I have just been for my fourth chemoembolization treatment for Mesothelioma. This time was both better and worse than the previous treatments. The point of entry is in the groin, and usually hurts for a few seconds. This time it was a bit painful for the whole time of treatment, about 3 or 4 minutes, I don't know why, but this does happen sometimes. I wasn't so sick afterwards though, which was very good.
Afterwards I was sent up to the Day Ward and the lovely Nurse greeted me with a smile, it was good to know she was on duty again.
I have to be up in the day ward for 3-4 hours and have to stay flat on my back. Usually I cannot sleep on my back but this time I am assured that I nodded off and snored for about two hours! This was great, as this time can be very tedious.
The wards in the hospital are not nearly as hot as here in the UK, and they give you a duvet for the bed. As it was cool, I had my arms under it. I took my hands out from under the duvet and noticed that the drip tube going into the cannula in my hand was filling with blood. I looked up and saw that the drip itself still appeared to be working OK so my blood should not have been leaking back. Then I became aware that my bed was wet and NO it wasn't me!
I was hanging on so I didn't need to use the dreaded bedpan!
I followed the drip line from my hand, under the duvet and up to the stand. There was a three way join in the middle of the tube, which is unusual, and it was leaking the fluid out onto my bed quicker than the drip could feed it. This was why my blood was coming out through the tube.
I called the nurse and she realised that a cap had come off the join, probably not put on properly in the first place, and she ran to get a new cap and stopped the leaking.
This all seems very dramatic in print but wasn't too bad really.
Now I was fully awake and watching the clock until I could get up eventually to go to the toilet.
The Prof. told me that my "cancer is now sleeping but it is still a terrorist". I took that to mean that it was currently stable, but could start growing again, which is very good news. He doesn't want to see me for three months and then will give me a full body CT scan and an MRI scan and decide then if I need some other treatment or not.
To have a three month break and not have to worry is amazing and we intend to take a holiday and enjoy ourselves, I think we have earned it!
Today's picture is my watercolour of some tree blossom.
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