h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

just got home from hospital.
went in Sunday, morning. temp really very high (38.9).
bleh blah bleh blah.
stuff innit.
kept me in.
told I could go home, today, about 4 PM, took until gone 9 to get Doc to clear the recent most recent bloods. and get meds.
on two oral antibiotics now.
Neuts lower, err, now 3 something, were 4 Something yesterday, and 5.9, back on Fridays little adventure still ... sort of OK I guess.; but, they're gona maybe be seriously low, come the end of Thursday, once I've done the penultimate chemo infusion

well. at least a couple sleeps at home, before the next infusion.

Didn't sleep Firday night at all.
Slept Saturday night.
So many obs and injections with antibiotics during last night (err Sunday night?), I didn't bother try sleep; plus I had about 5 litres of saline and glucose thrown into me, so I was ... peeing a lot to put it mildly
My ankles looked so pretty after all those fluids overnight

Got to be a force for good today. whilst lunging about waiting for go ahead to leave, antoher patient came into the room I was in, the bed next to mind.
Confusingly having the same first name as me.
About to have this first ever chemo infusion (this is up on the big dangerous inpatient oncology ward),

he didn't know what chemo was; in his own words;'; 'I thought it was that you go into some big machine and get zapped with something'.

he was...... so clearly absolutely scared to hell and back, when he came in, and discovered 'vaguely' by some really poor attempts to explain it to him, what was about to ahppen to him.

Aunty 2legs to the rescue.... bit of a .... wise kid.... to be blunt... not overly bright in some regards... abut.... clever enough in others, that someone should have bluddy explained it to him so. ing cross about that actually.
I gagued, given some of his other medical stuff (namely the badly scared arms from hoerrine use, and now taking methadone substutite), that his body would soak up the chemo drugs.... was a correct summise... he was snoring when we left, on his second or third of the chemo drugs he was on.

but.
I'm home.

Cool old Guy listening to Marvin the Paranoid Android
"Good they did not keep you there. Hope the fever stays under control.

However chances are they would eventually all off themself.

We are in the post, I linked in the other Journal < <./>ThePost</.> >

Did a description of the image in 'Wow a nightly hooover' thread. Found , if we pull the tail will it hoover at the trunk?"

Worth a try, I'd say

Welcome home, 2legs

They kinda really really wanted to keep me in tonight, as well as last night; phrases like 48 hours observations.... and more antibiotics through the port....

-- I gave an expliation of why I really wanted to go home..... - but basically left the descision to them, and William; basically; I've chemo on Thursday, my penultimate infusion.
The time since my last influsion and this one coming, seems to have largely involved spending time.... in and out of hospital.... and I've had no recuperation or recovery at all basically since the last chemo; especially of late, this has been/ment yet again, no sleep. and if I'd staid in hospoital again tonight, I'd not have slep, again.... and, I was worried, this would really affect my chemo.... they basically agreed, and as the cultures from Friday showed nothing bacterial on them, by yesterday, and then again didn't today, and as my temp had shot way down again to normal ... they agreed to release me.... - but with the two differnt antibiotics this time
So, at least now I get three sleeps (potentially) at home, beefore Thursday's chemo, plus some time tomorrow, to do housework, and laundry; both things I need to do, and, which in part tie into my chemo; part of the laundry is a hot towel/linen wash, and I need to tidy and clean before Thursday, as there is really no guarentee I'd be able to do any such stuff, for a few days at least, post chemo

however... one positive... sort of thing;

The last chemo really hit me hard. harder than before : I assumed, logically this was progression as I get further on it and as the drugs build up in my system, etc;

suddenly realised;

Last thursday they were ultra busy, ultra late, rushed off their feet; hence I was 6 hours waiting to just get a seat in the chemo room (they were probably doing half of the Bank HOl Monday chemos, on thurs I think).

Just before my chemo, they suddenly noticed the Dr I'd seen earlier, the rubbish one hadn't cleared my chest, as being fit, for taking my Bleo influsion; so they had to s dash about and find a Dr, to come in and check my chest...
Which they did.
Then they started chemo.

I didn't have any premeds; normally I get a concotion of 5 tablets, a lot of which are steroid based, plus antinausea, etc.
OK. I did the whole chemo last time with no antinausea drugs, no steroids, etc.

I think that might explain why I felt.... a bit less than 100% afterwards - err, because; if I do get the premeds this time, (which I'll rather make a point of ensuring I do), then, I oughta not necessarily feel any rubbisher than useual.

Of coruse. that may not be the case, it may be the time I start really reacting to the drugs, in a way, I've just not done yet... but, heck, that could happen could have happened, at any point anyhow

SAdly, I fear my neuts may not rise to dizzying skywards rocketing numbers before Thursday, so I may drop neutropenic for the first time, again, since my very first infusion (when I went down to 0.25) not a happy prospect... but... pah... innit.

Hmm.
I'd not been on the ward I was yesterday and today before; as I'm an outpatient, I go to the day unit, downstairs, but, that wasn't open at the weekend, on Sunday, so they had to take me upstairs, to the big oncology inpatient unit.

Oh. wow.

I've never come acrosss a utterly diverse, yet singularly competant, effecient, well organised, caring, upbeat, profecient, and seriously good, (every single one), set of nurses; including that being the shift from Sat, to sun, then sun to Mon etc, across the time I was there (quite a few shift changes).
<wow.
They also know about steralisation and hygine. big time.

and.

Food. oh my - seriously decent tasty food! gorgeous! -yeh, this was in a hospital!? gosh.

and. to put it quite bluntly..... that is where the ill cancer patients hang out. - I didn't really fit in with my not proper real cancer, good cancer thinggy....
Honstly... I oughta stop bleedin on and winding..... gosh.
one of the guys, in the little side room of the ward I was in (there was just me and him most of the time, then the guy I mentioned in the first post, came in, late on today).
Well. he had quite a lot of visitors, and made a fair few phonecalls, in a small ward one cannot but overhear. Gosh.... so that's what a bloke with his head well and truely screwed on in place is like.... -- got to throw a few jokes about with him a couple times; mainly admiring his electric wheelchair... I figured he oughta be fitting in as many laughs and jokes as he can. whilst he still can. - but... you'd not honestly know he were even ill, just from his voice, and how he talks. gosh.

On a lighter note.... got some serious flirting with nurses (male and feamle, of course), in overnight... as I just sat up all night, as all the obs and infusions and injections of antibiotics really didn't leave enough gap to bother tryign to sleep... Amazed one nurse (female), with my skin, hair and nails; I still can't figure out why my skin is beter than its been in years, and my nails, have never been so good... she was really supprised by my nails, as indeed I am, just no signs of any chemo stuff, at all - I let pass... the way she patiently 'took adtantage of me', and 'felt ' my hair... and skin.... slightly more than I do beleive was entirely necessarly

my hairs going weird...

its growing back.

err, like it never all went anyhow... but obviously those bits that did... are... regrowing, even whilst I'm still on the chemo...

I'm just werid....

must go drink some tea. and think about an early ngiht maybe I can't even work out how long I've been awake for now... woke probably 10 AM, sunday.... not been to bed/sleep since then... and err... it is Monday now isn't it?