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Found 5 results

  1. In the last few days I have started taking a different chemo drug, Everolimus, which hopefully is going to slow or stop the growth of the cancer that has appeared where my right kidney used to be. For those that haven't read my blogs, I had this kidney removed in March last year as it was found to have a 10cm cancerous tumour in it. If my consultant had waited just another 8 weeks before making the decision to switch me from my previous treatment, I would not have been able to have this different drug. From 4th November it is being removed for the UK Cancer Drugs Fund list and will no longer be offered to kidney cancer patients as a 2nd line treatment option. At this current time, there are no other options available, so I would have been stuffed, probably literally! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34153136
  2. The original plan was to go and spend the whole day at a new venue, after the large bream that inhabit the lake. However, as happens quite a lot in our family life at the moment, cunning plans sometimes fall at the first hurdle! So, plan A fails when the hospital ring to say they have a slot for me to come in and be measured up for a dose of radio-therapy. This is because my cancer has decided to start invading me a bit further, my bones this time. The thought of what Kim might do if I turned this down by saying that I was going fishing did not paint a pretty picture, so booking accepted, plan B was decided upon. I settled on a morning visit to a couple of sections of the Kennet, first the river at Rainsford Farm, to be followed by a couple of hours on the canalised section at Thatcham and then off to hospital. Arriving at the river I was greeted by the sight of a very low water level and a kingfisher darting off downstream in its characteristic flash of blue, far too fast for me to get a picture, but the view in itself was worth a snap. Reports from fellow Kennet anglers had not filled me with a massive amount of confidence, but if you don’t try, you don’t find out for yourself, so armed with a bait-smock full of maggot and hemp I went off in search of a fish or two. Wandering upstream from the car, I was shocked to see how much things had changed since my last visit, but, checking my diary later that evening I found it had been three years previously, so maybe I shouldn’t have been so surprised! I believe the significant changes had been down to the floods of a couple of winters ago, it was almost like fishing a new venue!! One example was what had previously been a nice steady deep run down to some trees was now a gravel bar!! I quickly established that cancer is having a significant impact on my ability to spend hours wandering river banks armed with rod, bait, net and a handful of tackle. It is all turning into a bit of a vicious circle, the cancer saps the energy, and the associated pain makes you less likely to try to undertake anything energetic to build up the stamina, but the body needs to be in the best possible state to combat the disease. So, after just 20 minutes fishing which involves being stood up, knee deep in fast flowing water, constantly trotting a float, and feeding bait, I’m knackered!! One thing I had forgotten was how active minnows are in the summer! Apart from the minnows I found the only other species that was eager to feed was trout, and after catching this one for the second time I decided a change of venue was called for. A two minute drive followed by a five minute walk along the canal path found me with an hour to spare before pack up time so a few maggots were thrown in every 30 seconds or so whilst I had a drink and forced a bar of chocolate down before the trotting gear was again in use. A significant side effect of several of my medications is the change in behaviour of the taste buds. This one has hit me really hard, being a lover of all things edible, and drinkable! As a result, gone is the appetite, which has led to further weight loss, and rapidly disappearing is the liking for many old favourites, such as beer!! Most foodstuffs, and drinks, at times, taste either metallic, or too strong, or too salty, or all of those at the same time. My all time best beers, Fullers ESB and Theakstons Old Peculiar, I’d currently struggle to drink an egg cup full let alone a pint! I suppose looking on the bright side, at least the weekly shopping bill has gone down at bit! Anyway, back to fishing, the canal proved to be a tad more productive before the arrival of three barges in quick succession put the fish off the feed. Prior to their appearance I was able to catch several very nice roach, and dace, with the best of the session being a very chunky 9 ounces! I’d like to catch this one again in the winter when it has put on a bit of weight in the lead up to spawning time….mind you, I’d also like to be still fishing this coming winter!! Whilst my cancer currently seems fairly determined to prevent this, I am just as determined to try and make sure I get to write at least a few winter fishing blog entries! Postscript – I get home from fishing, to find a message on the answerphone, from the hospital, postponing todays appointment, ho hum….the bream will have to wait for another day.
  3. Having failed to catch a crucian carp during my previous visit of just under two weeks ago, I was sure this outing would be more successful. After all, Marsh Farm, Harris Lake, as per the web site, “famous for crucian carp”, and having caught nearly a hundred of them last season, my last outing must surely have just been a blip on my success rate. To further increase the odds in my favour, I was here for the night, and the hours of darkness are usually guaranteed to bring a crucian or two on the feed. Whether I would actually be able to stay awake for the night would remain to be seen. For the first time I had brought my barrow to carry my gear round to the chosen peg, about 400m from the car park. Last season I had been fit enough not to require this, but the cancer, and the treatment were taking their toll and I wasn’t as fit as 12 months ago. Setting up in the afternoon sun was very pleasant, but even though it was currently warm and dry I chose to get my overnight shelter up. One of the side-effects of my treatment is fatigue and taking this into account the large pile of equipment included a sleeping bag, with strict instructions from my wife, Kim, to use it !! I sometimes think cancer has a bigger impact on those around than it does on the patient, I can’t even try to fathom the amount of confusion, frustration, and fear that goes through the minds of Kim and my daughters, Clare and Emma, let alone the rest of my family and friends. The latest cancer statistics (2011) show over 330,000 new cases were diagnosed in that year, I wonder just how many readers of this blog know someone (me excluded!!) with the disease? Of that number, just over 10,000 were kidney cancer, and despite my predicament, as I like statistics, I can’t help but think where I fit into those for 2014 ? Anyway, in the sunlight the crucians hadn’t yet decided they were hungry, however some of the other residents in the lake were, including this little perch of 11oz. Across the lake to the east I could see some ominous looking clouds heading in my direction and it was a good thing the shelter was up, as within a few minutes of being sighted, they were overhead. My geography lessons from school gave me the skills to identify the grey fluffy things as nimbus….rain clouds. Okay, so the drops of water spattering my shelter from height helped this detective process somewhat. A few random spots of rain began to fall, shortly followed by a lot more of them! Fortunately the shower was just that, and within 20 minutes the weather had calmed down again, leading to a very nice mild evening. Throughout the night the tench and my kettle kept me busy and awake, enough to keep me out of the sleeping bag with several five minute naps being sufficient. The mild damp conditions although pleasant for a night sitting by the lake also encouraged one of my favourite creatures to be out and about….slugs….yuk….hate the damn things, especially when I find one sliming its way up the front of my coat! It is only in the last few years that I have switched from taking just a flask to carrying a small stove and kettle, one of the best upgrades I have ever made. A mug of freshly made steaming hot tea, in the depths of night, is so much better than the luke warm contents you get out of a flask made up over 12 hours previously. Just after my third mug had been enjoyed, well, it had been once I had evicted the slug from the handle, I had a tench on both rods at the same time. Bringing both fish in, at the same time, on my own, and in the dark, made me appreciate those times when I’ve been able to call on my regular fishing companion and best mate, Chris, to give me a hand. Although I acknowledge it is usually me giving him the hand with the netting process and not the other way round ! Over 10lbs of tench in the net, pity it wasn't just one fish though! These days the first entry on my list of things to make sure I have packed into my various bags is, tablets. On top of those for my blood-pressure, I also have my painkillers, several different flavours, and those for my cancer treatment, Pazopanib. Most of these are taken early morning, an hour before any food, although I also have an evening top-up of the slow-release morphine. Fortunately, the dosage of these is low enough that I am still allowed to drive, as I think I would be near on suicidal if I couldn't get out and about without pestering one of the family for a lift! After 12 months on the treatment for my cancer I still struggle with the pronunciation, so they are known as Pazowotsits in our family. These are described in the trade as tyrosine-kinase inhibitors, and they work, hopefully, and very simply, by blocking tumour growth. I take 600mg a day, and the two scans since starting the treatment last May appear to show the stuff is working. If the side effects are anything to go by, then I am hopeful the cancer cells are having as much fun as I am at times! I’ve seen some spectacular sunrises when out fishing, but unfortunately the one I sat though on this morning didn’t get anywhere into even the top 200. It kind of just went from cloudy and dark to cloudy and light and that was it, maybe next time! The fishing slowed down with the increasing light levels and I was happily distracted by trying to get a picture of a tern swooping down to take insects off the lake surface. These birds are so fast, a quick hover, a dip down, and then they are away. Twenty or so snaps later, this was the best I could get. With the thought of a cooked breakfast and then some sleep at home, I packed up, fourteen tench, plus a couple of perch and rudd was a good score for the night, but yet again no crucians! Maybe the robin which decided that my kettle made a good perch could provide some insight !!
  4. Signs to me that spring has properly arrived are seeing the first bluebells, the hearing of the first cuckoo, and the first outing after crucians. The bluebells hadn’t let the side down, stunning displays in the woods around Aldworth, Berkshire, well worth a visit, and don’t miss out The Bell in Aldworth itself, my favourite pub of all time! The cuckoo listening had also been successful, so two out of three so far, signs were positive, now all I needed was a crucian. The weather hadn’t been in my favour for a visit to Marsh Farm so far this year, and still wasn’t perfect on the day I ventured down. The web-site gives detailed match reports in which crucians were starting to feature in numbers and a call to the on-site shop the day before gave me more encouragement with both lakes apparently fishing very well. Those that fish this venue will know it can be a bit of a wind tunnel, even on relatively still days, so with gusts of up to 40mph being forecast I made sure I had a few pegs for the brolly before setting off from home. Settled into my chosen swim by 7 am, one float rod, and one feeder rod cast out, I waited in anticipation of seeing that classic flash of gold on the end of the line. Watching a float and a rod tip bounce around gives ample time for contemplation of life, and as the fish were initially very reluctant I had ample time to do this. In my current situation this isn’t always the best thing to do, as some readers know, I was diagnosed in February 2014 with kidney cancer. Fifteen months after surgery, one kidney lighter and undergoing treatment for the cancer that has spread to my lungs, life is still reasonably good…if you exclude the side effects of the treatment, the coming to terms with the fact that IT project management can not be done as a part-time job, the loss of income accordingly, and the watching your family struggle to understand why fate has dealt such a vicious hand. However, with modern medicine the survival rates are good, and I am determined to be in the statistic that says I have a 50% chance of still being alive…and fishing, ten years from now! I don’t think the statistics actually mention fishing, but I am sure you understand my intention! Too much to take on board at times. Anyway, contemplation was kindly interrupted by the tip of the feeder rod giving a more pronounced bounce than a gust of wind could create and within a couple of minutes my first fish of the day was on the mat. A small tench of just over two and a half pounds, now if this had been a crucian I would have been more than very pleased, however, I was not overly disappointed as it meant a possible blank had been avoided. A second tench soon followed the first, larger this time at 3lb 14oz, maybe not such a bad day ahead after all. Float fishing was proving nigh on impossible in the wind, I had given up trying to get away with using a pole float…spotting the float itself was becoming similar I suspect to trying to locate a U-boat periscope from the air in the middle of a stormy Atlantic in 1943!! Even a switch to a quite thick bodied waggler did not make bait presentation any easier. Another two tench each side of the four pound line on my scales fell to the feeder rod before a short adjournment was required, involving a 50 yard chase of my unfettered brolly as it was picked up by a gust wind and swiftly propelled along the lake side. Fortunately I was able to catch up with it just before HMS Brolly attempted to undertake its maiden voyage across the other lake! Being that I was catching fish on feeder fished pellets, and my float rod had been abandoned, the local robin population decided that as I was obviously going to have maggots left at the end of the session, I should feed both them and their young. A short break from fishing, I took a stroll to the on-site tackle shop on the way talking to two of the other five anglers who were fishing the same lake. Whilst I would have much preferred to have been float fishing I was able to at least gain encouragement in that I was the only one of us who was managing to catch much of anything at all, total for the other four was a single small roach. Returning to my swim a few quid lighter….I’m sure I am not the only angler who cannot resist buying at least one item when in a tackle shop, whether you need it or not…I fished on for another hour or so and another couple of tench, before the gusts of wind started to contain raindrops and I decided to call it a day. Last fish of the session was also the largest, at 4lb 6oz, no crucians, but seven tench in not ideal conditions was not a bad return for the morning. Just a footnote on the subject of kidney cancer, mine was picked up almost by accident, as part of a routine scan for another ailment. Apparently this is very common now, which is good news, as it means many patients don’t get to the stage where the classic indicators are encountered. Some of the early symptoms, high blood pressure, back ache, tiredness, and weight loss are similar to those displayed by other illnesses, …so, reader, make sure you have a good GP who is prepared to investigate all avenues when you go to see them with any of these!! I make no apology for including this in a fishing blog, if my writing serves as a nudge which then leads to an early detection and therefore a vastly improved survival chance for just one person, then I’ll be happy to have helped someone.
  5. So....I was thinking on a Sunday morning (rare for me!)....who watched this programme last week? I did, and thought it was very, very good. Being in a similar situation I have sometimes wondered about starting to write a blog, but then I wonder....who would read it, as cancer seems to be one of those things that people don't really want to talk about. Thoughts? Paul
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