Stem Cell Transplant Journal Day 1 – 1 December 2015 (Cancer and Me 42)
It’s been really busy since finding out that the stem cell transplant was coming up soon. I’ve tried to do most of the Christmas shopping, put the Christmas decorations up at home, arranged some financial assistance (the Chartered Accountants Benevolent Association again), done some shopping for bits I need for hospital, and caught up on…
The Stem Cell Transplant is On – 17 November 2015 (Cancer and Me 41)
Yesterday I went for my appointment at the Southampton Hospital Oncology department. I met with one of the senior doctors and the transplant co-ordinator, the same people I met back at the beginning of 2013 when my stem cells were harvested. He seems to be a doctor who likes to describe the various options, even…
PET CT Scan – 6 November 2015 (Cancer and Me 40)
If a doctor promises you an appointment or a date for some tests and then you don’t hear anything it’s best to chase it up! I hadn’t heard a thing about the PET CT scan appointment more than week after the doctor had said he was going to arrange it for “next week”. So I…
Scan Results so What’s next? – 28 October 2015 (Cancer and Me 39)
I prematurely wrote the title of this post before my appointment with the Haematology doctor today. I called it, “Stem Cell Transplant is Confirmed”. But it turns out that after the CT scan results there’s a couple more hoops to go through before we get to that point, so I’ve changed it! The CT scan…
27 October 2015 – Another treatment milestone (Cancer and Me 38)
It’s two months since I last wrote. What’s been happening? I had the third cycle of Bendamustine a few weeks ago – the 16th lot of chemo in my life. That’s my 28th lot of drug treatment if you include the Rituximab maintenance. I had my 10th CT scan a couple of weeks ago. And…
The Two Words that Change Everything
This post is now incorporated with 22 other similar ‘reflections’ in my book, Facing Cancer with Faith. There are two words in the Bible that, for the Christian, make a huge difference – a huge difference to the way we live, our motivation, our strength in suffering. If someone were to ask me to sum…
28 August 2015 – Burnt toast, nausea, shaky hands and anxiety (Cancer and Me 37)
Very soon it will be time for the second lot of chemo in this third lot of treatment. Time to review how things have gone over the past four weeks. My feeling about it would be: not as well as I’d hoped. But whilst that is true, I haven’t had to take much time off…
6 August 2015 – Chemo for the Third Time (Bendamustine) (Cancer and Me 36)
I don’t even know what to write, I’m so tired. Why am I so tired? I guess it’s partly because of the prednisolone. Even when we were on holiday I struggled to sleep much after 5am. The prednisolone also seems to make my legs and hands feel weak (I also regularly get cramp in my…
11 July 2015 – Ticking Over (Cancer and Me 35)
It’s been two-and-a-half weeks since the treatment plan was agreed. It feels like months. I’ve been back at work full time, but the new project manager has not yet started so it’s been hectic getting back into things. Our holiday in Wales is coming up next Friday, only 6 days to go. And I’m tired.…
24 June 2015 – The Upshot at the Second Relapse (Cancer and Me 34)
I eventually got to see my haematology doctor last Friday (19 June), and had a good hour with him asking questions. It was finally a relief to be able to get some quality time with him, rather than squeezing in phone calls and rushed messages. It was still a little perturbing that my questions prompted…