The Alien Within: 55 – Cured of Cancer: They Said It’s All Over…

Date January 3, 2016 Author By RLG Category Journal

It is now…

It is hard to believe, looking back, as we did on the 24th December 2015, Christmas Eve, it was exactly 6 months to the day since my Cancer diagnosis was made 24th June 2015…

Now, after something of a whirlwind of an intervening period, represented by those six months, WE ARE CURED!  Yay…

That is to say, I am as cured as one can be, of the originally diagnosed Cancer, immediately after finishing Chemotherapy.

First, an apology…

I realise it has been a while since I updated this, what was supposed to be a, daily blog when I embarked on the roller coaster trip of a lifetime, otherwise known as my Chemotherapy Treatment.  And I apologise profusely for that, sincerely I do.

The intention was always there but, you have to admit, the posts were becoming a bit samey and predictable, weren’t they?  I guess that is me just making light and proffering excuses for failing miserably.

Any road up; to bring this Cancer blog completely up to date and, I suppose close it off, at least for the time being…

The End Game…

My Chemotherapy Treatment was officially completed on Friday, 13th November 2015 and, after six cycles of pumps, poisonous drug cocktails, mahoosive doses of steroids, highs and lows of side effects and hospital visits, the last of the poisonous cocktail was pumped into my tired body, through the permanent PICC line in my upper left arm.  A week later and the line too was removed, having served a very useful and reliable purpose these last six months.

For the first time, in what seemed like a lifetime, I was able to take a shower without the encumbrance of the trusty water proof arm band I had to use to protect my PICC line site, the Limbo too is history.

Following the end of treatment, my consultant informed us we were going to be referred for a second PET Scan, rather than the more basic CT Scan.  We were then to see the consultant shortly after the PET Scan for a de-brief and discussion of the scan results.

In the meantime, we were informed of the lasting potential of the Chemotherapy it, having been built up over the last six months, was going to take at least as long, if not up to a year, to finally clear my systems and leave my body in whatever state it was likely to remain in at that point.  Something to look forward to…

My Scan appointment finally came through; I was to attend Addenbrookes Hospital at 1200hrs on Monday, the 14th December 2015, having not eaten or drunk anything, other than water, for at least six hours beforehand.

The meeting with my consultant was scheduled for Thursday, 17th December, so it was going to be three long days after the PET Scan before we were informed of the results, nail biting stuff!

The Results…

So, I attended Addenbrookes on the 14th, as planned (in fact I was an hour early I was so keen!) and at almost 1200hrs on the dot, I was shot through with the Radioactive gloop, which was destined to course my body searching out and attaching itself to any bad cells, just as it dd the first time.

One has to wait for at least an hour, after becoming radioactive, before being taken in for the scan itself.

You may recall, dear reader, after the first PET Scan, I was required to undergo a Sigmoidoscopy and a Thyroid ultrascan as the gloop has found a polyp in my back passage and some weird shadowing on my thyroid.

The guilty polyp was duly removed, in a slightly uncomfortable procedure, which I was privileged to watch via a tv screen, set up for the purpose.  It was later determined to be benign!

The ultrasound did show up some anomaly in my thyroid, but it was inconclusive and assumed likely to be a mild infection of some sort.

Anyway, the PET Scan concluded and I was finally permitted home, whereupon I gorged myself on any available scoff stuffs, having not eaten a thing since early evening the night before my scan!

We then waited with shortening nails, until popping over to Peterborough City Hospital on the afternoon of the 17th December, again arriving somewhat early hoping to be seen early, foolishly.  Past appointment have always run at least half an hour late and this was to be no exception.  Well, apart for the fact it was past the hour over time before we were called in.

As we wandered eagerly, but slowly, up to meet the consultant, my cheeky Key Worker happened to be passing and gave us a double thumbs up and a huge smile.

We knew, immediately we sat down in the consulting room, as confirmed by my consultant, the PET Scan was 100% negative (with negative being a good thing, a very good thing, in PET Scan terms).

There being absolutely no indications of a take up by the radioactive gloop, we were declared CURED.

The Alien Within has, finally, become The Alien Without…

Ex-Cancer Patient…

Jill was almost beside herself with happiness at the news, and couldn’t control a few tears of joy, as the consultant confirmed the end game had been a complete success.  So much so, it had already been decided that I would not require Radiotherapy to finish off the treatment and was free to go, an ex-Cancer patient!

Having said all that, I am still required to attend follow-up sessions with the consultant at PCH, to monitor my health and keep an eye on any risk of returning Cancer indicators.  I will not be truly an ex-Cancer patient for at least two years, but at least we are further down that road than we were six short months ago.

Following on…

My first follow-up appointment is Thursday, 11th February 2016, just six weeks, or so, away now.

The side effects are still with me, the most obvious external evidence being the almost complete lack of body hair, pretty much everywhere.

Although, there are already signs of a return from the bald side, with a fluffy furry covering starting on my top lip and moving to my chin and even a thin covering of fine white stuff on my previously shiny pate…

Things are looking up!

The unseen signs, most irritatingly in my frazzled extremities, are lingering longer, especially in my piggies and plates.  My toes are constantly painful and, as the day wears on, so the pain extends further into my feet and, on occasion, throughout the backs of my legs up into my thighs.  According to my consultant, there is every chance this will improve over the coming months.  However, there is almost as much chance of this particular lingering side effect not improving.  If it is still with me and un-improved after the six months are past, it is quite likely I will have to live with it for the rest of my days!

Still, small price to pay for a second chance at living…

My pinkies, on the other hand, are significantly improved over the last days of Chemotherapy, when it was excruciatingly painful to touch them, even on a touch screen, let alone the soft black keys of this MacBook Pro.  Although not completely gone, the pain is negligible and stays a a fairly constant level throughout each day, unlike my piggies.  This has meant I am able to type, almost with impunity, for as long as I can concentrate on the task itself.  Hence, I am able to complete this blog entry in a single sitting, blissful joy unbounded… lol

The only other, really significant, side effects that lingers on is my entire body tiredness and weakness.

The tiredness is improving noticeably.  I am back to walking the dog daily, including the damn hill that was the finish of me towards the end of Chemotherapy treatment and I can now use the stairs without having to stop on the way up.  In fact, today, I was up and down at least 8 or 9 times in fairly quick succession as the festive decorations were transported to the loft for another year’s storage.

My muscle and limb weakness, on the other hand, is not noticeably improving, or it is making such tiny improvements I am not noticing them.  It is my hands and fingers that are suffering the most, with most of my dexterity lost and a severe weakness in anything other than big movements and larger tasks.

For instance, taking off and putting back the cap on a toothpaste tube is not easy.  Tying my shoelaces is a fumbling trial.  Closing anything other than a zip fly is a real challenge, especially on Levi jeans!  Similarly, doing up shirt buttons and putting on cuff links is fun and don’t mention turning on a tightly turned off tap… 🙂

Hopefully these things are just time related and a consequence of the last few months of treatment where most of my time was spent horizontal, or pretty much so, as the full effects of the Chemotherapy made themselves felt, big time.

I am sure, with patience and exercise, these will all improve over time and, slowly but surely, the old me will be returned, fighting fit and ready to conquer the brave new world.

So, there you have it, the end of an exciting and different chapter in my otherwise quiet and uneventful life…

THANK YOU, for bearing with me, for supporting me and for you kind words of encouragement and belief, it has meant an awful lot to me and Jill and has seen me through some pretty dark times for both of us.

And, of course, the biggest, most heartfelt and sincere THANK YOU, to my lovely wife, Jill, without who I would, most definitely, have struggled, a lot more than I have, over the last six months.  Thank you my darling, for loving me, supporting in me, believing in me and helping me to beat and exorcise The Alien Within – I Love You so much and owe you a bigger debt of gratitude than ever a man could, thank you!

THE END GAME (OVER!)…