Hi World!
Never before have I even considered writing until Jeremy (that's what we have called the cancer, in reasons that will become clear later!) came along, and never before have I been told by so many people that I'm so young! Flattering? A little! But at 32 I'm forever being told that having Stage 4 Oesophageal cancer is very rare for my age. "What the f*** are you doing in my clinic" my wicked Oncologist said, "You are far too young to be here".
So let me give you a run down as to how I got to my second cycle of Chemotherapy today:
Early 2017: Issue with swallowing bread and large bits of meat
May 2017: Gradually got worse, went to GP, prescribed anti-refux tablets
Late May 2017: No improvement, referred for endoscopy
4th August: Endoscopy found Cancer in lower oesophagus. Cried. Thought my number might be up.
11th August: CT Scan. Great CT team in Huddersfield, gave me the idea for naming the Cancer on the back of a fun conversation about the current Secretary of State (Jeremy Hunt) and how the "H" in Hunt could well be a "C" instead! Naughty I know!!!
17th August: Rubbish news day in Calderdale Royal Hospital. Endoscopy, biopsys and CT showed Stage 4 Oesophageal Cancer with small metastases in the Liver. Likelihood is that I will never get rid of or "beat" the cancer. Left hospital, went for Ice Cream!
18th August: Appointment with Dr Jo Dent (Oncologist) in Huddersfield. Made me feel like I could run a marathon afterwards through her amazing attitude! Treatment all planned, blood transfusion arranged. Time to get going and kick Jeremy as hard as I can!
22nd August: Blood transfusion at Calderdale Royal Hospital to boost my red blood cells prior to Chemo beginning.
23rd August: Chemo round one! Oxaliplation and Capecitabine are my new best friends, together with a whole host of other drugs!
13th Sept: Chemo round two. Staff are just amazing at Calderdale/Huddersfield NHS trust.
So that's where I'm at! I'm over the rubbish news now, and fighting as hard as I can. Being positive is mainly in my nature, but it seems ever so important now. And if I'm not positive, I've got friends, family and an amazing medical team surrounding me who can bring me the love and positivity I need to keep pushing, keep fighting.
My family have taken the news surprisingly well and are definitely embracing the "High Calorie" cancer diet. Never before have I been bought Gold Top milk, to be honest I didn't even know they still made it!
Worth saying my work (The Original Factory Shop, or TOFS for short) have been great too with support and allowing me to work from home if needed (which I will be doing tomorrow thanks to the lovely tingling sensation in my fingers and arm due to the Chemo).
Finally, my partner Ben and our Dog Murphy have been out of this world. Apart from the fact Ben nearly fainted in the "rubbish news" meeting and was getting more attention from the Doctor and Nurse than me (so much so, news made it to the Oncologist the next day)! Supportive doesn't even cut it when describing how they have been. People forget that this is their fight and their struggle too.
That's my story so far. I'm in this for the marathon, not a sprint, so hopefully you will get plenty more updates from me in the future. Yes it's rubbish news, but it has really brought out the best in everyone I know, and I'm so thankful for their support. Plus don't forget the NHS. They are the real miracle workers in this country.
I'm happy being told that I'm so young for now, wouldn't it be great for someone to say at a later stage " We never expected you to get this old!!!".
Lots of love,
Paul
Fighting Jeremy as hard as I can
