It's snowing

Last night was apparently even colder than before over most of the country. Anna is surrounded by snow and with what must be exaggeration, the locals are talking about nights of -20C to come. We had a very light dusting of snow in the back garden which had thawed by 10.00 a.m. A deer spent last night on the lawn; I’m not sure why as I would have thought it would be colder out in the open and they have no predators in the woods as far as I know.

The Marsden was very busy yesterday and it was difficult to park as they are building on what used to be the staff car parks so Raymond waited a long time to find a slot for the car. I had my blood taken and saw Dr P. in a freezing office – much colder than the rest of the hospital. My cyclosporin levels were low so he will ring me to tell me by how much to increase my dose to counter the effects of GVHD. He was also shocked that my radiotherapy hadn’t started as the growth which is apparent in my neck has grown. He plans to contact Dr M to see if he can speed things up. I had pentamidine and knew from previous experiences that this can mean not eating until 3.00 p.m. Luckily the hospital trolley came round for patients and I could have a sandwich and drink.

Bob seems much more cheerful and is improving all the time. Maybe they were just wondering whether his disease had come back. I don’t like to ask. But he was much more aware and outgoing.

We had a long wait for pharmacy and one of the items was a pack of syringes and Raymond has to inject me every other day. After the pharmacy we went back to the ward where one of the nurses showed him what to do. The purpose is to improve my white cell count to ward off infection.

At long last, after a tiring day it was time for the drive home – just as everyone else had finished work. Of course, it is dark now, and what with the lights and traffic density it was a more difficult journey than usual. We were like zombies when we finally arrived home.

Dr P. rang me this morning and was his usual cheery self. It is very snowy in Sutton so I am glad we missed that experience. He told me the strength of the tablets I need to take each day and we hope for a decrease in disagreeable symptoms.

After a rather airy dismissal of snow I have returned to my blog having seen there are more than a few stray flakes coming down. Although the flakes are quite fine, it is snowing steadily and settling in some places already. I was going out to the bank today but I think I shall postpone that until tomorrow.