Image of Platelets (purple) via WikipediaHi,
well it was schlep off to Velindre - initially I thought at a sensible time!Well I suppose most people are OK with mornings but I tend to write at night once the phone has died down so I am not very good on mornings!
The appointment for today started out as chemo at 15:00hrs. which seemed perfectly reasonable - no rush to get up, a leisurely shower and when we got around to it a gentle putter down the M4 - OK 32 miles is no big deal but when you start the day feeling dead headed any effort isd so much easier to put off!
Anyway I have to be there at 11:00hrs. for bloods - YES it does take best part of an hour to have them done and then have a coffee whilst we wait, in the canteen (praise be it is very good coffee).
Then saunter over to The CDU cardboard box and check in with the staff to be sure the results are through so we are now running at about 12:00hrs.
No problems as I gather all my various blood checks are seemingly OK - Woopy firstly I have it confirmed they haven't killed me yet with this toxin they are poring into me - SECONDLY I can have my next dose of chemo. I have this, sadly all too rational fear that they may say - Sorry the response on the bloods, or what ever, is wrong we have to stop the chemo!
I wonder if that would be a death sentence!!
Well I'm OK this time although the platelet count is a bit low [Platelets, or thrombocytes (from Greek θρόμβος, "clot" and κύτος, "cell")] - so Lee and I decide to have lunch whilst we wait for the chemo to be made up to the right dose for me in the Pharmacy.
Lunch was actually very good value although eating anything is becoming ever more of an eye watering experience due to the increasingly sore mouth ulcers which are well under way - particularly inside lower lip, inside lower jaw and on either side of my tongue and across the back of the tongue.
I gather this is all part of the fun of chemo! FOR SOME PEOPLE.
Please don't think that if you have been prescribed chemo your symptoms will be the same as mine:
FIRSTLY:
There are many types of chemo and they come in different dosages.
SECONDLY:
Chemo is NOT an exact science and everyone seemingly reacts differently to the drug and the dosage.
So I may well have mouth ulcers whilst another person has hair loss, headaches or nose bleed.
I gather nausea is fairly standard but I've avoided that SO FAR and lethargy is also standard - which explains my feeling tired.
Lunch for me was a generous prawn salad (COOL & just about swallowable!) Lee had an equally generous and well filled baggette (I wish, but the crust would have been like a mouth full of razor blades - the salad was sore enough!).
Pleasant as the canteen is and friendly as the staff and other diners are it is not somewhere I would by choice spend almost 3 hours trying to pass the time!
Well its just gone 14:00hrs so back to CDU.
I just want to say sorry for copping out at times and leaving Lee and friends to cope!
Any help and support YOU can give her will be hugely welcome.
I do make a lousy patient!
.If YOU want to follow my fight against Cancer from when it started and I first presented with symptoms see The TAB just below the Header of this Blog. called >DIARY of Cancer< just click and it will give you a long list of the main events in chronological order.
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Thoughts and comments will be in chronological order in the main blog and can be tracked in the >ARCHIVE< in the Right Sidebar.
You may find the TABS >MEDICAL LINKS< and also >CANCER LINKS< of help.
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YOU are welcome to call me if you believe I can help in ANY way.
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Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins
tel: 01291 - 62 65 62
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