Thursday, October 11, 2007

Medical Update

Kezia’s neutrophil count on Tuesday this week was 0.21 x 10 9/litre so she is off the weekly oral Methotrexate (MTX) and daily Mercapturine (6-MP). This is probably due to the last batch of Dexamethasone. Next appointment is next week – the rhythm seems to be that if the neutrophil count is too low to take the MTX and 6-MP, then the next appointment is after a week to see if she can resume them. But if her counts are good, then she’ll have a two week respite until the next appointment.

She continues to do well and is very happy at school. She was envious of Jaime going to school in the last academic year when she did not, she was envious that Jaime started this school year a week before herself. And now I think she is envious that he gets to do a full-day and she only gets a half-day.

She has been a bit dissatisfied with the culinary arrangements at school. Cultural differences. Here we make one big pot per day that serves from lunch today until breakfast tomorrow. The number of people (principally children – even as a defacto bachelor I am providing lunch to two adults and two children plus me equals five), and our cooking technology - primarily one-pot cooking over a wood or charcoal fire, or a kerosene (paraffin for my UK readers) stove, means Kezia is used to a little rice and beans as Elevenses – some salad, an apple, a bottle of milk have led to her complaining she doesn’t get enough food! (That is not to say we don’t have a five-plate electric stove with oven in the UK and a five-burner gas stove with oven here – just a commentary on culinary culture).

And she must be right pissed-off that the Dexamethasone makes her incapable of school one week a month.

On Saturday I arrive back in the UK, on Sunday early, “home”. I wish I could delete the days between now and Saturday dawn when I leave, or at least fast-forward – we have not been together since April and all of us have increasingly been missing each other!

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