Transplant +198: Maintenance Rituximab on not Brexit day
So today, at the fourth time of asking, success! And no, I don’t mean Theresa May getting her dreadful EU withdrawal bill through parliament, which lost for a third time, by 58.
On not Brexit day, my neutrophils were above the 1.5 mark (at 1.66) needed for the hospital to give me my first maintenance rituximab. It was a remarkably straightforward process – a subcutaneous injection, taking 10 minutes to administer. The nurse asked me to keep talking to her through the process. I happily spouted nonsense about Brexit unicorns, Gnu, electric cars and the A380 (the aeroplane, not the road).
Other than feeling a little bit woozy (probably from the chlorphenamine pre-med – a pill normally used to reduce hay fever symptoms) I’m fine. I’ve been told to watch out for fatigue over the next few days. There’s also a risk that my neutrophil count could drop very low again, so any signs of a problem and I’ll be straight over to the hospital.
I think this will probably be the last blog entry I’ll be making about the stem cell transplant and its aftermath. Naturally, I shall celebrate my re-birthday every 12th September and there will be cake. No unicorns, by request. But I feel that today symbolically marks the end of this phase of my life. I’m not sorry to leave the SCT behind me, but there may be plenty of challenges ahead.
A real milestone to pass Tim – congratulations. I hope the after effects are not too challenging to cope with and that you keep well. Onwards and upwards! – if only the same could be said for Westminster and Brexit
Hi Andrew,
Thanks – and i’m glad to be in better health than Brexit!
Tim
Good news. Great to move on
Will GNU be fitted with a speed limiter from 2022? Maybe Brexit is not so bad after all!
Just seen a unicorn flying over Ockbrook
Gnu’s speedo currently reads 0mph regardless of how quickly he’s moving, so a speed limiter would have no effect!