Hi,
with some trepidation Lee and I set out with enough time to be there at about 11:45hrs. for a mid day appointment with Dr. Jason Lester, who is to be my new consultant I gather.
Dr. Jason Lester is a specialist Oncologist on the staff at Velindra - the specialist cancer facility in Cardiff.
As ever not a scrap of parking so now we are running 'tight' but I know a back street off of the Permit Parking Zone but in my haste modified the side sill of the car on a near invisible wall on the left below my line of sight - annoying but it is only tin!
Just made it in time to find Dr. Lester was running 15 minutes late!
In we go and Janet and I think Dr. Button also there and met Dr. Lester.
Much more relaxed in manner and easy to chat with - assured me he would tell it like it is etc.
He made a point of including Lee and making sure we understood details etc.
Well it is 'somewhat' better news as it is confirmed they could not find trace of cancer in the bones anywhere - it seems the area on my right thoracic spine is still not making sense but is not cancer - an old trauma of some sort? Lester seems certain it is completely unrelated to the cancer, which is a relief.
So the aim is chemotherapy with a possible follow on of Radiotherapy.
Best case scenario is that this shrinks and destroys the cancer and buys time - with no reason against it buying years but in the realisation that chemotherapy as the art is now rarely has a good outcome a second time!
Worst case scenario is that chemo plain doesn't work and then I have less than 6 months so lets hope it works for me ;-)
There is no doubt that cancer concentrates the mind and it is astonishing to think that there are currently around 2 Million people in the UK with cancer at the moment!
The plan of action is that first he needs to know accurately, how efficient my remaining kidney is, this will be done at Velindra within 2 weeks in their nuclear medicine facility.
On the outcome of this he will ajust the dosage of chemo accordingly: I need X amount of chemo for Y hours in the blood stream so if my kidney is tacking toxin out fast I will need a larger dose and vica versa.
The chemo I am to have is Gemcitabine and Carboplatin administered in a drip. The dose and mix is varied but is administered once a week 7 days apart and takes about 1.1/2hrs. the first time and around 45 mins. subsequently and a cycle is two weeks being dosed and one week off.
The aim is to start out with 6 cycles with CT scans to see the progress when Dr. Lester deems apposite.
He is fairly upbeat as I am clearly not one to quit after keeping 'The Bastard' at bay for 13 years now and he liked the way I was facing it!! He also felt I had general health on my side but obviously stated there are no guarantees.
That said Lee and I are far more relaxed about it than we have been for a while.
Frankly if The Royal Gwent managers weren't on a bloody silly ego trip weenie waggling about being 'clever dick' Welsh this conversation could have been in mid January but the incompetence of over manning and over managing in the NHS means they have been much too busy making fools of themselves with new names, uniforms and livery for their tiny corner of the NHS to pay attention to the health of patients!
There is a mismatch in supply of radiography and nuclear medicine facilities that would have saved more lives with better funding and better management rather than the management showing their insecurity and inadequacy by wasting time and money on fashion and frippery.
There is every reason to believe that if the Hospital management had been doing their job competently I would have had the result of my biopsy from the op on New Years Eve and the relevant CT scan so that I could have had the tumour on the uretic stub removed with a coin/cuff around it and the bladder resealed by mid January without ANY spread to the lymph glands.
What the clowns in management don't seem to get their head round is that whilst they make the Trust and the idiots in The National Ass for Wales look good with silly new names and uniforms they have potentially cost a small fortune in treatment that they need not have spent and have had more to invest in health and well being of patients - who cares what they call their trust or what livery they waste money on.
Surely it is a NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE - not some foolish parochial Welsh life style and fashion industry!!
Mental midgets at the levers of power will eventually destroy the health service as they have so much else in Britain!
Please Be Sure To
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. To Spread The Facts World Wide
To Give Others HOPE
To Give Others HOPE
I Have Been Fighting Cancer since 1997 & I'M STILL HERE!
I Have Cancer, Cancer Does NOT Have Me
I just want to say sorry for copping out at times and leaving Lee and friends to cope!
Any help and support YOU can give her will be hugely welcome.
I do make a lousy patient!
.If YOU want to follow my fight against Cancer from when it started and I first presented with symptoms see The TAB just below the Header of this Blog. called >DIARY of Cancer< just click and it will give you a long list of the main events in chronological order.
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Thoughts and comments will be in chronological order in the main blog and can be tracked in the >ARCHIVE< in the Right Sidebar.
You may find the TABS >MEDICAL LINKS< and also >CANCER LINKS< of help. . YOU are welcome to call me if you believe I can help in ANY way.
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Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins
tel: 01291 - 62 65 62
on: http://GregLanceWatkins.Blogspot.com
TWITTER: Greg_LW
Health/Cancer Blog: http://GregLW.blogspot.com
TWITTER: Greg_LW
Health/Cancer Blog: http://GregLW.blogspot.com
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