A long-overdue post

First of all my apologies to those of you who used to follow this blog to keep up with my treatment progress. Much has changed since I updated about our road trip last summer. With our relocation back home in December, I just never got around to writing again.

Unfortunately, last July a scan showed that the tumour had returned so I had surgery in August and another couple of months of medical leave and virtually a carbon copy of what I went through post-surgery in 2010 - problems caused by the steroids and another incision infection. That all meant that I couldn't start chemotherapy until we got back to the UK in December, four months after surgery.

Sadly, another scan just before Christmas showed that the tumour was showing signs of regrowth. We talked to a couple of neurosurgeons in Nottingham about further surgery but decided to repeat a few more rounds of chemotherapy. I'm just coming to the end of round 5 at the moment.

The big kick in the teeth in all of this was the surgeon telling me that I couldn't drive over here. It seems that the DVLA rules are quite strict about driving if you've had recent brain surgery and while I totally understand the reasons and logic behind it, it's been extremely difficult to accept. Remember that feeling of independence when you first passed your driving test? Well, it's like having that independence ripped away from you. I love driving. For me, it's not just about getting from A to B. I miss the drive to work through the country roads, I miss long cruises down the motorway, and I really miss the practicality of taking the boys to and from their various activities and having that time to talk along the way.

Anyway, grumble over. We're trying, more than ever, to do lots of stuff as a family and make the absolute most of the weeks that I'm not taking chemo. Recent highlights have been a weekend in London with the boys, a weekend at Grandma and Grandad's while I took the boys to see their first premier league game (although the 4-0 defeat to Man City took the shine off the experience a little), and a few days for Anna and I cycling and relaxing in the Cotswolds.

I'll have another scan in a few weeks and we'll determine the next steps from there.
Until next time

Days 10-14 - Snowmass to Boulder, Co.

Snowmass Village is primarily a ski resort, around 20 minutes from Aspen, but it's a beautiful place to stay in summer too (and a little less pretentious than Aspen!). The highlight of our stay was renting bikes to ride from the village into Aspen, mostly downhill but with a couple of challenging climbs. It was only ten miles, but the altitude and the heat took their toll so we made frequent water stops. That was ok though as the views were amazing.

Boulder is a great little town - a base camp for outdoor pursuits nearby. I love the energy created by all the activity as people prepare for their next adventure or wind down from their last one.

Spectacular drive no. 3 on this trip was today's journey along the 'Trail Ridge Road' (link), the highest continuously paved road in the US. It winds along the north edge of the Rocky Mountain National Park  and climbs to a maximum elevation of 12,183ft.

A number of things made the day great - playing in the snow, scrambling up to the highest point (and running back down in a hailstorm), and generally enjoying the drive and the scenery. However, we were all blown away once again when we got within 20 feet of a couple of male elk. Anna brought our attention to them with a sharp intake of breath and some hand gestures, but no words. As we jumped out of the car and started to approach them they seemed unfazed by our presence and just carried on chewing the cud and looking majestic. (I swear I heard one of them say "Have you seen my antlers, they're quite marvelous, aren't they?") We were told that the females and young were just over the hill and sure enough we walked a little further and saw about 40 of them down in the valley. Amazing to see them in their natural environment just doing their thing.

(c) Anna Mongan - she's quite proud of this one!

Well, that's it! We fly home tomorrow after a journey filled with "Wow!" moments and a lot of fun and relaxation along the way. This was the road trip I always had in mind and the reality was so much better than the dream. I hope one day the boys look back at these notes and remember some of the amazing stuff we've seen and done.
Until next time...

Days 7-9 - Moab, Ut, to Grand Junction, Co.

It seems like every place we stay on this trip, we feel like we need another few days to take advantage of all there is to do. Moab is famous for great mountain biking, hiking, and rafting on the Colorado river. It's been added to the list of places to come back to, maybe when the boys are older and we can do more of the adrenaline sports.

We spent most of yesterday hiking and scrambling in Arches National Park, which we've all said has jumped above Monument Valley in our list of spectacular-ness! Most of the morning was spent hiking to Delicate Arch, (pictured below), which blew us all away as we turned the corner and caught our first glimpse of it. Actually, it almost literally blew us away as the winds were terrific. The boys and I climbed into the arch itself and gave Anna some mild heart palpitations as we stood in front of the 300ft drop on the other side. It had to be done!

We visited another five or six arches and spent quite a bit of time in the visitor centre learning about the history of the park - mostly to help the boys complete their third Junior Ranger badge, and partly because this trip has turned me into a geology nerd!

This morning, outstanding drive No.2 on this trip connected Moab to Grand Junction and followed the Colorado River along the valley floor, surrounded by the redstone walls of the canyon. Splendid!

Next stop, Snowmass Village near Aspen, Co.

Days 4-6 - Monument Valley to Moab, UT

This post might be a little fuzzy. We just landed in Moab, Utah, after a few days on an Native American reservation where there is no alcohol sold or served in restaurants. A quick visit to the liquor store on arrival, a glass of wine with dinner, another glass in the hotel room and the world makes sense again!

We've had a relaxing few days in Kayenta, around 20 miles south of Monument Valley. After the intensity of the Grand Canyon visit, we felt like a couple of slow days with plenty of swimming and reading time. Patrick and Richard appreciated more time around the pool too.

We did squeeze in a visit to the Four Corners yesterday - the only place in the US that four states meet. The boys wanted to go there from the time we first announced the road trip and had great fun putting themselves in all four states at once.

A few posts ago I said that the drive from Vancouver to Whistler was one of the best I'd ever done. I would now add the Monument Valley drive to that (short) list. There's a 17-mile dirt track that takes you right into the valley and around some of the biggest rock formations. It's bumpy and sandy and requires a little focus, but I loved the sensation of driving next to those imposing monuments. I talked to one of the Navajo horse-trail riders and he told me they'd just returned from a four-hour ride where they saw wild mustangs. If only we'd had more time.

The boys in front of the 'Three Sisters' and a Monument Valley Ranch

After a three-hour drive north we arrived in Moab, Utah, and already love the place...a stunning redstone backdrop, off-beat stores, good coffee, and a book shop. I'm glad we booked for three nights!

Road Trip - Days 2 & 3 - Sedona to Grand Canyon

The red rocks around Sedona all have nicknames which represent their shapes (although sometimes you have to use a little imagination!) and everyone agreed we had to go and see 'Snoopy' (see photo below) before we left. We also had a quick walk through uptown Sedona but we were all keen to hit the road and head towards the Grand Canyon.

One of my favourite moments of the trip so far is the boys' reaction to their first view of the canyon..."It's so big!" and "whoa!" stick in my mind. No matter how many photographs I'd seen of it and whatever preconceived ideas I had, nothing prepared me for the sheer scale and unusualness of it (I'm sure there's a better word out there for the sight of weird rock formations, but for the moment I can't think of one).

We spent most of today, Sunday, exploring the viewing points on the south rim. There are shuttle buses running from point to point to discourage people from driving. Anna and I both said that we couldn't tire of taking in such magnificent views.

As a final treat for all of us, and to get a unique view of this amazing place, we took a helicopter flight over and into the canyon. I won't go into details here as I don't have the words to describe the experience, but a couple of moments were unforgettable. The first four or five minutes of the journey were over forest and we could see the canyon rim approaching - the feeling of crossing over it and seeing the one-mile drop below was simply mind-blowing. Another personal favourite was flying a few hundred feet below the north rim and having the sensation of actually being 'in' the canyon.

Next stop...Monument Valley (home of the Navajo Indians and cowboy movies)...

Road trip - Day 1 - Phoenix to Sedona

I'm very happy to report that my hip pain has eased enough so that I could take our planned road trip. (We had a backup plan, but two weeks on a beach isn't really our dream holiday.) I'm writing from the hotel on the first evening, reflecting on a great start to the trip.

A friend of mine keeps a micro-blog (short, concise posts about day-to-day events) and I'm going to attempt the same thing for this trip.

The first leg was planned as two hours to get to Sedona, but was broken up by a stop at Montezuma Castle, an Aztec farmer dwelling built into a cliff recess and dating back to the 1100s (pic below). The boys both got their first 'Junior Ranger' badge, a series of challenges and questions designed by the parks service to ensure kids are getting the full benefit of visiting these amazing places. A few stops at viewing points near Sedona to take in the red rock formations, followed by a quick dip in the pool, dinner, and a view of the sunset over the rocks..perfect!

(The next post will be a micro post, honest!)

A hip update

I went for a two week post-op appointment on Thursday and had a good discussion with one of the orthopedic team, not the surgeon. It seems that our expectations of how long the pain would last were not realistic. He wasn't surprised at all that I was still in a lot of pain after two weeks and admitted that the surgeons have a tendency to underplay how long the recovery will be. It makes sense when you think about it that any procedure where the bone is traumatised (by drilling a hole into it) would take quite a few weeks to recover. The surrounding muscle tissue also needs to heal. He expected that I would get some relief in the next couple of weeks and explained that it would probably be 3-6 months before we really know if the surgery has been successful.

I have found over the last couple of nights that I can sleep for longer between doses of pain meds and during the day the pain hasn't been quite as intense.

It seems like it's going to be a longer recovery than we expected but at least there's light at the end of the tunnel.

These posts are way too dry....here's some hip humour...