Thursday 17 March 2016

It's all over now

I start this blog with about 2 hours left on my final infusion of Alemtuzumab. 8 doses split over 2 batches, 5 last year 3 this. It sounds like a lot, and when you're sat for up to 8 hours with a drip in it feels quite long, but for the year between and I'm sure for the many years after it will seem like nothing. To be honest, within an hour of leaving hospital you forget about being sat in the chair all day.

I started a new job back in January, and for a good week my computer was unusable, those days sat with nothing to do were harder than watching a bag of drugs slowly drain into my arm through a thin tube.

I might be going slightly mad however. Last night I got to sleep no problem, steroids didn't seem to cause a problem, yet when our three year old woke at 1 wanting a drink, he is suffering with a blocked nose so wakes with a dry mouth at times, I remember clearly dreaming of an infusion machine. The monotonous noise of the timed pump, watching the volume infused slowly increasing, waiting for the callback alarm for my half hourly bp check.



The thought that this is it, no more treatment, all being well no more MS symptoms, no after effects of the treatment, and a life where I have MS but no signs of it is amazing.

I've been very lucky, three relapses over three years, a quick diagnosis, and even quicker start to a disease altering treatment is the best you can hope for with a disease that is notoriously difficult to diagnose in the first place. I cannot speak highly enough of the staff at Sunderland royal hospital. From the neurologists who diagnosed me, to my dedicated MS nurse, to the infusion nurses and all the staff on the phoenix ward (infusion ward). They have all been brilliant.

The support I have had from my family has been equally amazing and I doubt I could have got through it without them.

So to finish on a really positive note, I have completed the treatment that hopes to give me a symptom free future with MS, I can now go about living the rest of my life, happy and without that shadow looming.

1 comment:

  1. Hi I have ms and have been given the option of alemtuzumab as am currently on tysabri but am jcv positive so can't stay on it for much longer..
    Im sure it is different for everyone but how long did it take for you to feel OK after your first treatment? The side effects look horrendous where they as bad as they advise... Just trying to weigh up my options but would like to hear from someone who has been through it. Kind regards kat

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