Saturday 7th July, 2012 Completion for the time being

When I started this blog last August, I wondered how it would finish. I had visions of someone else writing a final entry explaining that the disease had run its course. Now I realise that it kind of faded out as my recovery ran its course and I got back to a more normal pattern of life, with all of its time pressures, and I owe it to people who come back to it to provide some kind of closure (for the time being at least). The good news is that the outcome is as good as I could possibly have hoped for. My oncologist has told me that I have no current indications of residual cancer, no active growths and none of the inflammation indicators in my blood. That does not mean that the cancer has gone; there may be cells hiding around. So for the foreseeable future, I will have regular checks outs so that if it does recur it will be picked up and treated quickly. While I am not back to full health, I am back to full time working and have resumed all of my activities in the world of swimming. In the last few months, I have travelled to San Francisco, Hawaii, Cannes, Alaska, Hong Kong and China. Physically, I am not as strong as I was before my illness. I get tired more easily, but I am now able to walk several miles and can stand all day to deliver training. I still have discomfort in my pelvis, especially at night and I still have some trouble regulating my digestive system, although, thanks to lots of green vegetables and salads, it is returning to a more normal state. I do intend to fill in some of the time between March and now with more entries, mostly for my own benefit in the future, but unless and until something dramatic happens, I will not be creating any future entries. For the rest of my life, I will remember all of the good wishes and prayers that I have received during my illness. Thank you everyone for contributing to a very special time in my life.