Time Waster

Today was a bit of an anti-climax. I was scheduled to visit the Renal department at Lincoln County Hospital to look at the options for dialysis, should the need arise. Though this is something I am hoping will not happen I nonetheless thought it best to be informed. I arrived at 9.40 and was seen …

Still Here!

It has been a fortnight since I left hospital and for now I remain in Lincoln. The plan however is to return to MK at the weekend and transfer medically to that region. Life has been somewhat mundane and little has happened. Time has blurred. I have been on several walks in the local nature …

So Irritating

It's just over a week since I was released from hospital. It has been great to be out. After the excitement of the trip to A&E last weekend the rest of the week was uneventful as my temperature returned to normal. On Thursday I visited my consultant back in Lincoln. She was very pleased with …

Changing Tastes

One of the strangest outcomes of my recent chemotherapy is the effect upon my appetite and tastes. This maybe partly due to the hospital food, which was not particularly appetising. However, during my most neutropenic period I lost all desire for food. One of the effects of the Melphalan is to strip the lining of …

A Trip to A&E

It had been a good day. Anita and my daughter had been up to visit and we'd had a nice walk around Whisby Nature Reserve. I was feeling tired but good. Glad to be out. At about 8pm I began to feel nauseous and sadly emptied my stomach. Taking my temperature, it was 38.3°C. I …

Why Lincoln?

I was released from hospital a day earlier than expected and given transport back to Lincoln. It is here I will be staying for the coming few weeks as I recuperate. Lincoln is my family home. It is also the UK hospital where I was first diagnosed and treated for Myeloma. When my wife (Anita)  …

Out

It was quite a surprise to be visited by the Professor (senior consultant) this morning and told I was leaving today. All week long the plan has been that Anita would pick me up Saturday and take me to Mum's in Lincoln. This had been agreed with doctors and nurses. I want to leave but …

For the Chop

In just three days I have lost most of my hair. The speed of this had perhaps been the most surprising thing to have happened in the whole treatment process. Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Though it will eventually grow back, there will be a substantial period of baldness or partial baldness for as much as …

Transfusion

The featured image shows my room from the outside. The long thin widows nearest to the grey tiled building are mine. As my neutrophils have continued to rise up to 0.6 at last count. The engrafted stem cells developing into neutrophils, red blood cells and platelets among other things. I have also had GCSF injections …

Night Light

Could you sleep in a room which was as brightly lit as this? I imagine not. Yet this is what I'm supposed to do tonight. Some bright spark electrician decided to 'fix' the lighting this afternoon, The result, one of my lights does not go off. In truth that's not completely true. It does go …

Hair Loss

My head has been itchy for the last few hours. It was a little disconcerting to look down at the keyboard this morning and find lots of hairs. This is consistent with the Melphalan chemotherapy I have had, occurring 7-14 days after treatment. It may be that I lose all my hair or that it …

Progress

The doctor came to see me this morning. My white blood cells on the way up, having been 0.1 for days it is now up to 0.2. This is a small change but the pattern is usually exponential and can be expected to rise rapidly in the next 48 hours . They are even suggesting …

Hot and Cold

As I reach the bottom of the neutropenia curve, I am experiencing temperature fluctuations. Although generally I feel cold I have actually had a temperature of 38°C or above on a couple of occasions in the past two nights. This has required urgent action. Last night at 1am I was having blood extracted for culture …

Ups and downs

This past 24 hours I have started to feel more unwell. This has mainly been a low level nausea and an accompanying headache. I have completely lost my appetite and find it particularly hard to eat any form of meat. I have been given anti- sickness and anti-diarrhoea medicines which has helped. My mouth and …

Neutropenic

I am now neutropenic. This means that there has been a significant drop in the number of neutrophils in my blood stream. Neutrophils are a particular type of white blood cell which are used as part of the bodies immune system. The neutrophils contain sacks of enzymes which digest microorganisms. The effect of the Melphalan …