Peter's Hospital Diary

Never let it be said that we are not a nation of Tea drinkers! This bag was picked up at Makro at the weekend, and is my contribution towards the tea and coffee fund in the office!

Apart from that little excursion it was a quiet weekend – I drove back on Friday, did the shopping on Saturday and then had another quiet day on Sunday before driving back. I was in Bristol yesterday and today – a very early start this morning – not helped by the noticeably colder weather. It was freezing as I drove back to the flat, so I hope there isn’t too much of a frost on the car tomorrow.

I have felt a little under the weather for the last couple of days, nothing serious, and probably because I was quite cold on Sunday evening. Although I leave the heating on at a low level while I am away, the flat still feels chilly on my return. I think I might leave the heating on this evening.

But generally things are ticking over, so… Onwards and Upwards!

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The snow was pretty much washed away by the rain on Friday night and Saturday morning, but Sunday was quite a pleasant dry day – time to get out and do a bit of outside stuff.

However Monday brought a trip up to London for another round of ECP, which went well, and the bonus was meeting up with Simon for a few long over-due beers and a chat. A great evening, Simon looking well (but bald and – well – polished ).

It seems the rooms in the hospital ‘hostel’ have two heat settings – off and full blast. Last night was full blast, although I managed a reasonable night’s sleep, in spite of the sirens and traffic noise.

The second session of ECP was uneventful, and on completion I grabbed my notes to nip over to the haematology clinic for my 4 monthly check-up. (It should have been next week, but I moved it to coincide with the ECP)..For about the first time ever – no bloods! They had been taken the day before by the ECP team).

I had a quick chat with Rachel (dietician) who was pleased to see that my weight had increased to just under 11 1/2 stone (73Kg), but my grip strength was much lower, which is probably the result of the infection I had over Christmas. We did have a chat about diet – it seems that chemo/transplants may have a long term effect on metabolism, although there is little data on it. These things are coming to light now as survival rates are improving. So it looks as if I shall be having some cholesterol checks as part of the long term follow up!

My next stop was with the Doctor, and an old friend, Matthew, who helped look after me during my second (self donated) transplant in 2004. He had been away doing research and other things, but now back at Guy’s. It was good to see him, and hie seemed equally pleased to see me after yet another transplant.

I have had some concerns in the last few weeks. I had the bad cold over Christmas, with aches and at one point I was a bit concerned about my glands. I have also been waking up at night feeling very hot “night sweats” which is also worrying, although with the cold weather, I have had the heating on higher than normal.

But I had a very thorough check up, nothing abnormal physically, and the blood results (including LDH – a cancer marker) were all normal – in fact it looked as if my kidney function might be a bit better). The conclusion was that it was all linked with a viral infection – possibly mild swine ‘flu (even though I had the vaccine) So I was quite relieved!

Still, I need to remain vigilant, and he pointed out that it is easy to arrange a scan if required if I am concerned. So I will see if the night overheating subsides once I get back to my routine.

So… Onwards and upwards!

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It did seem as if the cold weather heralded the end of the world – local shops ran out of milk, bread and vegetables – fortunately I was OK as I had stocked up earlier! (Only joking ) But the snow was quite pretty, and the children built this large snowman in the back garden. However the thaw was starting as I drove back to Corsham – only to be lulled into a false sense of security as the second wave of snow fell on Tuesday night, which made driving the two miles to work ‘interesting’ in the morning. However that has now all but gone, although the warm wet Atlantic air is causing quite dense fog patches as it meets the cold air from the ground, so the drive home was interesting.

However, perhaps the most significant items of the week are the fourth anniversary of my transplant (last Sunday) and Olivia’s third birthday today! Happy Birthday Olivia!

Onwards and Upwards!

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The snow fell, although not in the same quantities as other parts of the country, but enough to cause panic buying of milk and bread at the local supermarket, and getting to work a little tricky. If anything, this morning was harder as the temperature was -7 when I eventually got into the car, and a colleague reported -14 at his house about 8 miles away. However the countryside did look pretty!

It was getting cold again tonight as I left work (and it has been clear skies all day) so I hope the roads are OK for my trip back home tomorrow. Still, a pair of boots, a couple of fleeces and other warm clothes – just in case – and I hope I’ll be OK!

Onwards and upwards!

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I an back at work again after a couple of check-ups at St Thomas’s yesterday. The opthalmologists diagnosed dry eyes (and a very low level infection) so I have to artificila tears for use when needed. The dermatologists are very pleased with my progress, and I will carry on with the ECP at six weekly intervals. And that, as they say, was that!

I drove back to Corsham last night – it was -6C when I left home, rose to -3C on the journey, but wqas back at -6C when I arrived! I was very glad I left the heating on (at a low level) while I was away – the flat wasn’t too cold! And the air is quite dry now, so the car was pretty much free from frost this morning.

Today has seen a few flurries of snow, and the sky is looking quite leaden (and it has just started snowing again) so we shall see what tomorrow brings!

Onwards and Upwards!

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And a very Happy New Year to you all!

We have had a relaxing day today (well, this afternoon) after a party last night. We had a small gathering (about 26) to see in 2010, finishing at about 1:30, and had a little clearing up to do this morning – returning sound systems (Thank you Mark, sorry, neighbours (well, those that didn’t attend!)), taking down tentage (a small gazebo with a large space heater – thank you Katie, Chris and others) and disposing of the debris!

It has been a good week. After the festivities of Christmas, we had various cousins visiting on the 30th, and then into preparations for last night.

I still have a couple of days of holiday left, but I will be in London for check ups on Monday, and then driving up to Corsham on Monday evening.

So as we enter 2010 – onwards and upwards!

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