May 31 British Isles

5/31 British Isles

Anchored at the Isles of Scilly this morning. The main island of St Mary's is 2-1/2 miles by 1-3/4 miles. The Capitol city, Hugh Town, is on a sand bar. No, there are no excursions - though most passengers disembarked to see the beaches (brrrr) and pre-historic buildings. Not us. Jill did a little laundry and I got our Internet devices setup. Don't know that we will use them much - but, we'll see. 

Last night we were out until 12:30AM - yes, after midnight - listening to a piano lounge-type singer. Billie Joel, Jim Croce, Barry Manilo. Tonight, Elvis, Frank Sinatra & the Rat Pack

Tonight was the first show by the ship's eight-member cast of singers/dancers & 7-piece live orchestra. It was a great show. We were front row with dance floor on the same level. It was like watching the pros dance at DWTS! 10's all around. 

Despite not getting off the ship, we have been very busy. Lots of trivia - yes, we win  lot. Food & dining have been very flexible and very good. So far, it has worked out well for us. 

Take care and be well.

Sent from my iPhone. Please excuse short responses and typos.

5/30 British Isles

Sorry, first partial draft sent by mistake. 

5/30 British Isles

After an easy boarding, went to the Aquafina specialty restaurant. My steak was very good. But, Jill sent hers back because it was very rare for her. 2nd time still undercooked. She ate around the edges. Chocolate soufflé was excellent. 

After dinner, we had to wait because the shows are at 9:30. It looks like the entertainment will be very good. Last night was a sampling of the performers. 

Today, we went on an excursion on Guernsey. First, the Guernsey Freesia Centre which grows award winning flowers. Then, Bruce Russell Jewellers and The Little Chapel. At the end of the tour, we got Freesia bouquets - which are now in a vase in our cabin. 

We learned the island history and saw much of the 24 sq miles of the island. 60,000 residents. The island has honored allegiance to the British Crown since 1204.  Guernsey is the only English land occupied during WWII.

Take care and be well. 

Sent from my iPhone. Please excuse short responses and typos. 

5/30 British Isles

After an easy boarding, went to the Aquafina specialty restaurant. My steak
was very good. But, Jill sent hers back because it was very rare for her.
2nd time still undercooked. She ate around the edges. Chocolate soufflé was
excellent. After dinner, we had to wait because the shows are at 9:30. It
looks like the entertainment will be very good. Ton


Take care and be well.

Sent from my iPhone. Please excuse short responses and typos.

Boarding

90-ish minute car ride from the hotel to the ship. Easiest boarding ever.
In our cabin. I am totally unpacked and Jill is almost done. Very nice
cabin. 45 minutes until lifeboat drill. Reservations at one of the two
specialty restaurants tonight. Open dinner sitting - so...no regular dining
partners to meet.

So far, so good.

Take care and be well.

Sent from my iPhone. Please excuse short responses and typos.

5/28 2 London

5/28 - 2 London

Tonight, we went to the Palace Theatre to see "Singing in the Rain". The show was fun and we really enjoyed ourselves. I couldn't believe it when it started to rain very heavily on the stage for the title song just before intermission!! Someone had told us not to sit in the front few rows. Wow! The Gene Kelly character was soaked and kicked at the inch+ deep water on the stage. The first 5 or 6 rows got quite wet. Happily, our tickets were row J. We thoroughly enjoyed the show. 

All in all, we have had wonderful days in London. Great time with Barbara & Anne. The aquarium, the London Eye, traditional Sunday dinner, two-level bus tour, afternoon tea and the show. We did a lot in just 2 days. 

Looking forward to boarding the Azamara Journey tomorrow. 

Take care and be well. 

Sent from my iPhone. Please excuse short responses and typos. 

5/28 London

5/28 London 

Breakfast at The Goring is very good. Cereal, big bowl of berries, Danish, coffee, OJ. We will meet up with Barbara & Anne later for some kind of activity. 

Met Barbara & Anne at The Goring at about 10:30 AM. After chatting, we decided to take a 3 hour bus tour. We had a live narrator. He identified many of the significant buildings, areas and events. Very interesting. Was funny - B&A said that we saw things that they had never seen. Isn't that the way it is? It was sunny & hot. Glad we brought water. 

After the bus tour, we settled on The Inn at the Park at St James Park for afternoon tea. Jill & I shared since we expected  it would be too much. It was. We both had plenty and the company of B&A was wonderful as always. After tea, we were tired. Shared a cab back to The Goring. Now, it's time to get ready for "Singing in the Rain". 

Take care and be well. 

Sent from my iPhone. Please excuse short responses and typos. 

Allen - British Isles

2012 British Isles

5/26 Finally arrived at The Goring at 11 PM. It was a long day. More than 16 hours from wake up to hotel!! Up at 2:30 & 2:45 AM. Pick up at 4 AM. Ugh!! 

Flight at 5:50. A stopover at Washington Dulles - where our wheelchairs did not arrive :-( We had to walk more than 50 gates plus a couple retail areas. Much too long for us. We made the connection to London; but, we were very tired. 

7 1/2 hour flight to London was pretty uneventful. Two meals, big lounging seats, movies at our seats, some naps - can't go wrong with that. Amazingly, we were out of Heathrow Airport in about 45 minutes. Must be a record. 

5/27 First day in London was great. Met up with friends at the London Eye - a very large ferris wheel. Wonderful panoramic views of London. After the 45-ish minute ride, we all had tea before taking a cab to Porters for dinner. Traditional Sunday special - Roast beef with gravy, Yorkshire pudding, carrots and potatoes. We shared a meal. Dessert - summer pudding - one of my favorites & chocolate cake. Back to The Goring & relax for the evening. It was a good day!

Take care and be well. 

Sent from my iPhone. Please excuse short responses and typos. 

5/22/12 Eyes getting better

After a few days using the eye ointment from Dr Phan and doubling up on eye drops, my eyes are getting much better. Minimal crusting. Most redness gone. Woke up early today and came to the office about 8:45. Energy level is OK. Now, I don't feel like I could fall asleep. Have started using the RadiaPlex Gel for radiation dermatitis - somewhat like a sunburn. Dr H had given me the gel in anticipation of this side effect on my bald head. A positive is that my hands are getting softer from applying the gel at least 3 times per day.

But...I forgot that today was a scheduled building emergency evacuation test at 9:00. I remembered at 8:55 and headed for the elevator, went out to the fountain next to the building, sat on a bench in the sun and played yatzee on my iPhone. Watched as the Simon folks walked in orderly single file out their designated doors and walked to their emergency meeting locations - mostly a block or so away. No way that I could walk down 10 floors for a test! For a real emergency, I would hustle down the stairs. But...not for a practice.

Apparently, the people from my area left at 8:45 and headed to a restaurant for breakfast. They came back around 10-ish. That's the advantage of remembering.

eye news

My eye doc told me today that the crusty eyes are due to them being overly dry as a result of the radiation. She gave me different drops and an Rx for an ointment for the right eye. Left eye is still 20/20. Right eye is worse but the doc thinks it will get better once the eye is better lubricated. The swelling that she saw at the optic nerve is reduced. The growth that she saw on the iris is smaller. Looks like the brain radiation is helping with the swelling and the growth. Other than driving on a sunny day with dilated eyes, it was a pretty good morning.

Didn't go to the office

Today, I did not go into the office - the first time in years - except, of course, for trips ;-). I have been dealing with very crusty eyes, heavy mucus in my throat and significant fatigue. I have gone the office for short days throughout my radiation treatments and a little more than a week afterward. But, today, I just couldn't do it. I turned off my alarm early and just slept in. It was after 10AM before I went downstairs to take my meds and eat breakfast. I managed 3 weeks of getting up at 6:30 to get to the radiation treatments and 1 1/2 weeks of getting into the office every day for meetings, interviews and other stuff. Today, I realized that I needed a day to do nothing. So...that's what I am doing. Jill and I did go out briefly for lunch. After mostly sleeping until almost 2PM, I am finally feeling like my new normal. Eyes are still crusty. Still mucus in my throat. But, I am finally feeling like I am not totally wasted. I see my eye doc tomorrow. Maybe she will have a suggestion for my crusty eyes. 

5/12 Rough Day

Today was a little rough. Both eyes were pretty crusted. I could barely spread the right eye lids. After going downstairs to take my pills and eat some cereal, I sat back in my chair and slept most of the day until almost 6PM. When I finally got up, my eyes were a little better. So, we went to Jason's Deli for lunch so I could have a root beer float. The cold helps to clear up my throat for a while. Hope tomorrow starts better since we are going to McCormick & Schmicks for Mother's Day Brunch.

5/11/12 One week since last radiation

Doing relatively well since my 15th and last whole-brain radiation last Friday. My eyes have continued to be pretty crusty; but, they seem to be stable. A damp, warm washcloth helps. The eye crustiness seems to be more this time. My throat is still filling with mucus; but, I keep drinking to clear it temporarily. This time, I have not yet had thrush (sores in my mouth). Fatigue can be a challenge; but, I have been able to do most things. In general, I seem to be handling the impact from the radiation this time better than the radiation 3 years ago. From my blogs back then, it seems that the worst fatigue started a week or so after the final treatment; so, I might start to feel side effects more in the coming weeks. In any case, we have a trip coming up and I plan to be on that trip. Later, the Olympics start and we will be planted in front of the TV watching every event as much as possible.

Weekend May 5-6

Made it thru the weekend after my 15th & final radiation treatment. Slept lots. Ran a few errands. But, mostly sat in my Laz-E-Boy watching TV and playing games on my iPad. Watched Pacers, Miami, Blues & Bulls.  Watched several episodes of The Big Bang and the new Masterpiece Sherlock Holmes - as well as several of our series faves. Eyes got pretty crusty - lots of warm washrags. Lots of mucus in my throat. Feeling ver fatigued. Pretty slow when I got up this morning. But, eventually, made it to work.

15th - Final radiation

Hurray!!! Today was my 15th and FINAL whole-brain radiation treatment. Next week I can go back to sleeping a little later. For the last few days, I have had a crusting on my eyes - especially the right eye. I started worrying that I might have pink eye. But, Dr H told me today that I definitely don't have pink eye. Apparently, due to the recent activity in my right eye, the radiation was aimed to include the eye up to behind the lens. This is what is causing the crustiness. He said that it should go away over a short time. Best treatment is a warm washcloth to clear the crusty bits. I had actually started that a few days ago. ;-) 

He asked about headaches. I have only had one brief, minor headache that went away pretty quickly. So, hurray, no steroids at this time. He asked about my appetite since 3 years ago I lost all taste for food. Currently, I am eating normally and have no trouble tasting what I eat. I have a little brain fuzziness; but, not enough to prevent normal activity.

Fatigue has been consistent so far. Yes, I have been pretty fatigued; but, I have been able to work a normal schedule. I have left the office slightly early on a few days; but, it hasn't been very significant. I have been napping during Wheel of Fortune; but, that was normal for me prior to radiation.

I am looking forward to our next trip to the British Isles. When we return, Dr H will schedule a follow up MRI to determine the status of the brain lesions.

May 1, 2012 Brain Radiation

12th whole-brain radiation treatment completed this morning at 8:30. Just 3 more treatments to go this week. Then, I will probably have a followup MRI in a couple months to measure success. I am gradually getting more fatigued as the radiation accumulates. My mouth is frequently becoming coated with a thick mucus. Need to drink lots of fluids and rinse my mouth often. Generally, I feel OK. Sometimes, I eat because I realize that I should vs actually feeling hungry. I have lost a couple pounds; but, nothing significant. Based upon 3 years ago, some of the side effects won't show up until after treatment completion. Can't wait to sleep a little later in the mornings!