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.

Grumble.. moan

I'm in a total funk right now.. it's the steroids again. Can't think, can't stay still, can't watch a movie, can't read a book, can't relax. It's awful!

I've been hooked up these IV's since friday lunchtime and am due to unhook at 7am monday morning.It's like a prison sentence!
The nurse has decided that my weight is too high, so I must be retaining some of the fluids. So she has given me another injection of a drug that makes you pass water.. and heaps of it. I'm emptying my bladder every ten minutes.. another pain in the neck as I have to drag this IV stand when I go to the bathroom.

Roll on tomorrow and I can go home!