Well I went back in to hospital last week with a temperature, didn't feel too bad just a bit sick and that but I ended up staying in a whole week on another course of antibiotics. Three infections in three weeks, must be some kind of record, I've spent more time as an in-patient than an out-patient.
I'm out now anyway and after a little while of letting my blood counts recover I'm back on the second half of this chemo regime. So far it hasn't been as bad as last time, the cyclophosphamide made me feel pretty sick but it wasn't as bad as last time. The cytarabine four times a week is okay, again makes you feel a bit sick and you lose your appetite a bit which doesn't help with how much weight I keep losing but I can tell it's not going to be as bad as first half of the regime.
My bone marrow results all came back fine so I'm in to molecular remission now, which is great news. This should mean once I finish this regime in the next few weeks I can start my condinitioning for the transplant, the consultant told me I should be due for transplant in 4-6 weeks but I still need to meet with the doctor in-charge of my case really to find out exactly how we're going to proceed. Chances are once this regime's done I'll be on the full-body and cranial radiation, as well as high-dose chemo, how much of that is done as an out-patient I'm not sure.
I'm feeling alright about it all at the moment, taking it in my stride, my family have all been really helpful with taking me to the hospital and sitting with me and that, it was getting a bit depressing just being sat in this day area on my own every day. I feel like I'm starting to get pretty distant from my friends these days though, mainly because... well I don't have a great deal going on in my life aside from hospital visits and treatment and I don't want to harp on about that to them all the time and when they're all busy organising trips and events etc. it does make me feel pretty gutted I can't be involved. Still it won't be for much longer, that's what I've got to keep in mind, come October I should be able to do anything I want again :)
I haven't been taking my 'clean diet' all that seriously in the last few weeks, going out to restaurants most days with my family. I've been avoiding all the things I'm not allowed, but I was still told not to out to takeaways and restaurants. Plus if I'm honest I've been to more crowded places than I should have been, so I've got to start taking that more seriously really. Although I am still convinced the infections I've caught have been from other ill patients in the hospital...
For the most part though everythings going well, I'm getting a lot of support and there does seem to be an end in sight, even if there is a lot of very daunting stuff to get over first.
