The good, the bad and...

Two units of blood! They definitely made a difference. No longer dizzy. Definitely less breathy although the recent chemical infusion has had an effect on my breathing again.

I had Cycle 7 last week. A bag of immunotherapy followed by several tubes of chemo. I was hopeful that the 20% drop in the strength of the chemo, along with an extraordinarily strong anti-sickness tablet would mean less nausea.

And it did for two days.

And then it just hit me like a ....well a bag of nasty chemo. It is horrid. Almost unmanageable, and quite honestly the worst experience of my life dealing with the constant nausea.

And then after 5 days I start to feel better again.

But let's talk about the good stuff. Haemoglobin, to remind you, has the important function of delivering oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Mine was 130g/l prior to treatment starting back in August. When I was admitted to hospital it was 82g/l. During the last treatment it was 110g/l. No wonder I felt better. It is likely to drop between now and the next treatment but it should be manageable.

My rise in haemoglobin means I am no longer anaemic and have lost the grey skin tone I was carrying around for a while. Thyroid is just below normal but that is not a problem. Cortisol normal. Magnesium better. Potassium better.

The only disappointment is my Vitamin D. My level has dropped off the charts, and that is a disappointment given how impressive it was half way through the treatment programme. I asked if I needed to take some Vitamin D tablets. Yes indeed, they said. The Pharmacist will arrange it.

That's good. I thought I would have to get them myself from the chemist as they are simple supplements. Nope the Pharmacist said. You can only purchase tablets that are either 400 or 800 units to be taken once a day. We are giving you 50,000 units in one tablet to be taken once a week for 6 weeks, thus prescription only.

Just one more tablet to add to my weekly collection.

I have now all but lost my eyelashes and eyebrows. There are a few stragglers holding on but they will undoubtedly give up soon. It's a strange experience having a completely bald head and face and not one that suits. Now my eyes water constantly when I am outside and my nose, which is also now hairless, also runs constantly. Those little hairs used to do a very good job.

Add to that, I looked up what a lack of Vitamin D means. It's about calcium and bones. One of the known effects is waddling whilst walking. So the transfusion replaced dizzy (like a drunk) with waddling!

So if you see a bald headed, eyebrow free, nose-running, budhha bellied babe waddling to the supermarket don't turn to hide or run away.

Tis I !!