Hey ho - a strange event to inflict on Lee's Aunt Heather on her last full day with us but she wanted to come and see Cardiff before she leaves to fly back to SA tomorrow on the 19:00hrs. Heathrow to Johannesburg flight and then on another 2hrs. to PE.
So we left arriving about 15 minutes early but it took a while to find parking and by the time I had aimed Lee and Heather at the canteen I was about perfect timing for a 13:45hrs. appointment.
First I get sent off to be weighed and measured!! Just how different can I be to Thursday in the same hospital - well it seems I've shrunk another inch so when queried I grew it back!!! Weight was almost the same - so I guess I can't blame gain or loss on Heather's deserts!!
When I came back to the waiting area Roger & Anne had arrived (his appointment is with Dr. Lester also but at 14:30hrs.) Had it just been Lee and I coming we might well have picked them up en-route as they only live in St. Arvans. They had stopped off for lunch at The Holly Bush carvery and then met Lee and Heather in the canteen by accident over a coffee.
What a riotous life cancer provides!!
Roger has had a bit of a rough time and over the last week had to stop taking his drugs - he is on (was on) 50mg. Sutent - it was making him feel grotty and sleep all the time with no motivation and just depressed - No way to fight cancer, but you can't fight the drug side effects and he has been very lucky, avoiding Sore Hand & Foot syndrome and the mouth ulcers that often go with Sutent.
Anyway then I was called for yet another set of bloods but R&A were still there when I came out.
A short weight and off to see Dr. Lester - allegedly my kidney function results were excellent even considering I only have one kidney.
He believes that if there is a chance with chemo. I have better odds than most as my body has kept the disease at bay, with some mechanical intervention, for 13 years now and I have no other underlying health issues.
I gather realistic odds are around 5-15% and on that one would hardly bet ones shirt on a racehorse in a field of donkeys but I have every intention of beating the odds - I have to date!
Lester asked if I had any questions and did I understand the chemo. leaflet he gave me last time (lightweight and a bit uninformative springs to mind) I did ask why he had removed one of the pages as look as I might I couldn't find the Guarantee Page!
I guess it doesn't work that way ;-)
I also asked if it was OK to take pain killers as my back was giving me a lot of pain, unrelated to the cancer.
I'm not sure how to take his answer ;-o apparently as that is the least of the problems take whatever I want!
Later when I told Roger this he related having asked what he should do about his diabetes diet Dr. Lester said eat what you like we will just control the diabetes for you.
Feeling he might be onto a winner Roger asked whether he could drink alcohol having been off of it medically for 3 years.
Dr. Lester is claimed to have paused - looked at him and said you've had a piece of gut removed, you've had chemo and we have removed a kidney and an adrenal gland and also half your liver and you are on Sutent - what the hell you might as well be half 'pissed' - perhaps a little apocryphal but it gave me pause for thought relative to my doubts about pain killers!
Well the last task was to book an appointment for the next clinic which will be 09-May
So that is chemo on Wednesday 20-April then again on 27-April then 04-May BLANK (Two weeks on and one week off!)
I presume that means back on for chemo on 11-May and then again on 18-May and the 25-May off, with a CT scan and the next clinic around the last week of May.
Eventually we left the hospital and I drove Heather all over Cardiff - even stopping to get some pictures of The Millenium Stadium for her to have for John (her husband). Then on to The Bay which really is deeply unimpressive and one can just imagine how seedy it will look in 10 years time - it is all too childish a statement of insecurity and inadequacy!!
I have always found Cardiff to be a seedy and rather silly City with its desperate pretence that Welshness has any significance or ever did have - anything that is so insecure it has to keep leaping up and down to be noticed probably wasn't worth noticing in the first place. Such a tragedy really as there are some stunningly beautiful areas of Wales to more than compensate for its inadequacy and quite palpable failure!
We then drove out of Cardiff and via a detour up the Rhumney Valley headed around the edge of Newport, yet another spectacularly unpleasant little town!
Back to Chepstow and Heather's last night with us - it is such a pity she couldn't have stayed as she would have been a huge boost for Lee who is understandably concerned about the next few months.
& HERE for John as he waits for Heather to come home:
Image via WikipediaI 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.
.
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. .
Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins
tel: 01291 - 62 65 62
No comments:
Post a Comment