Tuesday 15th February
Today is the day of the final blood test. The staff at the blood clinic would certainly win awards for getting blood out of a stone, it would certainly be easier than trying to get it out of me!
The squeamish may wish to look away now.
She sticks the very small, baby needle in my arm and pulls on the syringe plunger. (The usual vacuum blood collector things cannot be used as they rely on some internal pressure of which I have none.) Little or no blood comes out, she wiggles the needle around and tries again, a little more blood comes, more wiggling and pulling and little by little enough blood is extracted together with a lot of bubbles!
I am convinced that, given I have spent the last fortnight feeling like death warmed up with a monumental cough and cold, my neutrophils will be too low and I won't be given chemo.
Later that night I am sitting quietly watching the TV when I develop suddenly the worst stiff neck ever. The pain radiates from the back of my left shoulder down my arm up my neck to the back of my head and even gives me a throbbing earache! I don't sleep well that night mainly because of the pain from my shoulder/neck and also because for the first time I am anxious about tomorrow's chemo.
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