When I say "viral" what I really mean is that someone other than me has actually read it, so that's good; apart from the fact that he took the piss out of my overuse of brackets (I know I do it....you see, I've done it again).
Just had to have a read back over the last entry to see where I was up to. Spend so much time updating family/friends about where I'm at I forget half the time what I've told who....or should that be who I've told what? Whatever, it's a good job I have so few friends. Ha! And I have to tell a lot of people individually because some I want to know (and hopefully they want to know) precise details but others I just give general info. Funny the different reactions though; some, but not too much thankfully, sympathy and some encouragement. Funniest one is an internet friend who is just totally positive with eveything I tell him, every step of the way has been, "...brilliant news Mike!" If I told him I had three months to live he'd say, "....brilliant news Mike! That's much better than two!" Bless him.
Anyhow, it's Thursday morning and I'm off to Plymouth in a couple of hours for the scan, looking forward to lying down for a few hours 'cos I'm shattered. Jess moved house on Tuesday and I hired the van and Deb and I helped her. So work force consisted of a granny, a fifty something cancer patient and an eight month pregnant diabetic but somehow we coped. Jessie's other half had to work but luckily was on hand at the end, along with Josh who'd finished college, to move the fridge/freezer (which pinned my hand to the wall half way up a staircase, agony for a bit) and washing machine.
Going back to Monday and my first appointment with Mr Brightwell, finally got an almost certain diagnosis. He dug far deeper with his endoscope (camera up nose, I looked up what it was called) and is pretty sure he found the primary cancer on my voice box....so it's called cancer of the voice box/cancer of the larynx or laryngeal cancer. Good to have a name.
That reminds me. The day I was first diagnosed and had my tonsil out etc. I was in the ward post op and there was a guy in the bed next to me who'd been diagnosed a week. He was endlessly on his mobile telling everyone in a very loud voice about how he was going to "fight" it. He also had this brilliant idea that fighting cancer sounded too scary so he was going to call it George. Having told about fifteen people this story on his phone and putting it on his facebook for his five hundred friends to see he was then kind enough to tell me about it personally (because obviously I'd not overheard any of his conversations in the previous two hours) and to suggest I do the same. I thanks him for his sage words; though I really just wanted him to shut the fuck up.
I digress, Mr Brightwell also suggested that the radiotherapy would probably be for six weeks, which is on the high side, was hoping for four or five. Side effects get worse the longer it goes on apparently, so I'm a bit pissed off about that.....as the doc said, "The surgery's the easy part." Radiotherapy (along with chemo which is still a possibility) will start when I recover from the operation which will be after about four weeks I think, so with the op scheduled for next Thursday I'd have thought I'll be OK at Christmas.
Nearly forgot to mention that they did an x-ray of all my teeth because any that are in the area of the radiotherapy "beam" need to be in tip top condition to cope with it. Any that aren't will have to be removed. Now I know for a fact that I have at least one tooth that needs to come out because the dentist told me a couple of weeks back....hopefully they won't need to remove too many but I fear it may be a few. Luckily I think my front ones are pretty good so any gaps should be "invisible". The one positive thing is that they'll take them out while I'm under general anaesthetic next week so no visit to the dentist.
About it for now, just fancy a coffee but I'm within six hours of the scan so I'm only allowed water. Bollocks.
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