Tuesday, 8 July 2008

6 months on


On the eve of the 6 month anniversary of Adam leaving for his after party it seems almost impossible to recall those joyful moments in his life that filled us with so much pleasure, and coming to terms with the notion that he wont just be dragging himself out of his pit sometime soon and laying on the sofa asking for a cup of tea seems, at times, completely unbearable.

If I thought that I had plumbed the depths of human emotion whilst he was battling with his disease then boy was I wrong! It seems that every day can bring something, some apparently small reminder of what could have been, what should have been, what will never be… and the wishing and longing tears deep into ones very soul, then without any particular warning the tears can flow, my apologies to anyone who has been with me when this happens.

I’m not surprised anymore when I hear of people who have taken their own lives after a child has died for the almost constant pain and grief would be for most people a continual struggle and for those who may be of less stable stuff then not having to live with it would be a pretty good option.

But I think that you fall into one of two camps, either you’ll sink or you’ll swim… and I know that he would not want people to put their lives on hold or to sink, indeed he would rather that people prospered as a result of their learned knowledge from having known him. In his own words, ‘I don’t want people to be sad ..but I do want them to remember me!’

It is hard to make sense of the why’s and wherefores that surround the death of someone such as Adam, there are so many platitudes that people use and each one, whilst well meaning merely serves as a reminder of the enormity of the loss, At times I truly wish I had a faith as it might make more sense if I really genuinely believed their was a reason for all this.

And the question that remains is always the same one… Why? Why someone so genuinely and clearly ‘nice’? I have never met anyone who didn’t have good things to say about Adam and most people felt their lives were improved in some way by meeting him. So what logical reason is there that he would be taken when there is probably a list as long as your arm of people who are less deserving of their place in this world.

I was with someone about my age the other day who had never actually met him but said that she had watched his video on youtube again recently and having heard his words she had determined that she would make some changes to her life plans and actually do some of the things she had always planned to but never got round to…. And for a moment, for the most fleeting of moments I wondered if maybe, just maybe… that was the answer to the question…….

In his own words……

“it’s a cliché but life is short, You can kinda do anything if you set your mind to it………………..

All you can do is try your best…..and you might have a wicked time”

Love to all


Colin

Monday, 16 June 2008

The boy suggested....

Well, indirectly he suggested I guess.

You may know that Adam was open to the notion of what i refer to as 'flaky' things i.e. of a spiritual nature.

As he lay dying I spoke to him about making contact with him and I recently went to a medium who, amongst other things said that he was suggesting that i should carry on with my writing.

I used to keep a detailed diary of his treatment when he was first ill but i didn't when he relapsed, not sure why but i just didnt feel like it.

So, assuming ido this, my problem is... what to write about?

Answers on a postcard please or via the comments section, I did think that I might start a question and answer section and suggest that anyone ask any question on any subject and i'll answer it as honestly and as directly as I can.

Love to all


Colin

Thursday, 24 April 2008

These words may have been written with the boy in mind!

If I can throw a single ray of light across the darkened pathway of another; if I can aid some soul to clearer sight of life and duty, and thus bless my brother; if I can wipe from any human cheek a tear, I shall not have lived my life in vain while here.

If I can guide some erring one to truth, inspire within his heart a sense of duty; if I can plant within my soul of rosy youth a sense of right, a love of truth and beauty; I shall not then have lived in vain while here.

If from my mind I banish doubt and fear, and keep my life attuned to love and kindness; if I can scatter light and hope and cheer, and help remove the curse of mental blindness; if I can make more joy, more hope, less pain, I shall not have lived and loved in vain.

If by life’s roadside I can plant a tree, beneath whose shade some wearied head may rest, thought I may never share its beauty, I shall yet be truly blest – though no one knows my name, nor drops a flower upon my grave, I shall not have lived in vain while here. - Anon

Wednesday, 27 February 2008

the 49th Day

There is a Buddhist ritual that takes place 49 days after a person has died, Claudia kindly undertook the ritual and sent the following Email by way of feedback.

Love to all

Colin


Subject: RE: 49 day blessing

I did the 49 day blessing for Adam all very buddhist smells & bells etc. & in the quiet reflective bit I felt quite real a connection with Adam, his source, soul, spark whatever you want to call it anyway he seemed to be curiously hanging about watching what I was doing listening to the bells & prayers of thanks for his life & for his future incarnations (if you believe in that sort of thing) I got a strong sense of him being really really happy joyful & free & so so grateful & full of love for you both & the rest of the family. That his life although short, truely was complete, a sense of he did what he had come to do. I then saw lots & lots of flashes of him laughing & of some very very funny moments in his life, I saw one a story he had told me about: at a fund-raising black tie dinner where he had met Fergie duchess of york, & on hearing her ask what she could do to help the teenage cancer trust he suggested quite loudly she could always get her tits out!

So by the end of the blessing ritual I was laughing & had a huge smile on my face! he certainly knew how to do that well!

lots of love to all

Claudia x

Friday, 8 February 2008

a month on... youtube video

It’s a month tomorrow since Adam joined the party in the sky and despite missing him more than I thought possible I hope he’s having a ball wherever he is.

A number of people have asked if they can view or get a copy of the video from the funeral and I did try a few auto downloading files for mailing to people, some worked and some didn’t so I have elected to put the file in its entirety on youtube.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAbDAXOk6bk


For those of you who were there it will be, I hope, a pleasing reminder of his words and for anyone who wasn’t there then it will give some insight into how he felt about a few things and also a brief insight into the antics of the Dumball rally.


Love to all


Colin


X

Post Funeral news

There is a weird calm that has settled since the funeral, I think that the calm is simply a result of not having to live with the daily fear of what is going to happen as the worst has already happened.

I'm going to stop apologising for not saying thank you to everyone who sent messages or donations but please know that we do really value all that has been sent and the very real help that people have given.

The few auto download links that i sent out to the video file shown on the day seem to have worked and not worked in equal measure so I shall try to put the files up on a webpage for download in the near future.

The total donations for TCT are very nearly £4000 now, thats absolutely brilliant, thanks again to all

love to all


Colin

Friday, 18 January 2008

Funeral or 'After Party' arrangements

ADAMS FUNERAL or 'AFTER' Party!

Will be held at St Michaels Church, Milton Road Wallington Surrey at 10.00 on Thursday 24th January. If you wish to attend at Church, please be there by 09.45 there is a small car park but by choice please park in the side roads to allow the funeral cars space in the car park

All are welcome but please give priority for seating to family and close friends, the committal will be afterwards at Bandon Hill Cemetery. If you are attending the committal, please carry a single white rose.

Those wishing to celebrate him will be welcome at THE RECTORY in Brighton Road Purley all day where the family and close friends will join you after a private reception at the family home.

There is no dress code but as Adam would have said, ‘Dress to impress’

Whilst we wouldn’t prevent anyone buying flowers, we’d prefer donations to the Teenage Cancer Trust, cheques Payable to ‘Teenage Cancer Trust’. UK taxpayers should write ‘I am a UK taxpayer and wish to claim gift aid’ on the back of the cheque.

We have no idea how many people will attend so apologies if its standing room only!

Thursday, 17 January 2008

Adam update Thursday 17Jan 08

Adam is now in the careful hands of Niki at Trueloves in Chipstead Valley Road Coulsdon.

They are open from 9am till 5pm daily and from 9am till 1pm on Saturday. Niki will be happy allow access to the chapel if anyone wishes to see him. if you do visit, feel free to play the cd if its not already on

It isn’t necessary to make an appointment but if you are travelling a long way perhaps call beforehand on 0208 660 2620.

Timings for the Funeral are nearly complete so I’ll do a further update soon, many have asked about dress code, Black is not necessary but also not banned, the boy wanted a celebration of his life and would have said ‘dress to impress’

All are welcome and formal invitations will not be issued. If you know you are coming then please let me have a quick email so we can get some idea of numbers

Love to all.


Colin


Wednesday, 16 January 2008

Adam update - the 'After' party

We have now confirmed the venue for the funeral but as yet the timing has to be confirmed.

The Service will be held at St Michaels and all Angels Church

Milton Road
Wallington

Surrey
SM6 9RP

The committal will then be held at Bandon Hill cemetery, around 5 minutes drive from the church.

We expect the service to be starting at some time between 09.30 and 10.00, dependant on the funeral directors. It’ll be the first time anyone’s seen the boy that early in the morning for ages!

For those who may wish to come, Anyone attending on the day should bring a single white rose

Whilst we wouldn’t stop anyone arranging flowers of course, it seems more appropriate that donations to the Teenage Cancer Trust in his name would be more helpful, cheques can be sent directly to them or to us at home and should have, I am a UK taxpayer and wish to claim gift aid on the back of any personal cheques as this allows the charity to get an additional 28% on top.

Watch this space!

Love to all

Colin


PS The irony of me now having to pay for Baileys insurance monthly wont be lost on many, in fact there has been so much interest in him that I’m thinking of starting a ‘BAILEY BLOG’

Sunday, 13 January 2008

adam update sunday 13 january

Hi all

There’s not much that’s funny about all this at the moment but I just thought you’d all love to know that it appears that in the very near future I’ll be taking over paying for Baileys regular insurance premiums!

The boy is jerkin my chain still! Somewhere he’ll be wetting himself over that one!

Having said to everyone that we’d like some space, the flipside is many people are uncertain when to make contact, the simple answer is whenever you feel right.The arrangements for his Funeral are still coming together and I’ll issue full details once known, all will be welcome, many people have asked about flowers/donations and the like and we do have the following wishes.

Anyone attending on the day should bring a single white rose

Whilst we wouldn’t stop anyone arranging flowers of course, it seems more appropriate that donations to the Teenage Cancer Trust in his name would be more helpful, cheques can be sent directly to them or to us at home and should have, I am a UK taxpayer and wish to claim gift aid on the back of any personal cheques as this allows the charity to get an additional 28% on top.

We are just hovering at the moment about the location for the service as the original venue it seems is quite small and we are not sure of numbers.

Watch this space.

Love to all

Colin

Friday, 11 January 2008

Adam update 11 January 2008

I thought I might stop doing the updates but, for now at least there are some items of note that may interest those of you who have been on this journey with us for so long.

It isn’t possible to describe how we are feeling, 7 years is not long enough to prepare anyone for this…..

Over the years our house has looked more and more like a chemist or hospital, those of you who have been here will know just how much space the various pieces of kit and paraphernalia take up.

We had always thought we would celebrate his recovery by finally getting rid of the tall multi drawer unit that we got when he was first ill and removing all the medical bits and bobs from the house.

Pauline couldn’t sleep and this morning as she was woken as we both have been so many times by the sound of Adam calling her from his bedroom………..She got up at six o’clock and I could hear her pottering around downstairs, after a bit my curiosity got the better of me and I found her bagging up all the ‘stuff’, we talked about the method of disposal in a logical and mature manner, we both found a lot of anger associated with all the bits and bobs and their intrusion into our lives for so long. And so, as it was pouring with rain outside we got some highly flammable liquid, made a pile including the multi drawer unit (very good value by the way and available at a B&Q store near you!) and lit a bonfire from a not particularly safe distance!

And as the flames grew bigger we found more ‘stuff’ that reminded us of his disease to put onto the fire and we stood in the pouring rain watching a pretty good fire burn, then some of the bottles and closed containers decided to do their thing and make a mini firework display all of their own………….

The boy would have liked that!

The date for his Funeral is Thursday 24th Jan at 10.00 am in Wallington, precise details to follow… I know, I know, its along time away but apparently over Christmas lots of people are dying to get into cemeteries!

Love to all

Wednesday, 9 January 2008

Adam Update 9 January 2008


Our Angel came home yesterday evening by way of a special present for my birthday; he left us to join some other angels just after midnight and for the first time in nearly seven years looked truly peaceful. He spent the previous afternoon quite lively, laughing and joking with Karen and Nell at the hospital and he got his wish to come home and see Bailey.

His life was short but touched many people here and all over the world. I know of no one who ever met him that didn’t feel his presence.

We know that many will want to contact us and we are happy for that but in the immediate term we should like a brief period to indulge ourselves, I’ll update with details of his funeral which I suspect may include some white tuxedos and champagne…..to comply with Adam’s wishes, does anyone know where I can get a star shaped coffin in glossy white with a playboy bunny on the side?! He always said that when he went, he wanted to take up as much room as possible!

The Latin writing on his his tattoo reads, ‘Alis Volit Propriis, Ad Astra, Per Aspera.’

HE, WHO FLIES BY HIS OWN WINGS….., TO THE STARS THROUGH DIFFICULTIES,.

Thursday, 3 January 2008

Thursday Jan 3 2008

Adam had a rough night last night and so I went into the hospital early this morning at his request, by the time I got there he was a little calmer, having thrown up a load of blood which was pretty frightening for both him and Pauline, he has had a pretty ropey day and has mainly been out of it on morphine and pain killers.

Then just for good measure, the red patches appeared again on his leg, these signify infection and are no doubt a result of his neutropaenia allowing the previous infection in his leg to restart.

So, after a tough week followed by a day from hell yesterday he now has to go through this latest infection, any one of these issues would be taxing but the multitude that he constantly faces seems to be enough to test the patience of a saint.

He has been upset today, I think the combination of the pain and his inability to move around get him down and his usually bright self is missing, no wonder really, his ability to wake up each morning with a smile on his face is phenomenal and humbles me often.

I met a new member of the club the other day and was giving her some advice on how this game goes, I found myself repeating the two simple pieces of advice that I was given when I too had not yet got my hospital air miles card validated.

1. go with the flow

2. take each day at a time

So, for now I think I need to take some of that advice myself……………

Wednesday, 2 January 2008

update 2 jan 08

Adam has been losing around 2 pints of blood a day since Christmas Day and today the docs decided that he should have his endoscopy to see if it was possible to find the bleed and indeed repair it from inside.

The procedure was due for the afternoon and so I was at home for the first night since Christmas Eve last night, had a lazy start to my day planned, ran a bath., made a cup of tea……. Then got a call from Pauline around 09.40 who said, they are doing it in half an hour!

As I was arriving at the hospital at 10.50 having exercised my running skills at every opportunity, Sarah, who I had called as Adam wanted here to be with him but was only just awake when I rang, also arrived having chosen what was obviously the more efficient route. Doh!

He had the endoscopy, should have taken 20 minutes and after and hour and fifteen I was fretting, they found a number of ulcerated sections of his gut and managed to cauterize some, clip a couple of others for good measure but they returned with him to say that it was very complicated and they were unable to close of the largest bleeding vessel so they would need to consider surgery or alternative treatment, Surgery not being an option as a result of his low platelets, we found ourselves bouncing around from floor to floor to find the ‘it’s down the corridor’ x-ray department that the nurses had sent us to in order to check the considerable pain he was in wasn’t anything sinister….

Eventually, we ended up 25 minutes later at the same CT scanner we started at, having been told he needed an urgent x-ray to see what the problem was.

CT scan over and the docs came to tell us that they recommended an angiogram procedure to place some plugs in the Artery that leads off his aorta to stop the blood flow completely to the area they suspected it was coming from. It would take just half and hour to an hour and they would use a vein in his groin to feed a pipe up to his aorta then find the appropriate artery and place one or more plugs in it.

2 and a quarter hours later we were all in the waiting room apoplexic with worry and speculating on exactly what could have gone wrong (note to self…. Try to remember not to worry till you have something to worry about!)

Eventually the boy returned looking a bit battle weary and very hungry; he was in a fair bit of pain and discomfort but seemed to be in good spirits. The docs told us the procedure went well and we will know by tomorrow how successful the procedure was.

So…that’s another of his nine lives gone and assuming the bleed is stopped there’s just the small matter of his rapidly advancing leukaemia to deal with, he had chemo yesterday and some more tonight, hey after a day like today there’s nothing better than a glass of the NHS’s finest Cytaribin….. 2007 was a good year I believe!

Love to all


Colin

Monday, 31 December 2007

new years eve

"No one ever regarded the First of January with indifference. It is that from which all date their time, and count upon what is left. It is the nativity of our common Adam." - Charles Lamb

It’s very easy to get wrapped up in what’s going on in our world and forget that we aren’t the only ones who are not enjoying the best of times at this time of year, at the end of the day it is just another day but we all feel a sense of anticipation for the new year I know.

So rather than give another update on Adam I’d like to just use this medium to ask everyone on the mailing lists to spare a thought for those who are suffering at this time and for those who may not be with those they love for one reason or another and for those who fight to ensure the safety of others in this world.

Be like a postage stamp. Stick to it until you get there.’……………..

Love to all

Colin

Sunday, 30 December 2007

Adam Update - 2008 beckons

Its 22.40 and Adam is sitting up typing on his laptop, having access to the internet during a stay in hospital is such an enabling thing; he and I would be out of our minds without it.

Having made some improvement a couple of days into this stay it appears that the bleed continues or has restarted, he is currently having around 2 units of blood and 2 bags of platelets each day and his blood count is not rising, in fact some days it falls which suggests that the bleed is almost as bad as it was when he came in, but he is slowly incrementing with his platelets and we hope that this will help to stem the flow.

His improvement came when he was fasting and the progress seemed to stop once he started eating again so he is considering fasting again to see if this does make a difference.

I of course could do with some fasting to remove a few additional pounds that I need to lose before running a couple of marathons in April!

So it’s back to the watch and nervously wait game at the moment, he is gutted that he will be spending New Years eve in hospital and even more gutted that the fluid retention he is experiencing, which has made him swell up around the legs and other places, means that he cant get his leg on, he had hoped that we might escape for a few hours on New Years eve to see the new year in but he truly hates being stared at and it happens a lot when he is in the wheel chair without his leg.

He occasionally wears a t-shirt that has ‘ feel free to point, stare and whisper amongst yourselves’ on the front….

We managed to get out for a few hours last night and went out for a meal, he ate well and it is possible that this is adding to his bleeding hence the notion of fasting.

It’s been a long haul this one and I fear it aint over yet by a long chalk…………………………..

As we rush headlong into 2008 I imagine the words ‘let’s hope it’s a better one than last year’ in my head, strange, we seem to have heard that every New Year’s eve for the past few years!

Thanks to all who have sent mails and wishes recently, it’s much appreciated, there’s plenty of people up here but it can be a lonely place.

Love to all and A Happy and Healthy 2008 to one and all.

Friday, 28 December 2007

Adam update 28 December 2007

Having had a bag of platelets and a couple of units of blood late on the day before Christmas Eve, I finally got Adam home in the early hours of Christmas eve, around 2.30 am.

The following day his energy levels were very low and it took about 30 minutes for him to get up the stairs and into bed

He was very tired and looked a bit pale so Christmas morning was quite subdued, it took a huge effort for him to get out of bed and bathed ready to make the epic journey downstairs, he didnt even want to open any presents which gives an indication of how bad he felt! The slightest exertion seemed to make him puff and pant as if he’d been running a marathon and he would sweat profusely.

In order to ease things I was dragging him around upstairs on a large towel with a pillow on it, we used this method to get him downstairs, head first and laying on a couple of folded in half duvets, there was a time when he had lost so much weight I could carry him but he is back to a decent weight now and is as tall as me so hard to simply chuck over my shoulder and lift as I may have done in the past.

Finally we got him into his homer dent on the sofa and he was clearly not going to make it down to Karen’s for Christmas dinner so it was decided that Karen would bring the food up to ours and we’d have Christmas there instead.

Simply getting from the sofa into the dining room and onto a chair knackered him and after a few mouthfuls he was not strong enough to eat.

So, we drove up to UCH, no traffic so we made it in double quick time.. note to self, always wait till Christmas Day to be ill the traffic in London is so much better, perhaps Ken Livingstone should declare all days to be Christmas Day then it’d be so much better for congestion.

To cut a long story short, he was bleeding in his stomach, his blood count was down to 5.4 and he was obviously in serious trouble, the docs were at pains to point out that with his minimal platelet count he was unable to correct the bleed and giving him platelets has become in itself a dangerous operation so we should expect the worst.

By some clever manipulation of drugs and Adams own ability to use his mind to control his body, they managed to get some platelets in, 5 pints of the NHS’s finest claret and some other blood products for good measure

Boxing day was a touch and go kind of day…….. it’s a funny thing, I noticed when we first joined this club that people on cancer wards smile at you, you get used to it over time, it’s a kind of knowing, sympathetic smile, I guess no one wants to be there…..walking down the street you don’t smile at strangers but on cancer wards you do. The smiles on Boxing day were altogether different! The docs asked in the morning if there were any other family members who would want to be here…Pauline and Karen came up in the afternoon and we had one of those, ‘lets all put brave faces on as the patient doesn’t know quite how serious this is’ afternoons trying to stay composed.

To cut yet another long story short, the medical team, his body a few prayers from some and some good grace meant that by the end of yesterday he seemed to be out of danger and was able to eat soft foods again, having been starved for 2 days he was gagging for some real food, the rice pudding and scrambled eggs got close but just made him hungrier.

This morning he is having more platelets and some more blood, he is still losing red cells but much more slowly so it appears that he is on the mend. If anyone wants to challenge him to a race around the block, this would be a good time to ensure a win!

May I use this mail to apologise to anyone who hasn’t had proper wishes for Christmas from us or if I haven’t replied to any mails, the run up to Christmas was properly manic and so replying to mails was hard to do.

My love and wishes to all near and far at this time. I hope you had a less ‘exciting’ Christmas than us and that 2008 will bring health and happiness, wealth would be great too but its no longer a priority in my world.

love to all


Colin

Thursday, 20 December 2007

Adam update Thursday 20th december

I’m in with Adam at the moment and there has been a military type planning exercise to get him a day pass out of hospital for this afternoon in order that he can attend Nell’s birthday party. Then come back in tonight.

His blood counts appear to have just started to bounce back a little and his platelet count, whilst still absurdly low is higher than it was yesterday so it’s small steps but in the right direction.

We’ll bring him back in to hospital after Nell’s and then with luck and good grace he is hoping to get home for Xmas at some time over the weekend.

His body is covered in bruises and petikei which are small bruises that appear spontaneously on there surface of the skin as a result of the lack of platelets.

The podiatrist visited recently and has arranged a different dressing for Adams right foot which is less cumbersome than the boot type covering he’s been using so he is pleased to have a bit for freedom as a result.

Watch this space!

Colin

Sunday, 16 December 2007

adam update sunday 16 dec

I took Adam into UCH on Thursday for a bag of platelets, everyone was a bit nervous because of his reactions to platelets but he none so needed to have a transfusion. Fortunately his reaction was able to be controlled so he got a full bag; he has very good mind control as is able to control his breathing for a short while to prevent the fast onset of the reaction.

His blood count showed that he was neutropaenic and I said to the docs that I expected he’d be back in before the weekend (note to self…. Don’t make predictions; they have an unfortunate way of coming true!)

On Friday I was at work on site and I txt him to ask how he was, he replied that he thought his leg may be infected and he was in pain. I called him and he said that he thought he needed to go into UCH. As he never, ever asks to go in I assumed it was serious and went home to have a look at his leg. It was obvious from the redness and swelling that it was infected so we jumped (well, Adam kinda hobbled and hopped) into the car.


When we arrived at UCH they confirmed the infection and put a cannula in so that they could start some antibiotics, we had packed a case anyway so were admitted to a ward.


Admission to the ward is an interesting concept, the ward sister in daycare speaks to the bed manager and specifically requests a single room for Adam as he is at risk of infection and neutropaenic, we wait for a number of hours and then get taken to a ward in the main hospital where we are shown to a bed on an open ward, we refuse to go to the bed as it would put Adam at risk and the bed manager cogitates as to whether he is neutropaenic enough, I get a bit arsey and oddly sarcastic (who moi?!)

And then eventually, a good few hours later we find ourselves in a single side room. This time on an old ladies ward where the nurses seem to be more interested in themselves than the patients and Adam is a novelty and they aren’t sure how to deal with him, quite frankly the nurse he had (who was able to grow a better beard than me!) was only just more use than a chocolate teapot.

During the night another nurse came to give him a blood transfusion and to cut a long story short she didn’t remove all the air from the giving set and I woke at 3 in the morning to hear him asking her whether or not she should be connecting the tube up as there was a lot of air in it, she told him there was nothing in the pipe, he pointed out that as we live on earth then unless there was a vacuum in the pipe it must be full of air (no idea where he gets his sarcasm from) she didn’t seem to understand and so I reiterated in my best condescending manner, which I usually reserve for when I’m half asleep having had no real sleep for a good while. And I thought she had then primed the tube properly.

To cut a long story short, she proceeded to administer the blood, including the large amount of air, Adam was clearly distressed and thought that she had dome something that was likely to kill him! He was properly terrified and very upset. Thankfully he was ok but no thanks to the nurse. It transpires that actually, the body can tolerate a fair amount of air injected into the bloodstream but he has always been told that there should be none in the pipe.


A formal complaint will be followed up tomorrow.

By the following morning the infection was much, much worse and he was in a lot of pain with a huge swollen knee and redness halfway up his leg.

The docs pointed out that they have limited options in their fight against infection for someone with Adams situation and I was reminded that he is only ever one of these infections away from being in a very dark place unless we get him into hospital quickly.

During the course of the weekend he appears to have turned the corner and has been moved today to T13 which is his normal ward so he feels much safer and calmer, the pain in his leg is slightly reduced and he seems in much better mood… we hope for this to continue.

And Alton Towers thought they had the best rollercoaster!


Love to all

Colin

Wednesday, 12 December 2007

adam update 12 december






Adam and Pauline went to UCH yesterday for him to start the chemo, they met with the prof and his blood counts showed that his red count had dropped significantly whilst his white had risen, his platelet count had also risen slightly which is a good thing, however the combination of the low red and high white is ominous and the prof elected to give him a dose of Vincristine chemo immediately and then administer the low dose chemo that Adam will now self administer for 10 days.

He needed 2 units of blood and they were duly ordered and by around 6pm the nurses said that the blood was in the hospital, however they then lost them for a few hours and eventually found them around 11pm. They got away from the hospital after 4am and arrived home at around 5.30 this morning.

Today he felt a little better having had the blood, he self administered the chemo and we are now waiting for its effects to be felt.

Bailey is managing to make light work of destroying much of the house, he clearly needs a lot of exercise and so we are now thinking of looking for a dog walker nearby to cover the times that Pauline cant take him out.

Love to all

Colin