Treatment Plan

Dr Adeb was very positive when I met him yesterday, and Julie and Brigid thought him to be very engaging and a safe person to be treated by. My view might be coloured by the fact that these doctors all insist on probing my inner recesses. Jeez - do the photos he's got showing him a "loaf" -sized tumour not convince him that there is a problem? Is it vital to make personal acquaintance with the "malignancy"?
No, really, I agreed with B and J, he was very kind and also very confident that he can help me .........................and I'm sure he had good reason to go where he went!

The treatment plan starts tomorrow:

• three days as in-patient for I.V. chemo
• two weeks at home being sorted out for radiation treatment and seeing what the side-effects of the chemo are
• three more days of in-patient I.V. chemo
• start the radiation therapy – total of 28 days, five days a week for nearly 6 weeks – as an outpatient PLUS oral chemotherapy at the same time – during this I will get weaker and iller… and my immunity to bugs will drop right down.
• Then I get a 5 or 6 week “rest” to build up my strength for the surgery
• surgery will need 8-10 days as in-patient several weeks at home, recovering
• possibly more chemotherapy after that ......

Side effects Julie has been giving me tips on how to manage the side-effects, in particular the fact that I will be very buggered as regards my immune system. Please don't come to see me if you have any minor ailments that are carried by bugs!

Malignancy - what a glorious word! The BUPA person I spoke to today used this to describe my condition. There are two quick definitions of malignancy -- here - I prefer the second one .. redolent of dramatic personae like Iago and Caliban ... the thing growing inside me like a damn'd inhuman dog. Hey-ho - I should leave the literary refs to the experts!

Family. Julie is safely back at home with her lovely boys now, and plans are afoot to get my mum and dad up for a visit during the week next week. It was a total delight to have my sister here at such a crucial time, and I was very grateful for her nursing expertise PLUS all her tips and advice as I've been absorbing the new situation and taking in all the medical jargon. THANKS JULIE!