A routine

First night in hospital went ok. My brain didn't switch off completely when I went to sleep so it got trapped in 'thinking loops'. This happens to me when I'm under stress and my brain tries to solve abstract problems but gets confused. Still, I feel awake this morning when breakfast came.

I feel its important when I'm in here to develop a routine. I've never really had a routine other than 'work-drink-work-drink' and suspect this is an opportunity to create one. I frequently skipped breakfast when I was working and plan on specifically changing this and making breakfast the most important meal of my day (just as everybody says it should be!). Therefore, I purposefully ordered a huge breakfast consisting of the following:

1. 2 x fruit juices (tomato + cranberry)
2. weetabix
3. brown toast + marmite
4. a yogurt
5. a fruit salad
6. a cooked breakfast including sausages, scrambled eggs, baked beans and hash browns

Now amazingly, I was starving when I woke this morning and promptly finished this all off.

Had my second chemo this morning as well - just the cytarabine this time. Was uneventful and thankfully I haven't had any side effects yet so feel blessed and lucky. I've started 'touching wood' a lot and I notice that my general level of superstition rises. You feel compelled not to jinx the good positive things (like no side effects) by being complacent. Weird.

Other things in my routine are brushing my teeth after every meal (to avoid bacteria in the mouth which may speed up mucasitis) and peeing into a cardboard urinal so the nurses can add up how much water has come out of me. I also am urged to drink a _lot_ of water each day - at least 2.5 litres and I make a note of every drink that I consume. Of course, some of these things I don't intend to continue when I'm out of hospital!!

That's it for now, the rest of my day will largely be spent sitting or lying and watching TV or a DVD.....

(written retrospectively)