I was rather late going into the Centre as I stopped off to see Iona at the Nursery, I did not get to the Centre until 5.30pm. Isobel was fast asleep but her tea had just been delivered and the young carer was seeking assistance to wake Isobel. She woke instantly for me.

Isobel ate the first course, eggs and tomatoes, steadily without any problems. She ate the second course, yogurt, fairly easily. We were part way through a beaker of fruit juice when a nurse arrived with some surprising news.

Isobel had had monthly weighing today and was found to have lost 5kg. This is surprising as her clothes have been noticed to be tighter on her and a couple of weeks ago I brought in some larger clothes to counteract this problem. On the one hand there is the energy demanded by the tumour for growth which if all other factors were equal would reduce the energy from meals available for normal body maintenance, on the other hand the increased steroid dose is expected to cause some bloating. Isobel certainly looks larger in the body since Christmas. She was examined by the doctor this afternoon and he decided the pots of balanced supplement should be eaten more regularly at the rate of three pots a day in addition to the normal meals.

I must say I found the idea that Isobel had lost significant weight a surprise. It is not that weight loss itself would be unexpected, just that her appetite and appearance did not suggest there was any possibility of weight loss, rather the reverse. Anyway, Isobel finished the juice and ate a pot of chocolate flavoured balanced supplement very well. She seemed a little better than usual after and while we talked she was able to make a few one word replies.

Isobel fell asleep at about ten to seven after the nurses had changed her for the night. I sat with her for a while until the last medication was brought round, I helped her drink this. Over today as a whole she has drunk a very impressive amount of liquid - there have been a few days when we have struggled to get an acceptable amount into her. I massaged and manipulated her right arm which is still in good condition, not very swollen at all. We talked until Isobel fell asleep again. I left at twenty past eight.