Things have changed

Things have changed in the past few days and I now face  a more indefinite and complicated few months, probably more like a year than a few months, but with a few hurdles thrown in just to keep me on my toes.

The next step will be an MRI scan on my liver, which hopefully will show no spread to there. They have spotted a couple of lesions which require investigation but I'm hopeful that they will prove to be non cancerous.

Once they give me the all clear on that I will start five or six weeks of radiotherapy, followed by another six weeks of waiting for the radiotherapy to do it's business and reduce the tumour to a size that will allow Douglas to operate safely and successfully.

Unfortunately the tumour is larger and deeper than they first thought, prior to them viewing the MRI scan, although he did warn me that this could be the case. He phoned me the day after their meeting to talk me through all this. Not really talking it through, as I'm left having to go along with whatever he suggests and recommends.

He tells me that the tumour is in a difficult spot and hard to get at. He hopes that the radiotherapy will reduce it sufficiently to give him enough of a margin to remove it successfully and not leave anything behind. He will not be able to give me a prognosis on my cancer until he has operated. He is doing everything to give him the best possible chance of success. I will have to trust him. There was a moment after his call on Friday when I doubted him, but I guess that's normal. I'm back to full trust in him now, in fact I was soon after his call.

So as you can imagine I've not had an easy few days. I've over the initial shock of his call now and getting on with life. I'm back to waiting for news of scans and therapy starting. My life in their hands.

Meantime I feel quite strong and determined, knowing that the next year is going to be the hardest of my life, and there have been a few difficult ones I can tell you. Peru is out now before Xmas but still on for next year.

Part of my therapy will be writing this blog. It's not quite what I had in mind for my blog when I started it back in August 2006. Hard to believe that was seven years ago. But I'm glad of it now as it helps me focus, and maybe helps people I know and love keep up with my progress. I aim to put a post up every day, even if it may only be a few lines some days. I hope I don't bore you all. I will try to keep it interesting and even make it my work of art. Hmmmmmmm............. don't think so Donald.....