COVID-19 reminds me of some of the issues with Neuroendocrine Cancer e.g. is this a normal day to day cold/flu/chest issue or is it COVID-19? At least COVID-19 is the number one awareness topic in the universe, so people are very very aware. Just as well because it has the potential to kill hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of people. It’s only right that cancer patients take strict precautions because they should all at least be considered as an ‘at risk’ category, and many will be on their national ‘most vulnerable’ lists.
So, when I started to cough and wheeze on Tuesday 17th March 2020, I was clearly concerned. On 19th March, I started to record my self isolation with daily posts on Facebook containing a mix of humour, happy times (mostly via pictures) and an update of how I was coping. As they became quite popular, I wanted to record all of them in one place for posterity but also to help others. I didn’t start until Day 3!
However, so many factors involved, I’m sure many struggled, and some didn’t make it through. For those who lost someone, I’m so sorry and my sincere condolences to you. 😢
The first two days of my self isolation after a new and continuous cough were mostly spent on the sofa! The cough was a productive one, mostly producing green sputum, combined with a tight chest producing a mild wheeze which needed Ventolin (I am recorded as a mild asthmatic). I’ve had these types of coughs before, they have normally been a sign of a chest infection, often requiring antibiotic therapy in the past. Clearly, this illness was a worry given the COVID-19 situation. I decided to follow Government’s advice on what to do but given my cancer, asthma and chest infection history, decided to isolate for 14 days.
The diary entries began on day 3 of 14 of self-isolation. Unfortunately, due to our government guidelines (which we are adhering to), Chris has also had to join in. We quickly learned that it’s really difficult to segregate everything although we adjusted to using separate bedrooms and bathrooms. We intend to get on with jobs needing to be done in the house including any decluttering. I did make some progress on a minor DIY task but this is now postponed until my cough goes. Plenty of decluttering to do online! I’m fairly certain it’s just one of my coughs/mild chest infection things that I routinely get once or twice a year.
We were talking about how we might fill this period, it’s tough – we were supposed to be in Portugal having flown out yesterday. Chris has completed her online Zumba workout this morning – I didn’t have enough ‘puff’ to join in 
I have a clinical history of asthma (mild) and seem to get several colds/chest infections every year thus it was an easy decision to self isolate. We had already declared social distancing only 2 days before this period of self isolation.
In terms of the cough and the mild wheeze and tight chest (taking Ventolin), I feel this is very similar to many other bouts of chest issues I’ve had over the years and it has been quite ‘productive’ to date, more green than white. This is a sign it’s probably not coronavirus which is normally a dry cough. I have an emergency pack of strong antibiotics which I commenced last night. If what I have is bacterial, they should help. If not, I’ll contact my GP to see what they suggest. I guess I need to allow 3 or 4 days to watch for effect. I’ve been recording my temperature daily (36.4 today) and also my peak flow meter (460 today). I don’t feel unwell enough to ask to see a GP yet. Just taking precautions. Chris has a sore throat, perhaps she’s a couple of days behind me. She spent the morning cleaning our communal areas, to keep the dust down. I appreciate that.
Chris and I decided early on to reduce the information tsunami we currently face, we only pay attention to BBC and Sky now, and the BBC News online (the app is very good). I find the BBC coronavirus coverage very good. The Sky news coverage from Italy was a real eye-opener today. We watch the daily conference from Downing St so we know we’re understanding how the government is dealing with it. They have a tough job in these unprecedented times.
So yesterday was relaxing as much I could, taking it easy but ended up stressful in trying to get a refund from the cancelled Portugal flights – now on the back burner since I found out everyone else is having the same problem.
My son delivered some milk yesterday, he’s so busy trying to keep his business going in amongst all the other issues, we appreciated that. We instructed him to leave it by the door. My town has a local coronavirus action group setup with the aim of helping others – proud to see my son taking part in that. We are in touch with our family by electronic means. My daughter inherited my asthma issues, so she’s struggling a bit – she also has two demanding boys who are now off school for the foreseeable. The youngest (age 7) has worked out how to facetime us, which is a pleasant surprise when it happens.
I’m trying to keep my Facebook/Twitter/blog site busy but it’s tough because there appears to be only one subject out there. It is good to see people continuing to ask questions in the private group, even though it’s not all good news. I’m on there erratically at the moment so please excuse me if I don’t respond as quickly as I usually do, and advance apologies if some of my comments seem short and to the point – not firing on all four cylinders currently.
I can see that many people are in a quandary trying to decide whether to get that treatment/scan or routine appointment or not. I think the best thing to do is take advice from the hospital/doctor concerned, they may be in the process of providing new guidance on this. So many variables with each patient and each healthcare system, it’s difficult to give a ‘one size fits all’ answer. I think the general guidance for ‘at risk’ people is more or less the same for cancer patients and those who are responding to these questions can only clearly give their own outlook and attitude to the risk. I think we’re fortunate to have such a wide range of experiences in the group, including many healthcare professionals who are also patients. There’s a new term emerging called ‘medical distancing’.
I did manage to update some of the menus on my website making it easier for you to find some of the most-read articles – check out my home page and have a browse, suggestions are welcome. Click here.
Take care all. Stay safe, stay at home, wash your hands.
I know it’s a Brit thing, but I find a cup of tea helps get by 😊
Looking forward to a holiday when this is all over.
I continue to cough. No headache, still puffing Ventolin. Still no fever. My son ‘parachuted’ some cough medicine in last night, much appreciated – I was able to get a decent sleep – funny how it starts when you move about! I’m noticing a difference in the type of cough though, not as productive, not yet sure that’s a good or bad thing. I also dug out a “Pulse Oximeter” I’d forgotten about and found my heart rate is my usual ‘cool as a cucumber’ 70; and my % saturated oxygen is in normal range – apparently that is a good thing with a respiratory issue (…you nurses will understand!).
Chris and I continue to socially distance but it’s quite difficult to be 100% compliant inside a house (those doing the same will know what I mean) – the hand washing becomes even more important.
Our friends are flying back early from Portugal today, we were supposed to be there now with them, so cancelling our trip was right (notwithstanding my cough). Although the outbound flight did actually depart, our return flight was cancelled 24 hours later. Just glad they’re back safe.
We are scheduled to spend 3 weeks in Scotland in August (road trip 2020) but that is now in jeopardy. Today’s attached picture is from our 2019 Scotland trip – Glen Affric, a magical place. We are gradually covering many different parts of the North and West of Scotland where it’s really beautiful and we were hoping to continue those adventures in the summer. We will play that one by ear and hope our New Zealand trip scheduled for Feb/Mar 2021 can still go ahead
I’ve been catching up with one of my favourite TV series “Seal Team” series 3 – watched 7 episodes so far, another couple to go to catch up. If I’m constantly watching the TV, it normally means I’m ‘under the weather’.
Stay safe all, stay indoors, wash your hands.
Some say I only need to do 7 days of isolation but Chris has to do 14 and so I’ll stick it out for good measure. Plus, we’re on lockdown!
Today’s picture is from a place called Rogie Falls in the north of Scotland. We’ve been there twice, and you can see salmon swim upstream, they leap up different levels – amazing to watch. Hope we can get back to normal soon.
Still coughing but I think slightly better today. The cough medicine is helping me sleep better, so perhaps this is working. No headaches (although the paracetamol probably helps here) and still no fever. Still puffing Ventolin due to my tight chest. The coughing seems to be aggravated by moving around so trying to rest more (or at least that’s my excuse!). Heart rate, temperature, and saturated oxygen are all normal.
Our son popped around to deliver a Mother’s Day gift for Chris with some bits of shopping which was left at our door. Chris is kindly letting me have some of the chocolates 😍 Nice sunny day today too ☀️
We’ve been investigating online grocery shopping, something we’ve never done but this seems to be in great demand, we’ll keep trying to get a slot. I think this is something that may catch on beyond the crisis. Local businesses are really struggling, many are closing down and coming up with innovative ideas to still get their product up there – a really difficult time.
We listen to the news each day, particularly from the government given the amount of unsubstantiated stuff that appears on social media (people need to think before they share). I don’t mind some of the funny stuff on my personal account, but people are messaging me things that are clearly false. It’s a worry.
Managed to get most of my flight costs back from the aborted Portugal holiday – happy days.
Stay safe all, stay indoors, wash your hands.
Today’s picture is Chris and I from 1973 in London. We’d only known each other for months at this point. 45th wedding anniversary in 6 days, still in isolation but at least we’ll be together 💑
Still coughing but I don’t see much change from yesterday. I got another good night’s sleep and thought this morning was the turning point, but I think another 24 hours is necessary to judge that. Still no sign of a fever but I’m conscious the advice is ‘OR’ not ‘AND’. Still puffing away on Ventolin due to continued tight chest. I was OK this morning until I started to move around. Heart rate, temperature and saturated oxygen are all normal. Chris seems a little worse today but she is 2 days behind me.
Nice sunny day today ☀️ Very frustrating as we have our campervan and bikes lying unused. We’re still investigating online grocery shopping, still trying to get a slot with the major supermarkets and we’re now looking at local/small shops instead including daily milk delivery – an ancient British tradition! We’re getting close to the stage where we need a ‘big shop’.
We continue to keep an eye on the news but we really target what we listen to. A lot of unsubstantiated stuff is appearing on social media (people need to think before they share) and I guess you may have also received the ubiquitous hoax messages (e.g. friend of a friend of a friend got this from a doctor…..).
Stay safe all, stay indoors, wash your hands.
Today’s picture is from Oct 2018 in Glencoe Scotland, specifically Glen Etive. Not warm that time of year but still a magical place. A 12-mile single track scenic journey to a dead end of total beauty at the head of the loch – and then 12 miles back to the main road. We were roadblocked by a herd of wild deer on the return journey up the track which is another photo for another day. The exact spot of our picture is famous for the James Bond movie Skyfall, and I may post other pictures in due course.
Still coughing but marginally better than yesterday, I suspect tomorrow I should be able to report I’m on the downhill slope. Still no sign of a fever but intake of Ventolin due to continued tight chest. Heart rate, temperature and saturated oxygen are all normal. Chris is mostly spending today in bed; she has symptoms of a head cold.
UK 
guidance for protecting our most vulnerable people has been issued and regardless of whether I make the list or not, I will be following this advice. So ….. self-imposed 12-week isolation – really looking forward to my post “Day 92 (of 92) update ……I have plenty of pictures to use 🙂 (only if there is demand for these updates?)
Another nice sunny day today ☀️ (annoyingly …… but short walks around the garden are quite pleasant). Online grocery shopping is in catch-up mode based on my own experience of trying to access it, they cannot deal with the demand, and even local milk delivery is currently impossible to get on the telephone. Fortunately, our son and daughter-in-law live really close so they are covering until we can get sorted – hopefully, things will settle down shortly as resources rise to meet the demand.
We have been thinking hard about food provision and consumption going forward. At a recent dietitian appointment, my NET dietitian suggested more protein at lunchtime when I told her my regime. With this in mind, I ordered one of those electric machines for boiling eggs which arrived today and was successfully tested at lunchtime. I know some of you can’t eat eggs ….. sorry but I can! Interestingly the postman who delivered the parcel had been well-trained in social distancing, first knocking and then retreating to a distance. He explained exactly what he would be doing and what I was to do including washing my hands. Well done the Royal Mail.
We continue to keep a targeted eye on the news and for those who missed it, the UK is now effectively in a 21-day lockdown and special measures are being implemented to protect the most vulnerable 1.5 million people in the country. Please listen to your own country’s direction on this please. From what I hear in my group, it appears many cancer patients are already locking themselves down before governments tell them to.
Stay safe all, stay indoors, wash your hands.
Another day another cough. I was really hoping to report an end to the coughing, even delaying my normal time of publishing. However, I’m going to delay it by 24 hours once again. That said, I think there is a slight improvement. I was playing with the NHS111 website today – there is a symptom checker along with a bunch of questions but I’m not ill enough for further checks based on this. Today I completed my 7-day course of antibiotics. Still no fever and all other SATS available to me are normal (temperature, heart rate and saturated oxygen). Ventolin is still needed though. Chris is feeling better!
Another sunny day so short walks in the garden were pleasant enough. Our daughter-in-law did a small shop for us which is very much appreciated. She reports that the local supermarkets have a strict process for entry (in terms of numbers), the shopping trolleys are issued as sanitised and shoppers are asked to take a specific route around the shop with instructions about social distancing. The bread was in short supply so she had to go to a second shop for that. We shouldn’t need anything major for a few days now.
We kept up to speed on government planning and from a clinical perspective, the issue of testing features quite high and I may write an article about that. I totally get why need to continue with targeted testing for the time being. I think the BBC and Sky News are doing quite a good job but some journalists amaze me with the stupidity of some of their questions – found myself shouting at the TV!
We’re missing seeing our family, although we get a ‘3 metre conversation’ with our son or daughter-in-law as they drop our shopping off each couple of days. We’ve not seen our grandsons for nearly two weeks and this is tough. We have 4 grandsons, aged 16 down to 7. When I was diagnosed, we only had 3 of them, then aged 6, 3 and 15 months old. Today’s picture is from our family holiday in France in 2015. We were talking about repeating that this year but we need to make do with something local in a few months.
Stay safe all, stay indoors, wash your hands.
Yay! ….. at last I can now say I’m feeling better. The cough has not totally gone but I’m definitely coughing less and needing less Ventolin. Chris has improved too so we’re looking at getting back to our house decluttering and other things that need doing. The sun is out although the temperature at night and early morning is really dropping in the last couple of days. I’m looking forward to letting you know I’m back to normal. And then I will try to explain the mental side of this bout of illness.
I was looking on the NHS Coronavirus site again and found some useful information that applies to UK, although it does tend to be compiled coming down from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Apparently, I only need to self-isolate for 7 days if I have symptoms of coronavirus (i.e. in my case, a new and continuous cough). After 7 days, if I don’t have a high temperature, I do not need to self-isolate. They then emphasised elsewhere that I do not need to self-isolate if I just have a cough after 7 days as a cough can last for several weeks after the infection has gone. I hinted about the possibility of a 7-day period in one of my earlier updates but hadn’t really appreciated the detail. It doesn’t really matter because I have no intention of leaving the house over this lockdown period.
Technically, Chris has to continue self-isolating for a 14-day period which will be finished around Monday 30 March. However, as we remain in the UK lockdown, as announced earlier this week, plus my medical history, we don’t intend to start leaving the house anytime soon – ergo we remain in self-isolation. I’ve not (yet) received any text or letter indicating I’m one of the 1.5 million most vulnerable and I can see from the definition produced by UK Government that I don’t appear to meet the criteria, although I can ask to be added, a combination of cancer and respiratory illness history.
On Thursdays, I often meet an old army friend in one of the local coffee shops, we chat about current times and old times (a bit of ‘lamp swinging’) – today was a video call which was great.
I was reading about the recently announced NHS Volunteer Responder scheme, a new group being established to carry out simple, non-medical tasks to support people in UK who have been asked to shield themselves from coronavirus because of underlying health conditions. They will be used by healthcare professionals to make sure people who are highly vulnerable to coronavirus (COVID-19) are able to stay safe and well at home. This will enable front-line staff in hospitals to focus on where help is needed most. NHS Volunteer Responders will do simple but vital tasks including driving people to and from the hospital and delivering food and medication. Volunteers will also support the NHS to transport equipment and supplies and make regular phone calls to check on people isolated at home. I was absolutely amazed to read that within 24 hours of the scheme being advertised, half a million people had volunteered, and it is anticipated to reach one million in the coming days. That traditional British spirit always comes out in troubled times.
Surprise package in the mail earlier, our sister-in-law made us some face masks – thus the cover picture! They’re not medical standard, and do not offer full protection but I suppose in an emergency, they will be better than nothing. It’s so hard to get proper masks in UK – although I was pleased to see the Army is currently delivering millions of them to healthcare professionals and other groups including care homes.
I’ll keep doing these updates until you get fed up with them!
Stay safe all, stay indoors, wash your hands.
Sorry for missing yesterday, I was too tired! The compilation of the entire diary into one blog article took me longer than I thought, partly because I’m now using a new page builder tool as part of my enhanced website, and I was learning on the job – a bit like learning to live within a national lockdown! However, I was then shocked to hear of the news of our Prime Minister Boris Johnson – perspective can sometimes knock you off an intended course of action.
A sign of improvement for me is needing fewer puffs of Ventolin and so I can report signs of improvement! I still have a niggling cough but it’s less frequent, so I can safely say I’m on the mend, as is Chris.
The situation currently still looks like a ‘long game’ so we started making more lists of things that need doing in the house. We’ll need some materials so we will also need to depend on who can sell us stuff online. We have also thought of some enhancements for our garden (yard!) but one can dream!
Online shopping remains a concern in my area, the big supermarket chains appear to be reserving all the slots for the elderly and the vulnerable, and I don’t have an issue with that. We will continue to make alternative arrangements in the meantime. There’s no reason why Chris cannot go out from Tuesday onward after her 14-day isolation is complete. We are starting to see some of the fallout of this crisis with both our son and daughter’s work situation due to the nature of their businesses which has effectively dried up. Hopefully, they will get some support from the government to tide them over to pick up where they left off.
I’m a big believer in coincidences but clearly, I would like to know for certain if what I have just experienced was one of my routine chest afflictions or if was it Coronavirus. My thinking is currently 99% routine and 1% but that 1% still makes doubt linger. If I ever get a chance at the antibody test (a test which tells if you have had it rather than have currently got it), I suspect I would like to see the result. The antibody test is being quite rightly prioritised for essential workers self-isolating due to COVID-19 symptoms, in order that they can get back to work. At the moment, the only chance of getting the antigen test (which tells you if you currently have it) is a worsening of symptoms severe enough to seek medical help. That may change in the coming months as availability increases. Testing remains a controversial issue in many countries, including the UK.
The number one topic in my private group is still COVID-19 or rather the effects it’s having on treatment and surveillance and I’m happy for those providing feedback. The Chair of UKINETS (the UK and Ireland portion of ENETS) has produced a video via the Neuroendocrine Cancer UK foundation which can be found in my treatment and surveillance article here. Professor John Price-Newell talks about how COVID-19 is affecting NET-specific stuff such as surgery and other treatments, but also surveillance including scans etc – definitely worth a watch, even for those not in UK or Ireland.
Today’s picture is from Morro Bay California while we were on a California road trip in 2015 to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. We arrived there the day before our anniversary. Nice place.
Stay safe all, stay indoors, wash your hands.
A short update today but a number of things to let you know. I’ve not used any Ventolin since my update yesterday, a massive sign of improvement.
Today is our 45th wedding anniversary and it seems weird to be spending it cooped up inside our house. However, as one of my Twitter friends said, it’s not just “stuck at home”, it’s actually “safe at home” – I like the positive spin on the language many of us are using.
Is anyone else on Pinterest? I also spent some time brushing my account up, I stopped using it for a while but have spruced it up for another go! Check it out – click here
The numbers continue to rise so stay safe all, stay indoors, wash your hands.
The final day of my self-imposed isolation for both Chris and I due to my chest issues and cough/sore throat that Chris experienced (plus some weight loss). Still no signs of fever and less reliance on Ventolin (Salbutamol). We will now review our arrangements in line with government advice. However, I remain reluctant to venture away from my property. Chris has been doing her Zumba class online – same instructor broadcasting videos from her house.
Thanks for the many messages of celebration for our 45th wedding anniversary yesterday, very humbling and we felt like we are in a big virtual party – so thanks for sharing the day with us! We both failed to get each other anniversary cards, probably for the first time ever, but we had a good excuse. That said, I have a stash of some random cards ready for special occasions. Here’s the one I pulled out of the hat for yesterday. I suspect only those who like the British band Oasis will get it! Not sure they made it across the Atlantic despite their attempts to emulate The Beatles!
Chris has stepped up our external protection measures Although no one has entered our house in the last 14 days, she is now daily cleaning all external handles including gates and doorbells. Mail is quarantined and cleaned. Groceries coming in get the same treatment.
Thanks for supporting my daily updates. I might do weekly ones going forward – if you want daily ones, you’ll need to do a petition!
Today’s photo is “I’m Still Here” – read the original article – click here
Stay safe all, stay indoors, wash your hands.
In the first update of this series, I explained that I kept my diary going, but again, only on my public Facebook page, so I was prompted to document these on my blog site to cater for those not on Facebook who only see what I produce in blog format. But it’s my intention to also post these on my other public Facebook sites. Because I was self-isolating, Chris was also isolating under the rules and she was also feeling under the weather. During our self-isolation period, the government ordered a “lock-down” (a bit like the shelter-in-place term used in USA) but out of self-isolation, we were still allowed out for some exercise and other essential trips such as doctors’ appointments and shopping for essential items.
The second update is a nice walk to a local beauty spot and back.
The third update is a potpourri of events including hair issues, a broken tooth and my first COVID lockdown injection covering 14/15 Apr 2020.
The fourth update is a story of bikes, ponies, wisteria and Vitamin D covering 16th – 21st Apr 2020.
The fifth update is a story of greenery, sun, adventure and Irrfan
The sixth update is a story of footpath etiquette, sheep, donkeys and dopamine covering 30th Apr – 3rd May 2020.
The seventh update is a story of swans, cycling, VE Day and my 124th monthly cancer treatment covering the period 6th – 11th May 2020.
The eighth update is a story of nurses, trees and Canada covering the period 12th – 17th May 2020.
The ninth update is a story of cream teas, peaks and blue sky covering the period 18th – 23rd May 2020.
The tenth update is a story of the Wall, Swans, Dundee and New Forest History, covering the period 26th – 29th May 2020.
The eleventh update is a story of Walking the Wall, coping strategies and the London Ga68 PET, covering the period 30th May – 5th June 2020.
The twelfth update is a story of surviving, cycling, Scottish holiday memories including the ‘Fairy Pools’, covering the period 7th – 15th June 2020.
Thanks for reading.
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