I am going to get there!

At last! On Wednesday morning, yesterday in fact, beautiful day for a drive, hubby and I set out to travel to the Kent Oncology Centre at Maidstone for THE long awaited appointment, a month to the day when I was seen in the colorectal surgeon’s clinic to be treated for my haemorrhoids or so I thought, to be told he thought it was more suspicious and he was taking a biopsy there and then and that he was fast tracking me for an MRI and CT scans. It has been a long wait since he rang me with the results of the biopsy, the following week, to confirm I had a squamous cell anal canal cancer to getting to this point of seeing the specialist himself. A process we are now informed that should have happened within 2 weeks had the protocol or pathway been followed properly! Great consolation! Any way we set off for the 25 minute drive, which included part of the journey on the M20. The only reason I mention this, is because hubby, who was driving and had spent a few minutes on the internet finding out which way we were to go to get there, missed the vital junction off the M2 that we needed !!! We had to carry on to the next one and then re-track ! Not a problem really but in the state I was in I was sure we were going to be too late and have missed the appointment. It was one of those ‘in car’ conversations some of you girls may be familiar with!…As we approach the junction I realise he is not indicating or moving cross the lane to leave the M way at the point where I knew we had to leave. Me ‘I think it is this one.’ No frantic breaking or turning of the wheel! ‘This is where we turn off isn’t it?’ Nonchalantly! Hubby ‘No’ irritated to be asked! Me ‘Are you sure? Hubby ‘Yes’ Me ‘Well I think you are wrong, unless you know another way’ Hubby ‘I know what I am doing’ Wrong!!!!!! We drive on until after another quarter of a mile or so he says ‘Oh, you were right, I thought there was another turn off here!’ Note the apology! Anyway hence the detour. As it was we were on time and parked easily in the visitors car park right in front to the oncology centre, very different from the Kent and Canterbury Hospital where you can drive round for very long periods searching for a space whether you are a patient, visitor or staff! This fairly new purpose built Centre was welcoming. It is bright and open as you walk in with an array of comfortable chairs in bright blue set around in the lounge- like waiting area. We went over to sign in at the registration desk . As the young receptionist took my details another young man behind the desk asked if we were together to which hubby replied his voice filled with much resignation ‘ Yes………….. we have been for some time!’ This caused a ripple of laughter around the room and lightened my mood! What would I do without his sense of humour? The ladies and gents and coffee /refreshment bar were pointed out, and we were directed to sit anywhere in the waiting lounge and shown from which direction I would be called when my turn came. How different from the visit last week to the other hospital! There was even a board up on the wall informing everyone waiting how many minutes the individual Consultants were running behind for that morning! Well impressed. The fact that we waited half an hour when our board said the delay was 15 didn’t matter a jot ! At least the principle was there and as my appointment was for 12.30, the last one of the clinic not bad! We were eventually called through and the specialist introduced himself. He took my history before explaining thoroughly the results of my scans. It turns out that the size grading I was given at Canterbury was wrong. He tells me that I have a T2 not T3 tumour N0 M0. He says it is definitely early stage. This is so much better news than I was told last week. He called in the colorectal clinical nurse specialist, Jane to meet us. He then gave me a thorough examination, I was weighed and measured ( first time I have been properly measured as far as I can ever remember, I am apparently 5’ 7” which is a good thing as this is always what I tell people I am and what’s written in my passport so my guess was right!. After this he sat us both down and methodically and clearly told us exactly what the treatment regime would be and patiently answered my many questions. The cancer is treatable with chemoradiation and we are going for cure! The tears of relief, and a months angst and worry, rolled as our worst thoughts and fears started to move further into the distance and the hope and positivity they both portrayed slowly sank in and began to course through my veins. I am to be called in either next Monday or the following Monday for planning scans and at the same time to have a timetable drawn up for the treatment sessions. I am to have 28 treatments of radiotherapy days a week for 6 weeks at Maidstone as this is the recognised centre of excellence for anal cancer in Kent - so it looks like I am in good hands. Everyone is so nice there that I am really pleased ( well….as pleased as anyone can be with a diagnosis of cancer ) that I am having my treatment there! At the same time as the radio I am to have one dose of mytomycin on day 1 and 5FU by IV continuous via PICC line, in week one and week 5 which I can have at home. This is a huge relief as don’t think I would make a good in patient! We discussed my pain control and have a plan that is understandable to me and am now back on the paracetamol and ibuprofen 4 hourly. This was stopped by GP for dicloflex some weeks ago. Don’t think dicloflex has had any effect what so ever on my ain recently. He says further pain killers will be added once my treatment starts as needed. Have been taking them all day and waiting for them to kick in as today’s loo efforts have been particularly painful again. Thanks Peachy for your tips, the most successful of which so far has been the lying back method! Makes a big difference! I was talked through the side effects of both treatments and after the session with the oncologist had a further session with the specialist nurse who explained procedures further and gave me a pack of information to read through over the next few days. Then went straight to have my bloods taken without a wait and off back to the village where we live for lunch in the pub! I left feeling informed, more in control, supported and funnily enough that they care. That is worth so much after the feelings I have had over the past month. So I now wait to hear when the first planning appointment will be either this coming Monday or the week after. Today I feel far more positive and ready for the rest of the journey which I know will be bumpy but with the support of my lovely family, my many friends, the colorectal team and everyone on here who has been so kind to respond, comment and pass on your experiences it will make it much easier and I AM GOING TO GET THERE!