A blog for food lovers (Part 9)

Not only that, but salad was expressly forbidden!

It was like a dream come true.

When finally discharged I had the most amazing shop at a supermarket in my life. Everything that was normally off-limits was now fair game. Into the trolley went jam doughnuts, Danish pastries, huge multi-packs of crisps, cheesecakes and plenty of meat.

I would eat a fried breakfast nearly every morning. The scale of some of them was immense; verging on the obscene. One morning I polished off three sausages, three pieces of bacon, three slices of black pudding, a tin of baked beans and toast.

I'm not going to lie to you, it was amazing, and well worth every drop of the ensuing meat sweats.

Some people find that after chemotherapy they are tired and it can take many months to recover fully. For me I felt fine and, determined to put some bulk back on, I began a regime of light exercise.

I was soon able to run a reasonable distance, very slowly, but it felt great being active again. Each morning I would do a routine of push ups and sit ups and it drove me to get focussed on what lay ahead.

My time out was spent with friends and family and just resting at home. Everyone was brilliant to me and everywhere I went I would be fed up on roast dinners and unhealthy puddings.

You forget just how many little things you take for granted, like sleeping in your own bed or making a cup of tea for yourself whenever you like. I even recall having an unusual sense of enjoyment while doing my first load of washing up- this buzz quickly faded.

Going back in was something I was not looking forward to but the break was crucial. It allows you to recharge your batteries and prepare yourself for the next step. Oh, and I managed to put on nearly 5kg!