D Days 189 - 190: Thursday 17 to Friday 18 February 2011

Sorry for the delay with the update; I had a busy day yesterday!  

Well as you know, we went to see Dr Madhava yesterday afternoon for the results of the CAT scan.  It's a sad old state of affairs turning up in the Outpatients department, with the prospect that you might be getting bad news - they certainly don't believe in fripperies there, believe me; it's an unwelcoming atmosphere and a long, boring wait to be seen.  Somehow that doesn't fit right with the so-called 'patient care' that's supposed to be so important.  Anyhow, the clinic was running almost to time (by which I mean that we were only 25 minutes late, instead of 45) and as usual we were shown into the depressing, windowless clinical side room where he seems to prefer to see his patients.  This time there was only one chair, so I perched on the examination couch while C had a look at the wheelchair scales parked on their side in the corner.  Lovely.  In comes Dr M, shakes C's hand and offers it to me, limp and warm, to shake, which I do because it's polite, even though he's clearly not bothered whether I do or not.  But this is all padding, so I'll get to it....


...basically the upshot is that the news is okay.  The treatment C's been on since November has shrunk the main tumour slightly, and there doesn't appear to be any spread.  Some of the attachment to his liver has been reduced and his bones are clear.  So the drug seems to have done some good, and it's holding the cancer at bay.    All good news, considering it could have gone the other way.  So we're cautiously optimistic.  Now, trying to ask Dr M any questions once he's delivered the news you came for is not easy...at this point he starts to back towards the door as he clearly thinks he's done his bit and is keen to leave.  He has put C on another month's cycle, during which time he (Dr M) is apparently going to discuss the case with the Southampton team (remember all those months ago when they were mooting surgery as an option?  Well that might be on the cards) to see what they think.  I asked what the benefits of that are as I wasn't sure - if the kidney is dead (as the biopsy in October showed 'necrotic tissue') then is it doing any harm leaving it there?  What I wanted to know was, is it worth C going through major, invasive, traumatic surgery and post-op recovery if it's not going to make much difference or improve things dramatically.  Dr M wasn't sure and said we'd have to wait to see what the Southampton team thought.  I was reluctant to do down the positive news we'd had and left it at that, and Dr M managed to sidle through the door, having given us the prescription for more treatment, and another blood test form.

And so that was that.  Good news really.  Although as things are still in limbo - we have to go back in six weeks time - I'm wary of jumping up and down and celebrating too much.  I know only too well from bitter experience that it's best to be cautious about these things so you don't end up being let down even more than you might have been.  But it has given C a lift, the realisation that he's done so well, has fought this thing tooth and nail and it has done some good.  The kids were chuffed obviously, as was Jill, so it means that life will go on as it has done, for a few weeks more at least.

We're off to the mainland tomorrow - he's decided he wants to buy a Land Rover Discovery and has found one in Stoke Mandeville, so off we go tomorrow.  Hope the weather's nice.