A very naughty boy

Yesterday, once treatment was done, we took a leisurely stroll south to The British Museum.

The house in Bedford Square where Thomas Hodgkin lived for a while.
We saw it on the way to the museum and it looked like architects occupy it now.

We decided to have a look at mediaeval Europe, or rather at a teeny tiny sample of artefacts that survive from that distant time. Particularly fascinating and not a little amusing (as far as one could tell, deliberately so) were some wall tiles depicting scenes from the childhood of Jesus, in which he was shown as full of mischief, so much so that parents were shown locking their children up to stop them playing with him. Outrageously, he would kill people and them bring them back to life, as if practising the miracles recorded in the Gospels.  We were reminded of the young wizards at Hogwarts trying out spells on each other. These tiles by the way turned up in an English curiosity shop and one can only boggle at the chain of circumstances that brought them there and enabled such a rare survival.

In the evening the kids drove up to town and we all went out for a pizza, which was just great, my appetite proving up to the job, although coffee is off the menu for now. I look forward to renewing my relationship with that wondrous substance when the thought of it does not make me queasy. 

Slight drama with the PICC line around midnight. Dressing was full of fluid (probably my plasma) so I went over to the main hospital to have a temporary cannula put in to deliver the chemo. We don't want the nasty stuff going anywhere other than the designated blood vessel.

Slept well although the tubes' going through a cannula rather than the PICC restricted my freedom of movement somewhat and I felt a bit more self-conscious at breakfast in the hotel this morning as my left arm was covered in elasticated bandage from wrist to bicep. My goodness, the hotel has been great, the staff unfailingly kind and solicitous and the breakfasts an unrivalled source of quality nutrition. The people at the hospital tell me that patients staying there often put on weight (a good thing for cancer patients) and I have gained a couple of kilos for sure. Just as well seeing as the next few weeks will see the kilos dropping off a bit.

The PICC was duly checked in Ambi Care this morning and there is no leak, so the temporary cannula was removed and chemo administered through the line. Last dose of etoposide today and the penultimate dose of cytarabine through the CADD pump at 1pm, to be followed by the last one at 1am tomorrow. Of the chemo agents that will only leave Melphalan, to be administered over 30 minutes tomorrow morning. I say “only”…

In the meantime here are a few more pictures.

One corner of Ambi Care. Cheery, no?

The corridor to the café at UCLH, the wall exhibiting art photos on the subject of facial pain.

Floral glories in Regents Park, where we took a stroll this afternoon.