Paraprotein at end of cycle 2 was 11- so marginally up on the 10 of two weeks before. Need to see at the end of this the third cycle where it goes- its maybe reached its plateau- we'll see.
Was able to go to the Scottish Pipeband championships in Innerleithen on Saturday though it involved two sleeps in the car during it. But great to hear the really young bands coming through and made me get out my own pipes when I got home( I have electronic ones as the plates in my elbow won't let me risk the real thing). Bit of a shock to the system to hear 11 and 12 year olds playing tunes I'm still trying to play properly after about 20 years ! Plan is to try to go to the worlds championships in August this year if I can.
I was listening to a Dougie Mclean CD ( you will know I like his use of the Ferguson Tractor as a musical instrument in one of his songs!) and heard the Song of the Survivor. I'm also a Ray Mears fan and have been watching some of his programmes about survival and survivors. It set me thinking about a phase I'm going through just now- of almost being a survivor and going through survivor syndrome. All the indications were that last year was maybe going to be my last year and I was put in touch with Marie Curie etc, got early release of some pension policies because of my situation and had of course quietly alerted friends and families about what might be happening. But - as you'll gather from this post- I'm still here!! Great as it is is to still be around, there is a feeling of how did that happen- particularly when a number of my myeloma and other haematology colleagues didn't make it. I think there may also be myeloma fatigue for some of my friends as they've lived through all the possibilities with me and there has to be a limit to the amount of emotional hightedness they need to bear. What is a wee bit difficult for us myeloma patients is that we also tend to look pretty well a lot of the time and able to do things- except when we are on chemotherapy!- so it can be a wee bit difficult to let folks know- except those close to you- just how you are feeling.
Ach well, I'm beginning to ramble. I have to say I was disappointed in the last Ray Mears programme where he was on Walkabout in Australia- showed us some bush twigs etc that the Aborigines used to light fires- extolled its virtues as good tinder and caught light easily. He then took out a petrol lighter from his pocket and lit it with that!! Come on Ray, cheating a bit.
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Absolutely! Flint and steel would be so much more genuine. Or just two of those twigs.
We're a bit bagpipe-poor around here, but we do hear one once in a while. Tomorrow is Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN, which has a strong Scottish heritage, and there is usually a piper somewhere along the course. Love that.
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