Hi all, my name is Linda i am 57 yrs old and live in Southort, Merseyside.
I'm not really one who writes Blogs etc but felt i would give it a try and see how it goes. If it gets a bit too heavy please let me know.
My experience's upto date:
My first encounter with the hospital came at the end of March, my Doctor asked referred me to the hospital to be checked out because i developed badly swollen ankles and legs. I was kept in overnight and given a clot busting injection. I was also given a chest xray, where a patch was found on my right lung and later discharged with anti-biotics tsaying that i had a mild chest infection. A couple of weeks later i had to return to have a breathing test as i've suffered from asthma for a good few years now and also i had an echo scan preformed on my heart and everything was fine.
End of April, i woke up one morning and realised on trying to drink a cup of tea that something had happened during my sleep in the night. I thought that i might have had a mini stroke in my sleep. My right side of my face was parylised making it difficult to drink from a cup. Also i had a swollen gland gland up in the rightside of my neck and pain in the leftside of my abdoman.
After tests they diagnosed Bells Palysy. ( i know the reason for the name now .. you end up looking like Qausi Modi lol ) they also took me to have a chest xray and the same patch showed up again on the right lung. This time i was referred for an urgent appointment for a CT Scan at Ormskirk Hospital. A tumour showed up inside my right lung and needed to be investigated more. I am allergic to the sedative dyazepam so instead of a micro camera being sent down into the lung they wanted to try a different way to see what type of cancer was there and aslo to look for secondary Cancer.
2 wks later a fine needle biopsy test was taken on the swollen gland in my neck. I returned back to the hospital a week later for results. I had started to notice in this week that my balance when walking was starting to get a little unsteady too so informed them on my visit and also reminded them about the pain in the leftside of my abdomam.. Test results were still coming in as i was there from the needle biopsy and it was still unclear if i had small cell cancer or non small cell which they needed to know to enable which treatment i should have. I was sent to have another CT scan this time on my brain. During this time the doctor rechecked the old lung CT Scan and could see a cancerous gland growing on my left kidney. An appointment was made for me to see a Onocologist in Southport the following wednesday and also an appointment to have the camera test to be sure what type of Cancer cells.
On wednesdays appointment they finaly got the final result from the needle biopsy to confirm that it was non small cell cancer so i did not need the camera. The results from the CT Scan showed a tumour on my brain but were unsure if there was 2.So a MRI Scan was arranged at another hospital. I was asked to go in for the weekend for tests which ended up lasting a week. I developed stiffness and pain in my right shoulder and also felt as though i had badly sprained a muscle in my groin which totaly immobilesd me. I wasn't reall happy in that hospital because they never kept you informed about anything that was going on. I had a MRI Scan on my brain which showed up 2 tumours that are small at the back, they decided not to operate but to reffer me for radio theraphy ... They also did a MRI Scan of my chest to groin and later that day another CT Scan on the chest to groin which the nurse said at the time to me was a little unusual to do. I was fed up in hospital after one week and asked if i could go home and was allowed. Appointment made to see Onocologist again a few days later.
Visited Onocologist yesterday, she is such a lovely person and i feel so at ease with her along with my Lung Specialist Nurse and of course my Macmillan Nurse :)
Was told that i would start next monday a 2 week radio thearpy course at Cletterbridge Hospital. I asked if they had the results from the other CT Scan yet as i did not know the results from those yet. I am so glad i did because she did not even know that i another one had been done. She has not been been able to see the scan but got them to fax the results finding to her then. She was not happy along with me with the communication between hospitals. The results changed everything. I am starting a 5 day intensive radiotheraphy course on monday. The results show now that i have cancer in the bones too and also nodules on the top of my left lung. I don't like to think what might have happened if i had took it for granted that she knew about the results from my latest CT Scan.
So upto now that is my story, i will try to keep you all informed as much as i can as i have my treatment. I know that it is going to make me feel really tired.
As for myself inwardly i'm doing great, a lot of my friends can't understand me as to why i'm still so jovial etc but in my eyes i faced it straight on. Ive got Cancer, theres not alot i can really do about it and to stress etc will just make it worse for me. I'm living each day as it comes and i feel good in my heart and in my mind :)
I just want what time i've got left to be spent good with my daughter and try and ease the path for her :)
Thank you all for taking the time to read this x
