Day three after second treatment.

It is day three after my second treatment and I must say that this time I can feel a lot more going on in my chest. I am quite uncomfortable in the area that the Prof. has just treated.

Hopefully this is good news and shows that the chemoembolization is doing its job. I did get some soreness last time too but not so early and not so much. Perhaps this means that this second treatment will be more successful!

The Prof. will treat the top front of my lung next time, which is in January.

I have been quite sleepy today and managed a catnap this afternoon. The first week after treatment is the worst, it leaves me feeling exhausted and a bit nauseous, but nothing like conventional chemotherapy did.

I have been out to post my foreign Christmas cards today and I couldn't have even considered doing anything so soon last year on conventional chemo.

I am hearing about so many people with cancer now and it is quite distressing. It is amazing that we can get on the moon but can't cure this awful disease yet. However there are lots of things in the pipeline so I must be more positive.

My family and friends are a real inspiration to me and I really appreciate them.
I do feel a bit humble though when I read of these poor young men getting killed in Afghanistan, at least I have experienced the majority of my life.

Today's picture is of a canoeist I photographed having fun in the Medway near our home. Several groups use the river with varying skills. It is great to see them enjoying the water.

Results of first treatment

We arrived on Sunday night for the Monday treatment and found an Ethiopian restaurant called Gojo, I think, and we had to eat the food with our hands. This was quite a surprise. We had a sort of pancake, which we broke up into pieces and scooped up some meat mix. We couldn't use the pancake as a wrap as it was too fragile. The food tasted good but I think I prefer to use utensils. No, they were not having us on, they all ate that way!

Well, it is good news, The area of my cancer that was treated last time in Germany has improved by 5 - 10%. The Prof. was reluctant to put a figure on it but it is nice for me to have some idea of the amount of improvement. It hadn't shrunk but has less pressure, which means it is less aggressive. He says he treats the biology of the tumour. This is a relief, as the treatment could have had no effect. The Prof. seemed quite pleased.
I go again on the 4th January, 7 weeks away. I thought this a long time but the Prof. says it is OK. I had a rougher time of it this time as I had an adverse effect from the tracer they inject so the Prof. can see what he is doing. I went very hot all over, burning almost, and felt violently sick. I managed to hold on until he finished. The treatment takes about 5 minutes. Then I was quite sick for about half an hour until they gave me some extra strong anti-sickness on top of what they put into the treatment. I slept for the next four hours and felt better after that.

Today I was fine for the trip home and still feel OK. I will have to keep away from anyone who is ill for a couple of weeks while my bloods improve again after the chemo.

Apparently I was to have had my blood tested here in the UK before my second treatment but the instruction was all in German so I couldn't read them. Whoops, I know now. The Prof. still went ahead though. I now need to translate the paperwork so I know exactly what he wants for next time. Can anyone read German?

I managed to get my flu injection before I went but will have to wait until the end of December for the swine flu jab as they don't work with the chemo.
But Rob is having one Saturday so he doesn't catch it and give it to me as my lungs are compromised and it could be very serious if I got it.

Today's picture was taken on our holiday in Majorca, my hair was still quite thin but it doesn't show in this photo as it had started to grow very curly due to the last trial drug I was on.