Aaron Purle has acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and has benefited from The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre's Ambicare (ambulatory care) service. He shares his story here.
My first chemotherapy was very hard – I was on its 24 hours a day for about 8 days straight so there was no way I could have gone home during it.
When it came to my second treatment, though, I’d only been in hospital for about five or six days and I was feeling fine so I asked my nurses if there was any way I could go home more. My consultant was happy for me to give that a go and said if I had any problems at all, just to get in touch.
It meant I was able to come into hospital for my treatment and then go home instead of having to stay in hospital every night.
I think patients benefit greatly from that. When you’re at home, you just feel so much better. Just to get outside and to be able to spend time with the family. I’ve got a little girl and, for any parent, as soon as you see your kids, you’re up and about with them, having food with them. It’s so much better than sitting in hospital waiting for them to visit.
Your mental health can go down when you’re in hospital having treatment and being able to get home in between gives you light at the end of the tunnel – it’s just that bit of normality.
The team in Clatterbridge are worth their weight in gold and if you have any problems at all, they’re only a phone call away. If you feel unwell, you just call them and they can bring you back into hospital straight away to be seen.
But I think being at home as much as you can is better for you. The last time I was in hospital, my neutrophils [blood cells that are important for fighting infection] were only 0.3 for about a week. When I went home, they went straight up.
I’d recommend the ambulatory care to anyone who is able to do it.