And another thing

Goathland

So now I am having Angina attacks, well I think it is Angina a couple of trips to Hospital in a week should confirm it. Just seems to be no end to the things going wrong, 52 years without even breaking a bone and now almost every week something else goes wrong.
Typically my last visit to Clatterbridge and bloods were good, blood pressure was good and ECG was good, two days later and I wake in the night with a horrible pressure from my cheeks down through my chest and both arms, after five minutes it had gone and as I am now so used to pains all the time I didn't think much of it until I was out cycling and it started again within a mile, fortunately it stopped quite soon so taking it a bit easy I finished the ride, out walking with some friends on Monday and all was good until we had to walk back up the hill and I couldn't do it, I really thought I was going to have a Heart Attack, my friend had to go and get his car and come back to pick me up. My Doctors Surgery wanted me to go to A & E but the thought of it put me on the edge of panic, fortunately my GP saw me and has prescribed a spray to ease things until I see a specialist. This has come from nowhere and as I spend half my life walking and cycling it has really hit me hard, even having a shower brings on an attack! Exertion and Anxiety seem to be the main triggers, I know my last scans showing the growth in the Cancer hit me hard but it obviously hit me harder than I realised. 

This I am sure sounds like a real cliche, but I am not scared of dying not now after everything I have been through, a bit sad maybe as there are so many things I want to do. I have been out in Liverpool and Manchester the last couple of days, very scary as I can only walk slowly and crowds are a real problem. It is all the complications  that really scares me, what happens if I am unable to get out and about, what if I am confined to bed, what if I collapse in the street and someone steals my camera!! Haha funny how the mind works but that really has been a worry. What has really got to me with this latest problem, is I had my mind set on getting fit and healthy now I have stopped my treatment, then going off to America in the Spring for a big trip and coming back next Summer to face the Cancer, at least fit healthy and with some great memories, but now I don't know.

Cancer

West Kirby

Clatterbridge Hospital this week. It all went wrong yesterday when I managed to turn up a day early, total brain fade as I had the right dates in my phone, but it did give me a chance to have a walk along the Dee Estuary at Hesswall.

Dee Estuary

I should have realised when I woke up this morning with a horrendous stabbing pain below my shoulder blade that today was not going to be a good one. I think I have been expecting bad news from Hospital, Cancer doesn't just go away it can lie dormant and it can be very slow growing but it is always there. My latest CT scan has shown a significant growth in the primary tumor on my Kidney and also several other growths have appeared on it, they were probably always there but now four years later they are showing themselves. Short of saying the Kidney has had it, my Consultant was quite honest, six months or a year and it will have had it.

So what happens next! I have now come off the Clinical Trial, its been nearly two years so enough is enough, I am quite pleased to be drug free and have a chance to get it out of my system. Around Christmas I will have another Scan and at regular intervals my bloods will be checked to see how the Kidney is functioning. Early next year I will have to make a decision on what other treatment I start, not something I am looking forward to as the side effects are pretty horrendous and its debatable if any of the regular treatments do any good. I think it is a case of waiting to see how long the Kidney lasts and then once it is showing signs of failing removing it and going on Dialysis, this could be sometime later next year, but Kidney Cancer is so unpredictable, so who know's.

The thought of having another Severn hour operation to remove the Kidney and all the complications and pain that will come is something that fills me with dread, and on top of that to then have to go on Dialysis gives me no confidence for the future at all, but what is the alternative? 

I feel like I am back to three and half years ago when I left Hospital and there seemed little point in making plans for the future. I am lucky I have survived these past few years pretty well and generally have enjoyed myself, so all I can do is see how I feel when I wake up tomorrow and then just take each day one at a time, right at this moment the pain in my shoulder blades is so bad that I have no reserves of energy to deal with anything else which is maybe just as well.

West Kirby

Pudsey and Bradford

A 9.5 mile walk exploring the old Great Northern Railway lines in Pudsey and Bradford.

I always do this, set of on the train somewhere to have a bit of an explore then end up walking miles and my feet killing me, I am told to take things easy and I really do intend to but it just never quite works out and oh boy do I suffer for it the next day.

The main purpose of this explore was to have a look at Greenside Tunnel in Pudsey, the deep cutting leading to the eastern portal is in the process of being infilled from a neighbouring housing development, fortunately because of the Bats that live in the Tunnel it will not be buried completely, some form of access will be left.

Greenside Tunnel

Greenside Tunnel  west portal

Tyersal House Farm

After walking some of the old railway through Pudsey and having a look in the tunnel I set off walking to Bradford, where I could get a train from Exchange back to Leeds, as you can see I made some new friends along the way, the fella below was on a very high wall and followed me for some while and kept trying to jump down, I did have visions of ending up taking him home with me, I do seem to pick up waifs and strays on my travels. 

Bradford

Rutland St

Everywhere you go there are abandoned buildings and many of them burnt out, it seems to be, if you can't steal it, then destroy it, very sad, I spoke to the owner of this building in Rutland St, he was as bemused by it all as I am.

St Dunstans

Can you imagine living in this house when steam trains were running! This route is the main Bradford Exchange to Leeds line, it is on a very steep 1:49/50 gradient and less than a mile from the station, so for steam engines and their crews it was very hard work, trains often needing two locos and generally doing not much more than 10 mph as they struggled round the curve, the sound would have built to a crescendo as it blasted off the retaining walls and often if the second engine was on the back it would all go quiet for a few moments before the assisting engine blasted round the curve,i'm sure the whole house must have shook, and trains ran all day everyday, the smoke would have stopped anyone opening windows let alone putting washing out. The loco below is just about to turn left at Mill Lane Junction and pass this house.

Mill Lane Junction
c/o Eddie Bobrowski

Bradford Exchange

Bradford Exchange station is a very bleak place today especially on a  wet October afternoon. It is called Interchange now and was moved further down the line from the original site, as happened all over the country the wonderful old station with its huge train sheds was neglected and slowly fell apart so it made it very easy for the city planners to have it demolished and this afterthought of a station built in its place.

I found out later that evening  that the photograph above which was  taken at 16.10 on 1st October 2017 by pure coincidence was taken 50 years almost to the minute after the last steam train left Bradford Exchange for Leeds, which departed at 16.18 1st October 1967.

16.18 to Leeds
c/o Eddie Bobrowski