So Well I Have to Go Back to Work..

So then, saw Prof again this week – and the paraprotein was still 5. Which is good. Well, zero and complete remission would have been better, but as he keeps trying to remind me, 'PR' (partial remission') can also be a good thing providing the paraprotein stays stable and the disease is therefore 'switched off' for some time, ie not roaming round causing damage and not multipying merrily and doing more bad stuff when I'm not watching.

The average 'remission' after a Stem Cell Transplant is about two years before the paraprotein starts going up again or other blood-related shit happens. The only other person I know well with Myeloma (Neil, also 40, has had it for 4.5 years, a friend of a friend and highly coincidentally and handily, also treated at Parkside) only got about 13-14 months of remission, which is a bit crap, so being younger doesn't seem to swing things in your favour necessarily. And of course its not curable so sadly 'falling out of remission' will happen for sure, which can be a tricky thing to live with, hanging over your head invisibly like some motherfucker Australian spider up a gumtree.

SO I am hoping hugely that – for once in all this poo – I get lucky and might be able to have at least the average amount of time, or even better, above average, before it inevitably goes wrong and more treatment would be needed. But for now at least its bloody great that there are NO DRUGS and NO MAJOR TREATMENTS in the offing, just twice monthly visits to Prof and the necessary blood tests, where I hope with all fingers, toes and eyes crossed that the news is good and life can carry on as normal.

Its SO good to be back to normal now – I'm probably starting to evangelise a bit, but it does make one (ie me) enormously grateful for the small things in life, whether its being able to push the trolley round Sainsburys, doing a 45 min walk round Wim Common with one of you lucky people or have a night out on the lash with friends – yes, am still hungover from last nights 5 Mojitos in Putney with one group of hockey birds, thanks girls…or perhaps it was Thursday's Dark & Stormy cocktail and VAG's (that's Vodka and Grapefruit to you uninitiates) with a diff bunch fo hockey reprobates that still haven't cleared from the system… Either way, its great to be back on the sauce and out with all of you ugly lot. Even if you all think my sleek shiny rug is so much better than my old hair…. cheeky gits.

And I have even been for a walk 5 days in a row this week, which is more exercise than I've had in the past 2 months. All part of the getting back up to speed thing, and building up the stamina to go back to – EEEK – work! I went to have a chat about coming slowly back to work over the next few weeks this Wed, and somehow found myself on a conf call on the very next morning and will be polishing off a Proposal this weekend.. how does that happen?! It's a good thing overall as obviously means I am pretty much fine again for now.. but having had 6 months of not the funnest of times, I am enjoying these few days of getting back into the swing of stuff before work becomes an everyday reality again. I may even break into a jog soon…

Seeing Prof again on 20th March – if the paraprotein is still behaving, I will be back at work and seeing how it goes (how will I cope without my daily kip?) very shortly, so if you've been dithering with popping round for tea, come soon before the limited offer ends!!

Happy Saturdays peeps… S x