The 19th September has come and gone. I took my friend for her CT scan. We had to arrive an hour earlier than the appointment time of 12.15. This was so that my friend could drink 2 litres of a clear liquid over the period of one hour. The liquid smelt like aniseed but tasted vile.
About ten minutes before she had to go in for the scan she was fitted with a cannula so that a dye could be injected. After waiting an hour longer than expected so it was now 1.15pm the scan itself took place. The scan takes about 15 minutes after a 2 hour wait.
Now all we have to do is wait for the results when we see the Oncologist on 26th September.
Overall my friend is not too good at all. Still very tired and now suffering pain in the left side of her chest. We think she may have cracked a rib as she has lost so much weight it would be easy to do.
We are still taking each day as it comes, tomorrow is another day.
My friend had been poorly all week. We went for the Chemotherapy session on 7th September but having waited for an hour to be seen, we were told that the HB levels were too low for Chemo.
After some discussion with the Macmillan specialist nurse it was decided to discontinue the Chemotherapy sessions as there were only 2 more.
My friend has improved over this past week, but is by no means well. Her CT scan has been brought forward to 19th September and she is seeing the Oncologist on 26th September so we will find out more then.
What happens from here is any-ones guess, but we will keep plodding along.
Well my friend went for her chemotherapy session on Friday 31st August. The results of her blood test this week were positive in that all the levels had gone back up, so for now at least there is no need for a blood transfusion.
Unfortunately my friend hasn't felt so good since Friday, which is such a shame as she was doing so well. One of her biggest problems is having to keep opening her bowels. Although having avoided the curse of diarrhoea, the frequency of bowel movement is quite something, even in the early hours of the morning, she is woken with the need for the loo.
My friend has decided that at the end of this 3 week period of chemotherapy, she is going to wait until after the scan and seeing the Oncologist, before deciding whether to continue with the Chemotherapy, assuming she is given the option.
She is tired of the discomfort, the travelling, having needles poked into her and the concern that soon they will be unable to find a suitable vein. Each week it becomes increasingly difficult to find a suitable vein for the needle.
Still tomorrow is another day and everything could change.
We saw the specialist nurse, but she didn't weigh my friend so we don't know whether she has put on any weight and she is too concerned to try the scales at home. There was one concern as she may have to have a blood transfusion due to her blood count being low, but we are waiting until the next blood test 30th August in the hope that this won't be necessary.
My friend was put back on the steroids that help her to eat, because as soon as she stopped taking them her appetite started to fade. Now she is back eating fairly well, but not such large portions.
This week 24th August she has had a week off from chemotherapy, much to her delight, but unfortunately she is back next week and then another two weeks of chemotherapy before a C.T. scan. The scan will show whether the chemo has had any effect. If it has then the chemo will probably continue. If there hasn't been a change or the cancer has got worse then my friend has said that she will not continue.
Today 26th August, my friend has felt quite good and managed to do more than she has for some time. Only little things, but things non the less.
Looking back over the past few months we are in a better place now than we were, but we still take each day as it comes as tomorrow could be very different.
Another two weeks down the line and another two chemotherapy sessions behind us. Since seeing the specialist nurse two weeks ago my friend has improved still further on the eating front.
Now fancying all sorts of things,(some of which in the past she has hated and wouldn't even try), she is now eating close to normal size portions of food and has been for about 10 days.
Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much improvement in her weight and she still looks painfully thin, however she is seeing the specialist nurse again next Friday 17th August and she will be weighed again, so we will see.
Still gets very tired and even with food still can not do very much. What little she does manage quickly exhausts her and she has to sit down. She is in bed by 6 pm and doesn't normally get up until 10am the following day.
Still we mustn't grumble, we are better off now than we were a month ago!
