A Rapid Recovery and a Rollercoaster Ride!

I am realising more and more that life is like a rollercoaster with no choice whether you take the ride of exhilarating ups or screaming downs and sometimes the sharp twists of fate make you really feel you are about to crash or get thrown off! I have been quiet since February because writing about personal medical issues doesn't seem that interesting compared to describing ocean going adventures, swimming with cetaceans or remote exotic archipelagos! However, recently I have received many kind and anxious enquiries regarding my health, which made me realise I had left my story on a tremendous cliff hanger! After ultrasound and CT scans in February and March I was diagnosed fairly quickly with an ovarian mass but the gynaecology consultants were unclear as to whether it was cancerous or not. So, I consented for the bigger cancer clearance operation, a decision I made on my own as no accompanying family or friends are allowed in any of the hospitals in N. Wales for out-patient appointments or in-patient stays, because of Covid. In fact Ysbyty Gwynedd, (Bangor Hospital) theatres were closed in March for all but emergencies due to a Covid outbreak. Never the less my surgery date came round very quickly on Thursday April 8th. All went well, and I was discharged 4 days later and advised to take paracetamol. Cake therapy was also essential!

Thankfully, my histology showed a benign tumour, so there was no spread, and the operation I had opted for was the definitive treatment for the tumour. That was it, all done and sorted out and I was discharged from gynaecology two weeks post operatively. It had been an unnerving experience, I have never had major surgery or health issues and my symptoms were so vague that the diagnosis was hard to believe, treatment and discharge was accomplished within two months, which was all very efficient and once again we are so grateful for the NHS services. However, though I am a robust character it took me a little longer to process the psychological impact and catch up with the enormity of the diagnosis evidenced by the large vertical abdominal scar which signified what had been removed from my previously intact abdomen! Being physically fit and active prior to surgery I made a fast and easy recovery back to full fitness by mid June, my 62nd birthday. In fact, in the early stages of rehabilitation I had a lot of trouble stopping myself from doing too much, and so did Richard! I had to wait for him to go out before dashing into the garden to do some illicit gardening, woe betide me if he found me with a watering can in hand, instead I had to do multiple journeys with the coffee pot! Rehabilitation also involved a graduated walk programme that eventually led to a pub!

I am so thankful for the stunning place we live in and the surrounding countryside of Wales. The continuing Covid restrictions during my pre operative weeks were made bearable with fresh air and space on our doorsteps. Walking from our front door several times a week opened up local footpaths that we hadn't explored for years or had never even found. We also realised that we could easily walk to places we used to drive to for our walk. So we enjoyed the years progression as winter turned to spring and eventually summer. The gorgeous displays of wild flowers and blossoms this year made the tropics seem quite tame, starting with carpets of snowdrops and bluebells in woodlands and verges where we walked.

We visited the splendid gardens at NT Bodnant, primarily to see the famous Laburnam arch

plus the dazzling multi coloured rhododendrons and azelias are just the outrageous bling of the horticultural scenes! Then the hedgerows blossomed and bloomed with billowing white hawthorn blossom which contrasted with fields of golden buttercups positively glowing with luminous yellow cheer!

Once the travel limit was extended we explored further and visited our caravan in mid Wales for some mountains and countryside, rather than seaside. We ventured further to Cardiff to visit friends and Scott at University. This involved a distillery visit and whisky tour to Penderyn in S. Wales. Usually we have toured the Scottish Isles and west coast distilleries on Celtic Star but being limited to staying in Wales was an opportunity to sample not only Penderyn

but also our local Aber Falls inaugural bottling. Here we queued for 90 minutes to obtain a bottle each of the very first whisky bottled after three years and a day. It was well worth it, as it is absolutely delicious.

At home we continued to decorate and do home improvements and because we are not away sailing most weekends we have been able to enjoy the garden, pottering out there most days to prune, plant, tend and water. I have invested in a new blue border, plus a small "no mow" meadow and a few new trees and shrubs to add further texture and shape to my beachside haven.

We now have lettuce and other vegetables growing in pots plus a raised bed in the back yard away from the windy blast, salty spray and drought that the front garden is exposed to.

On May bank holiday we had our first full family gathering since the Caribbean Christmas 2019. This was the first time Anna had returned to Marine Crescent since moving to work in Portsmouth two years before! It was a lovely family celebration, with just the five of us enjoying nice food and a rather large bottle of wine at home, followed by an exciting outing for our first pub garden lunch in many months.

Six weeks later, due to a new job with a virtual office, we helped Anna move to the delightful village of Berriew, 10 minutes from Welshpool. We were impressed to find the village boasted two thriving pubs, a shop and PO, a butcher, a deli, plus, bizarrely, a sculpture museum! It seems a very interesting and welcoming community. Laura was successful in finding employment locally, in Abergele, not in Cardiff, and in April she started working in the school unit attached to a mental health facility for adolescents. Which means that the family is all back within Welsh borders for now! June was glorious and outdoor gatherings were allowed so we hosted a small garden party for my birthday.

We invited our friends from Bangor University days, (1970's!), many who still live in North Wales, it was the first time that most of us had been in a social gathering with as many as twelve people for a long time. The garden was full of colourful blooms and scents, and the party was relaxing and enjoyable with plenty of strawberries and fizzy wine! Some of us even managed an exhilarating birthday swim from the beach outside our house!

The following week Richard and I cycled to Conwy, walked for three hours up and along Conwy Mountain and then cycled back home for a quick cooling plunge in the sea. My abdominal muscles were strong and I had worked on increasing my stamina to near normal so I felt well enough to be First Mate, with Richard Skippering on a yacht delivery from Pwllheli to Lisbon. Scheduled for mid July and approximately a ten day passage crossing Cardigan Bay to the Isles of Scilly and then directly across Biscay. I was looking forward to getting aboard a boat again and getting some sea miles in! I had also started doing some administration work at the GP surgery where I had previously been employed as a Practice Nurse.

Our Airbnb took off again in April and we have had non stop bookings, (Covid safe of course) which has also kept us busy, Richard has taken over as manager because I have been recovering from not just one but two operations! In the early hours of Wednesday 23rd June I woke with extreme pain and vomiting and eventually went to A&E at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, (we are mid way between two large hospitals but slightly closer to Glan Clwyd to the east), here I was admitted for observation. Three days later with the symptoms barely controlled, I was diagnosed with adhesions caused by the original surgery. This is when the bowel starts to stick to itself- "adhere" instead of sliding over itself and happens due to the healing process after abdominal surgery. My bowel had then become twisted and so was obstructed, causing the extreme symptoms I was experiencing. Emergency surgery to cut the adhesions was performed late Friday 25th June and I spent a restful recovery in HDU with various wires and tubes attached to me. On return to the ward, ironically the same one where Richard had been exactly 3 years ago, my agony continued because my intestines refused to work. A condition called "paralytic ileus" so I spent another 8 days with intravenous fluids as I was only able and allowed to sip water. Finally, on the following Saturday 3rd July following more scans and X-rays I consented for further surgery to release another obstruction, but luckily whilst waiting for theatre, I was saved by a fart! Oh joy! Things started to work again and I was discharged two days later on a soft diet. Twelve days of fasting has left me tired and weak and my recovery has been frustratingly much slower than before.

Richard left on Monday 19th July on the Lisbon yacht delivery and I am at home trying to recover my strength and motivation and not be too miserable. My garden and my view are keeping me sane, and the fluffy clouds floating in my brain are starting to disperse, so here I am writing my blog again.

Of course, by now our plans for the future are on to the thousandth and something version; if it is even worth making any!! Recently the World Cruising Club announced that the World ARC Rally will not start from St Lucia in January 2022, and they will not confirm if the second half, Australia to St Lucia, which we are booked to join, will be feasible until June 2022. So, I sense there may be a radical change in our ultimate outlook and goals, but it is early days for any firm decisions. I do hope my next blog will be far more cheerful and interesting and will be sent from Celtic Star in the South Pacific, where we still hope to return in February 2022. Maybe, who knows! I am missing sailing and I can see Penmon lighthouse from our window through the binoculars but it is two years since I sailed through Penmon sound and saw the mountains from the sea!

In the mean time I have been prompted by the many positive remarks and comments from my blog readers to think about self publication! There will be some correcting and editing to undertake but it will be a good project for my self recovery over the summer. I am enjoying reading over our past adventures, looking at the photographs and remembering we had an absolutely fantastic time! For now the heat wave is reaching its peak and lounging in my garden reading a good book is just too tempting!