Session 6 – Update from NHS Oncologist.

Hi-ya to one and all, I have just completed my 6th session of Chemotherapy. I await 18:00 today when I get disconnected and it’s done for the next 12 days.

I did however, have an update from Dr Hashme who is my NHS oncologist. He will in turn, feedback to Mr Aziz in the Manchester’s Christie hospital. If he agrees with the actions suggested by Dr Hashme then there doesn’t seem any point in jumping ships to my private health care. However should Mr Aziz suggest a second line of treatment and as the final decision does lay with me. I will have to give it serious thought.

So what did Dr Hashme say?

• Primary tumour in my bowel has decreased in size dramatically.
• Of the three metastasised (Hereafter referred to as ‘Mets’) Cancers in my lungs, one has all but completely disappeared.
• Two of the others mets have dramatically decreased in size also.
• One of the two mets has split into two and kinda looks like a Yin Yang.
• It is now time to talk to surgery about the possibility of operating and removing the Primary tumour.
• There are multiple options on removing the lung mets now.

So breaking that list down. We cannot say for sure that the chemotherapy have reduced the size of the primary. It IS possible that it was the chemo but it’s more likely to have been the combination of drugs and even the cannabis oil that have reduced these.
The reduced size of the mets in my lungs IS totally going to be down to chemo.

I am also told (By Dr Hashme) that cancer is never completely removed by chemotherapy. I was always looking at surgery to remove this in my lungs. I think I always knew it was going to be this way with my bowel tumour but we also never in a month of Sundays were going to attack it without reducing its size.
The reason I haven’t come out with actual figures is because I actually don’t have these to give. I mentioned it on my facebook (but I also understand you may not have me on facebook. Click the previous hyperlink for my profile) that the meeting with Dr Hashme was early and the other departments have as yet not received and given their two penn’orth on my results and these are the people that usually provide me with the actual data and as I mention already. That’ll come by post later on down the line.

I am actually pressing Dr Hashme to make sure he’s updating everyone. I shouldn’t need to run round after people but I find you do have to ask for everything. Never ASS.U.ME and all of that malarkey. Too many times I have waited for paperwork and then when I finally bit and asked, I was told that “it wasn’t requested therefore wasn’t going to happen, would I mind waiting a couple of days as I’ll request it right now” so lesson learnt.

The missing met and the reduced mets; we learnt at the meeting that there are multiple lines of attack and much to the opposite we had researched online Dr Hashme prefers to deal with lung cancers, lung mets over dealing with liver mets.
I digress on the main point, which is I’m told that we have multiple lines of attack here. There are direct radiotherapy attacks we can hit them with. Some of the techniques for attacking lung cancers won’t work on me as my mets are now too small. There are sabre techniques and more. So I have a meeting setup for next week. I have to wait for a letter regarding the appointment.

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So all in all I think it went well. I’ve now an hour before chemo disconnection. I have just checked the pump and it’s empty. I am then off to the metro centre as Kerry needs some stuff for the climbing comp tomorrow at Climb Newcastle. It’s an all day thing tomorrow but I have been told there will be pizza. And you know that means Scream For Pizza.

Alex Walker tells me there will be another trip to Dojo happening in the not too distant future which pleases me greatly. You need forever and a day to decide what to eat here. I suggest you join us should you not believe me.

All in all, Chemo has got tough again though, for all the fantastic news I can offer it comes with a price. I have pretty much had to give up climbing, tomorrow I will take my stuff along but at my last trip climbing I only managed to complete some sub 5+ climbs, three at most. I don’t have the energy for it anymore. I find myself struggling for breath on dog walks also.

It was about this point that Dr Hashme said there was a decent chance I could be anemic now and that the further along into a chemotherapy treatment cycle that you get then the more likely this is to be the case and that I would need to have the dose reduced too. He’s going to check into what my blood plates are looking like, I am sure I will have explained this previously but chemo kills the fast growing cancer cells, but it also attacks my red and white blood cells but it also attacks my bone marrow too.

Well that’s about it for this update. I have had a couple of days to process the information and I am feeling a lot better about it all. I’ve actually had some seriously dark thoughts about the whole thing. I can remember speaking to Deb my manager about this up and coming meeting with the oncologist, I’d have made daft comments like, “It’s not like he is going to tell me I have cancer’ or more cancer, but that the fact is that at this time, it’s the first time I have received any sodding good news since I had the original news of getting cancer. I guess I’m just venting about it, but it seriously is great to hear some good news for a change.

Mood: Actually upbeat and ready for 12 days off Chemo.
Pain: Back down to normal 2-3/10
Appetite: Again, due to cannabis oil, I am eating, zero appetite without it.
Weight: 200 lbs 90 KG 14 St