Valentines Day Massacre

A win for the good guys! Those nasty leukaemic cells seem to have been flattened. Sparkling blood result with all counts back into normal range! I had a glass of prosecco last night to celebrate...and a quiet jump for joy. Residue problems still to deal with though - need an MRI scan for my back and neck due to constant pins and needles in my legs... plus an appointment with the dizzy clinic due to frequent attacks of vertigo (very alarming). Last friday I had to endure an extremely painful steroid injection for my frozen shoulder - which has given me a little more movement, but still unable to get my hand/arm over my head or out to my side. Due to a lot of armpit pain I am now under the care of breast clinic (had a mammogram yesterday - well sort of one, not possible to achieve it all due to limited range of arm movement) who are going to investigate further. So its still watch this space. I long for my continual trips into Guys to draw to a close, but I will be topping up my oyster card for a while yet... hope everyone good - I know a few people still read this blog! Thanks Tony, TM, Maggie and MIranda, Chrg and Loulou (hows nepal?) for messages - always great to hear from you. Will be back in two weeks with an update. Meantime I have snowdrops and crocuses in the garden. Spring just a moment away... Ciao tutti

January Results

Hallo Badhairday-bloggers! Hope new year is going ok for everyone. Am posting these results a bit late as the blood machine at Guys was broken, so didn't get till them 24 hours. Basically all ok. Levels have dropped a bit - but most still within normal
range. Only white blood cell is out of range - but only by a bit. Hospital inform me that counts "bounce around a bit" so not
to worry about things dropping - and they should bounce back up. Goddam hope so - "not to worry" thats a laugh! Bone marrow can take a while to get back into normal working routine after such a blast of continuous poison. I wish everything was higher and normal. But just have to keep walking-the- tight-rope... Next test, Valentines Day. Ciao tutti x

What's that coming over the hill...

...its a New Year - a brand new, bright new, year! Greetings to all badhairday blog readers for a happy and healthy 2011.
I will be updating the blog once a month with blood test results, so next update will be around 17th January. Thanks for all your interest and support over the last 6 months. Its been a long haul, but hopefully out the other side now... and hair growing at last!
Ciao tutti. x

Festive Greetings

Hi...been a while since I last blogged - have been at home for 6 weeks now and everything recovering well. What joy it has been not to have to return to the Samaritan Ward for another dose of chemo cocktail - the further away from it I get, the more of a nightmare it feels... Had my first monthly blood test last Monday and everything still going the right way (up) - slow, slow to recover, but getting there. Life is beginning to take on some sense of normality - though still get whacked out after doing very little. Pushing myself to walk a little further everyday - putting on weight (no trouble at all) - appetite back with a vengeance!
Luigi back for Christmas (in bed with cold), tree up, candles lit, everything snug. Seems a bit of a miracle that this is all happening. The only thorn is shoulder/arm which is still causing great pain. Have seen orthopaedic consultant ("mmm, significantly frozen" he nods )who has recommended a a steroid injection in the New Year and a visit the pain clinic to try and get some relief. Bowen treatment seems to ease it a bit, but not enough. New Year just around the corner. Fresh start. Hurrah. Merry Christmas to everyone who reads this. Hope you all have a cracking time. Thanks again for your continued support and encouragement. Lets hope its a bright and healthy 2011 for us all. Jingle Bells.

moving on

picc line out...what joy - a free arm and no flapping pipes to hide under sleeves! Final bone marrow on Wednesday... and then onto monthly appointments for blood tests. Luigi and I did the Havelock Walk Open Studio this weekend just gone. God it was freezing, but managed to hug a radiator most of the day. It was good to do something normal for a change. Am exhausted now though! Frozen shoulder is hideous and really dibilitating. I am so hacked off that I am unable to drive or even do a shoe lace up.
Seems I cannot see orthopaedic consultant till January...so will have to chase the hospital yet again to see if the date can be brought forward. Meantime I will trust in the Bowen technique - have got another session this week. Waiting for snow.

almost there

Neutrophils 1.4 - so out of the danger zone! White blood counts on the up too - but may need blood transfusion on Thursday. Everything looking good apart from frozen shoulder - which has got worse and moved down my arm and into my fingers. Had
a physio appointment today - they say could take up to 2 years to clear up - have been given exercises to prevent "muscle wastage". All things difficult to do: dressing/bathing etc, cannot drive or use etching press. A right old pain; quite literally.
Last few visits to the Day Unit - hope to have picc line taken out next week, and my final bone marrow done... then I will just have to turn up once a month (for a year) for a blood test to check that everything is doing what it should be doing. If I can get through the year intact, the chance of relapse gets less. So now its just onward and upward...

going up

Friday: neutrophils up to 0.6 - white blood cells 0.9 and everything else going up slowly too! Some days good, some days exhausting and I am wiped out limp lettuce leaf style- but hanging on in there at home. I am hoping by next week blood counts will have gone up enough to not worry about getting infection and having to return to hospital. Taste returning slowly. Shoulder locked and frozen still - so a bit of a painful handicap which makes recovery slower - finally got a visit to the physiotherapist at Guys next week - so might get a bit of relief. Damp and grey - serious autumnal saturday afternoon. Needs crumpets... Hope all good for everyone. ciao tutti