Yesterday was rough. I'd been riding a wave of feeling surprisingly OK, so it was bound to catch up with me at some point. I spent most of the day hooked up to my machine and moved very little. That said, the Doctors said I'm: "Progressing as expected," and I feel loads better today. It's amazing what a bit of freedom from the drip, 5 minutes on the exercise bike and a shower can do for you in here.
So, where was I?
It's fair to say it was one of those moments in life when everything stops. One minute you're fit, active and healthy, the next minute you've got Cancer. It's a lot to take on board.
It's probably worth mentioning, at this point, that this is Round Two for me. I saw Testicular Cancer off in my 30s with surgery and a 7 year treatment plan. I might go into that further at some point but for now, I'll focus on the matters at hand! (Yes, I have one ball, if you're wondering.)
The Consultant wanted to start treatment straight away, so I was sent to get a transfusion while they looked for a bed. Family arrived at the hospital and the Consultant delivered the news with tears in her eyes. This was not good!
I was pleased to discover I had my own room on the Haemotology Ward with a decent view. Infection risk is high and treatment is intensive, so there are some unexpected perks!
My initial response was one of complete defiance to the news. I like a challenge and I knew I'd fight this with every fibre in my body. I had been planning to compete in a Martial Arts competition this year and I'm a keen runner, so I wanted to get in the mindset that this was a new fight.
I started to let people know the news and the support I received was almost overwhelming. I never realised I was so popular 😂 Lots of people wanted to visit and wish me well. It gave me a massive boost. My Daughter brought me a Get Well card. She'd drawn me with a big red eye, wearing a crown!
It was around this point I started to write things down in my notebook. Looking back at it now, some of it is quite raw and emotional. I'm not ashamed to say I wrote a letter to my Daughter in case the worse happened. While that may sound extreme, there are stories of people bleeding out with this condition or suffering serious infections while their immune systems are on their arse! Probably best not to think too much about those!
Everything was still confusing and surreal at this stage. So many people wanted to visit. I did consider a guest list and VIP area in my room at one point.
It just blew me away how kind everyone was - and continues to be.
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