Treading my own path...

It's been a few days so there is quite a bit to say.

Tuesday at 11 a.m I went for an MRI scan of my brain and spine.  I was really impressed with the equipment, it was very 'state of the art'.  Lying on what felt like a plank for two hours meant that my back muscles kept going into spasm, which meant that I moved a few times so they had to re-do some of the scans. The scan was stopped for emergency patients which would have happened in an NHS hospital as well so I am not complaining. However it made for a very painful experience and boy was I glad when it was over...

On the upside I got an MRI of brain and spine with and without contrast, the contrast being something which shows new inflammation.  All for the grand total of £245.00 which would I am pretty sure have cost a lot more privately at home. 

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After I managed to escape what felt like a torture chamber we went back to the hotel to grab something to eat before being admitted to the hospital.

We were admitted to the 6th floor of the hospital which is obviously brand new and very nice, ready to commence my first day of chemotherapy.

So this isn't the hard stuff you understand, the purpose of these two days of chemo is to prepare my body for the Neupogen injections, I don't completely understand how this works but the Neupogen is the drug used to stimulate stem cell production.  How ever it works in your body it leaves you susceptible for worsening MS symptoms.  So these two days of chemo are to counteract the effects.

Once the cannula was inserted in my hand up went the first saline drip.  The saline continued throughout the night with the obvious effect, I was up and down to the loo constantly.  At one point mum and I were laughing so much she almost fell off her wooden bench they had given her to sleep on and we were expecting the nurse to come in and tell us to shut up !!!!  We eventually dozed off at 4 ish in the morning and BANG in came the nurse with yet another bottle of saline so up I got and I toddled off to the loo with mum walking behind carrying my drip stand a sight to behold I promise ....

We left the hospital at about 8 p.m Wednesday evening armed with more drugs that you would find in a drugs den, these included injections, steroids and anti-sickness tablets.

Thursday morning it all began, with rounds of injections and taking various medications.  Initially didn't feel to much at all by way offside effects but after my shot this morning, started to feel some lower back pain and aches in my pelvis but worst of all at the moment is the feeling of sickness which I think is probably down to the steroids more than anything else.

However, there is always an upside to everything and the upside to this is that due to what I think is the steroids the jumbo sausages that used to be my toes have now been reduced to chipolata's and I actually have ankles at the moment. If you had seen my poor old feet before that looked like they belonged on a corpse they were blue, mottled and like ice, now they are pink, prettily puffy and sooooo cute.

So this morning we had coffee at the Urban Café trust me this sounds much grander than it is (it's the coffee shop in the foyer) but their lattes are to die for and the staff are brilliant.

We then ventured out with Raja onto the mean streets of Bangalore and when I say mean well !! In the midst of what seemed like a triple rush hour with hundreds' of cars, bikes, motor cycles and little three wheeled phut phuts, hooting their horns constantly with no apparent road rules or road markings and every man for himself, there sat in the road painting black and white lines on the kerb were three little lads no older than 10 years. So sad, so dangerous it was heart breaking. Just imagine 3 children sat in the road painting these stripes.

Had a quick look round a sari shop but couldn't find any to fit me or mum ha ha.  Would like to have had a look around Bangalore on one of our few free days but sadly the city does not accommodate wheelchair users in fact it barely accommodates pedestrians.

So in terms of treatment the next step is an appointment with Dr Amit on Monday at 10 a.m probably for blood test to check the injections are doing their job, we will probably then discuss stem cell collection and having the central venous catheter put into my neck, a procedure I am hoping I will be unconscious during but I have a sneaky suspicion that I will be fully awake.  If all goes to plan the stem cell collection could happen next Friday fingers crossed.

So, that's me, treading my own path through what is just as mentally challenging as physically. Thanks for all your messages of support, they all still mean so much and they make me feel closer to home and unless anything amazing happens in the next few days I will return to the page after my next hospital visit to update.

Take care xxx