Last time I got about a week when I changed medication.  The ability to swing my legs out of bed without going through a minute of two if tortuous agony.  The ability to stand up reasonably quickly returned.  And the ability to walk freely came back for a week.

It was great.  Then it stopped.  And I don’t really know why.

On Saturday at the football I was a timid, nervous wreck taking on the ice and crowds.  By Sunday morning I realised that much of what I believe to be tumour pains through the nights just weren’t happening.  Granted, the occasional aches and strains, but minimal in the great scheme of things.

I was able to move my legs out of bed without fuss.  And then stand up without noteable strain.  Although I had to put my iPad down to achieve this.

I walked the short walk to the bathroom.  Still a bit awkward, but even that felt easier.  Pottering around my sister’s lodge I was fairly confortable.  Not needing to sit down every minute.  Cooked breakfast sorted with ease.

Then the big test.  Getting in the hot tub.  It has crossed my mind that being in this desserted location alone  might be interesting if anything goes wrong.  And I don’t take my phone to the hot tub, which is probably my highest risk manoeuvre.

Unclipping the cover requires bending down.  I still found this quite tough this week.    Three clips at ground level.  It’s even harder reclipping them at night!  Then hauling up the lid.  I’d utilised Rachel for these tasks on our last visit.  She’s bendier than me. But with her working three hours drive away my self sufficiency kicked in.  Lifting the covers has been ok.

Next, getting into the hot tub.  This has always been a challenge for me since my first visit here back in May.  The smallest step from decking to hot tub is quite steep.  Previous visits have seen me with different kinds of mobility issues.  And I’ve found different, if cumbersome, ways of getting in and out.  I suspect they’d be amusing to watch for anybody who didn’t know the reasons.

This time, either through more confidence or a more free moving body, the clamber in and out has been much easier.  Given my lack of confidence just a few days earlier, I don’t think it’s that.

Maybe the osimertinib is doing more good than I thought.  I had feared its initial progress had been short lived.  But ten weeks or so into use and it seems to have kicked on.

Hopefully I’ll get more than a week of benefit this time.

When Your Musical Hero Collapses On Stage