23/03/2014
Haemoglobin: 109 (range 120-150)
WBC: 3.7 (range 3.5 - 9.0)
Platelets: 53 (range 150 - 400)
Neutrophils: 2.72 (range 2 - 7.5)
Weight: 60.8kg
CMV count: 64,000 (test taken Tuesday 18/03/2014
Bloods slightly up good news. Still awaiting CMV update Mon/Tues.
It dawned on me that my high caffeine intake might not be helping my sleeping pattern and blood pressure (which is up - probably mostly due to meds) so I've cut out all the sweet black coffees that the trolley lady has been feeding me all day in favour of water or the odd hot chocolate. But I am still allowing myself one coffee first thing from the hospital shop downstairs. So - awake from about 5am waiting until 6 so I could buzz down and grab a cappuccino from the machine in the shop...and bollocks it's Sunday not open until 7am. As a recovering alcoholic of ten years and an ex-smoker of 9 years I have strategies to handle setbacks like this! I walked round the hospital checking every other frigging cafe just in case they might be open earlier. Nope. Gagging for caffeine by now walked verrry slowly back to the ward just in time to wash and get back down the shop for 7am sharp and coffee.
Bloody hell a cup never tasted better.
I have to allow myself a quick grin whenever I hear someone use that old throwaway line:-
" I could never (smoke cigarettes, do line dancing, sky diving, play chess) because I've got such an addictive personaliteeee" Yeah - fuck if you only knew.
Quiet day slid down for a quick Xray about 1300hrs - booked by the registrars when I coughed for them the other day all OK and clear. Sounds like I'm bitching but really am very grateful and impressed with the level of care I'm getting.
I've been telling everyone who'll listen about how calming I find the effects of my morning shower and that it lowers my BP afterwards. The one hassle I've been having is what with a cannula fitted I have had to sit there with whichever arm has the cannula sticking out of the shower to keep to keep it dry. Then I had a new one fitted quite far down on the back of my left hand and 'hey presto!' a solution presented itself. In case you don't know what a cannula is, it's a needle left threaded into a vein to enable meds to be administered by drip feed.
With a bit of inventive use of bandage tape and a surgical glove I was able to seal the cannula inside the glove to make the thing pretty waterproof - proper McGuiver job. Anyway this all worked really well - I've got the fold out seat installed in there and after my morning session on the intravenous line I usually get breakfast and then duck off for a shower.
Fast forward a couple of days and I've finished showering, coming out of the bathroom in dressing gown to get pyjama trousers and vest on and a nurse knocked on the door - not really thinking I said come in - she did.
The first clue was her eyes went straight to my left hand which was still 'gloved up'.
Quick thinking needed here, not what I did. I flourished the gloved hand and said;
" This - it's just an old prison trick ! " (you know what I mean)
Realising immediately as I said it that a) she was probably a bit young to get that kind of joke and b) that it looked pretty self-evident what was making my 'showers' so relaxing.
Cue another uncomfortable silence as I sat on the bed to have my observations taken, - temperature, saturation and blood pressure. Which wasn't down this time!
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