The solution

Well now, thank you all for your comments on the dilemma of the previous post - it was *very* interesting to read what you had to say and I have to say, for the most part, your comments seem to echo the way I feel about identity and blogging - and that is that identifying yourself and giving others access to your details and your blog was something to be approached with caution. For safety reasons, for sensitivity reasons. Which is exactly how I feel about it. And, quite honestly, when someone like snoskred, whose opinion and experience I have great respect for, says that she would *never* share details like that - I think there's no question left in my mind.
I'm following my instinct here, which, as Dorothy from Grammology quite rightly said, is often the sure-fire test.
So, no article for me. I was disappointed initially, but perhaps it's for the best. I like my readers and who knows what would happen if even more people came this way.....? But I suppose part of me has ambition - sees other folk doing articles or writing for other blogs and websites and thinks 'why shouldn't I?'. That's life, I guess!
In other news, I went to to Boston last week to see Eddie Izzard's new tour - 'Stripped' along with my brother. Fahbulous! Very funny. I thought he was better than when I went to see 'Sexie' live - I was slightly disappointed then. But this, was brilliant. So I was super glad I'd gone and that the feeling unwell that I did for the rest of the week held off until *after* I'd been. Alternatively, seeing Eddie Izzard gave me a stomach upset....... nah. It was the capecitabine. I really did think I'd picked up a bug on the plane because the capecitabine symptoms had been so minor and now I was feeling nauseous as well as having an upset lower digestive tract. But I saw The Precious Oncologist on Wednesday (why, yes, the day after I got off the red-eye from Boston!) she immediately said it was the capecitabine and that I needed an extra week off and it was time to reduce the dosage. I was gutted. I am gutted. It's my aim to keep going as long as possible on each dosage level - because each lowering is a step closer to not having any more options. And I'd hoped to keep going on capecitabine for *years*. (I have *nothing* to base anything about length of time etc on, it's just my arbitrary aim.) So, I've had 11 cycles on 2300mg twice daily. She went on to say that I had gone on at this dosage for longer that any patient she'd ever had and that most people managed 2 or 3 cycles at this dosage before reducing. So, actually, I've done bloody brilliantly. But I still wish I could have kept on a little longer..... but she went on to say that if we carried on at this dose - I'd probably get a few days into the cycle, become really unwell and then we'd have to have longer than an extra week off and that the important thing is to keep the cycles going on the 2 weeks on, 1 off rhythm. I don't really understand this - how can than be more important than the dosage level? It's illogical to me so I conclude I don't have enough information and that I'll be asking some questions when I see her next week.
I also had a CT scan on Wednesday - so hopefully I'll get the results next week too. I hope they'll continue to be good and show that the capecitabine is still working. Otherwise there'll be a whole slew of points between here and No Options Left crossed off the list (this is a pretend list - there isn't actually a list). On a more general note - having a cannula put in after a transatlantic flight plus diarrhoea is quite a challenge - the dehydration makes the veins *vanish*. Hence, I have a lovely bruise where apparently we hit a valve. Did you know you had valves in your veins? I didn't. I do now. Plus we had to downgrade to a yellow cannula as the blue just wasn't having any of it. And my favourite chemo nurse is a) on holiday in Mauritius - lucky devil and is b) going back to Australia in August or September - for good..... wahhhhhhh! (Why is it that everyone I know is moving to Australia??? OK, slight exaggeration perhaps but this is about the 4th person I know to have gone/be going to Oz. What did I do?!)