When recovering in the hospital from my heart transplant it was made clear by the nursing staff that before I could leave I must be able to make up my medication and understand the difference between an infection and rejection.

The Red Book is where everything is recorded.

1. Date

2. Post op day

3. Weight

4. Temperature

5. List and name of every tablet and dose taken.

6. Transplant number

7. Hospital record number and other details.

I am supposed to carry the book with me at all times so that in an emergency all my medical details are accessible.   As this is not always practical I have a list typed up which I keep in my wallet and golf bag.

Next time you watch "This is Your Life" on TV and Eamonn Andrews, or is it Michael Aspel now? presents whoever with the red book and says those immortal words,     "***********" , This is Your Life", think of me.

I do not want to impose my medical files on anyone, but for information purposes I have listed below 2 pages from my red book to illustrate what I have to do daily.  

The first example is from 'Post Op Day 7' - 30th July 1999

All I remember about this period of my recovery was at 8am when breakfast was being served, I could not start till I had consumed all of the above.   By the time I had done so (it took me 20 minutes) my breakfast was cold.   Nevertheless I am pretty certain that some of the chemicals were more important than a slice of hot toast.

This is a picture of a nurse listening to my heartbeat.   As you can 'see' one of the side effects of all the drugs is that I am invisible.

The second example is from  'Post Op Day' 3125 - 24th January 2008

The tablets I have highlighted in red are the anti rejection drugs.   They are  steroids and I will have to take them for the rest of my life.   They are also immunosuppressants which in English means that I do not have an immune system - so please don't come near me if you are ill.

Although I still take a canny few tablets every day,  compared to day 7 when I was taking in excess of 60/day I am now down to a measly 17/day.   Each time I visit the Freeman minor changes only are made, unless I have a specific new problem and then another tablet is added/deleted increased/decreased.  

The simplest way I can explain the process is to use the analogy of a recording studio. When the producer is mixing the record he is fiddling with the slides on his mixing desk, a bit of bass here, more treble there etc.  As one goes up so another comes down and the process repeats, one up so another comes down - my medication works on the same principle.

Working on this theory my cardiologist, Gareth Parry is the medical equivalent to George Martin.