A Busy Week

Over a week since my last update, so high time for another one.

 

And what quickly became apparent while composing this message is how Truly Awful my short-term memory has become. Thanks to a combination of past infections and my continuing drug regime, I could remember very little of what I'd been doing last week and had to ask Julia!  Happily, when reminded of specific events or activities, I did at least manage to dredge up a mental image of each one, so there's clearly something still there in my memory, but the retrieval system is completely messed up. Very frustrating and annoying, particularly because we normally take it so much for granted. If I'm to be able to recall what I've been doing (without asking the long-suffering Julia all the time) I shall have to keep a daily diary. If not hourly.

 

So what HAVE I been doing?!

Well, quite a bit actually, which is a useful indication of continuing recovery.

 

Last Friday after my morning dose of ECP at St Thomas's (see entry for 2nd July if you can't remember what ECP is) we watched the Olympic torch sail past on the very handsome royal barge Gloriana from the riverside terrace at the hospital.

Then on Saturday we spent practically the whole day out at our friends Sue and Steve's, the entertainment including prime position for watching the men's cycling road race whizzing literally past their front door. Blink and you missed it, but we had a great close-up view. We travelled to S&S's by train, something I haven't attempted for 18 months, so that was a notable milestone too.

 

And Sunday was Julia's birthday, so we were out again, though a much shorter trip this time, having a quiet potter round the Chelsea Physic Garden just the other side of the river from us,

and the oldest garden in Europe, having been laid out in 1673, and a calm haven in the centre of London in which to spend a restful hour or two.

 

 

Then most of Monday was spent at the Marsden clinic as usual, so I've packed more into the last 3 days than I've done in the last 3 months. And all after my fortnightly double dose of ECP too.  Tiring? Yes, but no other ill effects so far.

Tomorrow (Thursday) will test my fitness again because we have tickets to the Olympic rowing at Eton Dorney which calls for rather an early start since the sporting action starts at 0930 and we need to be there two hours before that apparently, so we'll have to get up at Sparrowfart.

Bring it on!

 

As for the Medical News, apart from the memory and ECP already mentioned, my overall condition is still gradually improving, so I am a little stronger, more mobile and more with-it mentally than this time last week. The blood test results this week also showed a marked improvement in my liver which is particularly encouraging because that should help clean up the residue of previous infections and prevent any new ones from arising.

 

There are still plenty of physical issues that need resolving, the most irritating being dry eyes and mouth and constant itching, because they have such a significant effect on my Quality of Life, but none of them is life-threatening and the combination of ECP, drugs and liver improvement should start to make a difference soon.

Inshallah, as ever.