I have my first chemo appointment on 29th December. It was going to be 12th January but I stuck my bottom lip out. The decision to go ahead wasn't easy - it's going to be an unpleasant 6 months with possible side effects ranging from diarrhoea through sickness and hair loss to flaking hands and feet (and death for 1 person in a hundred). It also means the stoma reversal won't happen until the treatment finishes. My immune system will be impaired so I will be out of bounds to visitors with colds, flu, cholera, STDs... My oncologist, the magnificently named Dr Biswas, took over where Lou left off in briefing me on odds. The advantage of treatment is the chance of the cancer not returning goes up to 78% and although that's only 3% more than without chemo - I could be one of those 3 people in a hundred!
So I won't need to drink too much at new year to feel wrecked and Shell will have to continue her Domestic Goddess role for a good while ( she saved £13 with multibuy at Tesco today; great deals on cream cakes). I'm asking Santa for some of the Boxers for stoma wearers.
shell as domestic goddess... how times change! i remember pizza, boiled potatoes and peas was a classic of the early 90s ;-)
ReplyDelete78% sounds pretty good - better than arsenal's title chances, and maybe similar to my chances of submitting final thesis and design work in february. i'm hoping for fewer side effects though, save the stress induced nausea that is ever present of a morning.
ali x
I hope the chemo is more effective than the Arsenal midfield. Shell had a misty look in her eye at the thought of the pizza potato pea combo but her new signature dish is a bolognese oven cooked in milk and white wine for 3 hours.
ReplyDeleteThink of the fun you'll have in March. I'm planning to be drunk for most of July.
Xx
keep positive and your chin up Di and hope you can put up with the delicious concoctions that the dynamic Shell is dreaming up!
ReplyDeleteWe might not be there to support you but we think about you all the time!
take care
love
Elaine and Inga
78% is good odds even if it's only 3% more than without I think it's worth it to take every precaution you can :-)
ReplyDeleteThe bolognese sounds tasty.
Keep your chin up and roll on drunk July LOL
Take care
Love
Kim
Yeah - I should be ready for a few drinks on Pride night!
ReplyDeleteCheers Kim
Xx