This past week I have watched TV quite a lot. There were a few sport events of interest, mainly athletics and the European championships in equestrian sport. The show jumping event was won by a Swede so that was successful.
The main thing this week was the annual Genealogy Fair, this time in Halmstad. Attending it was one of my goals for the year. I had already started planning for how I could get there by train when I got an e-mail from a colleague asking if I was going to Halmstad. She was going to drive there, and I was very happy to get a ride with her instead. We spent Saturday afternoon at the fair, looking at (and buying some) books, talking to vendors, searching the databases available and checking out what was new (everybody was talking about DNA!). We also attended a lecture on emigrant research. In all, it was a nice day but we were very tired afterwards.
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Surprise letter
It has been an incredibly boring week. I have done very little. The side effects from the chemo are not pleasant at all. I have major stomach problems. It's worse than last time. The strange thing is that I'm hungry. To ridiculous levels. Some nights I have to get up and get something to eat because I'm so hungry I can't sleep. The doctor called this Friday to ask how I was doing (I wonder if this is normal, they cannot possibly have time for this). She was surprised to hear that it was worse this time because they had made a mistake and given me a lower dose than she had ordered. Sigh.
There is one thing that has happened worth mentioning and it has nothing to do with illness. Last week my father received a letter from America. We were very surprised. The sender was no one we knew. It turns out that my father's grandmother had several uncles and cousins who emigrated, and one of their descendants had now done research and found my father to be a relative. I have known for quite a while that those relatives emigrated and did locate them in the US (Chicago and Colorado) but never contacted any living relatives. I thought the distance in relationship was too far. The person who wanted to reconnect would be my father's third cousin. We are now exchanging family information by e-mail.
There is one thing that has happened worth mentioning and it has nothing to do with illness. Last week my father received a letter from America. We were very surprised. The sender was no one we knew. It turns out that my father's grandmother had several uncles and cousins who emigrated, and one of their descendants had now done research and found my father to be a relative. I have known for quite a while that those relatives emigrated and did locate them in the US (Chicago and Colorado) but never contacted any living relatives. I thought the distance in relationship was too far. The person who wanted to reconnect would be my father's third cousin. We are now exchanging family information by e-mail.
Thursday, August 10, 2017
Actual size cars and model trains
Wednesday last week I went to the summerhouse, where my sister and her family also were staying. We did some excursions around Skåne. On the Friday we went to an automobile museum at Simrishamn. There were over 120 cars on display; the oldest a Danish vehicle from 1898 and the newest a dragster from 2014. It was a big place. There were also motorcycles and in separate rooms toys and phonographs. It was quite an interesting museum even for someone who normally wouldn't be into cars.
Another day we went to a model train museum at Hässleholm. It was a rather large display with built-up landscapes and towns with railway lines. It was local towns so we recognized several places. It was a very detailed display with people working on or near the tracks, trucks on the roads, people waiting at stations and trains going by. This was also a nice museum to visit. After a massive brunch at the golf club we continued on to a farm where there was a fishing pond. The kids wanted to go fishing, but the interest faded after a while so the adults took over. There was unfortunately no fish in sight. Instead my father showed us one of his best places to find mushrooms in a nearby forest. We did get some chanterelles that we had on toasted bread later. Very tasty.
Apart from this we mostly took it easy, relaxing in the sun and playing with the kids. The weather is a little better but still there is a fair amount of rain. I returned home yesterday and that was a journey I never want to experience again. There were big problems with the trains. I went on one bus, three trains and one bus. Total time five hours. The issues were not solved this morning so I had to take a bus again. I went to the hospital for blood tests today. Tomorrow it's time for another chemo injection.
Another day we went to a model train museum at Hässleholm. It was a rather large display with built-up landscapes and towns with railway lines. It was local towns so we recognized several places. It was a very detailed display with people working on or near the tracks, trucks on the roads, people waiting at stations and trains going by. This was also a nice museum to visit. After a massive brunch at the golf club we continued on to a farm where there was a fishing pond. The kids wanted to go fishing, but the interest faded after a while so the adults took over. There was unfortunately no fish in sight. Instead my father showed us one of his best places to find mushrooms in a nearby forest. We did get some chanterelles that we had on toasted bread later. Very tasty.
Apart from this we mostly took it easy, relaxing in the sun and playing with the kids. The weather is a little better but still there is a fair amount of rain. I returned home yesterday and that was a journey I never want to experience again. There were big problems with the trains. I went on one bus, three trains and one bus. Total time five hours. The issues were not solved this morning so I had to take a bus again. I went to the hospital for blood tests today. Tomorrow it's time for another chemo injection.
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Side effects
This new chemo has some weird side effects. I feel rather strange and have stomach problems but it's not at all what they told me. The nurse said that I would not have an appetite, get a headache, get nauseated and possibly vomit. I haven't noticed any of this, which I am grateful for. On the contrary, I am hungry.
Because my immune defense is very low I only made some very short trips outside the apartment the first week. I had to get more food since I had a surprisingly big interest in eating. There is a small convenience store two blocks away so that's where I went. The weather has been terrible with lots of rain. I have enjoyed my balcony only a few times this summer. Needless to say, I have been incredibly bored. There is a limit to how many crosswords I can solve. To keep sane I have started a new research project. It's a list of all the emigrants from a small parish near my home parish. Hopefully this will keep me busy for a while.
This Monday I had to go to the hospital for some blood tests. Afterwards I stopped by at the library to hand in some documents. A few people were on duty and they all asked how I was doing. Even though I tried to give short answers it took a long time to get from the entrance up to my office on the 5th floor. I have very talkative colleagues.
Because my immune defense is very low I only made some very short trips outside the apartment the first week. I had to get more food since I had a surprisingly big interest in eating. There is a small convenience store two blocks away so that's where I went. The weather has been terrible with lots of rain. I have enjoyed my balcony only a few times this summer. Needless to say, I have been incredibly bored. There is a limit to how many crosswords I can solve. To keep sane I have started a new research project. It's a list of all the emigrants from a small parish near my home parish. Hopefully this will keep me busy for a while.
This Monday I had to go to the hospital for some blood tests. Afterwards I stopped by at the library to hand in some documents. A few people were on duty and they all asked how I was doing. Even though I tried to give short answers it took a long time to get from the entrance up to my office on the 5th floor. I have very talkative colleagues.
Saturday, July 22, 2017
Museum visit
There were some problems with the port-a-cath so I had to go back to the hospital for some tests. Everything was ok according to the EKG. After some discussions, both with the doctor on duty and the doctors who inserted the device, it was decided that I will have to endure it. Once the port-a-cath is in they can't make any adjustments. It seems like it's situated a tiny bit too far down in the vein, so it affects my heart in an unwanted way. My heart races occasionally. This was very noticeable the first week but it has calmed down now.
Wednesday my mother and her boyfriend came to stay for a night. Thursday we went to the Kulturen museum in Lund. It is both an outdoor museum with old buildings and halls with arranged exhibits. I hadn't been there in quite a while. We saw exhibits on fashion history, glassware and a comedy duo called "Hasse & Tage". For this last exhibit they had borrowed archive material from my library. All was very interesting to see. After this we continued on to a mall for a herring lunch and some shopping. I was also able to get rid of some junk from my attic. Part of it was handed over to the charity shop and the rest to the recycling place.
Yesterday I got another chemo injection. It's a new kind that has other side effects. I have already noticed some of them. I have stomach problems. Not nice at all.
I hope that the attendants at the Nelson Family Reunion in Milaca tomorrow will have a great time!
Wednesday my mother and her boyfriend came to stay for a night. Thursday we went to the Kulturen museum in Lund. It is both an outdoor museum with old buildings and halls with arranged exhibits. I hadn't been there in quite a while. We saw exhibits on fashion history, glassware and a comedy duo called "Hasse & Tage". For this last exhibit they had borrowed archive material from my library. All was very interesting to see. After this we continued on to a mall for a herring lunch and some shopping. I was also able to get rid of some junk from my attic. Part of it was handed over to the charity shop and the rest to the recycling place.
Yesterday I got another chemo injection. It's a new kind that has other side effects. I have already noticed some of them. I have stomach problems. Not nice at all.
I hope that the attendants at the Nelson Family Reunion in Milaca tomorrow will have a great time!
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Operation
After just a few days at home for doctor's appointments I returned to the summerhouse this past Thursday. On my way I stopped at Hörby to go to the annual market fair. It was quite fun with lots of stalls selling all kinds of things like toys, hats, candy, craft items, jam & marmalade, clogs, clothes, sausages and much else. I got a book and some licorice, and a langos with shrimp for lunch. I was also surprised by seeing my father and his girlfriend there, I didn't know they would visit this market.
The weekend at the summerhouse was nice. Saturday we went to Åhus to the Lions second hand store. There were minor purchases made there. Sunday my mother and I drove about an hour north to get to a friend's 70th birthday party. There was a quiz and I won a box of chocolate. At this party there was a woman I had met before and I knew she is interested in research, so we spent some time talking about that. She is currently researching the history of a building and I was able to make some suggestions for further information.
Early Monday morning I had to return to Lund for some tests at the hospital. Tuesday (yesterday) I crawled out of bed at 5 AM. A transport service picked me up and brought me to the hospital in Malmö. After some preparations I was wheeled into an operating room. The doctors inserted a port-a-cath just underneath my skin, with a tube into a vein. This last part was the most complicated and they actually had to ask another doctor for assistance - he did it on the first attempt. This port-a-cath will be used to give me the rest of the chemo injections (at least three). I was awake during the entire operation and was very fascinated by the big screen showing x-rays of my body. The x-ray was on all the time so it was live images, I could see my bones and everything else move as I was breathing. The doctors looked at the same screen, to see where my veins were and to correctly insert the port-a-cath. Very interesting. Afterwards I stayed for a few hours and was then allowed to go home. There is some pain of course but the biggest problem is the substantial pieces of plaster they attached to me. I'm allergic to it and it only took 24 hours before I went to the medical center and asked the nurse to replace them. She knew me from before and she was appalled when she saw what it looked like even after such a short time. She helped me so that it's a lot better now.
The weekend at the summerhouse was nice. Saturday we went to Åhus to the Lions second hand store. There were minor purchases made there. Sunday my mother and I drove about an hour north to get to a friend's 70th birthday party. There was a quiz and I won a box of chocolate. At this party there was a woman I had met before and I knew she is interested in research, so we spent some time talking about that. She is currently researching the history of a building and I was able to make some suggestions for further information.
Early Monday morning I had to return to Lund for some tests at the hospital. Tuesday (yesterday) I crawled out of bed at 5 AM. A transport service picked me up and brought me to the hospital in Malmö. After some preparations I was wheeled into an operating room. The doctors inserted a port-a-cath just underneath my skin, with a tube into a vein. This last part was the most complicated and they actually had to ask another doctor for assistance - he did it on the first attempt. This port-a-cath will be used to give me the rest of the chemo injections (at least three). I was awake during the entire operation and was very fascinated by the big screen showing x-rays of my body. The x-ray was on all the time so it was live images, I could see my bones and everything else move as I was breathing. The doctors looked at the same screen, to see where my veins were and to correctly insert the port-a-cath. Very interesting. Afterwards I stayed for a few hours and was then allowed to go home. There is some pain of course but the biggest problem is the substantial pieces of plaster they attached to me. I'm allergic to it and it only took 24 hours before I went to the medical center and asked the nurse to replace them. She knew me from before and she was appalled when she saw what it looked like even after such a short time. She helped me so that it's a lot better now.
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Rainy weekend
This past Friday I was supposed to get another chemo injection. However, the nurse called in the morning saying that the blood tests I had done the previous day were not good. They didn't want to give me the injection. This changed a lot. I called my mother right away and said I could help out at the fleamarket at Furuboda, which was that same afternoon. I packed very quickly and then travelled by train and bus and managed to get there an hour before it started. I was not scheduled to be there but I assisted the others selling books, paintings and lamps. I also stood in the doorway, trying to prevent people from leaving without paying. We have had problems with that other years. This year we didn't notice any problems. The weather was really bad with lots of rain but I think the sales went pretty well despite this. We also had after-sales on the Saturday and there were still things we could sell.
The rest of the time I spent at the summerhouse, taking it easy. I am not used to hard work since I have done basically nothing for several months. I had to rest. Over the weekend it was also incredibly rainy so we were really not active. The only activity was playing catch with the small dog my mother was taking care of. After going shopping in Kristianstad I returned home today by train and replacement bus (there were big problems on the train tracks to and from my town).
The rest of the time I spent at the summerhouse, taking it easy. I am not used to hard work since I have done basically nothing for several months. I had to rest. Over the weekend it was also incredibly rainy so we were really not active. The only activity was playing catch with the small dog my mother was taking care of. After going shopping in Kristianstad I returned home today by train and replacement bus (there were big problems on the train tracks to and from my town).
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