All change!

Today I’m tired. I think Neil is too, but he’s still being my rock. He’s at work today. We had a meeting with my oncologist last night who explained absolutely everything and gave us a big decision to make about my treatment. Maybe we feel tired because we have now realised the enormity of what we are facing. Its such a massive treatment plan with a massive surgery and such a long recovery time. It’s daunting, but definitely not insurmountable.

So…..
The reason we went to see my oncologist was that they had another MDT on Thursday afternoon. It involved Mr Berrisford the surgeon, Dr Elizabeth Toy, my oncologist, the doctors who performed the endoscopies on me and various other team members. They thrashed out my case for quite a while between them, but could not agree on the best treatment for me because they can’t quite agree on exactly where the cancer started. If it started in the top of my stomach it would need one type of treatment, and if it started in my oesophagus it would need another. The surgeons want to give me radiotherapy concurrently with a lower dose of chemo before surgery, and the oncologists want to blast Deirdre with heavy doses of chemo and no radiotherapy before surgery. In the end, they came to a kind of compromise and that was to offer me chemo/rad before surgery then 6 weeks of chemo after surgery to eliminate any possible baby Deirdres lurking in tiny spaces.

Neil and I had to make a choice between the pure chemo then surgery route, or, the joint chemo/rad treatment for 5 weeks, then surgery, followed when I’m recovered enough, with 6 more weeks of chemo.

I have to say at this point that we are extremely impressed by Dr Toy. She was frank, open and fair. Pure chemotherapy would be her choice, but she could also see the benefits from the surgeons arguments which she explained very clearly. Her Phd research was on treating oesophageal cancer so she’s extremely experienced and knowledgable. But then so is Mr Berresford with all his experience operating on my type of cancer. These are such highly respected doctors, how are we to choose? And how fortunate are we to have these professionals working so hard for my benefit? Its all pretty mind blowing and my respect for them (including my brother) grows by the day.

Dr Toy concluded by saying that the most important thing is to make a choice which our whole family is happy with, so if Deirdre returns in 10 years time, we will know that we made the best decision at the time, given all the facts.

Neil and I drove home discussing it and we both came to the conclusion that since it was the surgeon who had to operate on me, we would go with his preference. We called David who also agreed, although he too could also see the oncologists’ argument.

So………today we called them with our decision. They have cancelled the chemo session booked on 10th August and, instead, they are now drawing up a plan for the chemo/radiotherapy treatment which will start in about 2 weeks. Even if I were to go privately, she said it would take the same time before the first treatment. I know they are pushing me through as fast as they can. My brother in Leicester says its the same in his hospital.

And so we wait for a plan.

The good thing is that the date of the wedding is now pretty much irrelevant in all this. I will have had such little treatment before it that I should be pretty lively for our big day. And I even get to have my first tattoo!!! 3 in fact. Did you see Phoebe’s tattoo in the TV series Friends? Well I get 3 of those for the radiotherapists to position my radiotherapy treatment. So I will have 2 piercings (ears) and 3 tattoos (dots). Who’d have thought???

The house is still taking shape. We’ve framed and hung the paintings we sent home from S America, displayed the pots we bought, and our home looks wonderful. Neil’s huge hot tub arrived recently, which was an adventure in itself, so we’ve had more decisions to make with the electrician as to where to lay the cables etc. Next we’ll be digging ditches for cables and hopefully the hot tub will be up and running by the wedding.

Tomorrow Neil and I will drive to Port Isaac to start Neil’s swimming challenge to raise funds for the OPA charity. He intends to swim 100km by the end of the year.  Tomorrow’s swim is three and a half miles from Port Quin back to Port Isaac so we’ll be out all day on the beautiful Cornish coast. Eat you heart out Poldark!!

Life is never dull!!!!