I haven't blogged for a while because I've been busy and not sure what to say. But here's a catch up.
I had an ultrasound today and it showed that the tumor is packing its bags and running away. Take that, hairy knees!
The reason I had an ultrasound is that I am getting another fluid build up in the shoulder, not unlike the ones that plagued me after my operation in February. There was a feeling that I should have it drained today as I was hanging around in the Day Unit, upsetting people by eating the amazing chocolate cake that darling C brought round (still warm) yesterday.
So I have to have ultrasound to see where they stick the needle in to aspirate it - sidenote: asking for a 'bigger' needle is likely to put patient's blood pressure up - which they did most successfully this afternoon. Sadly, it was not clear straw coloured liquid that came out, but blood. Which is good in some ways but slightly blows my cover on the whole 'I've been doing gentle hoeing in the garden and moving some pots around'. Apparently, just because I feel so much better, this does not mean I can resume normal operating levels of heavy lifting and vigorous exercise - sigh.
However, before all the good news, the wonderful Dr W had had an oncologisty type thought that maybe the chemo wasn't working so well and that was why the fluid was back. So she has ordered a CT scan for Friday. This involves drinking a very cold liquid that tastes like Pernod but doesn't have any of the pleasant side effects. The scan involves some kind of injection that makes you think you've wet yourself. All in all, not top of my list of things to do on a Friday afternoon.
The funny thing about chemo is that it is perfectly normal to eat through the treatment. It is somewhat counter-intuitive to hoff your way through sandwiches and cake and fruit salad, whilst receiving a treatment that is notorious for making your insides not function with normal parameters. I believe that early chemo patients were as likely to die from the side effects (particularly vomiting) as they were from the cancer. I was slightly put out when the ultrasound team were not keen on me continuing to eat my lunch whilst being ultraed and aspirated. Normal hospital protocols are turned on their head in oncology. I quite like the rebel aspect of that....
The major problem at the moment is edema. My hands are too swollen for my wedding ring and my toes are so swollen that they feel really weird. Flip flops are the only shoes I can wear (the ones without the thing between the big toe) but I spend all day with that odd feeling that there is something between my all my tootsies. There isn't. I know because I have checked, washed my feet endless and even used a mirror and a torch, just to make sure. They are just not fitting together properly due to the fact they resemble little sausages.
I find it hard to type because my fingers are bigger and don't hit the keys properly. There is a tendency to SHOUT at people because of CAPLOCKITIS as well but good friends don't seem to mind.
But the cancer is shrinking so hey, in the grand scheme of things, life ain't too bad.
I had an ultrasound today and it showed that the tumor is packing its bags and running away. Take that, hairy knees!
The reason I had an ultrasound is that I am getting another fluid build up in the shoulder, not unlike the ones that plagued me after my operation in February. There was a feeling that I should have it drained today as I was hanging around in the Day Unit, upsetting people by eating the amazing chocolate cake that darling C brought round (still warm) yesterday.
So I have to have ultrasound to see where they stick the needle in to aspirate it - sidenote: asking for a 'bigger' needle is likely to put patient's blood pressure up - which they did most successfully this afternoon. Sadly, it was not clear straw coloured liquid that came out, but blood. Which is good in some ways but slightly blows my cover on the whole 'I've been doing gentle hoeing in the garden and moving some pots around'. Apparently, just because I feel so much better, this does not mean I can resume normal operating levels of heavy lifting and vigorous exercise - sigh.
However, before all the good news, the wonderful Dr W had had an oncologisty type thought that maybe the chemo wasn't working so well and that was why the fluid was back. So she has ordered a CT scan for Friday. This involves drinking a very cold liquid that tastes like Pernod but doesn't have any of the pleasant side effects. The scan involves some kind of injection that makes you think you've wet yourself. All in all, not top of my list of things to do on a Friday afternoon.
The funny thing about chemo is that it is perfectly normal to eat through the treatment. It is somewhat counter-intuitive to hoff your way through sandwiches and cake and fruit salad, whilst receiving a treatment that is notorious for making your insides not function with normal parameters. I believe that early chemo patients were as likely to die from the side effects (particularly vomiting) as they were from the cancer. I was slightly put out when the ultrasound team were not keen on me continuing to eat my lunch whilst being ultraed and aspirated. Normal hospital protocols are turned on their head in oncology. I quite like the rebel aspect of that....
The major problem at the moment is edema. My hands are too swollen for my wedding ring and my toes are so swollen that they feel really weird. Flip flops are the only shoes I can wear (the ones without the thing between the big toe) but I spend all day with that odd feeling that there is something between my all my tootsies. There isn't. I know because I have checked, washed my feet endless and even used a mirror and a torch, just to make sure. They are just not fitting together properly due to the fact they resemble little sausages.
I find it hard to type because my fingers are bigger and don't hit the keys properly. There is a tendency to SHOUT at people because of CAPLOCKITIS as well but good friends don't seem to mind.
But the cancer is shrinking so hey, in the grand scheme of things, life ain't too bad.
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