I ceased publication of monthly newsletters over a year ago, mainly because they were time consuming to compile and the impact was less then my average post in terms of feedback. However, since going into COVID-19 lockdown, I’ve given that some more thought. Going forward, I’ll be sending you out a newsletter each month including an email version as soon as I can get my mailing system software up and running (I’ve been busy during lockdown!)
During April and May, I decided that I wasn’t going to hide away during lockdown despite the fact that I see myself as someone at risk, not just because of the Neuroendocrine Cancer but also due to a history of chest infections and mild asthma. Mental health can be as important as physical health in times of stress and anxiety so I took to the outdoors to tell my story of how I was coping. If course the outdoors is also a garden (yard) and so that counts too!
Back in March I told the story of my own symptomatic period and perhaps one day I might find out if I have antibodies when I’m tested accordingly. You can read this COVID-19 diary by clicking here.
I’m not quite finished my April/May series of ‘coping’ articles but I compiled them here for you below – enjoy!
Much of the time was spent in the house and new or increased activity included, sitting in the garden (fortunately we have had very good weather in UK), watching TV and box sets, reading, short walks (the longer ones are mainly compiled above). One new thing was online quizzes with the family and video conferencing with relatives rather than phone calls. Chris’s mum is in a care home and they are on total lockdown, no visitors. Chris was so pleased when they instigated video calls. I did quite a bit of searching and research on online shopping and I managed to get some grocery slots. I will not be going into town or shopping for a while yet. Chris sometimes shops but we have a very strict decontamination procedure and a whole room devoted to temporarily isolating that don’t need to go into fridge or freezer – everything is washed or wiped. This also happens with mail. It’ll be a while yet before we relax this routine.
Some of you will have noticed I’ve reduced my Facebook pages from 5 to 2 and this is how I’ll operate going forward. These Facebook pages are really the social front end to my website – RonnyAllan.NET
Some of you will also have noticed a change in the layout of my website to include more menus for easier navigation and more sharing buttons to help you share my work. Thanks if you’re using them already If you wanted to practice, you’ll see them at the top and bottom of this newsletter – share away!
I’m quieter on twitter which is currently quite depressing – I hadn’t realised how many trolls there are out there but I guess many people are quite frustrated by COVID-19.
I’m working on an A to Z facility and it’ll probably take me some months to complete. It’s quite usable if you just wanted to find an article containing a particular term. I’m having some technical difficulty with the functionality and need to find time to populate the terms but take a look to see if it’s any use to you now. Click a term and it will currently take you to the posts containing that ‘tag’. The A to Z of Neuroendocrine Cancer
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.