health report

Since the weekend, my health has improved considerably.

I've been quite ill following the last chemotherapy. Foolishly perhaps, I decided to stop taking steroids after the last course because I was losing power in my legs. Anyway, I got septicemia with rigors and drenching sweats and had to go on antibiotics. Following this I had terrible colicky pain until I restarted the steroids and since then I have been gradually recovering and have suddenly put on 7 pounds in weight.

In retrospect I think that what is happening is that the chemotherapy is working. I had the operation in June for a stricture where the cancer had recurred and the lesion was by-passed, taking a few feet of bowel out of functional activity. I could feel a lump around where the appendix ought to be. Since starting the chemotherapy the lump has gone. I think that the stricture has been relieved. The colicky pain was caused by bowel contents trying to force themselves through the original pathway, but until I restarted the steroids, which reduce the swelling and edema, the passage was too narrow. Afterwards the passage opened up and suddenly I had a greater absorptive surface - hence the weight gain. I had been eating chocolate and lots of cheese, drinking full cream milk and banana milk shakes in an effort to keep my weight up, but suddenly all that fat was being absorbed. I had a CT scan today so next week I will be able to judge whether my hypothesis is correct.