Sunday 17 February 2008

Last Chemo 12th to 17th Feb

I have been admitted initially to the BMT unit on the same terms as Ward 62 If I am up to it then I will be allowed out. This presents a bit of a run around for my parents. As I can potentially finish the morning treatments by 10:15, then have the entire day free until the 3:00 treatment where timings are a little more unpredictable. I can be finished by 4:00 if no delays have built up, however it seems usual for one of the machines to breakdown or the sheer volume of users just causes everything to come to a halt. Also they won’t work Sundays but will work Saturdays? I get the Sunday off all treatment as a result.

Radiotherapy starts on schedule on Saturday. Once you are lead into the radiotherapy room and stripped off and attached to sensors you are made to lie in position by the doctors. Once again all my trust is placed with the doctors who made the dosage calculations.

Mondays afternoon session the is a long delay. The is a little girl. She lightens the atmosphere playing in the waiting area. However when she goes into treatment you can hear the screaming even through the extra thick walls.

The Treatment goes smoothly enough. However the were a few unforeseen surprises. You can feel the radiowaves scanning up and down making each hair stand on end. This tingling continues up the next and across the eyes. The first time I decide to keep my eyes open the first time. I feel the tingling sensation buy shut my eyes the second time. It lights up my eyelids like a torch at close range. In my 3rd session these tingling feelings develop into involuntary twitches.



One last treatment before the transplant that is Chemotherapy. Possibly my last ever session Of Chemo, just as before it will treat the whole of my body but this will be far more intense, designed to kill off any remaining stem cells. Side effects are almost instant. I’d able to get out the hospital up until now. I was tired, appetite gone, no energy in my limbs.. I was now stuck in the BMT unit ..

Monday 11 February 2008

COUNTDOWN (4th - 11th Feb)

I am finally due to leave Ward 62 moving on to the bone marrow transplant unit (BMT). I have been a inpatient in Ward 62 since November. I have been through alot on this ward and all the staff have been fantastic in looking after me. Some of their jobs I could never do, yet you never hear them complain they just get on with it. On top of this they manage to keep a cheerful atmosphere that makes life so much easier as a patient. As I leave the ward each nurse wishes me good luck for the transplant.

At the moment my blood counts are better than when I was admitted. I have managed to put on a small amount of weight so am as ready as I'll ever be for the next stage of treatment. On this note I book into the BMT unit for the first time on Friday afternoon. I am due to be given some very expensive drugs. I am assigned a small corner room that will be mine for the next week. The rooms are better equipped than ward 62's with DVD players and radios. I settle in and wait around for doctors to see me then for the drugs to be administered. I end up been stuck in hospital for the majority of the Friday and hope that this does not happen over the weekend otherwise I'll be watching the 6nations in hospital.

I was home by lunchtime both Saturday and Sunday, as the nurses knew I was wanting to watch the rugby they did not hang about. Thats all I'm going to say about the rugby as Scotland's campaign falls apart.

It all kicks off tomorrow. Radiotherapy starts at 9:00 followed up at 3:00. While I want to move on with the treatment I am starting to get a little nervous. However I accidentally bump into a old friend in the BMT unit. They had gone through the transplant and were recovering. Thats where I want to be in 5 weeks time. Just have to remember the end goal is in sight, but like Everest the last push may be the hardest part. Wish me luck for the next week.

Lastly I have added some links on the right of the page. These are for friends who have decided to raise money for various Leukaemia charitys. Thank you to all of you.

Ian & Matt: Cycling the Tour De France
Dean: Running Bath Half Marathon as Snow White
Ben & Liz: Running Bath Half Marathon (Ben aiming for 1hr 45 Liz aiming for sub 2hr)

Sunday 3 February 2008

Microwave 28th Jan to 3rd Feb

All of the nurses and most of my visitors have been saying how well I look. Also the doctors are going to let me go home on Thursday and before this they are going to let me head home for the afternoons... I want as much time out of hospital before I am put into isolation.

To let me go home I need to be taken off some of the antibiotics. My blood test results and observation checks all have indicated the is no infection so my last dose is due Wednesday. I will still remain on some antibiotics but I'm going to be taught how to self administrate these. On Monday I start lessons on how to do this. I have to learn how to prepare the drugs as well as the routine to inject into my line. The injecting into my line I have seen many times before and am fairly confident I can do. However the preparation of drugs has always been done out of sight and if I mix things wrong then I will end up doing myself alot of harm.

I need to do these injections 3 times a day. I practice as much as possible with the nurses help by Wednesday I'm given the all clear to head home and inject myself. The physio needs to give me the all clear as well. She visits on Wednesday, the concern is can I get up & down stairs.. I'm taken to a stairwell and swiftly climbed up and descended down without help from the physio. I am still hobbling and legs are weak but its not going to stop me going home.

I get to Thursday and am all ready to go. I am woken early and am told I'm going for a Radiotherapy session. Its the first I know about it. I imagine its going to be a claustrophobic container which I have to remain still in for a few hours, for all I know it could be like a microwave with me on a revolving plate in the middle.

I am measured and weighed then I am fitted with a very stylish tight string vest. Padding is fitted around my neck and put between my legs. This is to ensure a uniform dose of radiation throughout my body. Senses are placed across my body and the bed I am in is lined up against a wall. The machine that treats me is around 5 metres away on the opposite side of the room. A green light is projected from the machine, it forms a green light around the bed. Nurses perform a bit of a chuckle brother routine of "to me.. to you" getting me in the right position. Everyone then leaves the room and the machine buzzes to life, the initial noise dies down and the is music in the background. I have to lie completely still until the nurses return. This is only a few minutes however this is just a test session next week I will have to stay still for 2 hours at a time when the sessions start properly in the build up to transplant. This will be twice a day for 4 days.

Despite been allowed home I still have to go into hospital. Friday is very hectic. I have a ultrasound and lung function test in the morning, followed by a visit to the bone marrow transplant unit. The bone marrow transplant unit is fairly new, rooms are about the same size as ward 62's but have a more ikea atmosphere than hospital. I get to ask a few questions and I get a nice surprise. The 100 days which I believed I was in isolation was wrong.. It is 5-6 weeks isolation!!

Once released then I am free for the weekend and the 6Nations. I am confident in Scotland, this might be the year they could win the 6Nations. Ireland vs Italy was boring but in contrast England vs Wales was one of the most bizarre games I have ever seen. England handed Wales victory on a plate. This lost me my bet on the weekends results. My bet also counted on Scotland beating France. Scotland disappointed and France took advantage. None of my bets in the world cup came off and the first round of 6nations follows this pattern.

I am now on countdown until treatment starts. I have 1 week left and hopefully I will spend most of it at home. I just want to get on with the treatment now, although its a little strange looking forward to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Thanks to all those who visited this week I hope to see more of you before isolation.

Cheers

Robbie