Peter’s Hospital Diary

The brain is a funny thing. I was driving to work this morning, listening to the radio, when a song by KT Tunstall was played. It wasn’t announced as such, but she has quite a distinctive voice and style of music, and it instantly transported me back in time to 2004, when her first album was released with the single “Under The Weather”. Why? Because at the time it was released, I was going through one of the (many) courses of chemotherapy as an outpatient, and that song was frequently played on the radio in the background at the Haematology Day Unit! Having started that link, my brain then jumped to David Gray’s “Hospital Food” which was also a popular song playing at the same time. Strange how seemingly innocuous things can trigger powerful memories!

It also recalls to mind a conversation I was having with Simon recently. Being touched by cancer is quite a profound experience, and we were saying that life will never quite be the same again. Not necessarily better or worse, but just different. Partly I think because it is a potent reminder of ones own mortality, and because to survive a life threatening situation has an effect – although the brain is remarkably adaptive and soon gets on with the business of ‘getting your life back”!

Simon finished his chemotherapy yesterday, but not before the side effects of his treatment dealt him another little sideswipe. On Tuesday he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his arm, so welcome to the Clexane Injectors Club Simon! Fortunately he only has to inject for 6 weeks (and my six months worth has just finished) but something he could have happily done without! Still, the chemo is done and now he can look to the future!

I have also had news from fellow blogger John, who has recently posted on his blog. Followers will know that he has had a pretty tough time of it, but from his latest post, things may be looking up, with the adaptations to his house going ahead, and the possibility that he may be referred for consderation for the photo-pheresis treatment for his GvHd.

I was also intrigued to find a new commenter on the blog, which links to another ‘patient blog’. I haven’t looked at it in depth, but there is a link here. Once I have looked at it I’ll consider posting the link in the blogroll.

And fellow blogmaster Mark has written up his French Farmhouse blogs with a more comprehensive report of our week out in France, and some other photographs – details here!

So on those notes – Onwards and Upwards!

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Following on from our mini-break in France, Mark sent me this photograph doing a handbrake turn on the garden tractor – it certainly is the way to cut the lawn – and makes short work of the molehills!

That apart, it has been a quiet week. The anti-biotics seem to be doing the trick and the cold seems to be getting better, so I hope that I am finally shrugging it off!

You may also have noticed that there hasn’t been much mention of Olivia recently. She too has had a succession of winter snuffles, so to avoid the risk of me giving her what I have, and vice-versa, she has only been round while I have been out – but February is the first month since she was born that I haven’t taken any photographs of her!

The storms forecast for yesterday did materialise, but before they arrived, I took this photograph of a tree in the garden. I don’t think I have ever seen it with so much blossom on it, and I was pleased to see that this morning most of it has survived the strong winds! Also this morning is bright and sunny which will bring the lemon tree (still in the conservatory) on a bit. It is looking quite healthy, and has also had quite a lot of blossom on it!

So on all fronts – Onwards and Upwards!

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We arrived back on Friday, and the tranquility of the previous five days soon evaporated! The flight back was good, in an Embraer small jet, so it only took 55 minutes, and 15 minutes after landing we were in a taxi on our way home – a stark contrast with Heathrow!

Once home it was time for a quick change and down to Bournemouth, where Katie, as part of her degree, was team leader for a team organising a charity auction at a local hotel. It was a great evening, and the team raised over £3,000 for Bournemouth charities – so well done Katie.

My parents and Felicity’s mother were staying for Mothering Sunday weekend. My parents left on Sunday. Mark and Sue came back from the house, so I collected them and took them home.

I went into work on Monday and had to phone Guy’s, as the fresh French air didn’t quite blow away all the bugs, so we decided I needed another course of anti-biotics, but I was able to get them from my GP, which saved another trip up to London – I hope they do the trick!

Good to see the comments from Simon who sounds in fine form – in fact I have just spoken to him and he is in excellent spirits!

So on all fronts – Onwards and Upwards!

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And all too soon the week comes to an end, as we have to be back home for an event for Katie tomorrow evening. However we have had another very enjoyable week out here. I have to say that it is lovely being able to come out at different seasons and see different facets of the French countryside. Last time we were here, the apple crop had just finished – now we see that lots of the apple trees have been grubbed up and replanted with new ones.
The week has been different too. The weather has been mild, but not really sightseeing weather – too cold to sit at a pavement cafe and watch the world go by, and anyway, at this time of the year there isn’t a lot of world to watch, so it has been a working week – particularly by Mark and Sue. We made a trip to the Brico Depot (B&Q) in Perigeax for a few things. It was a good job that we had hired an estate car, as you can see!
The woodburner has been terrific, and the house has been really toasty – but it does need a supply of fuel, and Mark has put his chainsaw to good use, cutting up some of the old roofing beams (from when the house roof was replaced) for firewood.
My task during this activity was to drive the smaller garden tractor with a trailer round the garden, picking up hedge clippings, firewood or whatever, and taking it to wherever it had to go. This picture shows the trailer with a load of firewood destined for the woodstore.
Meanwhile Felicity did some work in the pond, clearing out some of the pond weed and dead leaves from it. The water is surprisingly clear, and we discovered that the goldfish are still alive (and there are four, not two) and found some baby newts and dragonfly nymphs as well as the collection of frogs and toads.
So another contrasting week – but as always, the peace and tranquility when you stop and take stock remains almost overwhelming. Thanks again for an excellent time Sue and Mark!

While we have been relaxing in France, Simon has not had quite such a good time with an emergency admission to hospital on Sunday, following a strange kidney pain. Fortunately a scan showed nothing abnormal, so it appears to be ‘one of those things’ and he is now back at home, and from the tone of his texts, (and his comment on my last post) is in good spirits!

So Onwards and Upwards!

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It was a quick dash across the channel – literally as it was a Dash 8 turboprop from Southampton to Limoges on Sunday (I’d forgotten how noisy turboprops are!). A pleasant flight with Sue and Mark, although the flight was delayed by an hour, which meant that while it was light when we landed and collected the hire car, it was dark by the time we arrived at the house.

Still, with four people working, it didn’t take long to get the all-important woodburner going, whizz the vacuum round and clear the mouse traps and make up the beds. As we sat down to dinner, it was hard to believe that it is 5 months since the last time we were out here.

Yesterday was a lovely sunny day, so after a quick trip to the supermache, we had an afternoon in the garden, cutting the grass and tidying things up before sitting by the (still winterised) pool for a winter Pimms.

Today the weather hasn’t been quite as good – cloudy this morning for a trip to a local market (not very busy) and then to the bricolage, followed by fine drizzle this afternoon – not an afternoon for going out, but one for reading a book in front of the fire, while Mark did a bt of internal work in the house.

There are many lovely things about being here – but one of the most precious is the silence. True, there may be the odd tractor noise from a nearby farm, but the constant hum of traffic is missing – and sitting out just instills a feeling of calm and peace – which is truly priceless! Thanks again to Sue and Mark for sharing their house with us!

O&U

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It was check-up time again at Guy’s yesterday – not in the clinic, but back at the day unit, so it wasn’t quite such an early start. Once again I was kept well away from any other patients “just in case” but the upshot was that my temperature was back to normal and my lungs remain clear.

I was told that the samples last week had indicated a large bacterial infection in my nose and the same infection in my eyers – one called HIB (which is a bit of a surprise as it is something I have been innoculated against, but it may be that the innoculation prevented it from becoming systemic. Anyway, the doctors are going to talk to the microbiologists to see if there is any reason, and I might have to have a booster.

My eyes are still a bit itchy, so I am continuing the eye drops, but I must say I am feeling a lot better than I was last week! I am off to Plymouth for the day tomorrow (work) but next week we are off to France for a week, with friends Sue and Mark, so time to relax and get some really fresh air and blow away the rest of the cobwebs!

Good to see a blog from John who is still in “Heath Towers” but his blog implies that his whole medical condition is being re-assessed, so I hope a realistic and effective treatment plan will result.

Simon too is about to enter the home straight on his cancer journey with the last course of the current chemo cycle today – only one more cycle to go Simon – hang on in there!

So in traditional fashion – Onwards and Upwards!

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After Monday’s trip, I was still feeling a bit rough, so I agreed with my boss that taking out the rest of the office would be a bad thing, I have been at home all week, apart from a quick trip out on Tuesday to cash in the prescription (or should that be cash out?) I would have been hard pushed to drive anywhere though as the conjunctivitis was getting quite bad.

Although the antibiotics were prescribed “just in case” I started taking them anyway, and on Wednesday I had a call from Guy’s to say that there was definitely a bacterial infection up my nose but the antibiotics they had prescribed were the correct ones and could I start taking them please? When I said I had, they were pleased, however I have to go back next Tuesday just to make sure all is OK.

Those who follow John’s blog will have seen a comment posted by his ‘little sis’ that he has dug his way out of “Heath Towers” and is back at home, but feeling a bit low. O&U John.

Meanwhile Simon has just started his penultimate cycle of chemo. We had a chat today and he is in good sprits – and putting on weight! Crack on Simon!

So on those two items of good news – Onwards and Upwards!

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Yes, I know that my next sheduled visit isn’t until March – however…

You may recall that a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I had had a bad cold, and when I went up for my checkup, Dr Raj was not best pleased that I hadn’t told them. I was just about over it, when another bug went round the office, but as it was a male member of staff, we just ascribed it to man-flu, which as you all know is a completely fictitious ailment! However by Thursday, I was staking the boxes of tissues on my desk, and by Friday, I was feeling a bit under the weather. Worse, I thought I was developing conjunctivitis, which I probably caught from Olivia.

Saturday started really well though. I had a bit of a lie in, then went down to pub for lunch with Mark (fellow blogmaster) Gabor (podcaster extraordinaire) and Mike – who encourages us from the sidelines. The reason was Mark’s Birthday – so any excuse! However we did note as we left that our table was littered with coffee cups, and that a few years ago, that would have been beer bottles and glasses! (In fact the only glasses of significance were our reading glasses to look at the menu…)

I dropped Mark off and went home, feeling a bit cold a shivery, so I had a lie down and sleep for an hour – followed by an early night. Sunday saw little improvement – I did get up for a few hours, but started feeling shivery again, so after taking my temperature – which as about 1.5 degrees above the ‘normal’ and about 2 degrees above my normal, I sent a text message to my boss saying I wouldn’t be in, and resolved to call Guy’s this morning.

Their comment – predictably was ‘Come in – but don’t go into the unit because we don’t want to expose you to other patients” I did suggest tomorrow the reply was “What’s the matter with today?” A pretty clear message, even to me!

So off I went. Nasal suction, bloods, an upper and lower chest X-ray, and eye swabs, and a prescription for some antibiotics and eye drops. I have to say I felt better for getting out, although I feel tired and a bit cold now.

The diagnosis is that it is probably a virus, but the additional antibiotics are a precaution in case there is a low level bacterial infection. However the visit was reassuring in that the physical examination revealed no raised lymph nodes (had there been, it could could have been due to two possible reasons – one of which would be MOST unwelcome) so I did return home feeling more at ease. So just a little hiccup to overcome on the path that winds…

Onwards and Upwards!

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Where did the week go? After last week’s more prolific blogging, this week has been quiet. However, while it has been quiet I have been reasonably busy. On the one hand, Felicity is organising a repeat of last year’s wedding fair, so my IT skills (10 have been put to use, and on the other, I have been looking at a new IT project, following on from some problems we had with E mail a couple of weeks ago. For a bit of background, my mail service provided by my domain name provider, and is separate from that of my Internet provider – the advantage of that is if I change ISP, my e mail address remains the same. However there have been problems recently, and so I have been looking at setting up my own mailserver, in much the same way that I have my own webserver. However it is a liitle more complex, as there are several components that need to work together, and security plays a big part – both to protect against the mailserver being used by spammers, and also in ensuring that mail isn’t lost. I have been doing some experiments, and got bits of it working – I am relaying mail through one machine, but only from the internal network. Next stage is to look at receiving mail centrally for distribution, rather than each mail client on each machine contacting the remote mailboxes individually. So there has been quite a lot of research into the best way of doing things.

Olivia has been over, but the poor little mite has had conjunctivitis – each photo I took had her with runny eyes, so I haven’t published any. Katie also came home on Wednesday and Rachael has had a friend staying, so it has been busy!

I was delighted to hear from Simon again – doing well on his two weeks off from Chemo and over half way through the course – O&U! However I haven’t heard any more from John or his family, so he may still be in ‘Heath Towers’. Fingers and other digits crossed for you John, when you get round to reading this!

So a mixed bag – but all part of ‘getting my life back’!

Onwards and Upwards!

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But again, not really from me, but for those of you following John’s Blog I had a post from John’s mother. You can read the full text here but basically the ‘Wizards’ at Heath Towers are meeting today to discuss John, with a view to discharging him. She also says that they are discussing the possibility of referring him for photo pheresis for his GvHd.

Anyway, I’m sure he will be eager to get out and I will look forward to reading his account – in his own inimitable style – of his month long stay, in his blog!

Onwards and upwards, John – fingers crossed!

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