I appreciate that it is some time since I put pen to paper, well fingers to keys, so today is a bit of a catch up session.

The end of January found us heading off to a rented apartment at Torrox Costa just this side of Malaga in southern Spain. On our way down we had booked hotels at Perpignan and Valencia. Suffice to say that we had a very relaxing and stress free time the whole trip except for Day 2 in Valencia. There is a very local MO in this town.

1. Spot yourself a foreign registered car stationary at traffic lights.

2. Put a knife through the side wall of one of the tyres.

3. When the driver realises that he has a flat tyre and stops one of the ‘team’ will distract the occupants during which bags are stolen from the car and attempts used to steal money using cards etc.

Having read up on similar goings on in Seville we decided to give that town a miss only to be caught unawares. This happened despite our best efforts to secure all the luggage by putting it in the car but still lost out. I lost my bag with all my documents and wallet and Sue her overnight bag. So, two new tyres later, reporting to the local Police and looking at mug shots, we were looking forward to a good rest, which is what we got. Temperatures up to +20.

Back to France and reality saw -10 and it felt SO cold and the house took three days to warm through again. Replacing everything official that was stolen has proved remarkably easy and we now only have my passport to organise – through Paris and at great expense.

Today saw me back at the hospital following another blood test on Monday. We got the results through the post yesterday and spent some hours comparing them with the last set and looking things up on the net. I don’t know why I do this as I always get in a bit of a state and think the worst. So it was with trepidation that we saw the specialist this afternoon who took one look at the results, and me, said that there was nothing to worry about and told us he would like to see us for a further check up in August. So, what was all the worry about?

We can now make plans for the next 4 months.

Last night the Sapeurs-Pompiers, French firemen arrived at last to make their, delayed, Xmas visit. As you may know La Poste, the firemen and Gendarmes make the rounds with calenders for the coming year. We understand that there is a possibility that you can say “Non merci” but few do. The going rate is about 10 euros a throw to show your support and appreciation of their hard work. Each calender is heavily subsidised by local firms of all sorts and the calender itself has photos of your local people as well as the usual, very French, line up of top brass standing and looking very proud.

The Sapeurs-Pompiers version reminds me that the French version of the fire service is totally different from the UK version. In France they are the paramedics as well as firefighters and take to the air to fight the forest fires in their Canadair air craft. Our local station staff at Labastide Murat are photographed, a total of 22 including 6 ladies.  I hope they will remember our 10 euros if we have to call on their services.

You may have seen my earlier post about our local music group. One of our group, Jerry, has composed music in the past and has played a recording at one of our meetings of a recorder piece that he had penned. He had phoned us in the morning to say that he would be calling in yesterday afternoon but would not be staying. He duly arrived, handed over a folder and left. You can imagine my surprise when I found that he had composed a short piano piece for me with the title of ‘Hope’. I always find it very difficult to say “Thank you” and to convey those thanks without sounding crass or insincere. You can be sure that I have already conveyed my thanks to Jerry but I say it here again.

You will be glad to hear that nearly all the snow has melted, however, this is causing problems for the local water courses and fields are now turning into lakes so we are staying put for the day. I am now reading the diaries of Alistair Campbell which show a promising start but do not make me inclined to have anything to do with politicians!

Today we got out in the car for the first time since last Thursday. Snow, like the rest of you, has kept us in doors trying to stay warm and we have been burning logs as if there is no tomorrow. On the plus side I have just finished reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, 650 pages about Henry VIII and his court and Thomas Cromwell in particular. If this period is your bag I would recommend it to you.

The rain set in yesterday and has now taken care of the majority of the snow and, at the moment, there is no further white stuff forecast so hopefully we are in for a bit of a respite. This is good news for our two cats who have been going crazy because their routine has been turned upside down. As soon as you let them out they have been wanting to come in again so driving us mad in the process. As the temperature has been dropping to -12 overnight they have been staying in and have generally been behaving themselves, not wanting to go out too early.

Plans for our trip to Spain at the end of the month have been coming on a pace with hotels now booked and prayers being offered up for fine and sunny weather. At the moment it is about 15-18 degrees where we are going so hopefully all will be well.

We have a busy couple of weeks before we go with book club and meals out planned with friends so plenty to look forward to. But for the time being the sun is now out and the temerature is rising. What else does one need?

As you can imagine the last 48 hours have been a bit of a strange time, after having come to terms with my fate over the last two months I suddenly find myself on a totally different track and have to make a major adjustment. Of course it’s not only me but family and friends and, of course, Sue who has been wonderful throughout and I owe her so much. However, a bit of a respite so plans have been made.

In a couple of weeks we shall leave the cats with friends nearby and drive down to Valencia and stay overnight in a rather nice Holiday Inn overlooking the wonderful park and eat some good food in the very good restaurant. The following day travel on down to Torrox Plage just short of Malaga where we have rented an apartment for 2 weeks. It looks out over the Med and we can walk out of the front door and eat our way around the world if the fancy takes us as well as get some warm weather. On the way home we will stop of at Valencia and Girona. Something to look forward to.

Weather here is cold with zero degrees being the norm during the day. However, the promised snow has not arrived as yet and we hope that will last. Sue and I are only too aware of the problems being faced due to the weather in the UK and we know how upset some of you are that you can’t get into work (shame). Hope you get a respite soon but in the mean time stay warm and drink plenty of mulled wine to keep your spirits up. We will be raising a glass to you.

Just had a call from my specialist at Cahors Hospital. They have now reveiwed my Lymphoma from the bone marrow biopsy taken the other day. It is not the type they first thought and is, in fact, a very slow growing variety. So, it’s all change; no treatment tomorrow or Friday and back to see the specialist sometime in February for a further blood test and scan.

Thank you so much to everyone for their good wishes and support and I hope the situation remains positive and roll on my 90th birthday party, you are all invited.

Now trying to re-book our holiday in Spain that we had to cancel.

Every month there is a quiz held in our village that is attended by Brits from far and wide. We have a great evening, loads of banter, keen rivalry and some wine drunk. A couple of months ago one of the attendees asked if anyone was interested in starting up a recorded classical music appreciation group. We asked to be included and we have had a couple of meetings now and met some new people. The advantage is that you hear music that you would not otherwise hear and in that respect is the same as the book group we attend.

Well, yesterday was my turn to host and choose the music. I found this quiet a difficult process as peoples taste vary so much. One has a special interest in piano concertos, another in light operetta, another says that his interest does not get any more modern that Handel. You can see where the problems arise.

I think that I included something for everyone in the end. We heard music from the 11th century through to the 1940′s, instrumental, choral and operetta and a good time was had by all. Some people find it difficult to just sit and listen but thats the name of the game. There is always lively discussion about the works and the various performances as there are some very knowledgable people in the group. Roll on next month at a venue yet to be decided.

The next two days hold the following:

1. 8am tomorrow at Cahors Hospital again. This time to have a line put into my chest to take the chemo drugs over the coming months. Then an overnight stay to make sure there are no complications.

2. Friday am first lot of chemo.

Not too nervous about the next couple of days just hope the snow will not be too deep so we can get there and back. Will post again over the coming weekend.

Many heartfelt thanks for the kind wishes from so many people. I am sure that they will give me the strength to get through this.

We had a very busy day yesterday which I will split into two posts, one medical and the other social. On a weather front we have had no snow so far but some is expected so the next two days are a bit of a worry.

Anyway, first stop yesterday was Cahors Hospital again for an ECG on my heart which we assume was to check that I was up to the forthcoming treatment. The first thing you have to do when you arrive is to get booked in at the main reception where they make sure that you have a current health card and health insurance. We were told that there was a note on our on-line file that said that we had to visit our GP ASAP to get forms sorted out. These forms will allow me to have all the treatment paid by the French Government and I will be designated an invalid for the duration and can apply for all sorts of ‘perks’.

Next to the heart examination which, like some others I suspect, I thought would be a couple of electrodes attached to my chest and a paper print out would result. How wrong could I be. High tech ultra sound and photography. The heart is OK and working well but before you leave you get a file with all the measurements of your heart and associated blood vessels and a nice set of colour pictures.

Job 1 done. Then off to the GP in a village near to ours. Always an interesting time is spent waiting for your turn, there is no appointment system. There are 7 chairs in the waiting room and the other patients sit there chatting about all sorts and we then just take our turn. Our normal doctor is off sick so we had a much younger guy to talk to. Much to our surprise he was well aware of who I was as he had already read my file. Apparently I have to be strong in the mind to get through the treatment. He says I have to have these strong drugs to make me better. Bearing in mind I don’t feel unwell at all I still have a hard time accepting this. Anyway he, eventually, found the required form in the rather untidy and chaotic doctors surgery, filled it in and insisted we sent it immediatley to the Social Security Office. We obeyed and went home to prepare for the afternoons event.

I have recently been diagnosed with Lymphoma and will be starting my treatment shortly. I have created this blog for two reason, to inform and update anyone interested enough to want to know how I am fairing and secondly for me to keep a diary of what happened and when. I find that, even though this situation has been going on for a relatively short time, I am still loosing track of what happened and when.

As this is my first post and I don’t want to go on too long I shall be brief:

Week 18-24.10.09 I found a painful lump in my groin. I can honestly say that I had not noticed it before.

10.10.09 I paid my first visit to a doctor in France. He arranged then and there for a blood test (another first) and a scan at Cahors Hospital.

20.10.09 Blood test taken at the laboratory in Gourdon. Didn’t hurt after all.

22.10.09 Picked up the blood test results. All looked to be OK to me and Sue.

13.11.09 Cahors Hospital for a scan. A highlighter liquid injected in via a drip. Waited about an hour for the results. Came in large folder, prints, CD and an analysis from the doctor who did the scan. Pictures show a large number of small tumours but some larger ones in the lymph system. Report suggested a biopsy of the original lump in the groin.

16.11.09 Back to the GP who looked at the results and made an appoitment with a specialist at Cahors.

02.12.09 See the specialist at Cahors. He is not a surgeon so further referal.

08.12.09 See surgeon. He seems alarmed at the size of the lump and will be doing the biopsy under a general anaesthetic.

10.12.09 See anaesthetist. As we don’t know my blood group sent down to the lab at the hospital for another blood sample.

16.12.09 To Cahors for my biopsy. To counteract MRSA you have to shower the previous evening and use an Iodine solution instead of soap. Arrived at hospital at 0700hrs and shower again. Operation went OK and discharged that evening. Over the next week local nurses visited the house to change dressing etc.

30.12.09 See cancer specialist again who confirms Lymphoma but more tests are required to identify the exact type. A bone marrow biopsy is needed but he thinks I have Mantel Lymphoma which is very slow growing and I have probably had it for some time and it may be quiet advanced. Happy New Year!

31.12.09 To Cahors for the bone marrow biopsy. Very uneasy about this and had researched it on the net and it sounded quiet awful. In fact it was done under gas and air and a local and was not painful at all. The marrow was taken from my pelvis and apart from a bit of bruising I have had no ill effects. Results will take about a week.

Thats the story so far but there are more appointments this week which I will blog about on other posts.