An interview with the catering manager

Yesterday's food reached a brand new low level of quality, and I mentioned this to the nurses. Today, the dietician talked to me about it, and arranged an interview with the catering manager. She also told me to try some of the special meal options as she heard they were better. These options are Kosher, Affro-Caribbean and Halal with a choice of veggie or non-veggie. Later on, the catering manger duly arrived, and we discussed the over-processed, cold and undercooked (potatoes) food that I had been served. You won't believe me but I tried to be as polite as possible! Anyway, he took it on the chin, and we also discussed the other speciality food options ...

... this evening on my tray was a veggie Halal meal of pea and cabbage curry, Dahl and saffron rice. It was designed to be microwaved, arrived hot and was dare I say it delicious. It is the first square meal I have had in two weeks!! I will be taking this option for the foreseeable (although I might also try the other styles as they are packaged the same way apparently).

The transplant coordinator popped in to confirm Harry's news, and the consultant also gave me an extra reason to be thankful for. About half the population carries a virus called CMV (wikipedia will tell all). This virus is harmless normally, unless you become immune-suppressed, for example after transplant, when it can flare up. I already knew I was CMV-, but rather luckily Harry is also negative. This greatly increases my chances of accepting the transplant; Harry is a actually one in sixteen chance for me.

Today has been a day for chemo therapy. The third and final (this phase) doses of Daunorubicin and Vincristine have been administered. I also received some blood products to help with clotting (infusing as I write), in preparation for the lumbar puncture that has been delayed until the blood results are favourable. I am totally neutropenic, and my platelets have also fallen to where they would expect.

Despite increasing my fluid intake, I still need to be hooked up all night to saline, to get the creatinine levels down in my kidneys, but I hope tonight and tomorrow will be the last of that.

Rose came for her usual visit, and the mood was light because of yesterday's news. We pretty much finished the crossword and I have successfully moved on to the next one (I think the editor put some stinkers in at the beginning to show how mighty the Times crossword is).

I also had another reflexology session. They are very nice, but I am pretty sure I will not have any more once out of hospital. If I am to self-indulge, it will surely be with a bottle of Vieux Chateau Certan!!

After lunch, Yvonne popped by with a new hairstyle. Yvonne is a long standing friend, we met 24 years ago at her first wedding :):) when I was just starting out with Rose. I was violently I'll after drinking too much Champagne. Plus ca change ...

I also got calls from June, Jeremy and Yaniv; I would say that today has been a good day.


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