A Bend in the Road

26/07/2014

My chemo was cancelled this week due to some odd symptoms arising, therefore an appointment with the oncologist consultant was arranged. 

Off to Hamilton today for that consult with Dr Kennedy who we haven't met before. The waiting room is still like a bus station. From all four corners come consultants who call out a name. You have to be vigilant because you don't know where you are being called from.

Dr Kennedy was lovely. He brought up my notes, explained what he knew about my case, asked me my symptoms, examined me and then lay out the plan for next week.

We identified that my neuropathy in my feet/legs has got worse since the change of chemo concoction.

Re the symptoms I explained to him, he said if I went to my GP with my symptoms, the GP would say I had inner ear vertigo, inflamed bowel (not ovary that I thought the pain was), and pulled chest muscle.

Because I had lymph nodes that were cancerous (13 of 29), my symptoms are a 'red flag', so he needs to eliminate brain cancer (vertigo), bowel cancer (inflamed bowel) and chest bone cancer (pulled chest muscle). 

As he explained all this, he drew his chair in very close...hello, this is serious I thought. He then said to Wayne "No more black humour for this lady, Wayne, no more". Gulp! I said "Are you serious, that's how I get through". "No, no more, we need to look after you", he then grabbed my hand in his two hands and wouldn't let go. Okay, this needs to be taken seriously I think he is trying to tell me. Stop this flippancy.

So today in Hamilton I did bloods to check for "any embers burning" (his words), and then next week have CT scan and MRI in Rotorua.

The positive from the scans is that one way or another I will find out if the chemo is working at least.

If it comes back finding something, then we will deal with it from there. I admit I am in denial right now (like when I first got diagnosed), but do feel better prepared and educated if the scans are sinister. I know the waiting game now is just that. Enjoy the moment while we wait.

So I am appreciative of Dr Kennedy not poo-pooing me, I get time off chemo for a while and I will find out if chemo is working sooner rather than later.

All part of the process...hop on board, we are off on another ride.