The Lobster Quadrille

“Will you walk a little faster?” said a whiting to a snail.
“There's a porpoise close behind us, and he's treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle – will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?"

“You can really have no notion how delightful it will be
When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters, out to sea!”
But the snail replied “Too far, too far!” and gave a look askance –
Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not, could not join the dance.

“What matters it how far we go?” his scaly friend replied.
“There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.
The further off from England the nearer is to France –
Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?”

The nonsense of Lewis Carroll seems fitting in this topsy turvy world in which we live. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin. 

Last Monday Mike was called by the renal nurse at our local hospital, she had been asked to do so by his renal consultant. So on Tuesday off we went to see her. Mike went I think with the idea that anything she had to say was for far off in the future, the reality was slightly different. In her opinion it seemed that dialysis was far more imminent than either of us had suspected, it had certainly not been implied by the consultant. Mike was obviously shocked as he was talked through the options. After two hours we came home and we discussed what we had been told. The jury is still out on what Mike will decide. 

The up side of the meeting though was that she explained that the toxins building up can cause sickness, shortness of breath, lethargy...... does any of this sound familiar. I'm rather annoyed that the renal consultant has been choosing to ignore my remarks for the last nine months, preferring to hear Mike's usual "I'm fine" while I interject "he's been very lethargic and short of breath" the sickness being only a recent symptom. (Moan over.) Mike is hoping that given a bit of time his kidneys might rally. 

The jury is also out on what is happening myeloma wise. There is a definite increase in the light chain ratio, which isn't good news, although the paraproteins are stable and the BMB showed around 10% myeloma cells. Dr. S.B. wants to see what is happening in a month, as he says, nothing with Mike follows the normal path. 

Mike's platelets and neutrophils have improved since December, which is a good thing, his HB however is still at a level that Mike finds it hard to cope at so this morning, against hospital policy, Mike is having a small top up. Dr. S.B. wants to see if it makes him feel any better. 

There seems to be more questions than answers at the moment.

Will he won't he, will he won't he, will he join the dance?