Well - I'm out of hospital again, having completed my second cycle of chemotherapy. A cycle lasts a month, and consists of a little action and lots of boredom. My cycles start at the beginning of the month and go something like this:

    Days 1 - 5    Chemo and daily blood samples.  I receive two drugs: one injected and the other transfused directly  into my bloodstream via the Hickman line (aka a Central Venous Catheter or Central Line - more on that another time). 
    Days 6 -7     Observation. Daily blood samples taken via the Hickman line and checked for the levels of various blood cell types.  The cell counts for red cells, white cells and platelets are all expected to continue dropping for several days after the chemo is finished.
    Days 8 - 12     Home leave! During this window the cell counts continue to drop but are not yet at a dangerous level.  I'm limited on what I can eat, and where I can go ('No restaurant, no cinema, no karaoke! OK "?) and I need to wear a mask when I'm out in public.
    Day 13 -14    Back to hospital where I check in to the day ward for a blood test.  If my cell counts have dropped to a level where I'm anaemic, suseptible to infection, or my blood is unable to clot properly - then I'm readmitted to an in-patient ward. Otherwise home again for a day or two.
    Day 15 - 25   Back in hospital in an isolation room. This is the tedious bit. By now my cell counts have all dropped to dangerous or near dangerous levels.  The high points are visitors, phone calls, and my daily blood test results.  The doctors give me a copy of the printouts showing the various cell levels, reference ranges etc, and then we discuss why I dont *feel* ill...  The low points are the other 22 hours where I have to entertain myself.
    Day 25 or so - back home! Still have to be careful about what I eat and who I see, but less so than at the beginning of the cycle.

And for the interested:
    Low red cell counts:    My blood carries less oxygen to my various organs- can be short of breath, or dizzy when I stand, and I tire very easily. Chemically induced anaemia.
    Low white cell counts:    I'm unable to defend myself from infection.  A bit like the effects of AIDS - but I'm hugely thankful that in my case it only lasts a week or two. Hence the isolation. 
    Low platelet counts :    My blood cant clot easily so any cut or wound remains open and oozing for much longer than usual - a bit like haemophilia. Unpleasant and an easy target for infection. Luckily I've only had one episode of this where my gums bled and I spent several hours sucking ice-cubes, waiting for them to stop.
    Isolation :     I'm confined to a single room with attached bathroom, and an antechamber. Its all air-conditioned at slightly positive pressure so no bugs waft in from the ward. No windows to the outside world.  Visitors need to scrub up and wear masks before entering, On the most critical days I have no visitors and the med staff all wear disposable paper gowns.
So I spend my time reading (a book a day is easy), watching movies on the laptop (but no internet access - hence infrequent postings), playing Freecell ( I win on average 76% of the time),etc. There's a TV but this is HK - there's little on to watch, except reality shows and hospital dramas (which I avoid for some reason).  I also tally the number of cancer references in the news, newspapers and books - surprisingly frequent once you start looking for them...

And while I remember - other posts to come: Chemo, Hickman line, Restrictions, Other peoples reactions. Oh yes - the future...

Feel free to drop me an email : malcolm AT morris DOT hk  
But remember my access is limited so replies may be delayed...