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 …

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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 …

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 …

Calm Before The Storm

It's a little weird being here in hospital. Although I am not well (obviously) I am not feeling really ill. So whilst they monitor and measure I remain for now in relatively good health. My neutrophils remain high, so for now my body remains protected from the environment around me. I do know for certain …

Day 0/1

Today has been busy, after a quieter morning. I managed to get reasonable sleep in spite of regular trips to the loo, due to the diuretics. They were worried I was retaining too much water, but the body is a complex organism and getting the balance is difficult. In recent days they have increased my …

Day Zero – Part 2 (Update)

As ever things are slightly different to expectations. The general guide to this treatment quoted this morning is modified here in Nottingham. The procedure itself will start at 4pm and not 3pm as originally written. I will be given Piriton and Hydrocortisone to prevent any allergic reaction to the DMSO The stem cells will be …

Day Zero

Day zero is the name given to the day of your stem cell transplant. This will happen this afternoon, 48 hours exactly after my chemotherapy took place. The extra day has been to allow my kidney time to flush the Melphalan out of my body, so it won't kill the newly introduced stem cells. I …

Poison Remedy Playlist

A series of tracks from my iTunes on the theme of poison and remedy (incorporating pill disease and cure). It's an eclectic mix ranging from the 80's new wave bands ABC and Depeche Mode , alternative 80's band The Cure (with a suitably titled song In Between Days as I'm between Chemotherapy and Stem Cell …

Noises in the Night

Tick, click, whoooooooo The clock The drip The air filtration unit It's constant, rhythmic noise Not easy to sleep with all this racket Whoooooooo, Tick, Click, Whoooooooo Whoooooooo, Tick, Click, Whoooooooo Whoooooooo, Tick, Click, Whoooooooo Tick The clock marking time Tick Reminding me that it's late Tick Counting the seconds Tick One by one Click …

Kidney Matters

This afternoon I met with the kidney consultant. His aim was firstly to assess me ahead of any potential chemotherapy/stem cell treatment in order to determine whether I needed dialysis first. Secondly to answer questions about the way forward. There are a number of different scenarios but before I delve into each one the answer …

On My Way

The call came in at 2:15pm. Thankfully It didn't go off this morning in church so at least I got to go. I'm off to Nottingham. The day I have been waiting for for several months has come one day early. It's a two hour journey to Nottingham, but a bed is available and they …

Feeling Messed About

A phone call at 5pm last night has left me feeling a little messed about. The call from my consultant at Nottingham was to inform me that when I go in on Sunday or Monday they will not after all perform the chemotherapy. Instead Renal will look at my kidney to determine whether I will …