I remember in July 2010 sprinting through King's Cross station – with Mariacristina not far behind me – and reaching our train to Edinburgh for my sister's wedding just as the conductor was walking towards us down the platform slamming the doors shut. We had no plan B, so had we arrived a few seconds … Continue reading Something definite this way comes
Game and first set
The memory of Jana Novotna crying on the Duchess of Kent's shoulder after throwing away the Wimbledon title in 1993 to Steffi Graf prior is so fiercely seared in my brain that I'd forgotten she went on to win it in 1998. I remember barely being able to watch as the underdog comprehensively lost her position … Continue reading Game and first set
The marvels of medicine (but still no neutrophils)
Today, my doctors inform me that my neutrophils are still 0.0, the infection indicators have reached a 'normal' level (but are still apparent), my haemoglobin is 100 (normal is 130-180) and my platelets are 32 (normal is 150-450). White blood cells are at 0.3 (normal is 4-11) and lymphocytes are the only white blood cells … Continue reading The marvels of medicine (but still no neutrophils)
A foolish bet
Mariacristina has always claimed to have a sixth sense – a premonition of how things are going to turn out. And I'll admit that on a number of occasions, her 'feelings' have turned out to be right, often contrary to my expectations. However, it's much easier to notice and remember the successful predictions, and I'm … Continue reading A foolish bet
A cocktail of defences
I've mentioned before that I have a variety of anti-this and anti-that drugs to protect me while my immune system is down, but that was a bit generic. So, in all its glory, here's the list of what I'm currently getting (as far as I remember): Aciclovir – anti-viral, like, erm, Norton Anti-Virus, though in … Continue reading A cocktail of defences
On the balance of probabilities
88.2% of statistics are made up on the spot (Vic Reeves) Imagine a parallel world, where estate agents are truthful and reliable. In such a world, Mariacristina and I were incredibly close to getting the beautiful house we now own for a considerably lower price than we ended up paying. Having had our first bid … Continue reading On the balance of probabilities
The English patient’s patience
Patience is a virtue; virtue is a grace. Grace is a little girl who doesn't wash her face There's a remarkable phenomenon regarding our microwave at our home in Streatham: like most microwaves, it usually displays the time, but on a fairly regular basis I find the time has been replaced with a single number … Continue reading The English patient’s patience
God bless the NHS
The other day, one of the lovely nurses appeared at my door to ask whether I wanted a cup of tea, or coffee, or anything else. Always – and usually unnecessarily – reluctant to put someone else out, I scrunched up my face so it would say 'I'm really sorry to ask this' and requested … Continue reading God bless the NHS
The trouble with anticipation
As far as I remember, my very first bone marrow biopsy took place on the evening of 31st October 2005, an ambush manoeuvre not long after I arrived at St George's for the first time. It's not the most comfortable procedure, and it quickly went to the top of my list of least favourite medical … Continue reading The trouble with anticipation
The waiting game
It's been over a week since I finished the chemotherapy, and in terms of treatment – from my immediate standpoint – there isn't much to report medically. My white blood cell count is still right down, and while it remains there, there's nothing much to be done apart from wait for it to come back … Continue reading The waiting game