Hey guys,
Well today was my final surveillance appointment & I’ve been discharged yay!!
Now don’t get me wrong I’m over the moon & very, very grateful that I’ve reached this point but I feel strangely flat instead of the expected elation. My surgeon didn’t show & I was seen & examined by an another Dr who I didn’t know & who didn’t know me, she introduced herself as ‘one of the team’. On having the dreaded DRE she had a really good dig around!! She had small hands & for that I was truly thankful (you’ll all completely understand that one!) I’m not sure if she was narrating the examination for me or if she was thinking out loud but she said there was some narrowing (tell me something I don’t know) & that there was radiation damage to the skin she also mentioned a rough area on the very edge of the locality where my tumour was & then said ‘but I think that’s just radiation damage or scar tissue’. I felt a little unnerved, I proceeded to ask her twice following that if she was sure that was nothing to worry about to which she replied yes it was nothing to be concerned about. I just have to accept that but oh I wish she hadn’t verbalised it. She did say if I had any future concerns to just call & someone would see me.
I also asked if there was anything documented from my biopsy etc., as to say whether my particular case was HPV related, she said that as a hospital in the case of anal cancer they don’t test for HPV, the reason being that it would have no baring as to the course of treatment & with HPV being untreatable there would be no treatment to resolve the HPV afterwards so I’m still non the wiser on that one! When I told my daughter she said you would think they’d want to know for statistics really which I agree with.
Anyhoo I’m sure over the next few days the news will sink in that I’m all done with surveillance & even though I seem to have dodged the whole elation thing I’m still going to celebrate this day during the couple of weeks to come.
Nicola
Hi Nicola
Great news, am really pleased for you
Jane
Thanks so much Jane.
Nicola
Thanks Deb, yes it was a strange one that’s for sure!
Nicola
Hi Nicola
Congratulations on your great news! I do completely get the feeling of not being elated, as it’s harder than it might seem to feel that way. I also understand the feelings of unease when consultants think out loud and don’t understand the impact of their words. Nonetheless, it is very good news!
Strange that there is no hpv testing, even from the point of view of information gathering to inform the statistics, despite the fact there’s no treatment for the virus itself.
Enjoy celebrating your discharge from surveillance!
Sarah xx
