One more dosage of the TBI to go before we're ready to take some marrow!!! Of course it isn't going to be as sweet sounding as that. I've just finished my morning routine of drugs (some, not all), observations, shower, change of dressing for the hickman line, TBI, breakfast, doctors rounds and oral preparation.

So far the TBI has been ok. The team down in radiotherapy are a very friendly bunch of guys and have helped make the TBI sessions more interesting. I'm usually more fired up after my morning session and feel like getting down and doing something as I usually have more energy in the morning. Following the afternoon TBI session, I've been feeling a little more sedate, and need about an hour to just lay still and relax. I haven't felt nauseous yet after the TBI, but the body feels like it wants a little time to itself.

After the first day's TBI, my Parotid gland became swollen. That's the gland just below the ear next to the jaw bone joint that produces saliva. This is a common side effect of the TBI and causes a dry mouth. To counter that you need to drink plenty of water and also substitute the saliva with Flob in a Can synthetic saliva from an aerosol. The artificial saliva isn't that bad, but you really appreciate it with a really dry mouth.

Yesterday morning I eventually finished with the Mesna, and my weight has fallen back to normal so there's no need to keep a track of my liquid input and output. I was started on the cyclosporine last night with a higher 'loading' dose. I'll be taking this drug for quite some time. One of the side effects with it is that your face feels like a nuclear reactor. The rest of you feels fine, but the face seems like it's at boiling point. Usually the side effects are most pronounced with the first loading dose so I hope today's will not be so bad.

This is really the end of the first phase in preparation for BM-Day on Friday 1st Feb. The real battle commences then.