Approximately 10 days into the process and the chronic nausea I had been suffering from for, well, about 10 days was showing no signs of abating. I am composing this update in January and post-dating it. As I write this I am recalling the sights and sounds of the hospital ward and quickly rejecting most of those memories. And at the time I was in no fit state to be reading, writing or thinking too much whilst in the throws of chemo induced distress. On reflection I can summarise it in a handy nugget; it was bloody awful!
First things first, and this can’t be said often enough, that the NCCC in general & the staff looking after me (and everyone else) cannot be praised highly enough. They made the whole experience immeasurably better. But the effects of the treatment didn’t fare me well. After administering the chemo on day 1 I had a day off from any treatment, save for routine obs and such. Day 3 was a trip to the Institute of Transplantation for the transplant itself; for me, routine in itself, although the first signs of sickness began to surface as my previously harvested cells were secreting their way back in to my bone marrow. It was over pretty quickly though and I was soon whisked away back to the ward where I’d remain to allow engraftment to take place. Until my blood counts ’n things were at an acceptable level, so that my immune system would be functional, I was staying in. The next 10 days were pretty tough; away from my family, Christmas approaching, and the sickness just wouldn’t shift. After exactly two weeks of being in hospital, the consultant gave the nod that I could go home; my neutrophils, potassium levels and platelets were on the up and looking good. Fantastic news, although I was still feeling sickly, without appetite and as weak as a kitten. Home recuperation is the best thing for all that though, I reckon. And it was such a relief to be back home, and my girls had made me a huge welcome home banner which I love so much! I wasn’t eating much (pot noodle & weetabix) but “recovery starts here”, I remember thinking. And what better incentive to get well than with Christmas just 4 weeks away!
1 Comment
Reflecting on my final weekend at home before I go in for my stem cell transplant on Tuesday, only in the recent couple of weeks have I been feeling uneasy at the prospect of staying in hospital. The touch of neuropathy in my feet hasn’t helped matters as the condition also made my legs feel tender, heavy and agitated. My recent stem cell harvest, whilst successful, wasn’t the piece of cake I was anticipating; the awkwardness in my legs meaning lying still for a few hours filled me with anxiety and meant for most of the process I had to keep my legs moving - I even stood up on one or two occasions. Neuropathy is a strange one although it seems to improve with a bit of exercise. On the eve of my admission to the NCCC I was feeling a bit more relaxed; I’m sleeping a bit better (again, a bit of physical activity helps) and the discomfort in my feet is improving.
As I write I’m in hospital to begin the process; feeling relaxed and positive, and ready to do this! I’m hooked up to a bag of fluid and as I wait for the bag to drain I’m already looking forward to Janine and the girls visiting me. Next step, chemo. |
About meI'm David Jameson, I live in Whitley Bay with my beautiful wife Janine, our two children and our two dogs. I love music, and Newcastle United. And I have multiple myeloma. Archives
June 2020
Categories
All
|