Aaaah bugger!
We got the news today. The biopsy showed lymphoma.
That means relapse and a new stage to the battle.
To me it's just another hurdle life has thrown up to get around or bulldoze through.
My haematologist, Dr D'Souza broke the news to Sarah and I this afternoon.
I immediately went into problem solving mode and to be honest, other than saying "bugger" to myself it hardly registered. Is that denial? Or is it just because I'm so focused on over-coming obstacles? Either way the result is the same.. crank up the fighting mode and make lots more plans for the future. I'll also be drawing up a new "bucket list" as I've done all the things on the last one.
Fatigue has been an issue for about the last week as my blood counts have again plummeted. (At least we now know why).
Last week I had enough energy to install all the plumbing to a water tank that we have attached to the new garage. (The idea there is that it gives us an emergency gravity fed 1000 litres of water and a supply of water for Sarah's vege garden that won't drain the main tank.)
Today I was the most fatigued I've ever been outside of a hospital. The act of standing up and walking just a few metres had my heart racing and my breathing unable to keep up. Much the same as if anyone else had just done a 100m Olympic sprint. Hands on knees and completely exhausted. (reminds me.. must put my XAUSTD plate on the work van)
I said to Sarah on our way into hospital that I'd probably be admitted overnight as soon as Dr D'Souza took one look at me. Sure enough here I am hooked up to a pump and getting four units of whole blood. I think it was Dr D'Souza's present to me in light of having to break the bad news today. Even the nurses were surprised at four units. I usually get two. Tomorrow and for the next ten days or so I will be feeling supercharged and doing as much as I can while it lasts!
I'm in the so-called "short stay unit". I don't know why they call it that because the last time I was in this dead-end, bed-lined corridor, I was here for a week!
I jokingly said to Sarah that I was having another night in Gepetto's workshop.
Referring to the blog post I wrote in Nov 2009, the last time I was in this ward.
They wheeled me and what are odds?... straight to the same bed as last time!
So far so good, there's been no strange woodworking sounding noises from the bed diagonally opposite.
Well must go and try to sleep. I say "try" as it will take around ten hours to be transfused with four units.That means they should finish around 5am. Non-stop monitoring of my vitals, "Obs" as they call it, will make for a poor nights sleep.. but hey I'm gonna feel great this weekend! I can sense a night out for a Malaysian meal is on the cards!!
...Ron
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