39. Race photographers

Mile 36 – Wet and cold but easy and no hills.

At bigger races there will be photographers doing their best to snap you as you are running, then sell you copies afterwards. Sometimes they are hiding around corners, so, adding to the stress of the race, you need to be on constant lookout: you will want to fix your hair and find a smile so you look as if you are enjoying yourself.

I’m quite pleased with this snap, taken on a winter half marathon over the Downs, where the mud and blood gives it a faintly heroic feel, even though the smile isn’t that convincing.

Obviously, the photographers will always be at the finish line, but in this much earlier shot I clearly had not been so vigilant, concentrating too much on the final sprint. This is what you are trying to avoid.

We had a call from the doctor from UCLH to review the blood samples taken last week and he confirmed that I am recovering well, all of the key indicators showing that my returned stem cells are working correctly. He reiterated that both Sue and I should keep isolating for now, until 100 days have passed since the stem cell transplant (so just after Christmas). After that we should be able to re-enter society, go for meals indoors and mix with people. I’ll also be able to boost my pristine immune system with flu and COVID jabs after 100 days and my childhood jabs a year on from the SCT.

I still expect to have the two more consolidation cycles of chemotherapy after the 100 days are up, but I haven’t had confirmation from my private Consultant Haematologist yet regarding when that starts.

I have passed day 50 this week. The longer I avoid contracting a cold, flu or COVID (which would leave me lying in bed), the longer I am able to exercise and build up my strength, so I’m happy to stick to the rules.

We can still meet people outside, and we thoroughly enjoyed two hours over coffee with a friend at the local garden centre, having a great catch up. It’s time to arrange more of those.

Also, we’re starting to dare to think about holidays away next year, with invitations to a family wedding in Budapest and to an art exhibition in Yorkshire as a start. We have catching up to do on the travelling front.

—oOo—

I have been slowly putting on weight, aiming to return to something like my previous level, but it occurred to me that I ought to find out just what is healthy for the new mini-me. Sue helped me double-check my height where we used to measure the children against the wall under the stairs, and sure enough, I am now 173cm (5ft 8in), more than two inches shorter than I used to be. The NHS BMI chart shows I am already at the top end of my healthy weight range, 73kg (11st 6lb). It’s hard to believe. I supposed it might be time to cut down on the snacks, but not before we enjoyed our first curry takeaway from the Nupur just a short walk down the road. I’m glad to say, my taste buds have recovered enough to thoroughly enjoy a Chicken Tikka Biriani and a Peshwari Nan.

Exercise is going extremely well. I have had a couple of days off but otherwise I have either walked 12,000+ steps or ridden my bike in the garage for 45 minutes, each day. I managed to overdo the bike ride one day, struggling to sleep the next night because of cramp in my thighs, but at least I am learning to know my limits.

I have also followed the UCLH physio programme each morning and taken part in a group zoom call to work through it with other patients who are also in recovery. It was good to see a lady we met at the Cotton Rooms along with two others and to chat very briefly about our experiences. We could do with some more zoom sessions where we just chat without the exercise. It is strange to have been through the trauma of the stem cell transplant, but not be able to discuss it with others who have recently done the same.

As a last note on my health, I managed to mow a very wet lawn during the week on one of the rare dry days – the last cut of the year (I hope). I wouldn’t have had the strength to do that a couple of weeks ago.

—oOo—

So, what can I do on cold, wet days when I’m stuck indoors? Well, the light is ideal for some indoor photography (bringing us back very tenuously to this week’s analogy). The sun isn’t causing any glare or reflections, so what better excuse for buying some more kit! This time it’s a focus stacking rail. When taking ‘macro’ close up photos, only a tiny part of the image is in focus. To work around that, I fix the camera to the top of the rail and I can twiddle the knob on the side to nudge my camera a fraction of a millimetre forwards, then take another shot, repeating the process to take perhaps twenty or more images. Then they all go into Photoshop where I merge them into one single image.

The hibiscus on the kitchen window sill bloomed at just the right time, just asking to have its picture taken.

I expect to annoy Sue in the coming days by taking pictures of small objects around the house, just as she is about to use them.

Thanks for reading and take care.