Went to the Haematology Day Unit (HDU) at The Royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH) today for my second dose of Velcade. It means putting in a canula (always a laugh, with my hide-and-seek veins) and taking a blood sample. They use that to make up my Velcade prescription and in the meantime, I have fluids pumped in, to help keep my blood pressure up, as the Velcade apparantly can cause it to drop temporarily. Since I'm trying to drink 2-3 litres of water every day, these fluids really tip the balance and I spend an inordinate amount of time on the loo! Man, I really know how to enjoy myself! Mind you, it seems I'm getting my money's worth - the Velcade is about a grand a shot, which means about £16,000 to £24,000 for the Velcade alone for this round of treatment, not to mention the handfuls of other other drugs I'm taking, plus the nursing/clinical care - fuck me! Better bloody work at that price!

It really is just a lot of sitting around, so far anyway. The being stabbed with a canula isn't exactly fun, but I don't want a PICC line. I had a Hickman-type thingy for my SCT and although it was essential, it was still a pain in the arse. When you've got tubes dangling out of you 24/7, it means you're "medicalised" all the time. And lines need cleaning and flushing and generally fucking around with, not to mention being a risk of infection and not being able to have a bath (with a Hickman) or a shower (with a PICC). Bollocks to that.

Anyhoo (as Homer says), so far, so good. The travelling up and down to Brighton will get to be something of a bummer, I'm sure - only 15 miles, but with parking, can take over an hour - but it's just the way it is, so I'll have to put up with it.

Got a lovely day lined up tomorrow - no hospital, just seeing my aromatherapist for a lovely back massage (can't wait!), then visiting friends and walking the dog. Nice! Mental week next week, tho. Two visits to RSCH for Velcade, another for an MRI (luckily on a Velcade day), another for radiotherapy planning (but meeting a fellow MM chum for lunch first), an appointment at the Marsden in Sutton and a filling at the dentist. Bloody hell! Hope I get through it in one piece!

Post again soon, when there's anything interesting to say.

Chunks of love,
A xxx