And it Stoned Me...

Let's not forget about the drugs!  Seems apt for a Glasto. weekend.  As a trained pharmaceutical scientist, I can firmly attest the more the merrier. Prescribed only of course.
My favourite at the moment is Venlafaxine.  At first I took one a day but it wasn't enough. Was on 3 a day for a few years but have gone back down to 1 a day which allows me to get through a day of work without crying (Bonus! Never a great look in the Stairwell of Tears, which is like the Bench of Tears on Eastenders but grimmer surroundings).


Venlafaxine, or (R/S)-1-[2-dimethylamino-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-ethyl]cyclohexanol as it is known to it's friends, is an anti-depressant but has another advantage in that it reduces hot flushes. I was always good at those before my illness but now when one comes upon me I really do NEED to fling clothes off immediately. At least I can mostly manage to curb that impulse as required.

Only just had a look at the potential side effects on Wikipedia - let's hope they're wrong about a few of these, which include:

• Headache — an often transient side effect that is common to most serotonin reuptake inhibitors and that most often occurs at the beginning of therapy or after a dose escalation.
• Nausea — an adverse effect that is more common with venlafaxine than with the SSRIs. Usually transient and less severe in those receiving the extended release formulations - oh, so that's alright then.
• Insomnia
• Asthenia (weakness)
• Dizziness
• Ejaculation disorder
• Somnolence
• Dry mouth
• Sweating
• Constipation
• Nervousness
• Abnormal vision
• Anorgasmia
• Hypertension
• Impotence
• Paresthesia
• Tremor
• Vasodilation
• Vomiting
• Weight loss/gain
• Chills
• Palpitations
• Confusion
• Depersonalisation
• Night sweats
• Menstrual disorders associated with increased bleeding or increased irregular bleeding (e.g. menorrhagia, metrorrhagia)
• Urinary frequency increased
• Abnormal dreams
• Decreased libido
• Increased muscle tonus
• Yawning
• Abnormality of accommodation
• Abnormal ejaculation/orgasm (males)
• Urinary hesitancy
• Serum cholesterol increased (especially when treatment is prolonged and it may be dose-dependent)

So sweating, chills, weight loss and gain, depersonalisation (no personality?) Well, that explains me then.............

Have a great weekend everybody

K xx

Raising Awareness (1) - Paul's Cancer Support Centre

For a long time I couldn't talk about cancer without getting upset.  In January 2014 I turned some sort of corner and was able to present my experiences to a group of people invited to the 30th AGM of Paul's Cancer Support Centre; including local GPs, Macmillan nurses, centre users and other volunteers, along with some of my lovely friends who turned up to support me.  I was asked to talk about how the Centre had benefited me, which of course I was happy to do. I honestly don't know where I would be without some of the people I met there and the techniques I've learned to help in stressful situations - most days I think I use something I learned! Yes, life working in the NHS doesn't get any easier!

The photo below of myself with Mr. Nicholas Hyde, Clinical Director at St. George's Hospital and Dr. Anthony Cunliffe, Macmillan lead GP for Wandsworth, was taken for our local Wandsworth Guardian newspaper which published an article to raise awareness of the Coping With Cancer Stress Course.  The course is now available on-line.  

I indulged myself with a favourite quote from Tove Jansson's Moomins at the end of the talk:
"For a while she considered being ill, but then she changed her mind".

I was trying not to laugh with my hair tangled in the flower arrangement behind!

Community Garden

I joined my small local community garden in 2011 (Bramford Community Garden), as a way to meet new people who didn't know I'd been ill.  I've always enjoyed pottering in the garden and found that growing seeds and vegetables in the garden was an absorbing pastime. Volunteering had been quite a theme on Coping With Cancer Stress Course - finding something you enjoy and creating a purpose and feeling of accomplishment has been shown to help many people suffering after serious illness.

Photo Credit: Ollie Smallwood (http://www.olliesmallwoodphotography.co.uk/)


At first, I enjoyed just digging and planting on a Sunday, getting some fresh air and meeting some new people.  I genuinely forgot about what I couldn't do physically and concentrated on things I could do. I began to notice small things changing each week; the weather, a bud opening, different insects.  Taking photos of these became an interesting focus and then we started a weekly newsletter, so I began to look for more arty shots, inspired and generously encouraged by Ollie, a fellow volunteer who is a professional photographer. 

It has opened up many other opportunities.  We encourage local corporate volunteers to come and help out, so that is a great way to meet people I wouldn't normally and we arrange activities to help improve the garden and also fun things to do for the younger visitors.  One photo competition for the girl guides provided our banner photo on the Facebook page.   We visited Hampton Court Palace Flower Show as a community group and were kindly allowed to go on a preview day before it was open to the public in exchange for some media promotion (Hampton Court visit).

I now look forward to our gardening sessions, knowing that the local people appreciate what we do and finding something new every week to enjoy.