Waiting for the stem cells ...

Well, can't say it's been the best 3-4 days ... I got the inevitable infection on Thursday and this time it was a bit worse than previous ones. I ended up staying in bed all day - something I've religiously avoided doing to date!! Normally won't even lie down on it for an afternoon nap or anything, in case anyone thinks I'm sick (!!!)

I've been OK since then, though a bit tired, and of course on 2 antibiotics + saline hooked up to the Baxter drip machine. But I think I'm also starting to get the side-effects of the neupagin (sp?) which is the drug they give me twice a day to stimulate stem cell production. Like night-sweats!! Oh well ... won't be having that for much longer.

Tomorrow (Monday) I get a special blood test to see if there are enough stem cells in my blood yet. I really hope so! The procedure has to be done over two days, so there'd be no chance of going home on Wednesday if the procedure can't start on Monday!! But of course, I have no control here ... sigh!! :)

Today Wendi came in and we spent hours with her telling me about the event with Maharaji, and friends back in the UK, Portugal everywhere! And talking about what we might do when I'm at home with her. Nothing too tiring, but probably to include some gardening, and cooking. Wendi is a wonderful cook - in fact she does a lot of catering for live-in yoga retreats in the Algarve, where she lives! And if I'm feeling OK/up to it, we may go down to Byron Bay for a couple of days too ... just have to see how I feel and what we both want to do!

We were going to go to Morocco next year but it'll have to be put back till the following year I'm afraid - definitely won't have enough money next year! But it'll be something to look forward to ...

Internet connections ...

Well, it's been a few days ... But I guess it was a bit of - same old chemo stuff last week! And then, my wonderful (check the sarcasm here!) 28K dial-up connection decided to stop working on Friday! Well, I have complained about the speed (???!?) but really I felt so disconnected with no internet at all! I managed to get on once on Friday night (having been trying off and on all day) and not at all on Saturday. And of course on Friday night I thought - oh, it's all OK now, just a telephone fault. So I never wrote down useful phone numbers I could use to ring up and ask what was happening if I couldn't get connected again, so I was cursing myself on Saturday!! Then today (Sunday) I went out for lunch and stuff with a friend and when I came back was going to watch a DVD but thought I'd give it one try ... and here I am. I have emailed loud 'what is going on' messages, and written down useful phone numbers to use tomorrow if necessary!!

Of course I'd been convinced I'd have all these really important emails waiting for me but there wasn't really anything in particular - just stuff from Amazon and even one from Purple Valley Yoga Goa - haven't heard from them for ages, and have never been there ... But it's nice to read about it!! :)

Today I started having the injections to encourage the production of stem cells - twice a day until there are enough to collect, which will probably start next Sunday or Monday. Apparently although they'd rather not do it on the weekend, the timing is driven by the quantity of stem cells in my blood, not their convenience!! Which is good!!

Yesterday my wonderful friend Wendi arrived from Portugal. She's going to the event with Maharaji next week (which I had thought I would be able to get to, until my dates slipped and I was shown I wasn't in control here!) and then will stay for the next period I'm out of hospital, which will be a long one (10 days or so). It was so wonderful to see her - she is staying in my house, with another friend from Byron (Bay) and has also collected my car. I'm not expecting to see her again till next weekend - it's over an hour's drive away and after a long day at the event it'd be crazy to try and drive in to see me. But we'll talk/text on the phone and she can regale me with the day's happenings ...