Here we go again

Perhaps waving goodbye to flights from the top of Queenstown Hill was a daft thing to do as Marti and Robbie could not see us, despite the frantic arm movements and the bright orange I wore.

 It was a glorious walk; it always is a good work out but Saturday was particularly sunny, clear and crisp day.

 The frost cloaked the hill and dusted the paths; a mixture of white crystals and brown dirt, as boot marks scrubbed it all away leaving a slushy, slippy goo behind.

Where it could, the sun torched the rest away. The sun is much weaker in mid-winter but still warming enough to notice it; definitely colder when you are not in it.

Marti and Robbie popped down from Auckland for a few days to give us both some moral support and good cheer. 

We dragged them out on a walk around the lake and river before brunch on their first day with us. Marti was not a well bunny, sporting a black eye from a previous walking accident and a chesty cough; this did not stop her or Sarah going off skiing at Cardrona for the day. 

Sarah back country skiing, Marti downhill. On the same hill on the same day but not together! Robbie and I were happy enough with a baby walk up and down to town for a sneaky hot chocolate in Patagonia.

With a bit more energy, I decided to cook up a few new recipes still focusing on low cholesterol. We tried out:

• Hazelnut, spinach and mushroom lasagne (definitely better if you add your own passata. Auntie Pat’s recipe was used again. It’s a trusty staple.)

• Mango and lime cheesecake. Surprisingly, it is possible to make a low fat low cholesterol version with oat flakes instead of digestive biscuits. This was light, fluffy and more enjoyable than I had imagined (being a fan of the heavy New York style cheesecake)
• Red fruit compote. Very easy. A mix of frozen raspberries, fresh strawberries, peaches and plums, sprinkling of sugar and a cinnamon stick, cloves and star anise
• Well buggered lamb – another Auntie Pat special. This time in the slow cooker for 16 hours.

It takes a Kiwi and an Aussie/Brit to cut off a lamb shank with a woodwork saw.

Enjoyed by all. Thank you Auntie Pat J

Thumbs up on the cuisine from Marti and Robbie.

I might have over done it a bit and this week. I could not manage a full 18 holes of golf. I struggled around 12 and had to rush back to the club house to sit down with a cup of tea.

This is hard; I get some energy back and want to do something with it but when I try to do normal things, but my body eventually gives up on me in a heap of fatigue. After discussing this with the specialist cancer nurses, I now know it might take up to 3 months of no chemo/treatment to get back my full energy levels. It is no fun being a sickie. But hell I’ve got to keep trying things to find my limits in my new state. I will have to build up strength and fitness gradually. But not now. My chemo free holiday is over and I’m starting the next stage of my adventures in hospital.

Today, Dunedin. Stage 2 stem cell harvest process has kicked off with a day of a variety of pills (steroids, anti-nausea, blood thinners) and infusions/ intravenous doses.

• Saline drips (many throughout the day) to flush stuff through the system as well as to make sure I am hydrated
• Mesna – 1100mg. This is drug to protect kidneys and try to counter all the other side effects of chemo
• Cyclophosphamide – 3640mg. different form of the same chemo pills I was taking in Stage 1 but in a much higher dose. This caused a lot of sinus pain and a splitting headache but it passed. I drank lots of hot chocolate to compensate (swallowing eases sinus pain and I like chocolate in any shape or form)

Spent the day rugged up, with drips into my arm, with a good book. Sarah kept popping in to keep me cheerful and fed. Was first in and last out.

We did explore a bit on the way from Queenstown to Dunedin. We have aspirations to walk and cycle around/in the Hawkdon Range / Maniatoto Valley in the summer. This is the range glistening in the snow.

We took some back roads Naseby to check it out.

Very sleepy place with many historic buildings still in use.

We ate lunch in the sunshine outside the museum.

Several huge Sequoia trees and a Norwegian pine. Sarah is standing next to one.

It takes years to grow a huge tree, it makes you feel small and insignificant beside it.

I often wonder what causes myeloma and what I did to get it. As no one knows the cause, it is impossible to know where I went wrong. My blood is being used for research purposes and I hope they eventually find what causes myeloma. This research is exploring some aspects of DNA. I suspect the cause is some chemical humans have produced and I have been exposed to (Sarah is in the clear thankfully) but who knows. What I do know is that the nurses here are fantastic and the standard of care first class. I am very lucky.

Our last day of chemo freedom was spent doing things we enjoy; exploring, eating pizza, walking on the beach. Our favourite beach near Dunedin is St Clair.

We had a sunset stroll before the tide made us run for the sand dunes.

Every day is precious.