10th April, 2018 – Two months on from my operation

We had a lovely family time in Devon. I cannot say I did much, the family went on lots of wet walks with the dogs and the weather was so bad that the golf course was closed apart from our last day – the Thursday but as we were leaving sadly Isabelle did not get the chance to use a new set of golf clubs. I did get to go into Chagford, always a pleasure and we had a good lunch at the newly refurbished Ring of Bells in North Bovey.

Coming home made me realise I have progressed, my energy levels are slowly getting better and I no longer need a mid day nap! However if I do a bit too much I pay for it the next day and have to take it easy – I do not think I will be back to regular exercise for a while. A ten minute out and ten minute back dog walk is the sum limit of my endurance and this is not really enough for my dogs so any offers are still welcome.

I have an appointment at The Royal Marsden on the Fulham Road on Monday 16th and look forward to finding out what is in store for me with this journey I am going on with a Desmoid Tumour. People talk about journey’s with cancer and it is a funny thing, I feel a journey is a beginning middle and end, but an illness is just being, and in reality just doing what you are told to do – no real choice.

Eating is my continuing problem, I still have issues with taking mouthfuls and each one is quite painful as it hits my stomach and I can only eat about 5 mouthfuls during a meal. Recently I have had a lot of pain due to wind and general diarrhoea and three days of the last seven being sick. I worry that it might be an intolerance to milk as I am sick after eating yogurt or macaroni cheese. This is difficult for me as a lot of the food that is recommended is milk based. I see a dietician on Thursday so perhaps this might be cleared up then. I know that they will say to cut out milk – with no fruit, veg, fibre, and no dairy this limits my food somewhat, please suggest alternatives. One thing is for certain if you want to loose weight you just have to eat very little!

On the positive side I am back in my workshop and making a few commissions, I will put my jewellery into an open house and so might make some sales, fingers crossed, and I have caught up on some box sets I can totally recommend Money Heist on Netflix and Below the Surface on BBC4. I have been reading which is an indulgence and not to feel guilty about it is even better. I am about to create a home recipe book for Rowena and have been asked by the other two to do the same for them, so a project I am looking forward to doing.