A Week of Anti-Fungal Treatment

Monday 29th to Sunday 4th November 2007

I am feeling much better now. Although I still have a lot of nasty coloured catarrh, my cough is getting minimal. On Monday I have my Ambisome and then have a wait for Tim Corbett’s weekly clinic. He is quite pleased with my chest, although there is still a bit of a rattle down there. The fungal infection I have is called Aspergillus. From what I have read there are lots of different types. At least I know the name. He thinks I will have to have two, possibly three weeks of Ambisome. The good news, however, is that I am to come off the Itroconozole (yippeeeee!) as it clearly is no longer the effective anti-fungal it should be and the Ambisome has temporarily taken its place. He will put me on the tablet Voraconazole after we stop the Ambisome. This is the other drug in the clinical trial I signed up to recently to go along with my transplant. It looks like the decision on what drug I will Have has now been made! My blood results today are - Wbc: 2.7; Neuts: 1.2; Lymph: 1.0; Hbn: 11.1; and PLT: 72. My weight today is 74.8 kgs. I have a GCSF injection when I get home.

The rest of the week follows much the same pattern; daily Ambisome, driving myself down to hospital, except when Tina comes down with me on Wednesday and Jim does the honours on Friday so that Tina could have the car. My neutrophils go from 4.5 on Tuesday - after the GCSF - down to 1.0 on Friday. The GCSF takes them back to 3.3 on Saturday and 2.3 on Sunday. My weight fluctuates between 74.6 and 76 kgs - for reasons I cannot understand! - ending on Sunday with 75.8 kgs. I am feeling drowsy every day and most days I have two or three hours sleep in the afternoon or evening. Perhaps it is the Ambisome or - more likely - the anti-histamine tablets, Hydroxycine Hydrochloride.

We go to Matthews for some supper on Tuesday and have Stephen and Sue for dinner on Saturday night. It is such a shame my appetite is so small and I am still unable to enjoy a glass of wine, although the champagne was good!

I have been finding that the three ends of my Hickman line are a real nuisance. The square ends are quite sharp and stick into my skin. This is particularly irritating as the skin on my chest and stomach areas is already very sensitive with the rash. So I have shaved the corners smooth with a nail file and - hey presto - no more irritation! Now that is a good Hickman line tip for any readers!