Well, well, well. No sooner have I finally escaped hospital after Consolidation 3, than Consolidation 4 kicks off, and flashes by in the blink of an eyelid. Fortunately it was as an outpatient. I started a week ago Tuesday, and finished on Saturday. This is particularly exciting as Cons 4 is the last phase before Maintenance, when things get much easier. The doctor was expecting to haul me in on Monday or Tuesday of this week, but yesterday my blood counts were still good: neuts 2, haemoglobin 10.7, WBC 3.7, and platelets 172. I was a bit surprised, because the neuts had seemed to be dropping fairly quickly, but I’m not complaining. I’m back to St George’s on Friday to have blood tested again.
Meanwhile, I’ve not made it home yet since the end of Cons 3, and have been abusing various lovely people’s hospitality as usual. I also made it to Ali’s birthday, which was lovely, particularly as I knew quite a few of the people from her last party. And on Saturday, I was in Blackheath to celebrate Floyd (2 years in remission from CML, another type of leukaemia)’s 40th birthday, during which we enjoyed the most expensive fireworks display in the UK. No, Floyd’s not a billionaire (though he is the bassist for top 80s group ‘The Almighty’) – the fireworks were a public display on the heath.
Also there was another leukaemia friend, Milton, on whose messageboard for leukaemia sufferers and carers I’m a regular, and have made some good friends. He came with his wife, Bridget, who was interested to hear my ‘bacon sandwich beats leukaemia’ philosophy, because she’s been reading Erckhardt Tolle (sp?)’s ‘Power of Now’, which explains that most people are insane, because they live in the past or the future. I feel that if I’m eating a bacon sandwich, for example, I’m happy, and it doesn’t make a difference whether I have leukaemia or not… According to Bridget, I’m living the Power of Now naturally! It’s nice to have a bestselling philosopher backing me up.
Great, continue with those bacon sarnies!
Glad all is good with you.
Lots of love and hugs, Ellie xxx
One year is a good start. My father was diagnosed with cancer when he was 46 years old, as I was just starting university, and lived to the age of 76. He started a third career at 62 (he was already on his second, having shifted his life — and ours — at 40), and had time to see his granddaughter (my girl, whose mother I didn’t meet until I was in graduate school) start university. Younger patients can survive even longer. I’m just waiting for you to go back to work and become a force in the world of English Literature; that’s why I started reading your blog. Go, kid.
Great to hear all your news and know that you are doing well…we often think of you and would love you to come over and stay with us again. Lots of love a and p and jasperx