snakes and ladders

Hallo to all in badhairday blogosphere (and cleveland ohio). I should be frolicking like new spring lamb (bounce bounce), but sadly am not. Got hit with mega cold bug last week which floored me and had me in bed all over weekend with raging temperature and hacking cough. Crawled into clinic this afternoon for my blood test - which has tumbled somewhat from the last lot of sparkling results. Now white count has dropped to 3.2 (4 and above is normal), platelets down and neutrophils too - they have slipped from 3.1 to 1.9 which in my book seems pretty dramatic - though still just within normal range. Consultant says it is result of cold virus and weak bone marrow. So he has slapped me on antibiotics and I have crawled back to bed. I am hoping that immune system can buck up soon and sort itself out and start to produce everything normal again ( I used to hate the word "normal" - now I love it). My appointment with neurological consultant is on April 12 - so doesn't seem like 'elevated protein' can be that problematic. Appointment with ENT department on April 11 but dIzzyness slowed down and pins and needles less. Steroid injection had some positive effect on shoulder - and I now have a bit wider range of movement - but still unable to put my arm above my head or out by my side. Exercise everyday and still physio once a week. Would love a holiday and some sun. Seems like Luigi been an age back in Italy. Japanese nightmare. Unfolding horror. Lost for words. How do you move on from that?

No peace for the wicked

Ha! no sooner do I think I am outta the woods free, when along comes another path to stumble down... got a call from the hospital 3 days after my last entry to say that given my symptoms of dizzyness and pins and needles they wanted me to have a lumbar puncture to check that my spinal fluid was ok. Now get this, my sub type of leukeamia can migrate into the brain (oh lucky me!)...so they where checking for cancer cells along with viral and bacterial infections. Had a few dark days. Luigi flew over from Roma and accompanied me to the hospital for lumbar puncture - painful procedure so very glad to have him there (my poor back is so covered in holes from bone marrow tests and lumbar punctures - they made three attempts before getting any spinal fluid out - and hit a nerve...). Results show no cancer cells, hurrah and phweee and praise to all the gods. However there is "elevated protein" - so my haematology consultant is now packing me off to see a neurologist. I am waiting for an appointment. Meantime I am refusing to get onto the internet to find out what "elevated protein" could mean. The internet is just the worst experience for trying to work out what is wrong. All it manages to do is just scare me witless. I hope they are just being thorough and there is nothing sinister going on. By the time I am finished with Guys I reckon I will have been through every bloody department. Talking of which, my mammogram is all clear. Time to get in the garden and do some early pruning. Rooney scored a corker last night. Shame Chelsea managed two. A presto tutti. x

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.