The Alien Within: 31 – Flat, Leaden, Bloods & Green!

Date August 24, 2015 Author By RLG Category Journal

Really Flat White & Amazing Cells…

Aside from having to get up through the night to pee a half dozen times, I awoke surprisingly refreshed to head off for the second cycle Bloods, which commenced today.

The results were somewhat surprising, well to me at least.  All the key ingredients were significantly higher that the very first set, some three weeks ago.  And that after the second round of Chemo! amazing.  Other than that, a swift appearance at the Day Unit was all it took today, although I was around half an hour later, than my appointment, being seen.  So, I suppose that is good news all round and a good start to Slump Week 2.

Afterwards, I trundled along to the Main Entrance and to Costas for my now customary Flat White and brunch.  I do believe it must be cooling down outside, as my noggin was quite feeling the breeze as I wandered along the outside perimeter of the hospital.  Perhaps I need to search out my beanie supply in readiness for the inevitable change in temperature as the seasons change?

Unfortunately, it was training day at the coffee machine as I arrived.  The apparent supervisor queried the trainee on the caffeine content of my FW and proceeded to unceremoniously dump it.  Good start methinks!  After which, the Barista Trainer, rather than the trainee, proceeded to put together a fresh FW, or so I thought.

I thanked her and, with the rest of my brunch, took my seat by the open window overlooking the busy entrance foyer of PCH.  The first taste of my freshly, Barista, made FW alerted me to something gone horribly wrong.  It was not far off just plain hot milk…

For seconds few, I did toy with just suffering it, or leaving it in the traditional English manner, but my craving for caffeine, especially in the absence of steroids, took hold and bested me.  I marched (wandered slowly!) up to the Barista Trainer, in a quiet moment of course and suggested my hot milk did not resemble the usual Flat White I had ordered.  She apologised, of course, and asked if I would like it re-made, silly girl!  She offered to bring it over when it was ready and, relief, it was somewhat more palatable third time around.

Surprisingly, or not, after I returned home I just came over all knackered and collapsed in a heap on the sofa watching La Vuelta.  It was also a very wet afternoon, and I mean all afternoon and very wet.  But Benson did need to go walkies, even if a foreshortened one again.  Right from the off, my legs felt like they had lead weights in and each step was a bit more of an effort than I remember from the last cycle.  But then the Chemo effect is, apparently, cumulative.  We soldiered on and made it round and back home.

This evening my legs have decided to play the restless syndrome, which is somewhat annoying andusually  happens at bed time when I have not taken enough water.

And finally; I have just discovered that there are a whole host of those ribbony things for almost, if not all, variants of Cancer.  Would you believe, dear reader, the long standing colour for The Alien Within variant is…

LIME GREEN…

Who knew… 🙂

NEXT: Week 5 – Day 9