An eventful day

It has been a very eventful day, and now I will try and summarise it for you...

Rose arrived in the morning, bearing laptop and camera so that we could try and get some pictures for this blog. I managed to copy the photos to the iPad, but then I have to cross the hurdle of uploading them here. Browsing local is just not an option! So, I downloaded an app called Web Albums that let's me upload photos from the iPad to the web, and they are now uploaded at picasa. From there, I just about managed it.

Whilst we were learning this, a nurse came to tell that I had an appointment with the dentist! This was over the road int the outpatient building, so I tasted freedom and fresh air. The dentist is on the 6th floor; I managed three flights and then we took the elevator. The dentist then sent me for an XRay, which led me to the A&E department because the dental machine in the normal XRay is broken. We got back to my room at about 1pm. Lunch today was pretty bad, but fortunately Rose brought some good old home cooking which she heated in the micro for me. It makes me realise how spoilt I was at home having fresh ingredients cooked each day, rather than the processed, packaged pap they serve here in the hospital.

Here I am in my room:

From Ian and Leukaemia

This is the room:

From Ian and Leukaemia

This is the unprepossessing view from the window:

From Ian and Leukaemia

After Rose left (having helped me solve the current crossword puzzle), the transplant nurse came to see me. She explained that if neither of brother is a match, they will search the global records of donors, which is actually 14.5 million! On the downside, my Eastern European Jewish roots restrict the chances somewhat. She said it is impossible to give a percentage for me, and anyway I still have hope in my blood brothers! It takes 2 weeks to get the match results, so awaiting game still.

Next in was the chemo nurse advising me that my next chemo dose is due (which I was expecting). But hot on her heels were the PICC team, saying they had a cancellation and they could insert my line right now! The PICC team won, and duly inserted it. They find a vein in your arm using an ultrasound scanner and my veins were nice and big. Then they numb the entry point with local anaesthetic and insert the line, above the elbow joint on the inside. It goes up your arm, across you shoulder and down into the superior vena cava just above the heart. I then went for a chest XRay to make sure it went where it is supposed to! Sometimes the line goes up to the neck or across to the other side. I will find out tomorrow if it went OK, but all the signs indicate that it did.

Sadly, whilst I was down in XRay, Marilyn popped by for a visit, and I thank her very much for thinking of me. She works locally so I am sure I will get to see her soon, but it is always a shame to miss a visitor. It is funny that I have been happy working at home on my own for years without missing human interaction too much. But once in hospital it is something to be treasured. I think it is about focus and goals and things (most of which evaporate under the stress of illness).

Still no TV. BT have a service for WiFi access all over, and I downloaded the iPhone app to use it, but it just tells me the iPad version is coming soon. I am not sure I would be near enough a hot-spot up here on the 13th floor anyway. The hospital does not seem to have a WiFi access point, at least not that the iPad can hook up to. So, that leaves me with 3G for the foreseeable.

One of the PICC nurses is an appleophile, and she said I had to play "angry birds" but somehow just the name leaves me uninspired. One day maybe ...