Isita had a transfusion today as her blood count had fallen below the required level. She came back from the hospital bright as a button and ate a large amount of Maria’s chicken soup and a dairy-free chocolate brownie made by her cousin Venetia, and a banana. Bravo! Marta, on the other hand, who had been with her from morning until evening, was worn out, poor thing. 

It is not just the wear of being in hospital, but the other things which go with it. You would have thought that the hardest thing about chemo would be the side effects from the potent drugs, or being attached to a bundle of medical drips non-stop for 72 hours, or the hair loss. But Isita has reconciled herself to all those things.

What she cannot abide is the horror of having the nurses peel back the adhesive plaster which covers the hole where her hickman line goes into her chest. She also still hates having the daily post-chemo injection of GCS-F into her leg (this boosts the recovery of white blood cells and is a vital part of the treatment). 
Marta said that the dressing-change today was accompanied by half an hour of yelling. It is the same with the injection, even though it is done through a canula which remains in her leg all week. Today she was brave and got a sticker, though. 

Marta is back in hospital all day tomorrow, as Isita has a kidney test to make sure they are not being badly damaged by the chemo. I am taking Jamie out on an excursion as he needs a treat after what has probably been a fairly testing and confusing month and half.