Strawberries and Kandinsky

What else do you do with blue rubber gloves?

Having signed off the last blog, I packed my bag and the following morning swapped with Donella and stayed with Tabby in her side room in ward 3 at the Sick kids for the next 4 days. I have to say it was really nice spending time with her – playing games, watching films, painting and drawing – without distractions like work. Whatsmore I didn’t spill or drop a bedpan all week!

It was not easy to get a full night’s sleep. Tabby has her temperature, pulse and blood pressure checked regularly. Her infusion pump of the anti-viral medicine “Acyclovir” and iv fluid drip are constantly adjusted and re-charged with the pump often alarming if there is a blockage or a bubble in the system. Tabby was obviously  far more accustomed to it than I and seemed to sleep through all of this. As ever the staff of ward 3 were wonderful .

Tabby was such a good wee patient – effectively isolated in her room and being “barrier nursed” because of her infectious shingles. This meant she stayed in her room for 9 consecutive days. I don’t think she ever complained. I am happy to say that things have moved on since the days of the notorious isolation ward “toast diet”:

Patient: “Nurse, I’ve had toast for breakfast, beans on toast for lunch and egg on toast for supper. Why do I get so much toast every day?”

Nurse: “Because that’s all we can slide under the door!”

I was able to creep out in the evenings for some fresh air – at the “Earl of Marchmont”. Very therapeutic and a chance to reflect on the day's events!  Tabby was finally allowed home on Tuesday now taking her acyclovir as a tablet. Because of these unexpected events, yet again, her chemotherapy regime has been delayed.

"I can even wear it"

Tabby fell asleep in the car on the way home. Then, having arrived home burst into tears. Her tears, however were short lived thanks to a special present waiting for her. Stuart and Susan from Cheshire sent Tabby her very own Candy-Floss Machine. It is great. Tabby and Ewan have used it nearly every night since it arrived. There is, however, definitely a knack to it. Most evenings we have clouds of pink candy floss wafting across the kitchen.

On Friday we became tourists. Donella, Tabby and I went on an open top bus  tour of Edinburgh. This was the only afternoon of warm summer weather we have had for a while. It was good fun, something we had been meaning to do with Tabby for ages. To complete the tourist day we then went to the National Gallery and (at Tabby’s request) went round the “Van Gogh to Kandinsky” exhibition. Tabby had been learning about  Kandinsky at school and thought it was pretty cool to see the real thing! We then had Afternoon tea in the Gallery restaurant - a fine day out.

Discussing symbolist landscape painting in Europe 1880-1910

After everything that has gone on over the last few weeks – including 9 days bed rest, Tabby told us that following an afternoon of playing with her  friend Danielle, her legs were really quite tired and sore. On Friday, in Prince’s Street gardens she tried to run to chase Donella. She looked like she had just run a marathon – which I suppose is what she is doing every week.

Yesterday, Olivia and Ewan took Tabby to Craigie, Farm nearby, to go Stawberry picking. Despite the picture, they did come home with an awful lot of strawberries. They all made strawberry cup-cakes. I could not say who’s were the best.

Tomorrow is a new week. Blood tests on Monday, intrathecal methotrexate under G.A and cylcophosphamide infusion on Wednesday, daily infusions of cytarabine Thursday to Sunday. Hopefully we will be back on course to finish off “Delayed Intensification no.1” as soon as possible.

I am now trying to get back into training for the Glasgow to Edinburgh Cycle ride in September which I am doing for our local charity “Its Good 2 Give”.  By the next post, I hope to have set up a sponsorship website (should you wish to contribute). In the meantime I’ll get back onto the turbo-trainer although watching repeats of “Inspector Morse” at the same time may not have a major effect on increasing my aerobic capacity.

Thanks for reading,

The Lawsons