Peter’s Hospital Diary

Well, not really! It is a grey misty morning here in London, as I look out of the room window, past the unglamorous Guy’s Tower (just hiding the famous Gherkin Building) over Southwark Cathedral and towards The City and St Paul’s Cathedral.

The night was punctuated by the usual observations, although the 6 o’clock set seemed to be delayed to 7:30 this morning so a bit of a longer doze before breakfast arrived. I haven’t dwelt much on the food – and I’ll leave that subject for another day, but the dietician has ordered me a cooked breakfast – which sounds nice in practice, but is always a little chilly by the time it arrives. The bacon is fine, the sausage so-so, but the beans are less than appetising!

The routine continues with the blood round (just happened as I was typing) – a process made a lot easier with the Hickman line, and I have discovered that it is a mild day outside, though not in my room which remains at a sub-tropical 27 to 28 C (about the same as the surface water temperature in Ascension Island!) although all room heating is turned off! The chemo should start in about another hour or so, giving me time to do a couple of minutes on the exercise bike the physiotherapists have provided. (Yes, the room is crowded!)

One of today’s tasks is to obtain a 40 Watt light bulb for the over bed light. The lamp was missing in both rooms when I arrived – there doesn’t seem to be one in NHS stores, so if anyone has a spare…!

Yesterday afternoon was pleasantly passed in the company of my parents, who travelled down from Birmingham for the day. They left in the late afternoon and I spent the rest of the evening watching wavy and ghosty TV (must get that Freeview box) and reading.

Thank you for the comments (both posted and by e-mail). We have had some problems with the server, some of which Mark has sorted, so it should be a little more stable, though it is speed limited! I don’t think you have to register to post comments, but the first ones are moderated before they appear.