All posts
26 posts in total, newest first.
Life without Alex
For those of you who have been following Alex's blog and don't know her personally we sadly lost Alex in February. I know there were a few of you she spoke with who had been or were going through trea…
F-ing steroids and skin GvHD
Hello everyone, It has been a while since I have posted a blog, 8 months to be precise. Since getting home from hospital following my stem cell transplant I hadn't felt up to writing about everything,…
Becoming a Chimera
Today marks 7 weeks since I was last an in-patient in hospital and my last chemotherapy treatment. I was told to expect a week or two break before starting the maintenance phase of treatment whilst we…
Run ther-happy
I have been a little quiet on here recently, mainly due to being at home and not finding the time. I am currently not undergoing any chemotherapy treatment, which feels a little odd and this Sunday wi…
Take me back
Take me back to a time when this wasn't true, When worries were small and I was small too, Take me back to a time when I didn't see this coming, Fit, healthy and strong and in love with running, Take …
Please may I have more bedpans?
Two weeks after the final IV chemotherapy of my second phase of induction treatment, my blood count was finally high enough to be sent home the day after my birthday. In between this treatment and the…
As a patient, you must be patient
Something I have tried to master during my stints in hospital is being a 'patient patient', vital for surviving 5-6 weeks in one room. Whether you are taking a few deep breaths to hold back the irrita…
50/50
As all the books and help guides suggest, each individual's experience of Cancer can vastly differ, whether that is because of the type of Cancer they have, the treatment plan, the length of treatment…
That's a lot of blood
Since being diagnosed in November, we have been keeping a tally of the number of people who have been inspired to donate blood. This week we hit 100 blood donations (approx 47 litres of blood), puts m…
Christmas break
I was fortunate enough to spend 8 days at home over the Christmas period, 8 whole days!! Not everyone on my ward would of had the opportunity to go home, and so I feel extremely lucky to have had the …
Pesky Pancreatitis
My last post I mentioned that we were waiting for my blood counts to rise up to levels they were comfortable with firstly for a bone marrow biopsy to see if phase 1 had been effective, and secondly to…
What we take for granted
This week I have found myself getting more and more angry and frustrated with the situation I am in, and have found this week to be the hardest one yet, psychologically! I am 5 weeks into hospital lif…
28 days later...
Though I am a fan of post-apocalypse movies, and have always thought of myself as a natural survivor if ever faced with this scenario, especially as many zombie movies/TV series seem to start with som…
REDRUM
In my recent abundance of spare time, I have been reading The Shining. It is definitely one of the best books I've ever read, and would highly recommend it if you are looking for a page turner. Stephe…
Black Friday
I've never been one for getting involved in the Black Friday discounts myself, but you do hear stories of crazed shoppers crashing websites, and physically fighting in the shops to claim their bargain…
Six degrees of separation
Six degrees of separation, the theory that everyone and everything is six or fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the world, so that a chain of "a friend of a friend" sta…
Roid rage and hunger pains
Steroid therapy is an important part of treatment for ALL. Steroids are substances that are naturally produced in the body but can also be manufactured artificially as a drug. Steroids can be used: As…
Chemotherapy
Following my surgery on Wednesday, I was told I would be starting the full treatment (Chemotherapy and other drugs) on the Thursday morning. I was a little worried about starting it all back to back w…
Whilst everybody else sleeps
Since being admitted to hospital my sleep pattern has been all over the place. As expected, I wake up when the nurses come and do their checks (usually 2-3 am and 6:30 am) and have found it really tri…
Day 7: A day trip to Oxford
As I previously mentioned, I had been extremely fortunate to have been given the opportunity to have an ovary removed for the future should I need/want it, hold fire on any Anchorman quotes associated…
First weekend: "It's like Piccadilly Circus in here"
It was the first weekend and so naturally friends from further afield wanted the chance to visit too. I was overwhelmed and surprised at the number of people wanting to come and see me. They worked li…
ALL you need is blood
At the top of this blog you will see a tally we are keeping of the number of blood transfusions I have throughout this process. The first idea behind this was to raise awareness of giving blood and hi…
#FF Fertility Friday
I had been told on the Thursday that going through Chemotherapy will most definitely mean I would lose my fertility, and there was no time to harvest my eggs. At 28 years old this was a hard one to he…
Day 3: FRIDAY 13th
Woke up after another rubbish nights sleep, the central line was so uncomfortable, but I could feel it start to ease off and my upper body finally start to relax. The nurses came to get blood through …
Day 2: Bone marrow biopsy and Hickman lines
My first night in hospital wasn't the greatest, Mum stayed with me and think we got about the same amount of sleep. So many things going through my head, and hers too no doubt. The wonderful and very …
Day 1: Diagnosis
Diagnosis date: 11/11/2015 Diagnosis: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia Not your ordinary day, remembrance day 2015, a day I, nor my family will ever forget. 24 hrs after having a blood test at my GP, the…