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 +6: Uncertain manoeuvres and the flu
Once Mariacristina and I had ridden the first bumps in our relationship and come out stronger than ever, the question arose as to where we were going to live once she finished her studies. After all the challenges we'd faced in the first year or two, it was no longer suitable to stay in different countries … Continue reading Day +6: Uncertain manoeuvres and the flu
Day +5: Ups and downs
It's been a tougher day in many ways, but there have been some great moments, too... First of all – wonderful Jimmi Jamms from the lovely people at sustainable charity AfriKids, which inspired and guided Mariacristina when she spent six months as an intern there back in 2009. The pyjamas, produced by tailors and seamstresses in the … Continue reading Day +5: Ups and downs
Day +4: A flying guide to anticipating side-effects
My brother-in-law Duncan has a grand passion for creatures of all shapes and sizes, and his talent for and love of birdwatching have resulted in his spending many a cold, wet morning peering through binoculars to spot and count his feathered friends. Fortunately the cold, wet mornings are fewer now he lives in Malaysia rather than Scotland. When … Continue reading Day +4: A flying guide to anticipating side-effects
Day +3: Hospital life gets more revealing
I've mentioned before that when I am at my most tired, Mariacristina says I don't look tired at all. "I am tired!" I want to protest, just as I want to tell people I really am an inpatient when they see me step out of a wheelchair to try to negotiate my return to the ward. … Continue reading Day +3: Hospital life gets more revealing
Day +2: Chauffeur-driven service
It's probably my fault for being just too British and hesitant to kick up a fuss, but I often end up being wheeled down to scans etc in a chair, despite my continuing ability and desire to walk using my own two legs. The problem is, once a porter has made the effort to locate first a … Continue reading Day +2: Chauffeur-driven service
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
Chicken legs and fizzing fingers
I turned to Mariacristina. "You know, cuore," I said. She raised an eyebrow, perhaps aware of the imminent musical plagiarism to which she was about to be subjected. "I would walk 500 miles..." I began. "Not with those chicken legs, you wouldn't," she replied. It was a fair point. One of the consequences of the … Continue reading Chicken legs and fizzing fingers
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
The weight of relatively minor inconveniences
The most concerning moment in my initial treatment for leukaemia back in 2005/2006 came when I managed to pick up an e-coli bug while neutropaenic and was rushed to the Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU), where I was rapidly filled with blood, plasma, antibiotics, tubes and anything else anyone could think of that might help me … Continue reading The weight of relatively minor inconveniences