Cautiously Optimistic

Hi Everyone!

So today was the big day that my husband James and I had to go to see the oncologist re his recurrant bowel cancer diagnosis. I feel that a 10 ton weight has been lifted from my shoulders today. The oncologist said that James is looking very well!  and a whole lot different from what he saw of him back in February not long after his operation (meaning in a good way). He's lost weight but the oncologist said he is not underweight. He's lost about a stone between May and now. The oncologist went on to ask what we were told at the surgeon's appoint to tell us about the cancer coming back and it seems what he told us was different to what she said. She told us that the cancer was in his stomach lining and he told us it was in the membranes of his bowel whether that's one and the same I don't know. He also said it's a strange case that it's there and it was really hard to actually be able to see it. It is there though but maybe not as extensive as we though. He said there was really nothing showing in his pelvis but what he thinks was picked up there was the remains or scarring from an infection. When he was in getting his operation he took an infection down there and they put a drain in to get whatever it was out I remember he was in slightly longer after his operation I remember because they had to do this. He also has some scarring on his kidneys due to the operation but his kidney function is fine. What he did say though they are going to treat what is there with combined chemotherapy of Oxaliplatin and Capecitabine. It may not get rid of the cancer completely he said but it will hopefully shrink it right down. So he gets this part drip form where he goes to day surgery at hospital and part medication (tablets). The Capecitabine he has had before he got this before his operation and he tolerated it well but the oncologist said the dosage he gets this time will be slightly stronger. He more or less said because of the extent of the cancer and where it is and because he is suffering at present no ill effects, that he feels they don't need to start treatment immediately and that sometimes this may tend to backfire and a person who is well and tolerating the cancer suddenly becomes ill with severe side effects once starting it. We have 3 weeks before we see him again to make a decision of what we want to do and inbetween that time he will be trying to get an appointment with a neurosurgeon to hopefully do something about his kidneys. We're definitely going to do it and hopefully the benefits will outweigh the side effects. If he's going to get a good quality of life we are going to go for it! If it means popping a couple of pills and getting a drip put in your arm for a couple of months that's nothing but hopefully it will get a result maybe not the result we want  but hopefully something. So I'm thinking as they say up here in Glasgow `A wee hauf` (drink) will be being consumed at the weekend now we know they are going to treat it.