Resulting Consulting

Hi Guys

We saw, as I said earlier, the consultant this Tuesday morning and received a mixed bag of results.
So here goes:

I felt that I had improved as my constant cough had gone and my breathing was a bit easier. My weight has stabilised as I have only lost 0.1 of a kilo over the last 3 weeks.

However the CT scan showed otherwise.

The chemotherapy has not worked.

My tumours have grown, including the small ones in my right lung.

I also have some appearing in my lymph system. (body drains)


However things are not painted as black as they first seem. I still have options, and they are:

1. Do nothing and let the condition take its course. THIS IS NOT AN OPTION FOR ME AT THIS TIME!

2. Radiotherapy - useful for my Starboard Lung but preferred by the consultant to be kept in reserve for later. Promising (when reading between the lines?)

http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Treatments/Radiotherapy/Generalinformation

3 More chemotherapy but with a different chemical and dosage rate.


I have signed up for option 3, (you knew I would didn't you?), and receive my first dose this afternoon (Thursday)

Again, like before, it consists of four x three week modules which are constructed as follows:

Week One:

Day one - Heavy duty Steroids. Day two - Chemotherapy

Weeks Two and Three - Respite


I have gleaned rightly or wrongly the following information from all of this:

1. He still expects me to be alive at the end of the chemotherapy treatment (Hooray!) (Imagination plays on your mind something terrible at times)

2. The chemo is much stronger than previously and will have greater side effects, for which i will wait and see.

http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Treatments/Chemotherapy/Sideeffects/General


So there you have it as I do - Chapter and Verse.

A friend put it into a perspective by saying that as the treatment is NHS you get the cheap stuff first. Now this may work for Eight out of ten patients but for the two for whom it does not you need the more expensive stuff!

This theory works for me!

Toodle Pip!