Friday Resume

It has been a busy and enlightening day but there are still some serious issues to be answered.

First some good news; the iron tablets have been doing their job and my haemaglobin levels (related to the red blood cells' ability to carry oxygen around the body) are now at 11.7.  They should be between 14-18 but they are off a low of 7.5 (which is at transfusion levels).  The net result is that I haven't been feeling as sh1t as I was at the beginning of the year.  Severe iron deficiency anaemia makes you fatigued and listless, so commuting in the harshest weather we have had for years and badly disrupted transport was no fun at all.

So onwards and upwards from the haemaglobin problems.

The PET scan was just "one of those things you have to go through" literally. You have to stay still for what seems like an eternity, but was in fact 45 minutes.  The majority of the time you spend is in prep as they inject the radioactive solution into your bloodstream and you have to wait for 50 minutes before you either turn into the Incredible Hulk and burst through the door or "mince" your way in your blue gown down to the scanning room.  Despite other aspirations, I minced meekly.

I saw the surgeon at the Marsden at 4pm having taking a detour via work and this is where the real events of the day took place.

My situation is not yet clear in that, although I am optimistic, an operation may not yet be available to me.  The PET scan showed that there aren't any major secondary cancerous growths but there is still a question mark over my liver.  The Marsden team feel that something is present on one of the liver's ligaments but they do not  know what yet.  The surgeon commented that if there is a secondary growth on the ligament then he is likely to operate provided that is the only site of spread.

Where things get tricky is if the MRI liver scan that I am having next Wednesday shows up more problems with the liver OR if the laparoscopy that I now have scheduled for the 2nd of March shows any significant spread of the cancer into the stomach.  If either of these proves to be the case then there will not be surgery for me and the outlook will be much more difficult.  I think that belief systems are very powerful in determining your future and, if I end up without surgery, I will have to prove to myself what I believe.

So I am left waiting until after the laparoscopy to know where I stand and I invite Lady Luck to walk into my life and shine her light on me.

The meeting at the Marsden was a constructive one and I was seen by different members of the team including the Head surgeon, Dietician, Physio as well as my case nurse.

I am being told to load with calories because I will lose a lot of weight during the period of surgery (because of physical issues) and possibly during chemotherapy (because of appetite issues).  Also, because the haemoglobin levels are up I will increase the exercise regime to get myself as fit as possible (without overdoing it).

My mood is still very upbeat but I guess the overriding message of this post is that even when you are in this situation there often aren't clear cut answers and there is still a waiting game to be played.

In the meantime we got a new camcorder to get some footage before I enter the treatment phase (and start looking like the meerkat posted earlier). Every man needs a new toy!  My thanks to "Big G" for helping me sort that one out.