Dour 