Saturday Nov 20th

It's three weeks since my last post. Three weeks of working three days a week. So what's new?
First of all I finished taking Aciclovir this week. My specialist said to finish off the supply and then continue taking Co-Trimoxazole three times a week only.
I can just about remember that. On work days I take my pills. Simples.

How do I feel? Well, I'm coping at work, except for my back and neck problems.
I've had arthritis in my neck for a few years and this is the time of year when it plays up. Add in a severe lower back pain and I'm immobile if I have to stand for more than a few minutes. Luckily my job is desk-bound.
On Fridays I have to take the post to the DX and main Post Offices. This involves a walk around the town centre and by the time I get back to the office I'm all in.
I've also gone shopping afterwards and by the time I get home I'm exhausted.
Yesterday I was able to go home without doing the shopping but even so I slept for twelve hours.
So I have a severe lack of stamina coupled with pain in my neck, pain in my lower back, both of which add to my not inconsiderable grumpiness. I hate this time of year, with its cold, its damp, and short days. Roll on next May!

I have started singing again. I sang three songs at a local Open Mike night two weeks ago (repeated again this week),and was approached with a view to rehearsing with a country/rockabilly band. So I've rehearsed with them twice. I'm not sure it'll come to anything. I have my own plans.

Last Saturday I was invited to open for Paul Wheater at a local church. I played for about 35 minutes and went down well. I have another appearance lined up in a church in Rushden next Saturday. These spots will keep me ticking over during the winter, weather and colds permitting.

Next week I will see my GP, touch base and arrange a repeat prescription for my drugs, and discuss what to do about the various aches and pains.

All in all, it's a much better place that I was in last year.

Nov 1st 2010- into remission

My date for my appointment finally arrived after several days of hypochondria-like symptoms. I imagined every ache and pain as symptoms of something worse. I had difficulty getting off to sleep, especially lying on my left side (where my spleen is situated). A few months ago the effects of the CLL had caused it to swell up, making it hard to lie on, and now...was I experiencing this again?

Anyway, I went to the hospital and had my blood test. When I turned up at the clinic we discovered that our parking permits were out of date,and we were no longer able to park in our usual place. Sue moved the car to the main car park (where we have to pay the full fee)and it was not a moment too soon as a car park warden came into the clinic asking people to move their cars. Half an hour later he issued parking tickets.

That bit of excitement over, we were called in to see the specialist. I was weighed and asked if I'd had any problems. He was unconcerned about my inability to lie on my side because he had good news. The last bone marrow tests failed to find even the tiniest trace of CLL in my bone marrow, meaning that the treatment had been successful and that I was now in remission.

My immune system is still compromised, and will be for some months yet, and I will have to continue with one of the drugs- and I must have a flu jab, but other than that, it's all good.

I will have to go back to see him in three months time, and every three or four months from then on.

I took my prescription to the pharmacy and was told to return in 30 minutes. We then called into the hospital hairdressers in the main entrance area. Our son's girlfiend's mother works there,and she trimmed about four inches off my hair and generally tidied it up. I'd refused having anything done to my hair until I was in remission and it was getting too long.

We then went to the car and drove towards home.

It was then we remembered my prescription. First of all we called into the new Asda in Kettering to buy a pair of work trousers ready for tomorrow, then drove back to the hospital. Sue dropped me off then drove to a Warehouse style retail store opposite the hospital. I collected the prescription and walked over to the store where I bought a 2011 diary, and Sue bought a few things.

The shopping came to £8.88 and as we left the store I said "The parking was a bit expensive, but at least you get a free bag of shopping!"

Then it was off home for lunch together. Sue went back to work and I wrote some emails and posted the news on Facebook, and then made a couple of phone calls.

Back to work tomorrow.