Thursday 30th August 2007

Horrid, Horrid, Horrid!

I am back on track and started chemo again on Tuesday. It made me feel all fuzzy and hot so I didn't like it. Then in the middle of the night blllluuuurrrrr I was ill all over Mummy and Daddy's bedroom floor! I am feeling a bit better now but I have gone off my food again because the chemo makes my tummy churn. I am very tired and taking lots of tablets to stop me feeling sick. I have chemo every day at home for four days and then three days off followed by another four days of chemo at home again. This usually makes my blood count drop so I may need some blood and platelets again and I will most likely be neutropenic too.

I am really looking forward to going back to school next week and hope I will feel ok to do that. I can't wait to see all my friends again.

Friday 24th August 2007

I've had a very good week

All apart from one thing .................................. my blood results were not good enough on Tuesday for me to start the next part of chemotherapy so it has been postponed for a week. I will have blood taken again on Monday and hopefully will be able to start again on Tuesday with the 4hr lot of chemo in hospital and then daily at home which is just a push with the Macmillan nurse who is called Marie.

I have been to sports club for a couple of hours at school this week and seen some of my friends which has been great fun but I am very tired now zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz It was so sunny today I even had to put suncream on my bald head.

I would like to say thank you very much to everyone who leaves messages for me and how nice it is to hear from people I haven't seen for a long time too. If you are having trouble leaving a message have a look at the top of this page because Mummy has left some instructions on how to do it.

Oh yes and guess what????? Mummy has booked riding lessons for Emily and me every Saturday morning so I can't wait until tomorrow (except I will have to have the horrid weekend medicine before I go!!!!! YUK)

Monday 20th August 2007

We just had THE best weekend in Scotland. I had to have another night in hospital last Wednesday as my port was blocked but eventually after the needle was changed (ouch!) I was allowed to go home on Thursday night and on Friday morning we set off for a long weekend at Gleneagles.

We had a very good journey apart from when I rang the hospital for my blood results and found that my neutrophils were down to 0.04 and my white cells 0.4 although my platelets and hb were both good because I had transfusions on Thursday. This meant that I had to be very careful about infections and had to watch my temperature all weekend. I was hoping to go for a swim but in the end decided it was too risky - never mind.

Daddy had arranged for the four of us to go for a hack around the estate on Saturday morning which was so funny. I had never seen Daddy on a horse before and Emily and I really laughed! I had a lesson on Sunday with Heather and then Emily and I had a lesson together today so loads and loads of riding. It was great.

I found my appetite again and decided I have become a vampire because I really love rare meat and can eat lots and lots of it. There are three restaurants at Gleaneagles and I can tell you they cook very good beef in all of them because I had it in all of them and lots of it! I also designed my own pizza and watched it being cooked. That was yummy too.

We went for a bike ride on the paths around the hotel and Daddy pulled me in a cart behind his bike so I could look at the beautiful scenery in the sunshine. We saw some amazing birds including a massive golden eagle who kept forgetting he was tied up and tried to fly away!

I felt really well all weekend and we all had such a fun time although Daddy said he needs to save up again if we want to go back!

Matt and Charlotte's Wedding

I made it!!!

I had a really lovely day and the bride looked beautiful.

We went to her house before to help her get dressed and to get a picture of me and Emily in our bridesmaid dresses with wedding magazines!It was really funny because we had to hold the magazines right up to our faces and look over the tops of them!

We went to a really pretty church in Gaddesby for the wedding and then to Matt's parents house which is amazing for the party afterwards. The sun shone all day and it was just perfect.

Thursday 9 August 2007

I am home!
I am neutropenic and my Hb and platelets are low so I don't feel great but at least I am at home.
I am sleeping loads so I can go to the wedding on Saturday.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Tuesday 7th August 2007

***I FEEL SOOOOO MUCH BETTER***
I have managed to keep my temperature down for over 24 hours now and the consultant said that if it stays down for 48 hours then I may be able to go home tomorrow night ................ yippee!!!!
I am having a late night tonight because I have watched a movie with my friend Fran (she has ALL too) and we are in beds next door to each other. It is like having a sleepover so great fun.
The really really good news is that after my asparagus and mayonnaise injection in my leg and vincristine into my line tomorrow I do not have any medicines until Saturday morning so i feel on top of the world about that.
Night night, sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite!!!

Monday 6th August 2007

I am still in hospital on Ward 27 as my temperature keeps spiking (this is what the nurses say, I think it means it keeps going up over 37.5). I had the 1st line (two different types) of antibiotics on Wednesday night when I came in but they didn't seem to do anything so on Friday I was given the 2nd line of antibiotics (another two different types through my line). On Friday night, I was really poorly as my temperature kept spiking and I was shaking so much I couldn't stop. Then my blood pressure dropped so the nurse called the doctor who was very worried about me. He came twice more to see me and I had lots more medicines and eventually I seemed to stop shaking and my temp came down. All a bit scary!!! Anyway, my temp kept spiking over the weekend so today the docs decided to try me on yet another medicine, this time an anti-fungal one but I had a horrid reaction to it where I couldn't breathe and my eyes went all funny and I couldn't see. I had to sit down and have the meds stopped and flushed through my line to get rid of it. That was really frightening and it took me along time to get over that. The docs will try another anti-fungal med tomorrow but I told them I am not having that one again. I have just had a platelet transfusion because I am having a general anaesthetic tomorrow for a lumber puncture and the IT MTX. My Hb is around 8 so I will probably have a blood transfusion tomorrow too.

The good news is that I am going to be a bridesmaid on Saturday so have to get better by then. A very nice man in Birmingham has made a wig for me so I am going to rest lots and make sure I can walk up the isle with my sister Emily in front of Charlotte (the bride)........ I can't wait!!!

Don't forget to look at my website - it is coming along really well (thank you very much Ollie)

Thursday 2nd August 2007

I AM NOT HAPPY!!!!!

I am stuck in hospital with a high temperature and feel really rubbish. I have the shivers one minute and then I am hot hot hot the next. I came back last night and have started two different types of IV antibiotics to try to make me better but the chemotherapy which I have been having each day at home has made me feel like this. Flu type symptoms are one of the side effects and I have two more days of this chemo so could feel poorly for a little while longer yet. I have just had some IV fluids put up too because I don't feel like eating or drinking.

I had been having a good time at home and enjoyed going out last week for a riding lesson which was great, then I went to a polo match and had another ride there (I love riding!!!). On Sunday my family went out for lunch to celebrate my Papa's birthday and we had the best food ever. Then it was Hannah's birthday on Monday so we had a fun party with her family and a chinese takeaway which was scrummy.

On Tuesday I had another general anaesthetic for some chemo to go into my spine (this is called IT MTX) and I had the needle changed on my port plus two bags of blood .................. then I started to feel poorly which is why I am here now. Basically I am what is called neutropenic which means I have no immunity to any bugs and the doctors think I have a bug now, possibly in my line. I have very low platelets too so I will have to have a platelet transfusion tomorrow.

I hope I feel better soon and will be able to see my friends again. I really miss seeing everyone so will let you know when I am able to have visitors again.

Night Night!!!