As much as I love the idea, I am unlikely to ever be one of those extraordinary, rule-breaking innovators who turns the world upside down by rejecting the regulations in front of him and ploughing his own controversial, inventive furrow. Those who have known me for a while are unlikely to be surprised at this; … Continue reading The benefits of good behaviour
Wipeout
Well, that was quick. A mere three days ago, I wasn't even neutropaenic. Now I have 0.0 neutrophils (neutropaenic is below 1.0), and a lack of white blood cells to match (0.1, compared to a normal range of 4-11). Platelets are way down, too, at 12 (normal is 150-450). All to be expected if you … Continue reading Wipeout
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
L’intensità…
(Il mio post in inglese tradotto e modificato da Mariacristina, con il suo talento, stile e senso d'umorismo... e un po' di monelleria) Dicevano che sarebbe stato un trattamento intenso. Non mentivano! Non sono riuscito a scrivere sul mio blog per un paio di giorni perche' non ho energie e mi sento molto stanco. Per ovviare … Continue reading L’intensità…
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
Days 2/3… / Giorni 2/3…
So! Allora! Last night was a late one after all, as the Cytarabine couldn't start until four hours after the Fludarabine had finished, and then was dripped in over another four hours, finishing somewhere near 2am. But Day 2 was then complete, and at least the Fludarabine only took 30min! I've been feeling sleepy today, … Continue reading Days 2/3… / Giorni 2/3…
Hormone, Hickman and, er, cHemo
PER GLI ITALIANI: ho iniziato il trattamento e ricevuto la prima chemioterapia, attraverso il mio nuovo Hickman line! Provero' di scriverne di piu' dopo... Hormone Yesterday was Day 1 of treatment, meaning I got my first G-CSF (a growth hormone to encourage the immature lymphoblasts to get out and about into the bloodstream and into … Continue reading Hormone, Hickman and, er, cHemo
Slow progress / avanzamento lento
THANK YOU! The response Mariacristina and I have had from friends, relatives and people we'd been trying to shake off for years has been overwhelming (in a hugely positive way); thank you all so much for your kindness, generosity, support and love. It means more than you can imagine. GRAZIE! La risposta che io e … Continue reading Slow progress / avanzamento lento
Cosa sta succedendo?
Vi devo chiedere scusa -- ieri ho scritto un messaggio interamente in inglese per spiegare la storia del mio ritorno in ospedale, e solo ora sto aggiugendo l'equivalente in italiano! Sfortunatamente scrivo piu' lentamente in italiano. Allora... Cos'e' successo? Inizialmente, in 2005 sono stato diagnosticato con la leucemia acuta linfoblastica (acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, ALL); ho … Continue reading Cosa sta succedendo?
What’s going on? Leukaemia? Eh?
My first post was a bit abrupt and didn't really explain very much, and having forgotten that I'd linked the blog to Facebook, I realise it will have left lots of people wondering what's going on. Much as I might love to cultivate an air of mystery, this probably isn't the time or place, so... … Continue reading What’s going on? Leukaemia? Eh?