I've been deliberating whether to do this blog post, given the journeys others are making in this community and that continue to be a struggle, posting good news can seem insensitive. I've chosen to do it as it provides some hope for those starting the journey I have made.
On Monday I went for the results of my biopsy, the doctor bounced into the consulting room and said "its good news" and then before…
It's been a while since my last update,
PET-CT
This was done in a lorry parked in Addenbrookes car park, quite odd. A radioactive glucose injection, then sit quietly for an hour for the glucose to be metabolised by active sites. Any active tumour glows on the PET-CT. Two weeks later, I got my results - "complete response" for the tumour (it was 14cmx12x12 and had shrunk to 4cm diameter at a previous CT scan), but…
I guess we all react to BEP chemo differently, based on our biological make-up, age and general health. For me it was the stuff around the chemo that I could have andled better, as the chemo itself was ok.
If I had to give advice to anyone about to start this regime, then it would be as follows:
1. Digestive health
Trying to fnd polite words, but as chemo is the ingestion of toxic stuff to kill the cancer (and it harms…
I finished my last dose of chemo a week and a half ago, had my CT scan last Monday and my results today.
The lymph node has shrunk from 2016cm^3 to just 64cm^3, that's an astonishing 97% shrinkage, and the doctor expects it to continue to shtink for 6~8 weeks after the last chemo dose, so fingers crossed it keeps going and gets down to a normal lymph node + scar tissue size, anything under 10cm^3 would be good. It…
It seems to have gone so quickly, tomorrow I start my tri-cycle, the 3rd cycle of my BEP chemo. This is hopefully the last one, and so a deep breath, endure the beeping machine, the bi-hourly trips to the loo, and the ignominies of an inpatient's life, and I'll be close to the finishing line. I'm all stocked up with tech gadgets, sweets, drinks and tricks to endure the inpatient spell. After that its just 2 day-patient…
