After 3 years of chemotherapy I finally made it to the end of treatment. It was time to celebrate, to crack on with the ‘new normal’ of life, I was finished and I was alive!
Well that’s the theory. The reality, for me, turned out to be somewhat different. So I did party, a perfectly timed joint 50th with my husband was an absolute blast. A week later I was being carted off in an ambulance after ‘fainting’…
Today marks 979 days since I was diagnosed with leukaemia, a word I still rely on spellchecker to get right for me! In 121 days I will take what I hope will be my last chemo tablets, the end of treatment is nigh.
Why then am I not feeling as excited as everyone else? Well I do still have 2 rounds of ‘quarterly nasties’ to get through. Later this morning I will have an IV of chemo, AKA poison, and start 5 days of steroids…
Next week sees the 2nd anniversary of my diagnosis, an appropriate, if long overdue, moment to celebrate life and the friendships that have been vital in getting me well and back living life.
Diagnosed a week after Donald Trump shocked the world by being elected as President of the United States, it quickly became apparent that, for many, my leukaemia diagnosis came as even more shocking news.
My husband and I had a sense…
This summer I had an epiphany, at long last a turning point with a sign post that said ‘living’. My husband and I were going to a wedding, having our first night away without the children in over 2 years, how exciting!
But facing a room full of people is daunting for anybody when you don’t know most of them and those you do are acquaintances you haven’t seen for 30 years. Throw in a chemo inflicted patchy hair…
It’s been a while since I felt compelled to write, but 6 months in to a 2 year maintenance programme designed to keep me in remission from leukaemia I feel the urge.
Maintenance means I am still at the hospital most weeks for blood tests where I share a waiting room with so many people with head scarves, wheelchairs, pale skin etc, a reminder of what I’ve been through. I’m still taking chemo tablets at home every…
