Another yoga snob!!

Yes, I did the Yoga Journal survey too, and turns out that even someone like me who has never had a 6-day a week practice except in India (right now it's more like once every 3 weeks but that's just for the moment!!) - is a yoga snob!!

And, looking at the picture I must emphasise that although my yoga shala does supply blankets and the odd block, I would never be seen dead in a place with ropes hanging off the wall!!! Plus I have one friend who does Ashtanga, but not at the same shala. Don't really know any of the other people I practice with, though it'd be nice to. That's one of the unsociable things about mysore classes - everyone ends at different times so it's hard to hang out and talk after class!

(Nice to do a post with nothing about my health issues!!!)

:)

Really good news!

I think I said before I've had a couple of tests to see how the treatment is progressing - a bone marrow biopsy and a CAT scan. Well the results of the bone marrow biopsy showed that it was completely clear - hoorrayy! To be honest, that was one of the scariest things about getting this disease - being told that the lymphoma was in my bone marrow!! And the CAT scan showed just a few small glands left. The doctor is very pleased with my progress.

He's going to do a stem cell collection at the end of my next treatment. What this is is bone marrow stem cells, but fortunately they can be collected from blood, don't have to go into the bone marrow directly any more. I'll get given some drug every day for a few days after the actual chemo is finished, to stimulate bone marrow cell creation, and then they collect it (via my blood) over 2-3 days. Then the blood gets separated and (I think) put back into me?! And the stem cells are frozen and stored somewhere safely so that if the lymphoma comes back at some time in the future, I will be able to have them transfused back into me.

Just wanted to share that with everyone!! :)

One third through!

After a really nice 10 days at home, I'm off back to hospital tomorrow morning. And I'm a third of the way through the treatment - hoorrayy!!

It's funny - this time at home I've felt much better and stronger than I did last time. I would have thought it'd have been the other way round - ie. feeling less and less strong as I went. I do wonder if it's to do with the fact that on the first treatment I was having heavy doses of steroids, but none in the second treatment. We shall see I guess - when I go back it's back to the first treatment again ...

I got my mat out and did a little bit of yoga too. But I could only get as far as trikonasana - was just too tired to do more!! (And I didn't do Surya Namaskara B either - I knew that'd be too much!) So that shows that no matter how I think I'm feeling, my energy levels are way wayy down! Strength? What strength!! It's all an illusion!!

Things are looking up!

Have been in a much more cheerful mood for the last 2-3 days - probably since I had a good night's sleep actually!! My white blood count is slowly on the upward move, although the all-important neutrophyls are moving a bit slower. But the doctor said this morning that I should be able to go home tomorrow or Wednesday (depending on neutrophyl results). So that's great. He's also got me disconnected from the drip - just have to have it connected when I get the last of the antibiotics. I also got given some Vitamin K today. Anyone know what this is for I wonder? The nurse didn't!! I wonder where it comes from naturally?

The doctor also said I was doing very well treatment-wise! And that I won't be expected back until the 27th - well, two weeks from today.

I've decided I'm going to wait till I get home and feel stronger before I try any yoga. The past few days I couldn't because of being attached to the drip, and now I just feel this is the best way to go.

That which was predicted has come to pass

I got a fever on Wednesday - temperature of 38.4degC. Don't know what that is in Fahrenheit but it's high - anything from 38C they take immediate action on here. So they took blood to see if they could grow anything (!) and started me on these heavy-duty antibiotics - sigh! And I'm attached to a drip again till the antibiotics finish (midnight on Sunday!) Big sigh - I can cope with having to wheel my drip machine around with me in the first week because I know it's going to stop at the end of the chemo! Now I'm hooked up again for 5 days - I do miss my 'freedom'!

Not that it affected me in any obvious way except I was very tired for a couple of days. Well, actually I'm still tired! Have had to have 2 platelets transfusions, and blood too. (I was getting a nosebleed - I've never had nosebleeds before!)

And of course, they always said there was a possibility this might happen in the 2nd week. That's why they keep me in hospital for this week, so if anything happens they can act straight away. I can of course see that there i also a possibility I may have to stay in hospital for a day or so longer - but maybe not. I am much more relaxed about it all now!

Anyway, I'm still overall cheerful, but a bit quiet at the moment! And totally sick of all the chemical food supplement drinks they keep trying to make me have. I've spat the dummy and refused to have any today!! Instead a friend brought in some cream for me last night and I had porridge with lashings of cream for breakfast! And I'll put it in the potato & leek soup that I think is coming at dinner time too! :)

I have to eat so much!

A couple of years ago I lost 30K at Weightwatchers - the impetus to finally do something about my weight after having been overweight for 20+ years was yoga! I just couldn't do Marichyasana A (let alone any of the others)! It was fantastic - really worked for me!

But now I'm finding myself in the extraordinary situation of having to eat like a pig - MUCH more than I normally eat, and I'm still losing weight!! The dietician came to see me today and she told me that in Weightwatchers terms, I need to eat 30 points a day! Nearly double what I was eating when I was doing WW, and nearly a third more than I normally eat now. Of course being vegetarian doesn't help (in her view) but I'm now being plied with all these medical protein drinks that contain about 600 calories each! Twice a day!! Plus protein powder into any (vegetarian) soups on offer!

Apart from the constant weight loss, this has also been highlighted by the fact that I have absolutely no b****side to sit on! And my coccyx is getting really paintful I guess I never really addressed this after I finished at WW - anyone have any thoughts on exerrcises to build up muscles in one's backside?

I'm also neutropenic now - meaning I'm open to any infections that are around! Of course this winter is being a particularly bad flu season so I'm having to hope I don't get struck down with that. But I' guess they'll be right onto it as soon as my temperature goes over 38degC.

Yoga - I'm still feeling a bit 'slow' so haven't made an effort yet. I have to remember what the priority really is here ... :) But maybe I'll have a look at the David Swenson dvd and see if there is a short practice that I feel I could attempt - in the next day or two!

Lazy Sunday ...

It's a(nother) sunny winter Brisbane day - 21degC, brilliant blue skies. As seen from my hospital room window ... Today I have been 'untethered' from all IV drips and so am free to go outside. A friend is coming this afternoon I think and we may go out for coffee! Seems funny to be going out for coffee from hospital! But it will be nice! I know that by Tuesday my immune system will be crashing again and so I won't be allowed to leave the ward floor for fear of infection, so I want to make the most of it.

Although the doctor did say that if I go for a walk in the park I mustn't smell or touch any flowers or foliage. Apparently they're full of fungus!!

Chemo finished on Friday night - and th anti-nausea drugs yesterday. I am glad about that - they do bung you up at both ends!!

And in the next couple of days I will think about doing some yoga here ...

Last night Ross came over and we had a DVD-viewing night on my laptop! We watched Monty Pythons' The Meaning of Life. I'd somehow never seen that before - we laughed madly but god some of it was gross! And I can't imagine how they got away with having young children singing about God loving every little sperm back in the mid-80s!!! And as for the infamous restaurant scene - I really think that the Little Britain guys must have remembered that when they created their 'peeing lady'!!!

Then Ross said he could bring over the Borat movie. Absolutely NO!!! I did see that in the cinema with a couple of friends - just appalling! You couldn't help laughing your head off,, but you were (I was) completely embarrassed to be laughing!!!

I'm going back to Price and Prejudice!!! :)

Back in hospital ...

Well, had a nice quiet few days at home and came back to hospital on Monday. There was some question over whether I'd be sent home for another week as my blood levels hadn't recovered as much as expected, but in the end the doctor felt that they might still be lowish, so we might as well carry on. All it means is that there is a slightly higher chance that I may get a fever/infection next week when my immune system goes down. But as I'll be here in hospital, they'll be able to jump on that and fix it anyway.

The treatment I'm getting is sort of in two parts. And this 2nd part is the one that targets the bone marrow more anyway, so it's better to do the two treatments close together as planned, and if necessary there may be a longer gap (2 weeks) before I start again on the first part of the 2nd cycle.

Anyway, chemo is dripping into me (pale yellow, rather disgusting!!) as I speak - and I guess it or something continues for the next 3-4 days.

I never did any yoga while I was at home. But I've brought my mat in here and am planning to do some practice next week. I've also brought in a couple of yoga dvds - watched Ashtanga NY yesterday. Whenever I watch that I look at the women who are interviewed, and wonder whether one of them is the infamous Rosebud from the Ashtanga discussion board - she of the ascerbic comments! (I am NOT, of course, including Gwynneth Paltrow as a possibility!!!)

I've got the David Swenson one too - am planning to try and practice to that. I've never done that before - practiced with a video or dvd, so have no idea how I'll find that.

Another dvd I brought in was the wonderful BBC version of Pride and Prejudice - think Colin Firth emerging from the lake in a wet shirt !!! Even I can appreciate that! I'm trying to make myself only watch one episode a day!!

I've also remembered to bring in my Keys dvds which I'm looking forward to watching ...

Can't think of anything else - now I'm back here I'm bound to be blogging a bit more frequently than last week ... :)