To all who have been asking after me and praying, a huge 'thank you'. The lumps and bumps I felt are basically, harmless cysts. The watery eyes, after-effects of chemo. The swelling legs - still an unsolved mystery, but it is not a dietary deficiency, not a tumour affecting lymphatic drainage, and not deep vein thrombosis ie, a blood clot. So, it does not seem to be something that is immediately life-threatening. Now, there is absolutely no excuse for me NOT to jog through the pain!

Sometimes I think we do ourselves a disservice when we think that our little aches and pains are 'nothing', or we do not credit our own perceptions enough. For example, I had thought that one of my thighs was larger than the other, ie, still swollen but dismissed it as being 'all in my mind'. Today, my oncologist said the same thing!

Lesson learnt - if you feel there is something wrong, insist that the doctor(s) review possibilities. Insist on validation. No matter what, it is your body, your physical well-being and whether or not we realise it, I think we actually know our own bodies best. We just have to learn to tune in more.

Someone asked me to keep a diary during chemo, so that I could record the physical reactions to the treatment and this would enable me to recognise when something unusual occured in subsequent cycles.

I stopped this when I thought the chemo was becoming routine!!!

Now, I think I will begin this habit again, to record all sorts of bodily changes. You never know. And it is useful when doctors ask probing questions, as they are wont to do when you have cancer.

Point of this blog? To say thanks, and to say - never let anyone tell you, or make you feel less than. You have a view and a right to be heard and to be taken seriously. Insist on it.