Peter’s Hospital Diary

Off for PET scan number 22! (I had to go back over some previous posts to check - and they were interesting - and scary - reading!) Sadly Margaret, the centre manager, was away, but the procedure is pretty routine - injection of the tracer, rest for 90 minutes, then under the scanner. One thing I did notice was that I was unable to lift my arms up over my head which is the usual ‘pose’ for the scan. This was tangible proof of some loss of mobility, however having my arms by my side was a lot more comfortable.

I have been suffering from a bit of a cold and a sore throat, so before the scan I rang the day unit at Guy’s to see if I should go over. However my notes are at St Thomas’s at the moment, so I was advised to go up to the day unit at St Thomas’s. It was quite pleasant going back as all my initial treatment was there, and I saw Debbie, one of the nurses who looked after me on Samaritan ward. Sadly all haemotolgy is moving to Guy’s and the day unit will be closing. It isn’t in a very good location as it is surrounded by laboratories, and the consulting facilities are limited - but the views are good! I was seen by a new (to me) Doctor, Jenny, who pronounced my lungs clear, but prescribed some Co-Amoxiclav (an antibiotic) as a precaution.

So a quick trip to pharmacy and I was on my way home. Now I have left the Navy, I pay all my travel and prescription costs - so first thing this morning I was buying a railcard, and I am looking at the pre-payment certificates for medicines!

I expect to get the results on my next routine visit - unless there is anything untoward, when I expect i will get a phone call!

But in the best traditions… Onwards and Upwards!

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Well I had thought that things would be quite quiet - but far from it! The main focus has been on looking for some gainful employment, and I have had a couple of commissions for some computer stuff. Small beer, but its a start, although at the moment I am really looking for some short term contract work in the IT field. I have also had a touch of laryngitis and a bit of a cold, which now seems to be subsiding!

I spent a short weekend with my parents, and went to a school reunion dinner. My year was under-represented (just me!) but there were several people from other years that I know, so it was a pleasant evening, and good to see Mum and Dad.

And that is it! Tomorrow I am off to London for the PET scan, I think number 22! If time allows, I may pop into the haematology day centre just to tell them about the cold, but I think it is clearing up on its own.

So - Onwards and upwards!

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Today is the last day of my terminal leave from the Royal Navy. Strange to think that tomorrow I will be a civilian! But is has been great fun, and as one door or chapter closes, another one will open!

On the more mundane, I also had another two days of ECP, much faster than the earlier sessions as I am now on the ‘large’ kits that take more blood per cycle, with fewer cycles. However again my trip home was delayed - this time rather tragically by a fatality on the line at Earlsfield station, on the main line back down to Winchester. However I did eventually get a train out, and Rachael was able to collect me from the station (payback after years of ferrying her to and fro!)

The weekend was quiet(ish). I did lend some moral support to Caroline and Gabor at a local fund raising function (for a youth football team) but it was a bit dire, so having bought the obligatory raffle tickets, we bailed out to our local pub, met up with mark and Sue and had more nachos! I am getting better with spicy food, lots of jalapeno chillies, which I managed without too much difficulty. I used to be very fond of Tex-Mex, particularly fajitas, but I doubt that I could have managed them over the last three years. Perhaps it is time to try again.

So, on many levels this time, … Onwards and Upwards!

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Well it is certainly sunny down here,although there is that autumnal chill in the air!

I have been at home most of the week, although quite busy with one thing and another. The insurance claim from the accident three weeks ago is still rumbling on, and theere have been one or two other projects to work on. These include new ventures after my retirement date - next Tuesday - and include setting up a company as a vehicle for IT consulting and also some training activities. Still early days yet though. However I did go to a Breakfast meeting of Business Networking International On Wednesday - very interesting concept.

I went out for lunch with Mark on Friday - good to get out for a breath of fresh air and to relax a bit, and the garden lawn has been scalped - it must be over a month since it was last cut - it has just been too wet.

Felicity is away this weekend, helping her mother prepare to move house, and then on Monday I am off to London for some more ECP. I have also had the date for my next PET scan - 1st October, so lots happening - except on the job front!

Amnd for those that like the esoteric, yesterday was International Talk like a Pirate Day - Me ‘arties! (or the Bristish HQ - here)

Still, Onwards and Upwards!

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Friday was quite quiet, but we went out as a family to a local restaurant to celebrate Rachael’s birthday. Somewhere we haven’t been before. but if anyone is interested, try The Hurdles - it was very good! The younger members of the group went into Southampton afterwards while we went home!

Saturday was quiet, but in the evening friends Mark and Sue, Caroline and Gabor came round for a relaxed supper. (Gabor is the driving force behind The Electrical Language Podcast which you can also download via I-tunes. Give iit a listen!) But I digress, last night we we had an Italian theme, lots of antipasta - which I mention only because some of it was quite spicy but caused me no problems at all. I have to say we had a smashing time! (Gabor - it was an Italian theme, not a Greek one!)

Onwards and Upwards!

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Hot on the heels of Vicki’s Birthday last Sunday, youngest daughter, Rachael, celebrated her 18th Birthday yesterday!

However before that I was up in London for another two days of ECP. A slight change in procedure on the second day because as my weight is creeping up (10st 4lb) I have a greater blood volume, so I have a slightly different ’set’ for the collection. The enables the machine to collect 3 lots of 250ml of blood, rather than 6 lots of 125ml so the procedure is slightly quicker, and supposed to be more efficient as the centrifuge is bigger. It certainly seemed to be about 30 minutes quicker.

Yesterday I went into the office for the last time to clear my desk, and to hand in identity cards and so on. I still have another couple of weeks of paid leave to go, but to all intents and purposes, I have now finished!

Today I was back up at Guy’s for another check up. All seems well, no lumps or bumps, liver working well, however it does seem that my kidney function is impaired, and that will probably be permanent. No cause for alarm as it is only slight damage, but probably the result of the chemo and possibly from when my blood pressure was low. It also seems that my overall immunoglobulin levels are low - again no immediate cause for concern - but something to be monitored, and it looks as if I will need another pneumococcal immunisation as those anti-bodies are still quite low.

However the highlight of the visit was seeing fellow patients, Jean and Andy. Jean, you may remember, had her transplant at the same time as me back in January 2006. She has had her trial and tribulations over the last two years, but she was looking really well - it was great to see her! I see she has posted a comment on the previous blog entry - thank you Jean! Andy, who had his transplant after me and who I got to know through the blog, was also looking well and was on good form! And both of them had news of our other transplant patient, Mark, who is also doing well! Great news all round!

So… Onwards and Upwards!

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It has been another busy week, with time ticking down until I leave my current job. However the years rolled back last week-end as we went up for the birthday party of one of my University friends, Tom, shown here on the left.
In fact there were four of us that shared halls of Residence, a University flat, and then a house during our time at Leeds University: Tom, Martin, Jon and myself. Sadly Jon and his wife Elaine couldn’t be with us, but Martin and Stephanie came down the next day for lunch - the first time we had met up in some 15 years. A great party (thanks to Tom’s children, who organised it, and Carol, Tom’s wife, who did the catering!)

It was the first time we had been to Nantwich and we stayed at a very old and picturesque Hotel, The Crown. Not a right angle in the place, and over 300 hundred years old. Our room had stunning rooftop views, and here are the stunning rooftops over which we had a view! However it was very quiet.
We also took the opportunity to stay with my parents in Birmingham, so all round we had a good week-end.

The rest of the week went quite quickly. I am on holiday at the moment, although I did have to go up to Bristol for a meeting, and then back for a dinner - my dining out - on Thursday night. I went into the office on Friday, for formal goodbyes, but there are still one or two loose ends to tidy up, so I will be in once more this week before I finally leave on September 23rd. My search for further gainful employment is making slow but steady progress, with the help of some recruitment firms, so a bit of finger crossing for that too.

And to round off a good week, we went to Sue and Mark’s last night for beer and chilli! The chilli was hotter than I expected - but not so hot that I couldn’t manage most of it - another sign that my taste buds are recovering and the mucositis is a receding memory!

And finally, today is Vicki’s Birthday - happy Birthday!

So on that note… Onwards and Upwards!

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A quick update on the week, most of which was spent up at St Thomas’s, having the next course of ECP. However the monotony was broken as Felicity and Rachael came up for the afternoon and we went out for a pizza in the evening - with my ‘Joe Cool’ sunglasses on, which made reading the menu difficult! (I have to wear them for about six hours after each session to protect my eyes from UV radiation).

The pictures are of the two cars involved in the incident last week. Mine is above left, with damage to the rear bumper. It still isn’t back, the garage is waiting for the replacement moulding. The other one is the car that hit it. Don’t think I need say more!

This weekend we are off to a birthday party, calling in at my parents on the way. More of that next week!

Onwards and upwards!

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In fact it was quite warm and sunny today, unlike most of the week which has been mixed! However I have been at home, preparing CVs and the like, and arranging car repairs after someone collided with the rear of my car. As it is still in the hands of the Insurance Companies, I’ll say little about it, except that the damage to the other car was considerably greater than to mine!

Vicky and Olivia and Tom have been over, and Olivia seems to have made a step change in her speech - almost forming sentences, and much clearer words. Katie has been home too, and Rachael has been at the Reading music festival - and comes home tomorrow. Shower and washing machine primed ready for action.

We were out with Mark, Sue, Caroline and Gabor last night - ending up playing ten pin bowling - on a Nintedo Wii. I haven’t been much of a games console fan, but this was excellent - on my wish list!

Next week I am back in London for more ECP. I have also spoken to the diving medicine specialist - it seems that some drugs (particularly bleomycin) can increase susceptibility to lung fibrosis under high partial pressures of oxygen. Bleomycin isn’t a drug I have had, so unless one of the myriad I have taken causes a problem, I am cautiously optimistic!

So - Onwards and Upwards!

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There are some significant changes in my life happening soon, including a job change, but as part of the completion of my current occupation, I needed a medical examination! Actually a formal review of my medical history over the last few years. However, while I was doing that, I applied to retake my diving medical - you may recall that I tried that over a year ago, and failed it, which was a bit disappointing. However, I am delighted to say that I passed it this time, with quite a good result in the fitness test - the main thing I failed last time. (If anyone is interested, it is the Harvard Step Test) so another little psychological boost. However it isn’t all good news as the Doctor is reluctant to pass me as fit to dive because of all the treatment, but my notes are being passed to a diving medicine specialist for examination.

Other than that, this week was an ECP week, so I had my two days at St Thomas’s. I have also had a bit of a sniffle, so I dutifully took myself to the haemotology department at Guy’s for another NPA, and came away with some anti-biotics “Just in case”. It seems to be clearing up, but whether that is spontaneous or the result of the anti-biotics, I don’t know. maybe the results of the NPA will show something.

Olivia came over on Friday - quite a toddler, and very determined! If she wants to show you something, it’s a firm grip on your finger, and off you go. I must take some more photos of her!

So a good week overall, and another step Onwards and Upwards!

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