Follow this Blog! In this Post: A radiator, drip, a call, then: Admission to UCLH (University College London Hospital) via their A&E dept. Two nights reclining on the Haematology ward until a midnight transfer to ICU. Presenting: Sepsis vs Sadler, a battle fighting sepsis in ICU. To top it off a dance and a rosie bowl of tom yum soup! Wow what a ride - the timeline: |The Radiator: Saturday morning and I'm trying to rehang the bathroom radiator having been in a state of wonkiness for years. No matter how many times I measured, I couldn't get the brackets in the right place, brain fog! I was taking frustration/exhaustion breaks more and more frequently. I’d also heard an ominous crack from below the floorboards. A pipe joint had cracked and we get the first drip of this story. We now have a large hole in the ceiling of the room below. Do Not Pass Go: With perfect irony it wasn't the radiators temperature going up but mine! It was drilled into me at...

FOLLOW Apologies but I think Sitreps are going to be quite dry posts, especially as I'm now off alcohol! When I reread this in years to come, it’s useful to have a blow by blow account.  Summary:  I’ve now had two consecutive days of chemotherapy at the Macmillan Centre near London’s Warren Street. It’s part of UCLH and is a centre of excellence for many forms of cancer. There’s a wide open space with comfortable chairs that gives it the feel of a modern hotel foyer in the Bauhaus style. Nothing says caring support like raw concrete.  My chair yesterday was what I now call cancer pink, aka fuschia, suggesting the fushia’s bright, if not orange! It all went well apart from a tricky moment as me and another middle aged man crossed paths going in and out of the disabled loo, both with drip stands in tow. Picture two cars towing caravans manoeuvring in a motorway service station car park. He called his drip stand Hat Stand, which is good, but not as go...

C-3 Three days to Chemo It’s Monday and today I have the first blood test / clinic to check I’m healthy enough to start chemotherapy on Thursday. I slept well, which surprised me. I think this was mainly due to running the last Salsa Rapido 1-Day Intensive course until July 23rd! They were a fun group and I really appreciate that one couple deferred their date after I appealed for anyone with flu sniffles to postpone. The last two weeks has been full of endings: I completed the Mambalsa course at the Nightingale which was a great success. I’ve also paused my counselling work there as the counselling rooms are too small for social distance. The feeling I'm experiencing is closer to preparing to move abroad, I’m both anxious and excited. I’ve also been shopping. I’m now the proud owner of an orange bucket and a multi day pill box. The bucket is carrot coloured, do I need to say any more? The pill box is for the muesli of pills that comes with chemo. There’s anti-inflammatory, anti...

  Scanxiety This is a B-Cell Tomorrow I have a consultation at UCLH to discuss my recent CT scan and treatment options. I had a routine consultation two weeks ago after a blood test. They informed me that I would need chemo within the next year. I felt unprepared for that news as my bloods were exactly as expected, i.e. the white cell count is doubling every 10-12 months and I have no symptoms. Chemo will consist of two drugs given in six, monthly cycles for six months. Each cycle consists of  two consecutive days of chemo. This will knock out all my white cells both good and bad so I'll have no immunity for 7-10 days. This will make me especially prone to viruses.  For two years after the start of the chemo, I’ll also have depleted immunity making me prone to bacterial infection.  Tomorrow is my chance to present my thoughts. I accept that I have limited knowledge and experience so my perspective has to be guided by the experts. My role is to convey my preference an...

On Tuesday morning I did my Twang test , a neat little 13.4 mile half marathon, up and down the hills of North London. Ally pally, Highgate village, Highgate Cemetery and Crouch End, not to mention the dog leg to Finsbury Park and.....  nothing went twang! No ligaments, muscles or other bodily parts were hurt or harmed. My dress rehearsal for the Brighton Marathon on April 10th went well.  I even bumped into Jan, an old friend that we were in a salsa demonstration group with back in 1994!! (We have not changed a bit!) P.S. I don't know the dog it just seemed so happy rolling by the Kenwood magnolia. Happy Feet! Something strange did happen. All my feet aches stopped the next day. Last Sunday, the day before my twang test, my feet, as usual were aching to the point considering withdrawing from the marathon. If they hurt with 10 mile runs what would 26.2 miles do to them? But when I woke up on Wednesday there was no pain at all! Zero, zip, zilch and that's just the Zs. I have ...