CYCLE 2 DAY 20
Sometimes the early morning bacon sandwich and coffee makes me think of odd things and the rocking turtle I’d seen on LinkedIn came to mind this morning. With it came the Bee Gees classic circa 1977, which reminds me of how long my hair was at the time. Ironic that only one of them now survives and did the legend spot at Glastonbury. Equally sad that my hair will never be that long again.
This really is a diversion from the fact that I’m off to see the oncologist, “he who made the pact with the devil”, this morning. I am feeling quite okay about it actually as I am quite content with them apart from my platelet count. So we set out really early and because we expect bad traffic at this time in the morning. As it turns out there is very little on the roads and we realise that its half term. No urban tractors dropping off the millions of mortality projects at various conditioning units across town. It strikes me that it is a real waste of time. Just home school the lot. Think of the green saving, all that pollution that would not happen, free road infrastructure, lower accident rates and saved travel time. As a family of dyslexics, partner excluded, we achieved what we have despite the crap education system not because of it. I spotted this the other day:
Just a favourite hobby horse of mine. The fact that I have now downloaded a Plugin spell checker to this system suggests that there are still some areas that do to make reasonable adjustments for it. I hope fellow dyslexics find there ways to overcome their particular version of it. Personally I now regard it as an enhancement as the things that come with for me are really helpful, always have been if I let them, but sometimes did not recognise it at the time. I could always visualise and be creative, however that did not help with the consequences of not being able to read at fourteen and have illegible hand writing. In my time at school I and my fellow dyslexics did raffia at the back of the class, if we were there, or went out nicking stuff or trying our luck in the bookies.
I digress. We arrived at the hospital car park to find the barrier was up and a message taped to it telling everyone to immediately go to the car parking office to get a timed ticket. Mass confusion as people wandered around trying to find the office and get a ticket, then wander off to whatever part of the hospital they were actually meant to be going to. As a man who is “Ah Ah Ah, Stayin Alive” it was okay but I think for some it was an unwanted diversion and stress they could have done without. If it was broken then leave it open and don’t charge anyone. It would provide an incentive to get it fixed quickly and be compassionate and kind to the people coming to the hospital.
We arrived at the oncology department really early, checked in and wandered off for a coffee. I spent time scribbling notes for the session, however to our surprise we were called twenty minutes early. Result! We went in and found “he who has made a pact with the devil” in a good and smiley mood. I wondered if he had read his reviews but it dawned on me that I might be the first one in and as I am doing okay I’m not a “difficult” patient to have. I guess after a day of telling people they are going to die, or that they are going to die sooner, or that they are not well enough to continue chemo, the smile and cheeriness is difficult to maintain. I wonder how he protects himself from the emotional wear and tear of it all. I think he just wraps himself in the professional blanket and keeps on. Anyway all is good, my concern over the lowered platelet level is a result of the chemo and in normal bounds for the chemo experience, given my blood was done 5 days before the next cycle starts. My partner asked some questions and I asked about the slight numbness in my finger tips. It is only slight but he noted it and said the danger was that it got worse and became permanent. I note incidentally that the spell check plug in has stopped working. I.T. is never straight forward. Jane Street Porter got sacked as Director of Channel 5 before it reached air, when asked why she thought that was her reply was, “They told me the IT would work and it fucking didn’t!” Hospital barriers, spell checkers, the list goes on. I use Janet’s experience as a touchstone of my approach to IT.
I collect a new appointment on the way out and we head for home. My partner goes to work and I get the Wolf out of the garage and put the Beast back in. The Wolf is my toy, its an old 03 Suzuki Jimny, bright red convertible, which converts to a four wheel drive and HD by the use of a mechanical lever next to the gear stick. We keep it because in winter it skips through snow and ice with relative ease. Its more of a rescue Wolf really as the previous owners clearly abused it and it took several visits to the garage to get it well, but now its in fine fettle.
I set off to the garden centre to get food and pond oxygenating plants. All goes well, I indulge in a cheese toastie, comes with crisps, which I eat disregarding my diet, and deal with my enabling environment e-mails (sometimes the IT does work) and set off to fulfil my “to get” list. No pond plants to be had, chicken pie, sausages rolls, sausages, strawberries and root vegetables are all in abundance and easy to get but where did the WierdFish hooded fleece come from? I really should not be let out on my own, but I guess I could not resist and there is a bit of me that thinks “why not…”
This is not the end, by the time I got out of the garden centre I had ordered pond plants from Amazon and a swing seat cover for the winter. Worse was to come. Once home I checked e-mails, sorted a load of washing, put tumble dryer on and then set about booking treats for 2020. Two shows later I stop and think I had better do the blog. So here we are coming up to dinner time and England are on the television tonight. It will be a diversion from thinking about starting cycle three tomorrow and saying farewell to cycle two’s toothbrush. I am already wondering how many goes it will take the team to get the cannula in my hand. However a new found friend via the blog is going to come and see me after she has her last session with her oncologist in her last cycle. There are always new things and new people to explore, which is always an opportunity to learn new ways of seeing and understanding the universe.
One of the 80 Kew Pogoda Dragons
Back to the realities of chemo tomorrow.
