Boxing Day As well as broad-spectrum Tazocin, I’ve been on Teicoplanin (twice a day to start, then once a day) to target coagulase-negative staphylococcus. Big name for a little bug but it does kind of roll off the tongue once you’ve worked out how to say it. It's not too bad now that I know I'm staying til Tuesday at least. I can get my mind in gear for that and buy my mobile broadband time and TV etc now! They just don't realise, these life-saving nurses, the momentous decisions that hang on their every word, haha! I just haven't felt hungry though I've just had some soup for dinner. Pete and the boys are having a nice xmas dinner tonight - roast beef - so I won’t see them today. We'll have ’our’ dinner whenever I get out of here. Just been nattering to sons on facebook chat. I've been acting as fashion police as they trawl the net sales with their xmas money. We mostly agree - must be doing OK, haha - I would NEVER have let my Mum anywhere near my wardrobe :D Spoke to my brother who’s stuck up Aberdeen way. He’s missing his traditional Boxing day p***-up with his old school friends from Wales. I’m sure he’ll find someone up there to celebrate with…Also spoke to Mum, who was having a nice, quiet one - a bit disappointed that bro couldn’t get down this year. Haven’t told friends I’m in yet with it being family time an’all so Billy No-Mates today. I do have TV though now and, after some rearranging of furniture and moving my laptop around the room, can pick up broadband. Hurrah! Sunday/Monday TV, internet, antibiotics and visits from Pete which always begin with an assessment of the latest weather forecasts and how my radiotherapy could be affected. I can’t do with the stress of getting up each day wondering whether we’ll be able to get there. The silver lining in the infection cloud is that I’ll be here for the start of radio treatment tomorrow. Heard that SK had died in the ICU on Xmas Day. She was a lovely, warm-hearted lady who had been on the ward almost every time I had. She’d been in hospital almost continuously since March - they’d let her out and she’d last a day before having to be re-admitted with a temperature. She was usually cheerful in the face of no-one knowing exactly what was wrong (apart from her cancer). Sometimes it was all too much and she would have a little weep with us. She brought me a piece of her birthday cake when she heard I was in isolation for the first time. Anyway, I’m glad she’s not hurting any more. Tuesday Nurse rang radio to let them know I was an in-patient. They usually leave in-patients til last but they said they’d send someone up in half an hour and to take my anti-sickness tablet. Just time for a quick shower and the porter was here. Radiology seemed miles away even in a wheelchair. By the time we got there, my ears were freezing! Must remember my hat tomorrow J . Had a quick chat with my ‘named nurse’ about skin care (no perfumes/talc etc just baby or ’Simple’ soap) and appointments, then into the room. Spent some time lining me up and drawing more lines, then treatment began. Not at all painful and only took about 5 minutes. They said that subsequent appointments should be quicker. Got a big tub of aqueous cream to rub into the affected area twice a day. Have to rub into front and back. My Consultant appeared late morning full of commiserations at the timing of recent events. He said he’d let me out on Thursday if I came back on Saturday for more antibiotics. We don’t know what the weather’s going to be like (my car is still parked miles from the house and it’s snowing today). Anyway, we decided I’d go home on Thursday after radiotherapy and a double dose of antibiotics to see me over the weekend. I’d responded well to treatment this week and my temperature was stable so he didn’t foresee a problem with that. There’s no radio on New Year’s Day, so I’ll be off til Monday. We talked a little about next week and logistics if there’s more snow and so on. If it comes to it, I’ll have to be admitted . It’s obvious that that’s not ideal from anyone’s point of view because I’m not actually ’ill’. We talked about the line infection - he mentioned getting in touch with radiology about inserting a wire to do something but he was half-talking to his junior so I don’t quite know what that’s about yet. I was concerned about infection in the second lumen. It can’t be used so, therefore, isn’t flushed. He said we leave well alone. It may be that the whole thing has to be replaced prior to stem-cell transplant but we don’t know that yet. He doesn’t share my concern about fresh stitches/wounds as potential sources of infection and is hoping we can clear up this infection and just keep using the line I‘ve got. He’d asked us to remind him after xmas about getting in touch with the hospital in Newcastle for a transplant date. I finish radio on 19th January so we can fix a date now. Pete rang them in case they’d sent a letter already - we’ve had no post for a while. Anyway, that’s all in motion… Friends from school had been in touch and turned up this afternoon bearing gifts. They’ve also offered me a bed next week if I decide that staying here is the best thing to do - that’s great because we were struggling to work out how to cover a week’s stay in a hotel. They’re back at school so I won’t feel like I’m imposing as much. Radio will send a taxi to pick me up and drop me off. Hopefully none of this will be necessary but it’s reassuring to have a back-up plan just in case. I decided to put another coin in the very expensive TV - is it me or has Xmas TV gone down the pan??? Where are the Big Films? Loads of repeats and grim storylines. Very festive. Maybe there’ll be something good on today… Love kx
