Stem Cell Transplant Day Journal 20 – 20 December 2015 (Cancer and Me 61)

No sermons today, you’ll be pleased to hear.

I actually slept better last night than I have the whole time I’ve been here – still only 5.5 hours though, but it’s something. The reason it wasn’t a bit longer is that last night there were workmen repairing the road literally underneath my window – at midnight, with pneumatic drills and diggers etc.

And the reason for that, apparently, was that earlier in the evening a double-decker bus crashed into the side of the hospital building about 30 yards along from my room. It’s difficult to describe – and I’ve only seen a few photos on twitter, so maybe I’ll be a little inaccurate – but the ward I’m in is on the first floor at the very end of the West Wing of the hospital. The building is designed such that the first floor juts out and overhangs, so the outer facing rooms on the ward are above the road/footpath. Apparently the top deck of this tall bus crashed into the bottom of a room just along from me.

I didn’t hear what the nurses told me was a very loud bang earlier in the evening, because I was watching TV and feeling tired at the time.

According to the nurses, the building was assessed as being structurally sound, and even the lady in the room involved in the crash doesn’t have to move, but it will need some repair. I’m not sure how the road repairs are linked either. But it was a bit of drama anyway! I’m sure it will be in the news at some stage too!

I’m also now bald as Mr Potato Head. One of the nurses helped me this morning to sheer off the fluffy bits that remained, and then I got my shaver and evened it all down to proper shiny baldness.

And I think I need a bit of a drum roll for my neutrophil count today, so here’s a few dots………………….. 3.7! Yes, 3.7! How about that?! Amazing! That is, by my reckoning, within the normal range. Only four days ago it was 0.0! The doctor was very pleased. He was just a weekend registrar, so I’ll have to ask the normal team tomorrow whether that’s unusual or not.

Heidi came over around lunchtime and stayed most of the afternoon, which was lovely. And my sister called me after that, which was lovely too!

I’ve really just tinkered since then. I couldn’t even tell you what mind numbing things I’ve been up to. I ate some chicken casserole for dinner, and actually stomached half my plate of tortellini at lunchtime too. And I did all my exercises [turns, takes bow]. So I rewarded myself by veg’ing in front of the telly for the remainder of the evening.

Feels like I’m turning onto the home stretch. I can’t wait to go home. That’s such an understatement.