Well, dear reader, Monday was a barrel of laughs! 8 hours sitting in a chair in the day unit - finally given a platelets transfusion at 5pm...left feeling a bit weird. home and straight to bed with shivers. 11pm spiked a temperature of 38 - midnight dash to hospital and sent to some unknown surgical ward (no beds available in samaritan). laid up there for 2 days, completely isolated from the world, being looked after by baby nurses who knew jack-all about cancer/haematology - ward not equipped to deal with my sort of problem - so consequently felt very vulnerable. Finally got a bed on Samaritan Ward yesterday (Wednesday) evening - spiking another temperature - so now am back on I.V. antibiotics and will be here till Monday at least. Oh gawd, seems I cannot stay away from this place. Body clearly very weak after the high dose of chemo and succumbing to infections - though this time round the problem may well stem from arm/frozen shoulder - at last will be getting to see a physio therapist tomorrow to get an expert opinion (I hope) as to what is going on inside said arm/shoulder. Am exhausted and chemo coloured. rashes all over the place. eyebrows going, eyelashes too. Cytarabine is some heavy duty chemo thats for sure. Everything still at flat rate 0.0 - one little jump of 0.1 neutrophil on monday - but went straight back to 0.0 by tuesday and staying there. Lots of blood and plateletes
transfusions this time round as body and bone marrow is struggling to cope with the chemo side effects. Least I am in a room (with a view) on my own, so dont have to put up with ward noise and restlessness. Hope by next week I will be recovered, will have a strong gang of neutrophils jiggling around inside of me and will be at home and seeing some of you. My world is deflating rapidly to just a small medical box. and I need INPUT! Sian, hope Wacky Races was successful and not too soggy...200+ students, does that mean a whopping fine? Hope everyone is good right around the globe, sydney, singapore, italy, peckham and beyond.
Love to you all.
What a week you've had T, not nice, you have my sympathy - fat lot of use that is to you though, wish I could do more. Fingers crossed they let you out on Monday and the neutrophils start climbing back up.
ReplyDeleteWhat sort of INPUT do you need?
Went to see exhibition at the Saatchi this week, hoped for good things but was very disappointed - very little of it made an impact - maybe it's me.
Love Jan x
Tessa it's hard to know what to say, when I read your account of your past week it makes me feel really sad no wonder you were/are feeling so vulnerable, thank goodness you are such a strong person, I know your body is not but YOU are, keep fighting and hopefully next week you can come home & we can come and see you. Do you need anything?
ReplyDeleteI am slowly moving stuff into my workshop came across my first attempt at lino print they were really bad. nice collograph though definitely more my thing. B sent me link to Hawthorn for litho inks as she thinks I could use these with Adana as well as a bit of printmaking.
sending you love from Peckham Lulu x
Hi Tessa
ReplyDeleteI've bored everyone with this story – so why not you? I went to see Duane Eddy last week. Twwwwwaaaaaaaaannnnnngggggg!!!!! Peter Gunn, Because They're Young, Rebel Rouser. Really great. Richard Hawley arranged it and his band did the backing.
I'm doing a podcast on the welcome events here this week. Hopefully will be done next week and will be put up online so you can visit the Best of Ten show here and see it through the clips.
We should be on the move again to the fifth floor. The crates have arrived.
Take care
Tony
Tessa - I have kept my lovely little box of sparklers for when I see you and you can sparkle with me, Melanie et al. So sorry that this is such a grindingly difficult period. Am thinking of you such a lot. At least be grateful that you don't work in local govt. at the moment....grrr
ReplyDeletelove Lisa
dear T, I'm thinking of you many times during my day. What incredible person you are! forte e coraggiosa! here October fresh air is arrived and the semester is starting. sembra un pò Londra in Agosto :) I'm waiting you in Tuscany for next spring!
ReplyDeleteun affettuoso abbraccio
chiara
Hi Tessa, sounds rough can I do anything? Work is crazy all the admin staff and Tony are moving to the tower block, will miss them it was great to pop up for chats and to get things of my chest!
ReplyDeleteTake care love David
wacky races went well. miraculously the rain stopped + the sun crept out just in time for a dry afternoon. new record set: 36 minutes (i think) back to LCC! (jack may be able to verify, although she's laid up with flu at the moment). still sorting out incoming 1st years turning up and others who have been attending the wrong course all along! mopping up numbers for under-recruited courses i think. more restructuring madness going on – you are well out of it! by the time you come back, we might have a better idea of what we're all doing. there again... sian x
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