Thursday's (child) Update

So here we are. Headlines: found Biggins, call off the dogs; I could be out by Monday

To start at the very beginning, a very good blah blah. Have had a couple of rough days. Sickness, sleeplessness, pain, nausea etc. Today I saw the head honcho, Dr Chris Hardy, and he examined me and declared I'd be cleared in no time. Ma and Pa were here at the time which was good for them. For everyone else of course it meant tripping over them and repeating themselves twice to make sure he'd heard. Bless. Allegedly, and get this - controversial, the pneuomonia is unrelated to my chicken pox! I know! How this is possible I don't know but as long as I get better who gives a flying monkey where it's from. That's all for now. When. I know more, you'll know more. J x P.S.Biggins is the head honcho (or at least looks a bit like him if you squint in a bad light. P.P.S. Kathryn, I'm in MRI

Acute Medical 1

That's where I am currently and potentially for the next ten days while the treatments work and they refine them in response to blood, urine and sputum cultures. Feeling a little better. Not a lot but I didn't die the other night and I Ain't Dead Yet ( which was the T shirt DD and I were going to buy in London. When I know more, you'll know more. That's all. J x

I have pneumonia

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better. I'm on oxygen and had a shot of something in A&E earlier. I start on a course of Acyclovir (a wide spectrum, kick-ass anti-viral). I'm on the Medical Assessment Unit in a private room (still contagious). But it's all the usual NHS nonense - I won't blog details here because if you remember someone complained about the cost of phone calls so all that fantastic Internet wizadry has now gone. Thank God for iphones. If all goes according to plan I should be back home Thursday or Friday. J x

Ooops

Of course that should have been 1600 that I phoned...

Latest

Have asked the on-call doctor service to make a home visit. The breathlessness is a little scary - and even though my Dad is the cleverest person in the world - I thought better safe than sorry. Unfortunately they only have one doctor to cover for visits for the whole of Manchester and can only promise a visit with 6 hours. I could have visited them but I don't have the strength and I don't want to expose DD. Had a sudden thought - I could have phoned Jane Murray, I'm sure she would have done it. Hey ho. Too late now (sorry jerseylil).

Will post again once they've visited unless they take me in - in which case their are contingency plans with DD -but feel better already just knowing they're coming. J x So hopefully should post before 2200 (I phoned them at 1400).

Chicken Pox is a Fucker

I was talking to Fig on the phone yesterday during my "up" period and we came up with the above post title which references (as those of you have been with this blog for many years will recognise) my early days post entitled "cancer is a c***". We thought that was really funny. Oh how cruelly fate twists the knife. Following my last post yesterday I spiraled rapidly downwards, my temperature shot up, I couldn't sleep, I had trouble catching my breath and I threw up a couple of times. I still feel no better yet. I'm a little worried about the breathing thing because I thought it might be caused by fluid collecting on my lungs. My Dad doesn't think this is happening because he says one can hear when there is fluid on one's lungs. He thinks it might just be stress related. I might give the on-call doctor a ring later because I'm sure he said something to me about breathing problems. I'l see how things go this afternoon when I'm sat upright - its more difficult to breathe when lying flat and let them get over the remnants of a Saturday night in Manchester before I call though. Temperature is currently back up to 38.6. That's all for now. J x

37.4

That's my latest temperature. Its back in the normal range. Hurrah. J x

Chipper

At this precise moment in time I feel quite chipper. Half an hour ago I was too hot and really uncomfortable. At least the bad bits are interspersed with some good bits now. The Saint dropped off the stuff from Sainsburys and I had a bath - which didn't induce any itching, a good sign. It was also not as painful as last time which suggests to me that there are less pus-filled blisters on my back than hitherto.

Received my first (and indeed, only) Get Well Soon card today (thanks Joolz). And that's all there is to report at the moment. May post later. Incidentally, anyone seen the new Saturday Times? Its rubbish. J x

Sorry

Had a really bad evening on Thursday - my temperature shot up to 39.2 and I felt really unwell. I phoned NHS direct and was told that they were really busy but someone would phone me back in 2 hours! Not the sort of thing you want to hear. Luckily my GP has an out of hours service and although they took half an hour to call me back the doctor I spoke to was very helpful and reassuring. The high temperature is to be expected as my body is fighting a virus and I only really need to worry if it hits 40.0.

Yesterday was awful. The high temperature remained and I was sick quite a lot. I was only managing 2 ensure pluses a day (normally 6) and this made me really weak and unable to do anything much.

Feel a little better this morning. Have had 2 ensures for breakfast so my total consumption today should go up. My temperature is down to 38.5. Although the blisters are still all over my face the ones on my tongue appear to be going. Elsewhere they have now reached my hands and feet and so have nowhere left to go. Fingers crossed, I may have hit the turning point.

The Saint is off to Sainsburys for me today and I'll flash her a look at my face across the hallway so that she can see the true horror. That's all for now. J x

Update II

Threw up earlier. Not much though. Also had diarrhea. That was a relief though because up until then I had been constipated (I know you're all fascinated by these details!).

On the plus side, Jane called round to see me which was very nice bringing with her the bicarbonate of soda and a book. I think she was quite shocked by my appearance. I got tired very quickly though so she only stayed for about 3/4 of an hour. I had a bath straight away afterwards which was quite painful (my blisters making contact with the hard bath surface) but it has made me feel a little better. Have daubed my face with calamine lotion and that has helped the itching. My scalp is still driving me mad though. Now gong to watch some more Sopranos. J x

Update

So had about 3 hours sleep last night. Feel knackered. Not seen any new spots for a while now and my scalp is scabbing over. My face is a complete mess though and my tongue is covered with blisters. Very unpleasant. I think I probably smell a bit as well as haven't been able to wash since Sunday. Jane is coming to see me this afternoon so I may have to keep my distance and light a scented candle. And get this, I think I have an in-growing toenail. What a time to develop that. Not much else to report. Still feeling really depressed but I suppose that's natural too. That's all for now. J x

A Little Better

Had about an hour's sleep this afternoon. Not currently in pain although still got stomach cramps. About to have some ensure plus which will probably make these worse but I need to have some nutrition. I don't think I've developed any new spots this afternoon which might be a good sign. My current boss is coming to see me tomorrow (all her family have already had it) which is really nice of her. Will be the first person I've seen for days! That's all. J x

This is Just Awful

I mean presumably I felt worse with the cancer but it doesn't seem like it (mind you I was on morphine then). My body hurts everywhere. The number of spots and blisters is unbelievable. I'm either too hot or too cold. I can't sleep. I can't shower. I'm getting stomach cramps. Its just dreadful.

Christies have told me not to darken their doors for 2 weeks - if I'm out of action for 2 weeks then I'm going to have to cancel my office leaving do as well.

Anyway, enough moaning. I'm sure I'll fell better in a few days. But you'll have to put up with the complaining on here as I lose more and more sleep until it does start getting better. That's all. J x

Just found this...

adultchickenpox.blogspot.com Looks like I'm not even half way there yet. Oh joy. That's all. J x

Pox

Its the bloody chicken pox. Last thing I needed. Have to blockade myself in my flat for between 1 and 2 weeks which coincidentally is my last 2 weeks in HMRC Manchester. Bugger. Hope I don't have to cancel my leaving do. Am cheering myself up by arranging a jaunt to Valencia with the Saint for March. On the plus side I'l get to watch the inauguration today.

Have had to postpone my builder too which is a pain but unavoidable. Also I was supposed to be at Christies on Thursday but obviously I can't walk into a waiting room full of immuno-suppressed cancer patients. Presumably they must have arrangements in place for these sort of situations. I've texted the lovely Debbie (who is presumably back from her freebie trip to Prague) to find out.

Luckily I don't feel too bad (yet) and I am sleeping well so perhaps it won't take too long for me to become non-infectious. I'll keep y'all posted. That's all. J x

Poorly Bad (as they say in Wales)

So not gone to Warrington to hob nob. Instead am lying on my sick bed at home. To be honest, although I felt pretty rotten when I woke up I don't feel too bad now but I do appear to have broken out in a rash al over my body. Have checked out NHS Direct and they suggest that a rash without too many other symptoms isn't anything to worry about. So I'm monitoring the situation. Have changed the bedclothes and am about to go back to bed for another snooze (although I slept quite well last night) and I'l let you have an update later on. Luckily, the builder isn't here today so its nice and quiet (apart from the building site over the road - don't they know there's a credit crunch on?). That's all. J x

Recovering at Home

Friday saw me having my first drink following The Fall. Three halves of lager at a (Manchester) trainee's promotion do. That was fine. No ill effects. Met up with The Saint for coffee yesterday afternoon (where we sat next to Steve Ovett for all you - old - celeb watchers out there). Then of to Boothstown British Legion (I know, me in a British Legion!) for Jim's birthday bash last night. It was really good - loads of helpliners there that I hadn't seen for ages and it was good to catch up and meet some new people. Had 5 or 6 Peronis to drink and am suffering for it today or I may just be coming down with one of the many bugs there are out there at the moment (apparently Boothstown is a disease hotspot). Actually I've no idea where Boothstown even is because Jim (God bless him) had laid on a bus (or coach, if one is pedantic about these things) from Manchester and then back at the end of the night.

So currently just lying on the sofa taking pain killers and awaiting the Sainted arrival (she took the car last night - so thank God there was a bus/coach) and is doing some shopping for me on the way back from wherever she's been. Hopefully the car will be dent free...!

Busy week ahead - Warrington to hob nob with Local Compliance royalty on Monday (and yes, you can still see traces of the bruise) and then Christies again on Thursday to check out something that appears to be growing on my tongue. Hopefully it'll just be another of those "viral warty things" but I'll keep you posted. That's all. J x

Wandering Afar

So. Went to my new office in Warrington yesterday. Yes, still sporting a huge black eye but luckily (for me) none of my new trainees were in the office so they didn't get to see it. Unluckily (for them) where the hell were they? I can see I'm going to have my work cut out for me there... Of course, all my fellow Business Learning Managers (who I'd gone there to meet) got to see the eye but then they probably need to know what sort of person they're getting as a colleague. And I'm sure a few of them aren't strangers to the dangers of having one (or 6) too many!

Last weekend went to The Library Theatre on Friday with Saint DD and a few others to see Great Expectations directed by Neil Bartlett. It was good and the staging was inventive but it wasn't as good or as inventive as his Oliver Twist a couple of years ago. On Sunday went to The Lowry with Gill and Jim to see The Wizard of Oz which wasn't that good to be frank. Again, saw this a few years ago in Leicester where it was done very well and The Lowry production suffered by comparison. But to be honest it wold have suffered even without a comparison. There was one notable exception - Lorna Luft (the daughter of Judy Garland as some of you will know). She was playing (oh irony of ironies) the wicked witch of the west and was excellent. Head and shoulders above everyone else in the cast.

Otherwise its been a quiet week (not a single drop of alcohol) and looks like being a quiet weekend ahead. Shopping with Saint DD this morning and then not much else planned. The builders are getting on well and their standard of workmanship appears fantastic. Unfortunately they keep turning up stuff that the other builder cocked up and needs putting right (we've had to virtually rebuild the en-suite for instance to stop leaks and patch up bits he'd just left undone). I thought I'd protected myself from all this by having some designers to project manage everything but you live and learn. Its going to cost me more but what can you do? Its not enough to make suing anyone worth the hassle or expense. Anyway. Ma and Pa are in London this weekend to see Mum's sister (Jane's Mum) who had the stroke. There is currently no change in her condition but I'l let you know more when I know more. That's all. J x

Not A Pretty Boy

Ouch! So there we were, DD and I, having a very enjoyable New Year's Eve at Panacea. It wasn't until we left that it all started to go wrong. Managed to find a taxi but when it got us back to my place (DD insisted on not being dropped off first to ensure I got home safely) I managed to fall out of it and smack my face on the curb. I have a couple of cuts and the hugest black eye you've ever seen. No-one will ever believe this story of course and everyone is going to think that I have been fighting (and to be fair, that's what it looks like). However I have DD as an independent witness. So there. So if you should see me in the next week or so please don't be too shocked. And hopefully it will all have disappeared by the time I start my new job...

DD (who is a saint) stayed overnight and nursed me the next day - which I spent throwing up. But I was fine by Friday and feel fine now. It just doesn't look too good. That's all. J x