31 days in.

The Doctors have just done their rounds and I've had some good news. My blood numbers are good and platelets and white cell counts are slowly creeping up. The best thing about this - it's my bone marrow that's doing it now. My body is fighting back. 

Everything had started getting to me a bit by the 5th of February. It seemed like every time I tried to get some rest, someone came in. Transfusions, antibiotics, swabbing me, blood tests, checking blood pressure, weighing me, checking my temperature. I even started to get annoyed with the cleaner, who's a lovely bloke! My Daughter had been ill, so she'd not been able to visit. I felt like I'd barely seen her and morale was pretty low.

I had a bit of a boost though when a good friend of mine told me about the 22 km trail race he is running. He wants to use the event to raise money for me to do something with my Daughter, when the treatment is over. What an incredible gesture. I'll definitely be going to cheer him on. And to pay it forward, I want to do some of my own fundraising for Cancer Research and REORG. Maybe not a 22 km trail race but we'll see!

On the 6th I felt the best I'd felt for a while. My throat didn't feel as sore and I was able to drink plenty. The Doctors continued to be please with my progress.

I had another temperature spike overnight into the 7th (can't seem to get on top of these) which meant more fluids, blood tests, antibiotics, etc. Sleep was becoming a rare commodity.

I managed to get outside for the first time in 20 days. Just had a stroll round the gardens with My Mum. It felt amazing to be outside and away from these same 4 walls.

By the 8th of February I'd started to swallow tablets again, including my old friend ATRA. This means less intravenous drips.

I had an amazing visit from my Daughter. She sat on the bed colouring in with her little Covid mask on. We played with my bed and made it go as high as it would go. It's not Alton Towers but she was having fun. I may have even had a sneaky cuddle. I have to be really careful, but it was worth the risk.

Doctors came round and it was more of the same: "keep doing what you're doing."

I'd become so used to being connected to something and dragging it round with me, at one point I was wheeling my drip round and I wasn't even hooked up to it!  I've hallucinated at times and had conversations with people who aren't in the room. It's mad what lack of sleep (and a fuck tonne of drugs) can do to you.

I've been keeping up with the cycling, about 25 minutes a day, eating gradually more solid foods and trying to keep my brain occupied. Things seem to be heading in the right direction.