Hello - I am new to this. I need a "safe" place to put some structure and sense to my feelings and thoughts and I ended up here. My Mum was diagnosed with small lymphocytic lymphoma in August 2009. They (as in the medical folks she saw) had thought it was a bad cold, overactive glands, pneumonia and finally Swine Flu (that was whilst in France) and then it was finally diagnosed as cancer. It did not come as a total surprise as there was some nagging thought at the back of my head and I took some comfort from it being lymphoma rather than another type of cancer.
She has been pretty much well since her diagnosis, but in November last year a routine test showed her platelets had dropped very low (she was also suffering from lots of bruising and tiredness) so she went on steroids. These seemed to do the job and things improved, but then a couple of weeks ago and after the steroids had been reduced, her platelets have significantly dropped again so last week she had a CT scan and bone marrow biopsy and we get the results next week. They have told her to prepare for the fact that it is highly likely she will need some treatment and mentioned chemo.
I have been fine since she first told me of the lymphoma, but this latest news has knocked me sideways and I have been a wreck. It is like it has finally hit that she is ill and that things are not just ticking on. Someone I have not seen in ages asked me this week how things were with Mum and I told her and her response was “well it can’t have been that big a surprise this would happen”. Not the best thing I have heard (was going to suggest a coffee and catch up till this point) – yes not a surprise but still a shock and an unpleasant one at that.
Oh well, we will just have to see how things go next week. Mum is being brave but kind of “head in the sand”, my Dad’s a mess and my sister is just being herself (which is not fab, but at totally different tale). Feels better just to get this down!
