Chemo delays and prioritizing patients

Thanks flowerlady 

The signs are encouraging that this is the right treatment for me, there was no change in the new lung tumours which are the main concern but a small reduction in a liver tumour. The plan was to have a minimum of 12 rounds of chemo with a scan half way through and if the response was positive stay on the treatment long term until it stopped working or I stopped tolerating it.

So at the moment it feels like being given something with one hand and having it taken away with the other. I do understand that the risks from CV now outweigh the risks from the cancer. The hope is that the cancer won't progress too much before I can restart the treatment.

It's completely out of my hands, and like many others in this position I'll do my best to stay positive, stay well and enjoy the chemo break, starting with a glass of wine!

xx

Hi

Gosh. That’s too much to take in in one read, let alone one day. You sound very sanguine about the rollercoaster you’ve just been on. I agree that trusting your team to make the safest decision is important. I just hope you can use this five week break to get some strength back. 

I do so wish things were different. This is so hard. 

Lots of love xxx

Hi Tinalay,

So pleased that your chemo is working, whoopie!

So surreal what is happening globally and in the UK.  My family have been isolating for a while now, just made sense to us.

I have two new and undiagnosed lumps which my oncologist said had nothing to do with her and to get in contact with my GP.  He was only seeing urgent patients and vetted everyone by telephone three weeks ago.  He would not see me or send me to hospital because of the risk of getting the virus.  This was when my area only had two known cases.  I saw his point but didn’t agree as I knew things would only get worse and I did not want to become an emergency case.  He told me to take paracetamol which is very difficult to get hold of and in quantity.

Re you not getting a ventilator if you needed one - I think most of us including others with health problems would be in this situation reading the BMA ethical guidance during COVID-19. See link page 3.

https://www.bma.org.uk/media/2226/bma-covid-19-ethics-guidance.pdf

My family and I are going to avoid contact with everyone.  Not even happy with the 2 metre rule.  Droplets from a sneeze travel way further than that.

Keep safe

DiAne550 X

WOW!!  how am I meant to take in all that info in the middle of the night?? It's great the chemo has started to work and I'm sure even when you are off it for a few weeks, it'll still carry on fighting the cancer! It's great you have faith and trust in your team (as I have in mine) so you know they are doing what they think is best for you! Cheers, enjoy that wine!

 you are right to ask the question who are the masks protecting! In actual fact unless the mask has a proper filter in it, they say it's a waste of time wearing them. Especially the ones that are flimsy and made of paper. Of course, to a certain extent they will help when sneezing but for the most part, I think they just make people feel better because they are wearing them!

Well, my husband works for the NHS and got a call today from his boss to say they were now doing assessments of who should be working. He apologised and said for my husband to stay at home tonight as he just remembered I have incurable cancer! We had only told his boss at head office and his immediate manager because I'm quite a private person, so he asked his boss not to mention this to the staff, could he just say he was over 70? His boss said "but you're not...are you?" My husband answered that he was 71 last Nov!! You can't write it!!! Lol!  Anyway, no nightshift for him tonight!! Yippee!