Neutropenia was more fun than chemo this weekend

“What I want to know is why are good people ill and dying, but when I turn on the television murderer’s are still alive?” snippet taken from a conversation in the street this morning. 

Anyway with Doctor Needles (aka the Bulgarian Vampire) waiting patiently for his next fix of blood, I reluctantly couldn’t even graze the surface of this monster topic before rushing to have my second blood test in 4 days. So feel free to discuss.

I am meanwhile getting used to this double think, ‘wanting’ the chemo but secretly pleased when it is delayed due to my white blood count dropping, I presume, like a feather and labelling me neutropenic again.  But, I have made the most of the last 4 days good weather, well, as much as one can do smelling of bacteria wipes and avoiding anywhere popular where crowds may gather!

Alas, I am provisionally booked in for 11am tomorrow for round 6 of 8. Surely the hurty G-CSF (granulocyte-colony stimulating factor) injections and the even stronger chinese herbs will work this time? I have been informed that the ouchy muscle pain and flu like symptoms I experience for a week or so are a consquence of these bone marrow injections so they had better be doing something more useful than annoying me.  The rest of this week is fully booked apparently so I have asked to be put on the waiting list just in case, which my friend remarked is a mightily strange thing to put your name down for. She could understand if I was on the waiting list for a nice restaurant… but chemo, really?

All these delays mean the end date for my treatment is continually pushed back and the isolation is doing my head in.  Thought about trying to volunteer at the local hospital, but they reminded me that being neutropenic and hanging around the factory where they grow germs isn’t recommended by people more intelligent than me.

p.s.

Has anyone else spotted Bananagiraffe’s distant northern cousin, the lamb banana?  Apparently they are gambling all over Liverpool at the moment.  Makes you wonder why the elephants that sprung up all over London the year before last weren’t Nelly bananas? Surely a lack of imagination London.  Tut tut.  One can only hope the olympic organisers have taken note and we will see a new banana mutated animal on the streets of London this summer.