Leaving the house

Went out today - just to the Tesco's down the road. It felt odd that it was the first time in 72 hours I'd been out. It does seem like a while to be indoors after chemo, but to be honest I was just staying in for a while to ensure I didn't have any real ill side-effects from the treatment. Apart from the nausea and tiredness I'd mentioned, there haven't been too many. I've also completed one of the anti-nausea drug cycles (the ondansetron), so I'm only on one tab (domperignon) now.

Anyway, back to the main theme. Going out was strange. I think, because I hadn't left my house in a few days, I was a bit weak. And it was cold. Nevertheless, I could feel a little bit like something was different in how I was dealing with the simple process of having a walk. I felt a bit tired, a little more spaced out - not horrendously bad or anything, but the chemo has definitely had a pronounced effect on how much I can do. And it was a little disconcerting, until I reasoned again that this, at least, means all the drugs are working.

I have also received this (right) little collection of home exercise kit that I ordered from Argos (off the back of cancelling my gym membership temporarily), and have begun to use it a bit. I've read in a few places (including Macmillan and the HL guide from the Lymphoma association) that exercise can help fight off the ill effects of cancer fatigue. That's an exercise/stability ball for a variety of exercises, a yoga mat for floor work (in a totally fetch purple and yellow colour scheme) and some dumbbell weights, for those who don't know what these items are :). I'll do my best to keep up a decent regimen and stay as healthy as I can - enhancing my fitness during this time off is no bad thing. And no, I'm not going to overdo it and "go silly" as a few family members have said!

In other news, tomorrow is World Cancer Day.
To "celebrate" a day I never thought would be quite so relevant to me this time last year - or, indeed, this time 3 months ago - I'll try a longer walk to Canary Wharf (~20 mins walk from my house). Once I get there, I'll buy myself something nice, then walk back. Should be okay.

The upshot of all this is that I'm keen to see what I can and can't do. I guess, with returning to work in sight on Friday and a possible trip to Stratford Westfield on Thursday, I've gotta build up to it. If others have worked and maintained a fairly active lifestyle through this, I'm going to try to do it, too.

In any case, one thing's for sure: I'm not going to let this limit me to sitting in my flat feeling sorry for myself, shorn of my independence and mobility (as much as I love sitting here watching daytime TV and ploughing through my Xbox games at greater pace than usual... has anyone played Far Cry 4? It's excellent)

Anyway, onwards and upwards.
T