Had to go to Aberdeen for my first chemotherapy. They said I was borderline when I got there but decided to give me a couple of blood transfusions so that they could go ahead with the chemotherapy. It seemed a long time in the ward, about 8 hours all together. They asked me to go back the next day to get an injection to help boost my immune system. I was then able to go back to Shetland with a few additional tablets to take.
They have given me a red book to show all the things that I must look out for. These appear in green amber and red in answer to questions down the page. If the answer is red I have to phone the hot line. Presumably they send out a helicopter for me. Is that safer than wrapping up warm and hoping for the best?
There are aches and pains today, partly from being marooned in the car on Yell. partly from walking too far after the blood transfusions and partly from the hard bed on the Aberdeen ferry.
The worst thing at present is the taste of water. Because of the tablets I suppose, they include antibiotics. I am doing my best to maintain my appetite. I may have to resort to curries and chillies to ensure I taste the food.
A three week course of new tablets will keep me going until the next visit to Aberdeen. I wonder
whether to sail or fly next time. I will try to establish which will be least traumatic.
The thing is that all the things I am warned about will be likely to be met with later in the course rather than earlier. Infection could be more likely on the plane than the boat. Hair loss doesn;t matter it could happen anytime anyway.
I will decide in a week or so depending on how I feel.
I was surprised to be feeling washed out after the meal tonight. I expected to feel full of energy.
Anyway nothing drastic has happened so far. So here's to the next time.
Saturday, 26 April 2014
Wednesday, 16 April 2014
Onward & Upward
I am less feverish, seem to have thrown off the infection and no longer talk to the clock. In fact I don't remember doing this so maybe it was Janet having a dream.
Anyway they are willing to see me in Aberdeen next week and my chemo may start then.
One of the nurses came today to look at my bedsores and take an arm full of blood.
If Aberdeen like the blood they will go ahead. If my local expert in Lerwick is unhappy with it he will give me a blood transfusion.
Meanwhile the daga of the lack of telephone continues. A little man came yesterday to say he would connect the telephone wire bt people did not like him digging on their land so we would need to dig the cable in. Janet told him she did not mind him digging on her land and why did he carry a spade. Had it got the ferry times written on it? She then started to tell him the story of our telephone. He realised that there were only a limited number of ferries each day and if he waited for the end of the story he and his spade could be marooned overnight on Fetlar.
He agreed to dig in the cable. When it was done he said she needed a man with a screwdriver to do the technical bits. He only had a spade.
She let him go, hotfoot and warm handed to the ferry.
The second mattress for the bed arrives courtesy of Kate tomorrow.
We will then be able to return the one we borrowed for Janet.
There is a Russian grandmaster talking about the women chess championship in Siberia so I will go and listen to him now. He has a terrific accent.
Anyway they are willing to see me in Aberdeen next week and my chemo may start then.
One of the nurses came today to look at my bedsores and take an arm full of blood.
If Aberdeen like the blood they will go ahead. If my local expert in Lerwick is unhappy with it he will give me a blood transfusion.
Meanwhile the daga of the lack of telephone continues. A little man came yesterday to say he would connect the telephone wire bt people did not like him digging on their land so we would need to dig the cable in. Janet told him she did not mind him digging on her land and why did he carry a spade. Had it got the ferry times written on it? She then started to tell him the story of our telephone. He realised that there were only a limited number of ferries each day and if he waited for the end of the story he and his spade could be marooned overnight on Fetlar.
He agreed to dig in the cable. When it was done he said she needed a man with a screwdriver to do the technical bits. He only had a spade.
She let him go, hotfoot and warm handed to the ferry.
The second mattress for the bed arrives courtesy of Kate tomorrow.
We will then be able to return the one we borrowed for Janet.
There is a Russian grandmaster talking about the women chess championship in Siberia so I will go and listen to him now. He has a terrific accent.
Wednesday, 9 April 2014
Early Easter News
Things ain't what they used to be.
Margaret and Janet got back from Aberdeen after Margaret's chemotherapy. She must not have contact with me because her treatment means her immune system is less effective and I contracted an infection while they were away.
Although she had nurses coming in she collapsed one day and it was decided that she should go back to hospital to be safe.
Meanwhile I had nurses coming in to see me. They told Aberdeen that I was infected.
Aberdeen says that I need to be fitter before I become ill enough to have chemotherapy.
Meanwhile BT and Outreach are trying to find the meaning of the word liaise. BT took our old number when they should not have done. They then took days to give it back but it was a different number without the facility to leave messages. They did not tell us we had the phone back nor that it was a different number. We picked it up one morning and thought we had everything back to normal. Next the builder sent his daughter to see us to say he could not get through. We rang him and he sais his mobile showed a different number. We phoned BT and told us they could give back our original number but it would delay the installation of that number in the new house. We decided to bite the bullet. They did not come to put in the phone on the appointed day.
We rang them./ They swore blind that the little man was on his merry way. We asked which ferry. They checked and said the job was booked to be done but they had not allocated an engineer to do it.
They told us not to worry it would be done forthwith or some such time. They sent us an email saying that they were unable to contact us. Hardly surprising as they had not given the line the facility to accept messages. They gave us a new date by which they would have arranged something. (This email address does not accept messages.) They did not give name email or telephone number where someone could be reached. Next we got another email saying that something would be arranged by a later date. During this time Margaret was in and out of hospital and back in again.
We are not holding our breath. We are working out ways we might send smoke signals.
If I became a Trappist monk I would nt need the phone.
The trouble is we do need to phone nurses, doctors, MacMillan nurses and Occupational Therapists.
We also get calls from Specialists in Aberdeen and Lerwick and their secretaries. We also need to arrange accommodation in Aberdeen before we get there for treatment.
Stop Press.
I have just received a letter from Aberdeen.
The new date for treatment is 22nd. April 2014. Then 14th. May, 4th. June, 25th. July and 6th. August.
These dates will be kept if I supply an arm full of blood before each visit , subject to it being mine and fairly healthy.
Also, if I start picking up more infections they may have to put me in hospital and drip antibiotics into me.
So I may be ready for next football season.
I think my treatment in Aberdeen has been synchronised with Margaret's but I'm not sure. If it has then we will all go by plane. This could be a bigger risk of infection than the boat but Janet will have to run after us to make sure we don't wander off whichever way we go.
I am creaking and so on now so will leave the stage.
Barbara is feeding and watering the ponies and me as well as packing books for the move. Janet has started the rally drive to Lerwick to see Margaret. Michael is not far short of the Aberdeen ferry.
Now watch this space.
Margaret and Janet got back from Aberdeen after Margaret's chemotherapy. She must not have contact with me because her treatment means her immune system is less effective and I contracted an infection while they were away.
Although she had nurses coming in she collapsed one day and it was decided that she should go back to hospital to be safe.
Meanwhile I had nurses coming in to see me. They told Aberdeen that I was infected.
Aberdeen says that I need to be fitter before I become ill enough to have chemotherapy.
Meanwhile BT and Outreach are trying to find the meaning of the word liaise. BT took our old number when they should not have done. They then took days to give it back but it was a different number without the facility to leave messages. They did not tell us we had the phone back nor that it was a different number. We picked it up one morning and thought we had everything back to normal. Next the builder sent his daughter to see us to say he could not get through. We rang him and he sais his mobile showed a different number. We phoned BT and told us they could give back our original number but it would delay the installation of that number in the new house. We decided to bite the bullet. They did not come to put in the phone on the appointed day.
We rang them./ They swore blind that the little man was on his merry way. We asked which ferry. They checked and said the job was booked to be done but they had not allocated an engineer to do it.
They told us not to worry it would be done forthwith or some such time. They sent us an email saying that they were unable to contact us. Hardly surprising as they had not given the line the facility to accept messages. They gave us a new date by which they would have arranged something. (This email address does not accept messages.) They did not give name email or telephone number where someone could be reached. Next we got another email saying that something would be arranged by a later date. During this time Margaret was in and out of hospital and back in again.
We are not holding our breath. We are working out ways we might send smoke signals.
If I became a Trappist monk I would nt need the phone.
The trouble is we do need to phone nurses, doctors, MacMillan nurses and Occupational Therapists.
We also get calls from Specialists in Aberdeen and Lerwick and their secretaries. We also need to arrange accommodation in Aberdeen before we get there for treatment.
Stop Press.
I have just received a letter from Aberdeen.
The new date for treatment is 22nd. April 2014. Then 14th. May, 4th. June, 25th. July and 6th. August.
These dates will be kept if I supply an arm full of blood before each visit , subject to it being mine and fairly healthy.
Also, if I start picking up more infections they may have to put me in hospital and drip antibiotics into me.
So I may be ready for next football season.
I think my treatment in Aberdeen has been synchronised with Margaret's but I'm not sure. If it has then we will all go by plane. This could be a bigger risk of infection than the boat but Janet will have to run after us to make sure we don't wander off whichever way we go.
I am creaking and so on now so will leave the stage.
Barbara is feeding and watering the ponies and me as well as packing books for the move. Janet has started the rally drive to Lerwick to see Margaret. Michael is not far short of the Aberdeen ferry.
Now watch this space.
Tuesday, 1 April 2014
Some results
My consultant in Aberdeen rang last week. He says that the lung cancer is responding to the treatment but the bone cancer is not. I thought that we could now rule out Malignant Melanoma as the source of any cancer. He did not agree. He called it a good working hypothesis.
He is to get me into Aberdeen in a short while and has prescribed steroids to pump me up beforehand.
We are still moving things from Stakkafletts to the new house at Springfield. There seems to be a never ending supply of bags and boxes with things that have no clear home in the new house.
At least the ponies are happy to see us when we go there.
We feed them every day and they wait for us to see that we are doing things as they want.
Tomorrow will have to be a lighter day. We will sort out the horses, take a few light things and look at the sighting scope on the big telescope, then put it in the garage. We will take the hand held sat nav to add some sophistication to the set up.
We may also put the tripod for the other telescope in the garage to tempt the stargazers to set that one up too.
The sound has gone on my computer so I may now have to learn sign language to use Skype.
We did a tour of the island today to see the sights. There was a redshank ensconced on the Loch of Funzie (Finnie remember).
I think today must have been heavier because I feel like having a rest now and I have only just had a siesta.
No golden plover, lapwings or red necked phalaropes yet. Plenty to look forward too.
Now I'm on steroids I might have a walk on the beach to see whether there is anyone there for me to kick sand over.
I will add more when they have chemofied me.
He is to get me into Aberdeen in a short while and has prescribed steroids to pump me up beforehand.
We are still moving things from Stakkafletts to the new house at Springfield. There seems to be a never ending supply of bags and boxes with things that have no clear home in the new house.
At least the ponies are happy to see us when we go there.
We feed them every day and they wait for us to see that we are doing things as they want.
Tomorrow will have to be a lighter day. We will sort out the horses, take a few light things and look at the sighting scope on the big telescope, then put it in the garage. We will take the hand held sat nav to add some sophistication to the set up.
We may also put the tripod for the other telescope in the garage to tempt the stargazers to set that one up too.
The sound has gone on my computer so I may now have to learn sign language to use Skype.
We did a tour of the island today to see the sights. There was a redshank ensconced on the Loch of Funzie (Finnie remember).
I think today must have been heavier because I feel like having a rest now and I have only just had a siesta.
No golden plover, lapwings or red necked phalaropes yet. Plenty to look forward too.
Now I'm on steroids I might have a walk on the beach to see whether there is anyone there for me to kick sand over.
I will add more when they have chemofied me.
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