Kaz saw the surgeon recently and it all seems to have been a success. She’s been given the full go ahead to build the muscles back in her right arm and begin to get back into Bowling and Darts.
Getting back to normal is a real sign that it’s over and been beaten. After a year of upheaval and concern, it’s so good to forget about the past year and look forward.
Now it’s time for my Blog to become a normal diary and not be dominated by that two word tag. I’ll enjoy seeing those two words shrink in size on the Tags Cloud in the sidebar.
Today Kaz had an appointment with her Oncologist. After a quick examination he told us that he didn’t need to see her again. Not surprisingly he fully understood her response of ‘Excellent’.
Just keep taking the pills was his only recommendation.
Kaz has completed here treatment, well apart from a pill per day for the next four and half years! Her fifteenth radiotherapy session was today. For me, as a bystander, it seems to have flown by, but I’m sure it’s been a long haul for Kaz.
Thankfully it all went better than we could have expected. So onwards and upwards now. Back to work for her after the Easter holidays. She’s already pushing it behind… what a girl!
Today Kaz had her first Radiotherapy. There was a lot of waiting around, but with free hospital transport, it’s something that has to be accepted. At least she got to read a lot more of The Bone Collector.
Easter this year will be a milestone for us, Kaz’s treatment will be complete apart from a hormone pill a day for the next 5 years.
Today Kaz had an appointment at the district hospital to be tattooed. The three dots are required to ensure precise alignment of the Radiotherapy machine. Her 15 treatments begin in a week or so.
Today Kaz had a follow up appointment with her Oncologist. He seemed genuinely surprised that a CT scan had been arranged. Although 3 lymph nodes had been found to be positive, he said that he would be amazed if the cancer could have spread at all during a course of chemotherapy. That’s a relief.
Kaz now faces a three week course of 15 radiotherapy treatments at a hospital 35 miles away, in three or four weeks time.
Kaz received a little pot of liquid (Gastrografin) in the post yesterday. She has to mix it with squash and water up to a pint and drink it at 10pm tonight, in readiness for her CT Scan in the morning at 8:30. Will she glow in the dark tonight?
On arrival tomorrow she has to drink another cocktail and then wait an hour for that to circulate before having her scan.
Good work to the hospital for getting her in the CT scan so promptly.
Today we attended Kaz’s first follow up appointment after her surgery.
Her wound needed aerating and some more fluid was removed. They are happy with the progress so far and her next visit will be in four months time.
The slightly worrying news was that thirteen lymph nodes were removed from under right arm and three of them were described as ‘positive’. Thank goodness they were taken as a precaution. A CT Scan will be carried out because of those nodes, another unnerving time to come.
The first of many prescriptions for Hormone tablets (treatment type number 3) was written and tomorrow she begins taking one tablet per day for the next five years!
An appointment for her course of radiotherapy will follow soon, that will be treatment type four, as predicted by the surgeon on the very first day.
On the plus side, Kaz’s hair is like a new born baby’s now and growing well.
Around 10am today the District Nurse removed Kaz’s drain. She is very relieved and glad to see it go.
The next step is a follow up appointment on Wednesday at the hospital.
On the plus side, I’ve learnt to read ‘woman’ over the last few days. I’m sure you all know that washing machines are written in ‘woman’ and it is a tough language for men to learn. But I have a vague idea what Cottons and Synthetics are now and some other technical values like temperature and spin speeds. 
Thankfully my Mum has offered to do some of that other difficult alien task for men… ironing I think it’s called. Apparently it involves using an electrical appliance of some sort and a board?
Today another Nurse attended and found that a further 30ml had drained overnight, so the drain stays in another day. Kaz is clearly disappointed, but it’s <30ml in a day is criteria to remove a drain as a general rule.
The Nurses have been great so far, very reassuring and have helped a lot. They do a tough job very well.