Monday, August 5, 2013

Oncology visit/results Monday 5 August 2013 - Treatment back on the list for me!!

A freezing cold day here and a day where I kept myself busy until we caught the train to Melbourne for my visit to see the oncologist, Alan Zimet at his rooms in Epworth hospital, Richmond.

On the way we stopped in Degrave St laneway Melbourne city for a ritual of my green tea in a beautiful china cup/Keith his coffee and sat outside at the Little Cupcakes cafe 'people watching and also a toast to a good result with my oncology visit'!

My oncology visit was everything but that!!!  Alan said 'not good news, pet scan has come back with the cancer growing more ....'!  So chemo to start tomorrow at John Fawkner hospital in day chemo (gemzar/gemzidabine), then overnight on Wednesday for the cisplatin chemo to be flushed for 24 hours and most probably a PICC line put in (this will be my third picc line).

Blood tests including the mesothelioma marker was ordered and done at the hospital's pathology section before getting on the tram/train for home.  Alan said without treatment the cancer is thriving, so hopefully with chemo (pallative chemo) it will stop it in its tracks again or stabilise for awhile.  I thought that Alan would just say 'not much change since March, come back in a month'!!!

10 yrs ago for peritoneal mesothelioma I had cisplatin/gemzar (gemzidabine).   4 years ago for pleural mesothelioma I had cisplatin/alimta.   There is no other treatment option so I AM SURE that this will work again, it just has a bigger job to do this time around!

A visit to the shops tonight for my supply of cranberry juice/LSA mix/organic yoghurt, gluten free products to help me get thru this round of chemo!

Keith is in shock!  I feel for him - he is my solid rock!  Once again our world has been turned upside down!  However we will pick up the pieces and get on with the business of surviving this deadly asbestos cancer and doing it well!

Life is for living - not dying!

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