We are very fortunate to have a family holiday home nestled in the hills off the coast of Andalucia which we can visit as often as we like. Of course, we don’t get to visit as often as we like as day to day life takes over. It was great however this year to be able to get out and soak up some sunshine, given that I’d missed quite a bit of the good summer in London due to my…
One Hundred days ago I was diagnosed with Hairy Cell Leukaemia. 100 days… one .. hundred … days… Looking back, at times it seems surreal, almost like flashbacks from a novel I’ve read, film, documentary I’ve seen.. but no.. it was all real. The first 20 days or so were the “worst”. Reading about experiences of others my “worst” seems insignificant to the suffering of others with “other” blood cancers, remember we’ve learned that there are 137 types, and HCL…
An early morning call from the clinic at Chase Farm hospital informing me that I didn’t need to come in for a blood test that day was a great start to the week. My neutrophils were at 1.33 from the previous week and other vital components all moving the right direction. It was a busy week at work with 2 client visits. Fortunately I was able to travel to both outside rush hour, which for the next couple of weeks…
The week started as usual with my trip to the clinic for blood test. The good news this week was that my neutrophils were up to 1.33 so improving significantly each week. This was enough for me to decide that I was well enough to work from the office every day, travelling in at lunch time and returning home after rush hour. I’ve also started back practising trumpet on my pTrumpet to get chops back in shape. With 3 concerts…
At last a pretty uneventful week. Felt more fit and healthy than I have for many weeks. Monday’s blood tests show that Neutrophils are up to 0.73 which is really good. I have resumed daily yoga practice (a short 10 minute routine as I build up my strength) and trumpet practice on my pTrumpet. On Friday, I made an escape and went into the office for our monthly review meeting. It was great to get out and catch up with…
While on the Isle of Man recently for a family event, we took some timeout to visit the sights and do some hiking (well, gentle stroll for me due to my recovery from illness). It’s a bit odd for me not to have many pictures from the Isle of Man considering I lived there for 7.5 years! Pictures are from Peel Beach, a stroll from Bradda Glen up to Milner tower on Bradda Head, a reasonably gentle cliff top walk…
A short report this week (… and there was much rejoicing…) Sunday was pretty chilled, a relaxing breakfast and morning in our sun trap back garden. Health wise, feeling good after a restful few days after being discharged from hospital. Nothing much exciting to do as I was “focused on chilling” in preparation for returning to work on Monday. We did dip into the Royal Marsden Cookbook to make evening meal on Sunday, this time Angela Hartnett’s Pea and Pancetta…
I had intended for this to be a weekly blog detailing my recovery, but the unpredictability of being neutropenic put play to that. There is a very fine line between, “I’m doing grand…” and “Eh, temp is up.. time to go to A&E” – 1.5 degrees Celsius. Friday 4th August Waking up in my own bed for the first time in over a week, without having nurses wake you to attach you to a drip, without nurses lying through their…
In a previous post, I stated that my treatment would be 5 days of chemotherapy, specifically daily injections of the Cladribine. Three out of five days, this was the case… but we took a detour in between treatments three and four. Many of my family and close friends will be already aware of my journey to an extent, as I did update with some details on Facebook, and of course I had my “support groups” on WhatsApp for instant communication…
twas the night before chemo….. So, treatment starts tomorrow… something we’ve been building up to in the last 7 days. Since being diagnosed, Mrs Q and I have tried to have as normal a week as possible. After leaving the hospital last Monday, we popped into a coffee shop in Southgate to take it all in and make some calls to close family to update them of the situation. Then, it was home, and back to work. Mrs Q has…
