Today I shook hands and chatted with Prince Charles and Camilla!
When I arrived at the clinic, the nurses told me that there would be a royal visit, but I thought it would be in the afternoon and I would miss it. But first let me record the interesting medical bits, and then I will return to the prince ...
There is too much iron in my body. It has no short term effects, but can cause organ failure in later life. You can read about it at Wikipedia (and of course other places if you care to), in my case it is caused by the large number of blood transfusions I had whilst being treated (both in hospital and shortly after transplant). The red cells from a transfusion last a lot less time than normally produced ones, and as they breakdown they leave iron behind (which builds up). The treatment is quite simple - they just remove a unit of blood periodically! Over time the excess iron is thinned out, and the life cycle of my newly produced red cells evens out the iron concentration. The frequency of treatment is up to me! They recommend once a month, but I can have the blood removed more frequently if I can take it. My doctor says that at once a month it will take 9+ months. I hope I can get this done at my local hospital rather than going up to UCH each time - we shall see. Sadly, the blood will just be thrown away - the blood bank is not interested in blood from my transplanted stem cells.
I am going to stop taking aciclovir, which is an anti-viral drug I have been taking twice daily since transplant. I have been taking it because I have had shingles (Herpes Zosta) which can happen after getting chicken pox as a child. The virus lies dormant, normally kept at bay by ones immune system. I have been taking the antiviral to keep it in check whilst my own immune system recovers. Once I stop taking the aciclovir, it is likely I will get shingles (after one month and within 6 months). When I get it, I will be treated with antivirals, and afterwards my own immune system will keep it under control ... that is the theory anyway! I cannot take the drug for the rest of my life, so I am happy to stop and see what happens. I just hope it does not strike in a bad place (like the eye, as happened to a colleague of mine). When I got it before it was in the back of my neck.
So, what of the royals? I was waiting for the pharmacy to fill my prescription when they told us all that the prince would soon be arriving. My nurses came down to the lobby and we waited eagerly, hoping he would come and say hello. The royal couple duly arrived, but went to the other side of the lobby! So the three of us crossed the room and made ourselves as prominent as we could. Sure enough they shook our hands (the nurses curtsied rather prettily whilst shaking hands; I did not bow) and asked some questions. A very exciting episode even for a dyed-in-the wool cynic like me!
And I must just say, I call them "my nurses", but these ladies are actually "clinical nursing specialists", and very well educated and knowledgeable in their field (as well as being charming).
