Hi Vicki and Colin,

Brilliant news 🙂 🙂

luv
Clucky
(Mal & Bruce)xx

Noticed your profile says your Dad started dialysis Jan 2013, how are things going?

luv
Clucky
(Mal & Bruce) xx

Hi Tom,

Thanks, we are pleased we can manage at home. We can please ourselves when Bruce dialyses, but ideally they like us to do it while someone is at the renal unit at the hospital (between 7am and 9pm, Monday to Saturday). The NHS would like to get more people dialysing at home, it's cheaper!

He still has to see the haemo doc every 3…[Read more]

Hi Dee, we haven't checked the site out in ages – sorry. How is your Dad?

Bruce was 63 when he was diagnosed with Myeloma – he went into hospital as an emergency (Oct 2010),(kidneys were failing, but we didn't know that at the time). They put a line, first into his groin, then into his neck for dialysis. He had 8 cycles of chemo (thalidomide &…[Read more]

Ta, big day tomorrow.

luv
Mal & Bruce

Had a phone call last night and it's all systems go – we start our training next Tuesday (14th) – no jokes please 🙂

xx

PS It's Bruce's birthday today – he's 64 years old 🙂

Ta, Bruce is really pleased but I'm a bit nervous because I'll be doing the needling (Bruce still has tingling hands (and feet) from the thalidomide).

xx

Thanks 🙂 🙂

xx

Hi all, I've been meaning to bring this up to date for some time now, but don't seem to have had the time.

Bruce had his 'line' removed just after Christmas – his fistula (new plumbing for kidneys is working well).

Then he had a bone marrow biopsy to see how well the stem cell transplant had worked (his third since being diagnosed). We had…[Read more]

Hi Shirls (like Jo said, hope you pick up soon).

(((Hugs))) from us too.

(Sorry if this appears twice, posted one and it's wandered off).

Hi Jo, Bruce saw his own haemo doc on Monday. She said his bloods and neutrophils were good (coming up nicely), but she told him to take it easy and stay away from crowds for a while.

He feels quite well in himself apart from still having the poo's, an achey shoulder and not sleeping very well. Today his GP gave him something a bit stronger…[Read more]

Thank you 🙂 🙂

Hi Gill, we had a good chuckle over your post. We've taken your advice and I've shaved his head. Yes the bits are prickly and this morning the pillow cases were covered with more hair than you can imagine, because he didn't have a lot to start with anyway 😀 😀 He's ditched the designer stubble but left a tiny trace of moustache, because he's…[Read more]

Hi Bridget & Shirls & everyone else, we went down to dialysis before 9 o'clock and got back to Birch Ward as the doctors were doing their rounds. The doctor said Bruce's levels had all come up to the point where he didn't need to be in protective isolation – and then said he could go home either today or tomorrow depending on how quickly they…[Read more]

Hi Shirls and everyone else, yes the Birch Ward team are fantastic. We've just had some good news. We've missed the doctors rounds a couple of times because of going down to Mayflower for dialysis – but today we found out Bruce's neutrophils were 0.3 on Sunday (they were zero last Saturday)…..and today they are 0.9! 😀 😀

He's still got…[Read more]

Hi Eve & Slim,
We are desperate to get out of here and play our guitars and have half a cold cider each. We miss our cats. We've been in here 2 weeks now and it feels like 2 years. Can't wait to sleep in our own bed. Think I'm rambling 😀

luv
Mal & Bruce

Cottage pie and croissant today – so far, so good.

luv
Mal & Bruce (he says he might try a bit of toast later).

Hi Dai, neutrophils were zero yesterday, don't know what they are today, think the blood results for everyone were late coming in.

He's kept his dinner down today (a bit of cottage pie and a croissant – it was what he fancied 😀 ).

luv
Mal & Bruce

Hi Jo, he's feeling a bit better this morning. He's just had a 'build up' soup and a yogurt, hopefully this is the day he'll keep them down.

luv Mal & Bruce