worse to worser?

So, out of hospital I came, feeling much better. This was on the 5th of Jan. Had a great weekend, also happened to get my long overdue Nintendo Wii - which is amazing. You have to play it to believe. Imelda and I spent all of Monday and Tuesday aching all over like we'd spent the weekend at the gym, such is the revolution that is the Wii.

Anyway, today I went for my clinic checkup, and things aren't great. My kidneys are slowly getting worse again, not much worse but not better. This is not good. I'm now booked in for a Hickman line (a permanent pipe into a major artery in the neck for receiving treatment and taking blood) on Monday. Followed closely after by the dreaded kidney biopsy - which shouldn't be too bad, but not too pleasant either. Followed by a bit more steroids to, again, kick my kidneys, only this time it will include some low dose chemo, of the non kidney affecting type. My usual chemo (ESHAP) has platinum in it (the 'P') which can be quite harmful to the kidneys so they'll be leaving that out. But it also partly explains why these drugs can be so damned expensive (apart from the premium the pharmaceuticals put on them - oh no, I'm getting political again).

First of all the biopsy will give them a greater undrstanding of what is really going on in my kidneys. Although it is still most likely the Hodgkin's attaking. And secondly, the steroids along with the chemo should start to attack the disease itself.

I'm also going to get a pint of blood tomorrow because I am anemic again, which is why my heart rate has gone back up. The kidney's seem so complex in how they affect so many other organs. They are so very vital. Look after them.

In the past I have always spoken about how can poisoning the body, heal the body. Whilst I still think there's a long way to go for medicine it is my only option right now so I am going to embrace it fully. It's going to be tough, but others have it tougher, and I'm confident I will make it through, and hey, I'll have experienced considerably more than thou!