Re-admitted.

What a pain! We came into ward 1 on monday to have a blood test and went home again.
The hospital called later in the afternoon and asked if I could come back in for a transfusion of platelets, so we drove back in again at 4pm.
However I developed a fever in the afternoon and was shivering despite the sunny day.
I had a feeling they would keep me in so I grabbed a spare tee-shirt and shorts just in case.

Sure enough they decided to pump me full of antibiotics just in case and hold me overnight. I was supposed to come in early this morning anyway to have a line inserted into my neck, so in a way it made sense to stay regardless.
I had a terrible night's sleep, weird dreams and unable to get comfortable with the IV line in my arm. This morning the doctors have said they want me to stay another night as well, just to make sure. With my blood counts almost non-existent it makes sense.

The line they will insert in my neck is the same type that I had done in 2006 for stem cell harvesting. On that occasion the surgeon had no idea how to install it and after three attempts the line was finally put in by a colleague. The whole episode was horrific for me as it is done under a local. It took and hour and a half instead of twenty minutes. I laid a complaint that was upheld and resulted in the hospital changing the way it trains it's theatre staff.

So as you can imagine I'm fairly apprehensive about going back into theatre today. I've asked to have a sedative before hand and I will be quizzing the surgeon on their experience in the procedure.

Last night they gave me one unit of platelets and one unit of whole blood. One of the doctors mentioned today that the surgeon putting the line in wanted me to have a platelet count of at least 80 before he would go ahead. I laughed.. it was 8 yesterday and to get to 80 would mean transfusing about 5 units. Something that just isn't going to happen. I guess we shall see.

Sunday Race Day.

Sarah and I got up at around 7 this morning, grabbed something to eat and rushed out the door to pick up the race car from the workshop.
We arrived at the race venue, Port road, at 8am in time for drivers briefing. It was raining quite steadily which I don't mind as I believe it gives me a much needed edge over the car that usually wins at this event. He has far more horsepower which means that he has trouble gaining traction in the slippery conditions. I myself enjoy a good sideways play on a wet road.

I thought the first run of the day was a practice so I hammed it up and slid the car all over the road, not realising it was an official timed run. No harm done, I was fastest anyway! :)

The next run was a lot drier with plenty of grip. I posted a personal best time of 87.7 seconds, a second faster than I'd ever gone before. (So much for taking it easy as I'd told the doctors I would, but at no time did I feel like I was on my limit)
Unfortunately the guy in the more powerful car also got a run in the dry and posted a time over 2 seconds faster than I did.

At this point Sarah and I left the event and headed into the cancer ward at the hospital and got a blood test done. Afterwards we headed home and spent the next few hours on the couch watching TV. The hospital phoned and said that my counts were worse than friday at .1 for white cells (5+ is normal) and 14 for platelets, however they did not want me to come back in until tomorrow.

It was now 2pm and I was bored, sitting on the couch watching something of no interest. I looked out the window and thought " Hmmm it's a nice day outside.. wonder of they will let me re-enter the event?"
I phoned the timing marshal and he said I could return and complete my final two runs. So I threw my race suit on, jumped in the car and headed back to Seaview.

I was immediately slotted back into the waiting queue of race cars and within a few minutes was once more tearing around the back streets of Seaview. The run was going really well until the car overheated and the computer wisely decided to severely retard my engine's power output. (later I thought maybe I had blown a head-gasket but then worked through the train of events and deducted that the computer was probably smarter than me and wanted me to stop)

I finished that run with a time almost exactly the same as my personal best from the morning, even with the misfiring engine.
I did a quick check under the bonnet, couldn't see anything wrong and headed out again for my last run. Before I even got to the first corner I lost my power steering belt and as a result my steering too! So I screeched to a halt a few feet short of the curb before gingerly maneuvered the car back to the pits.

By 3pm just one hour later I was back on the couch watching the same boring TV show.. I could have imagined the whole thing.
However the two new trophies atop the TV prove otherwise.

I took out second place over-all and in class, gaining 9 precious points towards the series, plus posted a personal best and firmly believe I can go a lot faster... maybe when I'm well again ;)

Health-wise, I have painful mouth ulcers that send a dull ache up my jaw and into my ear. Eating is excruciating. They should get better over the next few days.
I seem to have more energy this afternoon than I did this morning.. maybe I've been running on adrenalin? Guess I'll find out tonight when I crash into a screaming heap.

Cheers! ..Ron

Who needs blood anyway?

I dropped into the hospital today for a blood test. Whites 0.26 and platelets 43. So I'm neutropenic and not far off being thrombocytopenic as well. They want me to come into the hospital on sunday for another test and a likely blood transfusion.
I've told them I can't make it in till after I've done one run at the Port road street sprint. They are horrified but I've promised them I won't crash. (with platelets at 43 now and probably under 10 by sunday I'm at risk of uncontrolled bleeding)

I've already had a couple of phone calls from other competitors asking if I will be racing. I've done the maths in my head and unless I enter this weekend and post a time then there is almost no way I can win the series if someone else enters the other rounds and gains even modest points.

Thing is, life is for living, there's no point sitting around wrapped up in cotton wool making excuses for why I can't do what I love. To me the achievement of winning the 2009 sealed sprint series is well worth risk. I'd regret not doing it now while I have the chance... you never know what the future holds.

Healthwise I'm still really dizzy when I stand up and everything hurts.. even my hair! well not really my hair but my scalp feels tight and bruised. That's generally a sign that I can't be too far away from having it all fall out. My face hurts too.. not a big pain, just tender.. it's probably all the old skin cells dying off and having no new ones to replace them yet.

I'll let you know how I go on sunday...

Getting better..

Each day I feel a little better, the angst feeling has gone so that's good. I no longer have any nausea either. Today's symptoms are dizziness when I stand up and palpitations. I've had this before and put it down to my body readjusting to the steroids absence.

I tried to go into work for a short time but I nearly passed out each time I stood up or got out of my car, so I gave up and spent the day watching History channel.

I have an appointment with the district nurse tomorrow where I shall tell her I'm fine, then I have a blood test at the Blood & Cancer centre at Wgtn hospital on Friday where I'll also get more GCSF to inject. (I inject GCSF into my stomach each morning)
Hopefully my blood counts won't be too scary this weekend and I might just strap myself into my race car on sunday for a single run around Port road to keep myself in the points table.

Home again..

I finished my IV's at 7am this morning and by just after midday I was on my way out the door.
I still can't keep still and have spent as much time as I can sleeping so I don't have to suffer from the effects of the steroids.
Maybe tomorrow they will subside.. however history has shown me that coming down off the steroids is far worse.. maybe I haven't been having them long enough to suffer withdrawal? Guess I'll find out.

I feel nauseous and have been taking metoclopramide tablets to ease that. Luckily I have hundreds of them left over from chemo in 2007.

Ok.. gonna go.. reached the end of my string again.. shall lie down.

Later.