The break lasted a bit longer than I envisaged. It’s been a difficult week, I’ve been facing the looming resumption of my treatment with the lead up to my stem cell transplant with all the psychological implications that brings….. and then my father had a heart attack. It was significant, but he pulled through, will be ok, and was released from hospital a couple of days ago. So on top of a week where I was going back and forth to UCLH to have various tests and scans and making bargains with the great sky god, I was also visiting poor dad in hospital.
Today my treatment resumed, I had a high dose of a chemotherapy agent called cyclophosphamide, and will have a week of injections to stimulate the production of stem cells. Next monday the stem cells will be collected and stored and possibly a week or so later I’ll have another high dose of chemo and they’ll be returned to me.
I’m facing a week where my blood counts and immune system will drop and I’ll become what’s called ‘neutropenic’. I’ll be very susceptible to infection and may have to be admitted to hospital if this happens. The injections will be administered to the stomach and I’ll do this at home with Peg’s help.
This week I finally signed off from work, clearing the decks, arranging cover finishing up jobs that have been hanging around for a bit. It was actually quite difficult, being at work = normality, being off work on ‘the sick’ means I can’t pretend anymore. I’ll miss the company of my friends (both staff and students). Some of them my even miss me ;).
Back to the data
Stoicism: Grin and bare it 6
Mood: felt subdued 5
Control: Some controll = 5
Discfort: Moderate = 3
blood and bones 