Month: June 2005

I went to see my consultant last Thursday at the Haematology clinic and my leukaemia continues to be in remission.  I have a date for my chemotherapy; well I actually have a date to go into hospital for my chemo to start.  It's the nineteenth of June – a Sunday.  I'll get booked into the ward on that day, on the Monday I'll have a minor operation to fit a Hickman line.  It is a tube that is used to give chemotherapy.  The Hickman line is one type of 'long line' or 'central line'.  This one will be in my chest rather than the one which I had after by bowel surgery which was in my neck.  Once I've had a general aesthetic, I'm operated on under x-rays so that the surgeon can see the major blood vessels in my chest and fit the line to one of them.  Once fitted the end of a Hickman line hangs out of the chest and is usually sealed off with a cap.  Cool eh?  I'll look very fetching with my supa-tube.  I wonder if I can put Megan's glitter tape round it to make if funky!

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It's been a very busy week since I last posted on the blog.  I am absolutely fed up of not being in my own home.  What I find most difficult is not having all my stuff with me.  I go to try to find something and then realise that it isn't here.  It will be three or four weeks before we can move back into the house. We've moved from my Mum's to Charlie's Mum's on South Deeside.  Mary (Charlie's Mum) has a fairly big house which can all fit into and, because she is currently on night duty, we have the place pretty much to ourselves. The downside is the extra twenty minute journey to take the girls to Westhill each morning but that has actually worked fairly well.  There is space for Charlie to stay here so he's been sleeping here as well which is great!

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Had a bit of hair cut today!!!  Natalie Portman's got nothing on me!  Charlie's cousin, Fay, is the one in the middle of the picture below, she cut our hair (I think she was terrified!-).  I went with a No. 8 to start with, then down to a 4 and finally a 2.  Charlie went straight to the No. 2 after I'd finished.  Charlie's brother, Jacko, even went for the No. 2 cut as well!

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On Sunday I was admitted to Ward 16 Haematology.  It seemed like I'd hardly been away.  I know all the staff and the ward was full of smiles when I arrived.  This definitely put me at ease.  I have a room to myself, which is great, and means that the kids (all four of them!) can visit me in hospital when I can't get out to see them.

After having some initial bloods done in the ward, I was allowed out for the rest of the afternoon.  Charlie and I took Amber, Megan and Blake on the big wheel at the beach.  My life is so sad that I actually got excited when I saw Cameron Stout (from Big Brother and the panto!) getting of the big wheel just before we went on…I really don't get out enough.

They came for me just after nine to fit my Hickman line.  I was sedated and..wow…great stuff.  In fact, so good that I have no recollection of conversations I had with staff, a meeting with my consultant…in fact I don't even remember getting changed from my gown into my clothes…for all I know I could have done this at the nurses station or the middle of the corridor!

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