Friday, February 09, 2007
| Watch out Tyson we're comin' to getcha! Well after less than half a bottle of red wine last night (thought it might be my last), I got up, took Karys to the bus stop then came back to make myself presentable! Mum arrived around 9.15, luckily as we left at 9.40 and didn't arrive at the hospital until 10.20 (it's about 5 miles away!). 10 minutes to go - checked in, sat down (noticing I was the only person in the waiting room younger than my mum! In less than 2 minutes my name was called and another tiny nurse (they're all short at Boston for some reason) led us through a few doors. First I took my boots off to be measured - I've shrunk! I'm only 5'9.8 instead of 5'10 GUTTED! My MOTHER, not my CHILD asked if she could "have a go", I ask you, it's not an amusement park mum! Boots back on,a few paces down the corridor, boots off again, this time to be weighed. That's a secret, but lets just say I can afford to lose a stone with therapy and surgery and not look ill. I'm "normal" weight right now. Back to the seats in the corridor, short wait - into an examination room adjoining doc's office. One of his team came out of the adjoining door with my notes (a fat file it is too) and explained that I'll be having 5FU (fluorouracil). I'll be having this 24hours a day constinuously through a PICC line in the crook of my arm for about 7 weeks. After the first couple of weeks I'll start with radiation as well - this will be for 5 weeks, Monday to Friday in Lincoln. The consultant came through later and went over it again, I can still have the odd drink! I won't even be having chemo long enough for my hair to fall out most likely. Everyone was cleared out at some point so he could "examine" me, I'll leave that to your imagination but his gloves were LARGE size - the nurse asked him to make sure. He was a really nice bloke - grey haired but it didn't age him, I think he's younger than he looks. He wasn't too impressed by Dr Kiss of Death's bedside manner (worry all you like I'm doing nothing) either, strangely! Like a lot of people have said, once you get diagnosed, you can say what you like about the NHS but they really do look after you. Dr S's team mate came back with my consent form (great) detailing possible side effects which I could list but if you go to cancer back up website they're all there. Chemo is usually given in cycles, I've not heard of anyone having it continuously, but the chemo kills and makes the tumour more sensitive to radiation so in Dr S's words "you get more KILL that way". Fine by me doctor, fine by me. See I should have called Tyson BILL, what with the Uma Thurman connection............. After about 6 to 8 weeks I'll have my first operation, I say first because if I'm lucky the surgeon will be able to take all of the tumour away with enough clean tissue (i.e. no Tyson on it) around it and make a decent join so I can poo like a normal person again, eventually.........after a few months, maybe. If not I'll have a permanent colostomy bag, instead of the temporary ileostomy bag - so when I wake up, right side GOOD, left side BAD. I have an appointment at 2pm on valentine's day to have the PICC line put in and should start chemo the week after. We went to the surgery afterwards to pick up a prescription (happy tabs) but of course it being me, an ambulance arrived and blocked mum in the car park, poor girl that came out ages later looked very feeble and weak. Had lunch in Oldrids cafe (ooo Pob do you remember our second date laughing at weird people out the window having a fight?) wandered into a few more shops, bought some more wool, a handbag each (what? we're female, it's almost compulsory) and a vase for mum. Got home to an answer machine message from Lloyds TSB chasing Scott, spoke to a robot who couldn't help me since I don't have his account number and therefore I'll probably continue to receive calls about him. Her advice was to answer the phone next time they rang! Errrrr but they will ring during OFFICE hours when I'm at work in my OFFICE. Honestly! More retail therapy, in the form of a printer/scanner/copier each..........only to return to a solicitor enquiring after the previous house owners! He was a proper gentleman though, really nice and kind so unlike the rude CID man I gave him as much info as I could, including my solicitors name address and number (which he was delighted with as most people can't remember much - I used to work there so it's quite easy). And ..............relax! All in all, a good day, I did feel very nauseous (practice for the next couple of months) waiting to hear if the MRI had shown any secondary cancer in my liver, but no, nothing! They think I'm on the T2 side of T3 rather than T4 - i.e. it's like a 6.5 out of 10 instead of a 7.5 out of 10 on the scale of badness. Who cares now, I just want the damn thing out! Can't believe I'll be having my op sooner rather than later, and I can recoup in the warm summer in the garden, with tartan blanket on knee of course! 19:07 - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove |
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