The week ahead looks busy in my diary.

• On Monday, I have the possibility of a return to hospital for examination of my infected toe.
• On Tuesday, if I am able, I will support one my colleagues, who is delivering a training course by webinar for the first time.
• On Wednesday, I have hospital check-up in the morning and a Hampshire County Swimming meeting.
• All being well, Thursday is chemotherapy day.
• On Friday, it is Basingstoke Bluefins presentation evening.

Monday

This was rather a confused day. I had conflicting messages about the need for my toe to be examined when I was released from hospital on Saturday.

Eventually after several phone calls, I was instructed to change the dressing if required. Appointments were set up with the tissue viability nurse on Wednesday and the vascular consultant on Thursday.

I decided to leave the dressing alone. It looked secure and clean.

I spent a lot of the day sitting at my PC, partly doing some Christmas shopping and partly doing some work.

I need to stress at this time that all of the work I am doing is what I elect to do, because I want to and because I find it therapeutic. I have no specific tasks or deadlines set by my employer, who had made it clear that nothing is expected of me while I am signed off as sick.

I do find a certain amount of work very therapeutic. It keeps my mind active, keeps me in contact with business colleagues and will make it easier for me to resume work in the new year. I do find working very satisfying, but also very tiring.

After my week in hospital last week, I have reduced the number of tablets that I am taking. I have stopped taking paracetemol, reduced morphine to a single tablet in the evening and reduced the dosage of laxatives. Today, I did no have any problems.

Tuesday

I had to get up early to connect to the webinar training session at 9am. My objective was to induct one of my colleagues into webinar based training. I delivered the first session and handed over to him for the second session.

Part way through the morning, the dressing on my toe started to fall off, so there was no option to leave it alone.  At lunchtime, I removed the dressing and Sue put some nice clean gauze on it. My toe looked very similar to how it looked on Friday. It has not quite healed and there is still infection, but nothing serious enough to need any attention before my check-up tomorrow.

Participating in the webinar was very satisfying, but also very tiring, reminding me that I am not fully fit. I really didn't do anything useful for the rest of the day.