Saturday 19 June 2010

Not good news.

19th June a.m.
I was told that I was stable at my last visit to Germany in early May, however my UK surgeon had a chest x-ray taken in early June and says there seems to be a new shadow on my lung.


I looked again at the scan CD the Prof. gave me of my May visit and noticed some shadows, on the full body image, in my peritoneum (abdomen), which he hasn't mentioned. This seems to be new so I have asked the Prof. for his opinion. He says he will look at the x-rays and re-check the scan, but he seems not to answer my question but asks if my Oncologist has planned any treatment.
My Oncologist isn't interested in seeing me while I am seeing the Prof.

I have emailed the Prof. again for his views and to ask what treatment he recommends. I have also left a message on his answer-phone. This is obviously worrying me and my family and we feel we are in limbo until the Prof. gets in contact. . I am due to go to Germany anyway early August, but this is six weeks away.

We had a lovely holiday, which was overshadowed somewhat by our concerns

19th June p.m.
I have now heard from the Prof. who says that the cancer may well have spread and that my lymph nodes are also enlarged, this from his own scan. He suggests I go over to him in July to check to see if the cancer has grown more. He also says it should be tackled with conventional chemo then the local treatment that he does. I will need to see my oncologist too.

I wait for his appointment date and keep my fingers crossed.






Here is a photo we had taken on our holiday last week.

Wednesday 2 June 2010

May and Mistletoe

Being stable is taking some getting used to. After fighting the Mesothelioma for two years it is not easy to relax.

It is such good news from Debbie Brewer that Dr. David Kessel, of St. James Hospital, Leeds, is considering doing the Prof.'s medical trial, thereby bringing his chemoperfusion (TAPC) treatment at last to the UK. Others and I know that this treatment seems to work for some Mesothelioma patients against nothing else that does.

Who would have thought that I would still be alive two years after diagnoses, isn't life great!

The mistletoe injections are going well, apart from the insane itching at the injection site. It does seem to have helped my getting off to sleep too; I have ditched the sleeping pills.

I am now eating asparagus once a day as it is said it helps to fight cancer. This is not a hardship as I love it and it can be bought in Lidl for £1.29 per jar, and a jar lasts three days.

Our village amateur art group held an exhibition for the Heart of Kent Hospice, where I volunteer in the fundraising department one day a week. We raised an amazing £225.00 in just two hours and I sold my first painting too. Ace!

The landscape watercolour painting this time is experimental, I used a palette knife to see what would happen. I quite like the effect. .