Phase 2 - hmmm...

Phase 2 induction started last Tuesday. It's 4 days a week (Tuesday - Friday) over at the Churchill for 4 weeks and the main reason for it is to try and reduce further the presence of the leukaemia; remission doesn't mean it's gone "just" that normal cell production has resumed but the leukaemia has to be kept in check and that's the point of this consolidation.

Treatment is notionally straightforward:

• Cyclophosphamide - intravenous, fortunately only 3 times (every other week) as this one seems to really make me sick. Oh yeah and it's trying to knock out the remaining strands of hair I have...
  
• Cytosine arabinoside - intravenous, each day whilst at the hospital. On me seems to be causing a low-level nausea that anti-emetics like Ondansetron look to be controlling
  
• Mercaptopurine - tablets I take every night, seem to be OK on these
• Intra-thecal - every Wednesday :-(
  

Plus of course continuing with the tablets I was on before.

As mentioned, the Cyclophosphamide (at least I think it's that) seems to be really affecting me - not just nausea but vomiting and vertigo too (I learned that vertigo isn't actually anything specifically to do with heights but the general sensation of dizziness and head spins).

We're not quite sure what's causing it - I'm still suffering even tonight but far more manageable than when I was literally falling over from it.

Anyways - felt a bit better yesterday (Sunday) and today but not 100%. Hoping that this week is easier.

Apologies then that I've been out of touch but it was only yesterday that I fired up any form of computer as to be honest I've been lying down and sleeping as much as possible which I'm sure you understand!

As it all starts again tomorrow - I may not be online too much until the weekend again.