This morning my parents visited an oncologist who suggested a plan of how to proceed. On friday she will have a minor operation to place a stent that will stop her from becoming jaundice. After resting for a week she will begin a course of chemotherapy which will consist of 3 mondays of treatment and then a week off, repeated for three months.
This chemo wont be too aggressive so she shouldn't lose any hair or anything like that. From what I have read it seems that everyone reacts differently to the treatment, some people feel very sick and nauseous for a length of time, whilst others need to rest for an afternoon and then can be active for the rest of the week.
The oncologist pointed out that mummy has not had any of the main symptoms - such as becoming jaundice. This might suggest that her specific cancer is not particularly aggressive, buying more time.
Personally, I have decided not to dwell too much on statistics. It seems to me that there are plenty of people that have survived a long time. I shall try my best to not think too far into the future and take it day by day.
My priorities at the moment are to make sure that my mum does not feel lonely or bored at all and to be as helpful as possible to my father. He is working very hard trying to sort out his office in order to have more time off and seems very drained. They are both determined to be very strong for me and my sisters, yet in reality they are the ones that need the most support.
