When I reached a point in my leukaemia treatment the first time around where I was able to get out and about and look to start working again, going back to my old job at Literary Review wasn't going to work out very well, not least because my replacement was doing fabulously and resources at the magazine were limited. In addition, … Continue reading Days +17 to +19: On parole
Day +14 (and +13): Selective memory
While browsing a forum for stem cell transplant patients, I was fascinated to read about one woman who has absolutely no memory of her transplant or the days before and after the procedure. She was looking for reassurance that there was nothing untoward in her lack of memory, particularly given the detailed stories being recounted by … Continue reading Day +14 (and +13): Selective memory
Day +8: Ice cream, cars and mucositis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri2YxP-lR24 A quick summary of the video, for those who can't (or can't be bothered to) watch it: Hello... Day +8... no biblical plagues... mucositis worsening... hard to swallow... soup and ice cream... palatial room... opposite nurses station... night-time chatter... good for gossip... getting farther away from Day +0... hopefully engraftment soon... earliest would be Day +10... … Continue reading Day +8: Ice cream, cars and mucositis
Day +7: Blood arrives with the plagues of Egypt
I'm not sure whether it's something I've provoked, but there's been a run of events over the past few days that have started to resemble the plagues of Egypt, which is slightly concerning considering the originals included frogs, dead livestock and the massacre of the first-borns. We're not quite at that level, fortunately, but it's a … Continue reading Day +7: Blood arrives with the plagues of Egypt
Day +1: Post-transplant-party wanderings
When I mentioned to the doctor this morning that I had been a bit slow in getting out of bed this morning, she said it was no surprise, as the empty bottle of bubbly (elderflower pressé), huge balloon behind my bed, party hats stuck to the wall and party streamers scattered across the room showed we'd … Continue reading Day +1: Post-transplant-party wanderings
A sting in the tail… or two
Headlines first: I've finished this phase; I'm home again after a couple of inpatient stays (in different hospitals); I'm no longer neutropaenic; and my care has gone back to St George's, where I'll need another bone marrow biopsy to confirm how successfully the MARALL trial cleared out the leukaemic cells. After my last post, you … Continue reading A sting in the tail… or two
A very special Christmas – best wishes to everyone!
HAPPY CHRISTMAS! I'll not be going out (except perhaps for a walk on Streatham Common, during which I'll be making people wonder what they've done wrong when I change my course to avoid them, or cover my mouth and nose when they approach) for at least the next few days. Instead we'll be enjoying our first Christmas … Continue reading A very special Christmas – best wishes to everyone!
Blood count: the slide begins
Who better to introduce a post about blood counts than everybody's favourite counting count, Count von Count? Unfortunately we might end up having to leave him behind, though, as I'm not sure he ever got as far as decimals... As you probably already know, the good news is that I've now finished this protocol and … Continue reading Blood count: the slide begins
This is Hardcore
Well, they said it was going to be intensive, and they definitely weren't joking. I've not managed to blog for a few days because the chemo really wiped out my energy levels. The good news is that I was given some blood last night and am receiving some more now, boosting my haemoglobin and therefore … Continue reading This is Hardcore