I'm Home

I am so relieved to be home already. My treatment regime has been changed and I did not need to stay in all night for the new one.

I arrived good and early, had my blood sample taken just before nine and was talking to Doctor K before 9.30. It was a long discussion and she realised that my tolerance to the platinum based treatment was simply inadequate. She explained that the side-effects were cumulative and that made frightening sense.

I had experienced some dizziness during the first cycle but it had been little more than a nuisance and had passed after a couple of days. During the second cycle it had really knocked me over so it was clear that if it were to be even worse during a third cycle I would probably find it difficult to get out of bed safely.

At first she said that they wouldn’t have any stocks of the alternative treatment and it would mean delaying my treatment for a week but that it did not involve an overnight stay as it took only a couple of hours. That in itself was a great relief and would greatly ease Ann’s anxiety. She left me for a time to make arrangements.

She returned after about half an hour with good news. They had a treatment available today and would administer it during the afternoon. She apologised saying that it would mean hanging about for about four hours until both it and a treatment station were free. I reckon that was a decent deal so I agreed to it and rang Ann to tell her the good news.

In fact the treatment started just after one o’clock, went through smoothly and I was home just after 4pm.

During the treatment one of the nurses who I’ve talked to several times before drifted in for a chat on her way off duty and told me what a battle with the hospital management my consultant, Dr W, had had to get the treatment for me today. It seems the unit where I was treated usually closes after lunch but after a rather bad-tempered discussion he won. Had he lost and my treatment been delayed by a week they would then have had to re-arrange my MRI scan currently booked for next Tuesday as it would have been too early. It might not have been possible to get a new slot before the end of September as the kit is heavily used and he didn’t want things to drag on like that.

As it is the MRI scan is close enough to the end of my three cycles to give a very good indication of success or failure. Ann and I will see Dr. K two weeks today to discuss the results of the MRI scan and my bladder’s fate will be decided.