A Blog At Last!

My handsome son!

My wonderful wife!

Me and my besty mate Nick

SORRY - not blogged for so long and so much to tell! Promise to be a good blogger from now on - I keep being told off by my faithful public! Chemo side effects are now all over apart from being totally bald! All my hair fell out on day 14 of round #6, it fell out in great clumps so Teresa shaved my head - Kojak watch out! Teresa calls me Humpty Dumpty due to my hairless barnet. Florence Nightingale and Humpty Dumpty! Hair's falling out everywhere - and I mean everywhere though I have kept my eye-brows thankfully.

Round #6 was totally horrible and has left me with permanent nerve damage in my hands. Just as well there's no more to come, I couldn't stand it! The oncologist was going to put me on long-term chemo tablets but has decided against it. Tumours can become chemo resistant if they are 'over' treated and if he treats me now he'll have nothing in the tool kit should it come back. He is still thinking about a trial of anti-body therapy which is not yet approved for oesophagus cancer but doing well in some cases.

Next scan is in early January. To quote the doctor 'we'll scan your regularly and blitz anything that appears'. They remained concerned that the 'nodules' in my body cavity might grow into something nasty - hence a lifetime of scans.

I'm not the only patient in the family. My mum has just had her niece (sorry knee) replaced. She's been really brave and was only in hospital for 5 days and is now, officially, bionic!

Well I'm afraid that I nearly wasn't here to blog tonight; I had a crash last night that actually led to a Scottish motorway being closed. I was driving from Dunfirmline to Glasgow on the M875 (I think) doing 70 in the slow lane in the dark and wet when I stumbled across an 'old fart' doing 30 (yes 30 - by his own admittance) in the slow lane. I saw him just in time, swerved into the fast lane but then lost control, spun 360 degrees (3 times!) and ended up with my back end in the crash barrier facing the wrong way up the motorway. Saw my life flash before my eyes (again). Managed to clip the other guy during a spin so totaled the front and back of the hire car I was in. Had to be 'recovered' on the back of a AA truck with the police closing the motorways as they dragged the car round to face the right way. The guy I hit was lovely we both agreed that cars do not matter as long as we were both OK - which we were - they are only tin boxes and in this case Europcar's tin box; it was only a Vauxhall Zafira after all! I'm pleased to say apart from a stiff back no one was hurt. Also, I paid for the extra insurance (don't normally) so don't even have to pay the excess. Had to take the car back to the airport this morning (sheepishly) courtesy of the AA again; even caught my flight back to Luton.

Fantastic news! Teresa has just been declared as Bedfordshire Business Women Of The Year 2008 (Franchise Sector) - the other award for the self-employed went to Suzy Goodson our great friend and accountant from Wootton New Life Church. Two award winners in one church; amazing eh? I am so proud of her, she has built the business, looked after me, been promoted to UK franchise support manager for Kip McGrath and raised £13,000 for Cancer Research UK!

Got some more good news - James Fokkens (our daughter Amy's husband) has got a job after just one interview. He's going to be deputy manager of Nandos in Stevanage and starts his training on Monday. Well done James! Amy and James are enjoying their new church Milton Keynes Christian Centre (Assemblies of God), a real Hillsong home from home.

Amy and James F are enjoying married life, James Redfern, Carys and Chloe are all well and we are starting to get excited about Christmas and a trip to the cottage in France for New Year.

Well I'll sign off now - bed beckons.

Thanks for reading

Luv

Dave

Getting There

Hi All

Well 10 days on and just starting to feel a bit better - still on chemo and will be on the long run but just the tablets now. We've had a great day today, church this morning where the youth group led worship, a lazy afternoon and a get together with Amy & James this evening.

I've got a consultant's appointment on the 24th where we discuss what's next treatment wise! Might be going the anti-body route in which case I'll benefit from the new decision by the government to allow 'top-up' treatment. I did ask at my last appointment if there was any chance of surgery (the only hope beside the miraculous of getting fully well) and was told no. This means the treatment remains palliative, keeping the buggering tumour under control for as long as possible. Remember, at the moment it remains 'dorment' with no malignancy evident; this is better than I could have possibly hoped for at this stage. Back in January there was a good chance I wouldn't make it to Christmas so as you imagine this year we are doing Christmas on a grand scale followed by a fantastic French New Year. We are also planning a week in the sun at February half-term.

Well guys thanks for your ongoing prayers, love and support!

xx

Hi Troops,

Not been too well this time. Over a week later still feeling sick and tired and to be honest a little bit sorry for myself! The effects of this stuff are cumulative, never mind. I have another consultant's appointment on the 24th to discuss 'what next?'. They are planning to keep me on low grade chemo pretty much permanently from now onwards - what joy! Food is sticking again but we must assume that this is just radiotherapy scarrring as the last biopsy was clear. Can't stand the thought of certain foods/drinks (thought association) baked potatoes (urghh) and booze (yuck - yes, really, don't be shocked).

Redfern family life continues to be mad. Teresa has headed off to Wales for two days to run various meeting and interviews for Kip. Amy continues to keep us organised at the office and is a great employee. James Fokkens is now here officially having been granted his spouses' visa (it was just a fiance visa) - another £600 and a trip to Liverpool.

Church life is flying. I had XLR8 this week on a war/peace theme, two of the younger lads led worship really well, tonight I'm doing the catering at Alpha and helping to co-ordinate Sunday's Youth Service having led last Sunday's All Age. The building project is still a goer, we have a big meeting in a week or two.

Well reckon 'that's all folks'. Here I am 11 months on, still OK, still here and the on the whole still smiling looking forward to 2009!

Luv to you all

Dave

Tough This Time Chemo #6

Oh Boy

That was a tough chemo. Threw up all day (Wednesday) as it was going in (that's a first) and been washed out since. Glad that's the last for now. As normal can't stand anything cold (air, drink, food), got what I can only describe as spastic spasms in my hands and feet.

Had a good day at Cliff College on Tuesday, first research seminar towards my MPhil (hopefully a Phd if it is up to scratch). Interesting day.

Please forgive the short blog, hanging on in there for round #6.

God Bless

Dave

Blood Tests

Hi Guys,

I had my blood tests today and they came back fine. Took ages as my veins are non-existant nowadays; the chemo furrs them up. They are not looking for cancer just to see if my blood-count is robust enough to handle more cell crushing chemo. It is. Chemo again then - deep joy!

After the hospital I headed up to Derby and dropped in at my parents with the wedding photos. Afterwards I carried on up the A6 to my Aunties house in Ambergate (near Matlock) for dinner and more photos! My uncle had taken the wedding video so I had a preview of that too. It's brill and the roast pork dinner slipped down a treat - thanks Joy.

I'll blog again on Thursday after the chemo dust has settled.

See ya

More Wedding Photos

Dust Finally Settled!

Hi Guys,

Back again now from half-term week in France - sorry about the lack of blog but the French Internet was seriously on the blink with associated high stress levels in the Redfern household - forgive me; plenty of blogging from now on - promise. We did all the normal stuff, lots of tele, big fires some wine and played on a chilly beach a few times. We had a good time (if not a little damp) week in France and headed home on Friday.

We stopped a night at the Novotel Plymouth on Friday before heading down to Truro on Saturday to visit a new Kip McGrath centre that was having it's grand opening, after that we headed home via Weston Super Mare (another centre visit) and got home (with chips) in time for X Factor! What a day. Amy & James joined us in the evening with their wedding photos - so many to choose from. You can view them (and order too) at http://www.abraxasphoto.co.uk/. They are brill, check out the black and white shots of getting ready.

I have the first day of my new course at Cliff on Tuesday so I'm heading up tomorrow - I will be Dr Dave (eventually). Next round of chemo on Wednesday (unfortunately). I have to go tomorrow for blood tests to ensure my counts are robust enough to cope with another blasting. Not looking forward to it but definitely in need of the weight loss (wedding and French piggery).

Nick & Sarah, Amy & James are around tonight for fireworks and food (our turn to host this year) so we'll miss Refresh at WNL. Morning worship was great today, lovely to see everyone after a few weeks away. Teresa and I are leading the All Age Remembrance Service next week so if you've no where to be you'd be welcome with breakfast beforehand from 9.30.

I'll let you know how the bloodtests go tomorrow (can I confess to hoping they'll tell me my counts are too low). By the way I've actually managed to keep my hair this time round - amazing!

See Ya

Dave