Aboard Dignity (Lagoon 420) Blog

At the high level I am now feeling pretty good. The side effects that span off from the first round of chemo are now under control, my body is finally producing copious amounts of White-Cells. My counts are up and we’ve even been allowed out for a walk outside of the hospital. Day by day I feel stronger and steadier. I look less like a lemon.

At the low level the battle plays out and needs to reach conclusion. More time in bed. I have a series of lung shadows, the large ones obviously fungal, the lesser ones probably the same but with some uncertainty due to their smaller size.

These are the types of fungus that most people have in their lungs but have run amok when my blood counts were flat. These are being beaten down by intravenous drugs. If I could take oral therapy for this we might be able go home for a bit but that is not on yet as we have the parallel fight on with a liver ‘syndrome’ which is limiting the drugs I can take for my lung fungus battles.

Rather than having one nurse (and at one time an ICU) set to my care and monitoring I am back to sharing the nurse with three other patients and the frequency of tests has dropped significantly. I’m missing the attention but this is all an indication that the serious threats are past.

Hovering on the sides of this secondary battle are the docs taking the bigger view on my lymphoma. They are deciding when and how to step back in and step up primary treatment that could send us round this or another circle again.

But each day I feel better, stronger, more stable than the day before. Good.

On other fronts things progress. House survey is set for Monday. Helen and I scheme furniture for our home and other desirable from a high level. We’re not committing to anything just yet but we’ll be ready when it’s time.

There are more admin things settling out from our resettlement back in the UK. All going well. I’ve run out of excuses for finishing my my UK taxes. Dare I?

Steve has asked me to write this blog because he is feeling very worn out and just being able to lie back, relax and take a rest from the internet is just what he needs.
There’s been some challenges with his treatment lately. He’s developed complications with the liver and is a bit yellow at the gills.
This diversion means Steve’s next round of chemo has been delayed and the gap we needed to get to Ben and Amy’s wedding in Connecticut has basically gone. This is the saddest part and we are very disappointed. We are consoled by the fact that another ceremony will be planned in the UK for all the family and friends here.
The care and treatment Steve is receiving here at University College Hospital has been excellent. He has a nice (although very clinical looking) private room with an ensuite. I can stay overnight whenever I want as it’s easy to make up a spare bed in his room. I have taken advantage of this a few times but in general I go home most nights. I do need a break from the hospital.
The journey to and from hospital is not too bad. The train line is direct from Chesham to Euston Square with no changes. The hospital is literally just across the road from Euston Sq. station. If I catch the fast train, the journey is about 50 minutes. If I catch the slow (stops at all stations) train it can take an extra 20 to 30 minutes. I don’t mind as I get time to read and occasional talk to fellow passengers.
These are certainly challenging times and I thank all those who have been sending us good wishes. As always Steve continues to stay positive and faces any new issues with his usual humour and courage.

Healthwise I’m a bit on a roller coaster. My white cell count is now down to zero and we’re having to be very careful. I even have a box of masks if I leave my room.

I’ve also seen some falling blood pressure and have had two sets of infusions for platelets and blood. Apparently I get a lot of extra color in my cheeks when I get the extra blood. I wonder when this will catch on in the fashion industry. I’m very thankful for the PICC line which has saved me a lot of needles.

Of course there’s been the excitement of winning our bid on the house we want. It turned out we were one of five who offered the asking price with one of the others also a cash buyer and no chain. We were asked to provide a Best and Final Bid. Helen and I debated this and agreed a new amount. I decided to add an extra £1,000 so the number wasn’t so round. The long and the short of it is we’re now moving on. I’ve got a couple of conveyancing solicitors to interview today and I hope to interview a few surveyors too so we can proceed on our side of things.

The only fly in the ointment is the vendor had a property they wanted to buy nearby but it’s since been sold. We’ll have to work something out here as we can’t leave this open ended.