Steady progress

Today has been a solid day of progress towards recovery, and I hope that trend will continue into weekend. 

We still do not have the official radiology report from the CT and the Xray, but there is no sign of any bony infection currently. However, they think they really need an MRI scan to make sure, and have booked one. Certainly, I would like to know one way or the other in advance of another possible infection during later phases of the treatment.

During the night my excess fluids dropped sufficiently such that my lower legs and feet are no longer completely bloated and taut. Last night I was able to put weight on my left leg (albeit briefly), and so today we decided to see if I could move around by myself using a walking frame. The physio arrived, and we tried. The answer is that if I am not tethered to the IV pump I can manage, but it was quite hard work! It feels like I reached a milestone, and hopefully will get progressively easier with time.

My doctor is very keen to remove my catheter, because it is a potential source of infection, but I decided to wait until tomorrow morning to do it when a normal day shift of staff is around - I will have to house-train myself again!

As the excess fluids are draining out, I'm pleased to say that all the markers in my blood and organs are returning to normal, even the pesky creatinine level has dropped to normal! In addition, since Monday they have been injecting me with GCSF, the drug that stimulates blood stem cell production. So during the week my neutrophils, platelets and haemoglobin have been slowly recovering, as was the intention in the original chemotherapy regime. Right now I am hooked up to the last dose of Rituximab. It is nice to be able to once again think about the next real milestone in the leukaemia treatment, namely to get a good remission after the fist cycle.

I am struggling to find a form of words to describe how I feel about this past week. I feel humbled by the experience, dedication, and skill of the nursing team who cared for me. Cheering every extra point or two of blood pressure as we struggled to keep above 60 during Sunday, carrying out (what seem to me to be) complex procedures with dexterity, and sharing with me their experience of similar things that happened in the past. Though I may lack the poetry to describe my feelings, I know I shall never forget them.