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It's early Sunday it's 4am I’ve just had a full 5 hours of sleep but now I’m wide awake. Last night I went to bed fully with the expectation of having another crappy nights sleep. Why? Because we had a 2 hour late-ish lunch with my brother Matt and his wife Si after which I retired exhausted to my bed. I know when I’m fit to drop when I wake up to find myself fully clothed and my glasses somewhere in the bed. Because our lunch was late (we aim for noon to fit in with my medication) our dinner was a bit late. We ate at 7pm. Not normally a big deal but I have a steroid pill to pop, with food, ideally at 4pm but no later than 6pm or it’ll affect my sleep. I popped it at 7pm. So my afternoon sleep coupled with my untimely pill popping and don't forget I'm wearing my medical medallion, was all going to conspire to ruin my sleep.
I want to try to conquer my sleep deficit. I needed to plan my night. I moved into our Airbnb room (no we’ve never done Airbnb but if we did it’s the room we’d use because it’s nice and has a telly).
I found suitable night time viewing (just in case) “Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing" on BBC iPlayer. I planned to watch it on my tablet if I watch it at all. Tricia also got me the “Treasures of World History: The Story Of Civilization in 50 Documents”. A spirited examination of world history told through 50 key documents, by two celebrated historians and journalists, with a wealth of experience between them on political, social, cultural and military history and today's current affairs. I think I’ve chosen well.
I put my tablet down. Picked up the book, read the Forward, the Introduction, chapter 1; Hammurabi’s Code and started chapter 2; Tutankhamun's Wishing Cup and the job was done I put the book down, turned off the light and went to sleep.
When I wear my medical medallion and for a couple of day after, I’m knackered. During this period l feel a bit peculiar, my thought processes have slowed, the tingles start again in my hands and feet, especially my feet, and I become a little constipated. Some of the joys of chemotherapy but I’m ok with it, after all the means justifies the ends. I have further strategies I employ to help when necessary. For my afternoon nap I settle down to watch “Escape to the Country", sends me right off to sleep, I visit the Screw up and Fix it website and start filling my basket, I ask Tricia to do any driving and I use the downstairs loo.
Why the downstairs loo? Well it has a little library, good for prolonged visits and maybe Zoom meetings (although probably not simultaneously).
Today at 10:30 I need to visit the Lowen Ward at RCH Treliske to have my medical medallion disconnected from my plug and play port. It’s a drag, having to travel to Truro, but there’s not a district nurse on duty with the relevant training. I thought we might hang around and book a Sunday lunch somewhere but G... kindly dropped in a frittata he'd made for us so that’s lunch sorted. Cheers G.... Perfect timing.
This post has, so far, taken over 90 minutes (I said my thought processes had slowed). I’m going to make a nice cup of tea and settle down with Mortimer and Whitehouse.