I’ve been home one full week now, I’m sitting on the sofa laughing at the cats chasing each other around the house, looking outside at a sunny but cool spring morning. The time has passed very easily reading, eating good food, sitting in the garden enjoying the spring weather. I had expected boredom to be an issue I’d have to manage, but that just hasn’t been a problem. I’ve even managed to cook the odd simple meal, and enjoy a gin and tonic although one drink had way more of an impact than prior to this treatment !

Moscow feels somehow distant, while on the top of my mind as well. It was such a different experience, and one that I hope never to have to experience again, while having such good memories of the people, friendships made, and place, that there is a dichotomy that will slowly resolve in my mind.

Yesterday I visited my haematologist, who is happy with my current blood test results and will continue to monitor them on a regular basis. I am where he would expect me to be at this point.

He has very different view on my neutropenic requirements, and is much more relaxed. He would, for example, let me go into crowded spaces now, see children, eat out in decent restaurants, eat anything other than raw fish/ rare meat/ blue cheese, basically a pregnancy diet. This is aligned pretty closely with Dr Federenko in Russia … so going back to risk mitigation, and balancing far more conservative guidelines from various cancer organisations, I’m going to avoid children, crowded spaces and eating out for a month, then all going well, get a lot more relaxed but keep wearing the mask.

I have started a very light exercise program, it feels really good to be moving again however gently. It’s the MSGym, and the program immediately after the one I finished before Russia, so slightly harder but I’ve been completing each day fine so far. I start with Roz, my personal trainer, on Monday with very gentle coordination, stretching and balancing exercises.

Step by step, day by day, down the mountain.

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