Skip to main content

CT update.

 So following on from our last update, chemo was paused to allow the round Tony had been given to run it's full course. It wasn't safe to continue with that particular chemo reigme due to Tony's reaction to it. We had a CT scan on monday as the surgical team wanted to see if the chemo had shrunk the tumor any.

 There was an MDT meeting this morning and our amazing nurse Mel has called with an update.

Good news (bear with me, i'm always searching for the positives). We don't yet know if we're going for a different chemo, or if it's surgery. Now, that could be seen as frustrating or negative, and yes, it's a bit annoying..... BUT, both the chemo team and the surgery team are happy to go ahead with treatment. That means we still have two curative treatment options.

Brilliant!

The hold up is heart health. Both teams would like the cardiology guys to have a check on how Tony's heart is recovering and go from there. Yes it's another delay, but both teams are happy to go ahead and treat him.

Fantastic! 

So we wait for a heart MRI.

On the positive side, in the time that chemo has paused the CT shows no signs of growth, the affected lymph nodes are slightly more enflamed, but everything looks stable.

Hearing that really put our minds at rest. Naturally, while treatment is paused, the concern is that it could be growing or spreading.  It's huge to hear that it's stable.

Something I've found along this journey is that it's really hard to be, or stay positive. Everything seems to feel like a knockback. I've lost count of the amount of times I have thought (excuse my language)  'oh for f*ck sake!' . 

If you can find positive in something, please do, and hold onto it tight. If you're struggling to see the positives, reach out. Feel free to drop me a comment or message about what's going on, i'll help you look. Sometimesa a different set of eyes can make a differencee.

Okay, so chemo is paused, yet again we face a delay....... Negative.

The cancer hasn't grown. We have 2 curative treatment options available to us. The team at the hospital are happy with everything...... Positive.

Try and stay upbeat, even when it's hard. Take a moment, breathe. You know how, when children fall over, think of it like that. A little one trips up, grazes a knee perhaps. We pick them up, brush them off, clean their wound and then encourage them to carry on playing or doing whatever activity they were doing when they fell.

Try and do that with yourself. Some days will be hard, you will fall. So stop, take a breather, brush yourself off, and when you're ready, crack back on. 




 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

First Chemo.

 Our first chemo experience has been far from normal! As advised Tony started his steroids the day before chemo ( dexamethasone ). Steroids are given to take the day before, the day of, and the day after chemo. Our understanding is they help with the side effects and will giveTony a bit of a boost. It's advised to take them at breakfast and lunch as they can cause insomnia if you take them too late in the day. We arrived at the chemo ward nice and early. We took plenty of layers for Tony, aware that the chemo would cause an extreme sensitivity to cold, lots of snacks and a book to read as we were expecting to be at the hospital for up to 6 hours. We were taken into the chemo lounge which is a really bright and calming space, there's a tv on the wall playing relaxing music, the nurses are all upbeat and friendly. Tony got comfortable in one of the patient's chairs and one of the chemo nurses walked us through what to expect for the day. Tony's PICC line was flushed and h...

A little about us and how Cancer came to be.

 Hey! Thanks for joining us and taking the time to read this. Long story short, if you're looking to read a blog about living with Oesophageal Cancer, you're in the right place! Short story long.... My name's Jo, I'm in my early 30's, live with Type 1 Diabetes and I'm partner to Tony. In November 2024 Tony was diagnosed with Stage 3 Oesophageal Cancer. We've started this blog to raise awareness, our experiences, tips and things we've learned along the way.  The highs and lows, good and bad. Oh and have a good vent every so often too! So how did we find ourselves here? - PS, there's going to be a lot of plurals in here, lots of ''We''. While it's Tony that has the Cancer, I promised him from the start that he won't face a single moment of this alone, and as a result ''we'' have Cancer. Tony has had acid reflux for a long time, years in fact. It's always been managed with over the counter tablets like Nexium ...

Surgery week tips for the carers.

 I will be posting an update on a what to expect day to day with all of this, both from the patient's and the other person's perspectives. Before i head into writing those though there's something i feel is really important to share. Maybe someone can learn from my mistakes. We felt reallly prepared going into surgery week, we had done lots of research on the procedure, recovery, medical terms used, what pipes ro expect post surgery, monitoring for issues or complications. I'm not taking anything away from the brilliant people who work in our NHS, or drawing a paralell between me on the good old google, and someone who had an education and career in this field. Tony and i are both very information driven and ready for pretty much anything. I felt prepared. I forgot one part of all of this... I approached Tony's operation clinically, I didn't approach it as the partner of someone who was about to undergo a life changing major operation. I'm very lucky in that...