Tuesday 29th: Home Free!

Much to my surprise I was allowed home this morning. We told during the doctor's round that the the Exeter CT report had been completed, and it showed approximately four lesions in my brain. Given that we have been told varying numbers from 5, to 6 , to 8, I'm beginning to wonder either about the technology involved or, possibly about the arithmetical skills of the people involved:-) Seriously though, it is possible that whole brain radiotherapy has reduced the number of tumours involved, or that the interpretation of the results is indeed a subjective opinion.

The plan now is to ask Bristol for a digital copy of past MRI and CT scans and to give these to the Exeter oncologist to whom I have been referred on Friday at 1100. What seems to have happened is that adjusting my medication, specifically steroids, has had the effect of stabilising some brain swelling which may have caused my past symptoms of nausea and instability. I continue to feel very tired and unable to concentrate but I doubt you will notice much difference in my day to day behaviour!

It goes without saying that a big thank you goes to everyone at the hospice and to everyone involved in the movement!

Monday 28th September: as planned

Apart from a little deviation when I managed to bring back all my painkillers immediately after breakfast, today went as planned. I had the CT scan of my head, which I hope will be reported tomorrow. Providing nothing untoward has emerged, the plan will continue for me to see an oncologist later in the week. With luck I should be home mid-week.

Having a spare afternoon we decided to take a short trip into town, and did a tour of the cathedral. It's a lovely 10th century building where they were already practicing carols - at least the treble and descant parts, but I suppose that these give the most trouble so need the most practice!

Sunday evening: home for a weekend: now back in the hospice

Rarely has a weekend passed so quickly: on Saturday morning Christine collected me from the hospice, PC bag, books and in hand. We had had a roast dinner with wine; by tea-time on Sunday I was back at the hospice (Danielle: wiki hospice) with the same paraphernalia under my arm.

In the mean-time we had gone home; visited Church where I had my favourite hymn (Psalm 23) sung in my honour; had a visit from a neighbour; and got back to the hospice by 1730.

On another note, a friend recently commented that Christine rarely rates a mention in this blog: I'd like to emphasise that this is at her own request. She feels that this is a description of my journey and that she does not want to influence its direction. Having said that, I'm extremely grateful for the prompt to mention her, because without her I doubt that I could make the journey at all, or that it would be a completely different journey altogether. The love, patience, support and outright courage that she brings to each new challenge that we face is just a wonder to behold and I cannot possible thank her enough for all that she does. I hope she knows, in fact I'm sure she knows that I love her as much as possible, and then some more.

Friday 25th update

After a couple days adjusting medication and observing results it has been decided that I should come home from tomorrow morning until Sunday afternoon. I will have a CT scan in Exeter, and this will be compared with the one sent down from Bristol. If, as seems probable, the recent poorliness, is due to pressure on my brain from a tumour or tumours, the plan will be to set a level of medication to keep me stable and send me home.

The plan further on will be to visit the Cromwell in London for a MRI scan to assess whether Gamma Knife treatment is still appropriate. It is difficult to self-assess one's mental state, but I do know that my own typing and interpretation skills have substantially slowed down; witness the fact that it has taken me over an hour to complete the above text; going any faster merely results in many more typing errors. It is therefore difficult to give any prognosis about time or condition. One can but hope that my condition will improve with the love and prayers of those whom I know are supporting me. My communication skills are amongst those most precious to me, so long may they last!

Greetings from the Hospice

As some of you may have heard I was taken into the Hospice yesterday after a sudden poorly period. I have had some tests and may have a CT scan tomorrow, so I'll let you know more when I know it myself.

I'm still quite confused and tired so I'd prefer blog comments and emails to general visitors please (having said which it was very comforting to see Alistair today, thank you).

New tyre needed!

Despite the suspicion on our part that the recent tyre repair had failed, we were wrong. It was indeed the same tyre, but it had collected two additional screws.

Anyway, the above episode made us re-think the fact that we don't belong to any breakdown recovery organisation. If anyone has any recommendations, or horror stories, please let me know. At present the RAC seems like the best bet.

Apart from that, and managing a short walk along the lane, I seem to be going backwards at the moment. Here's just hoping that it's a temporary blip.

This afternoon I staged a late rally, and did a bit of gardening. This mostly consisted of pruning some box hedging.

Anyway, that's all for now folks. Apologies for the inconsistent formatting today - I seem to have broken Google's automatic formatting and have had to revert to laying out in html. Do you sometimes get the feeling the world is against you?!

A trip to Lyme and a flat tyre:-(

I woke this morning expecting to feel somewhat more recovered than yesterday, whereas in fact my face is more swollen than yesterday, and I feel rather more limp. Still, not to be deterred, I suggested a trip to Lyme Regis for a customary ice cream on the Cobb. We had had a rear wheel puncture repaired recently, and you can imagine my displeasure when a kind citizen tapped on the window and informed us that...

Even so, we connected up the tyre inflator and brought the tyre up to 2 bar, where, fortunately, it seemed to hold. So we probably have a slow puncture, and it can wait until Chris goes to Honiton tomorrow. I didn't relish the prospect of changing a wheel on crutches, or from my wheelchair!

I could write at some length about a particular fascinating technical problem I'm playing with, but even I realise that no-one out there will be in the slighted bit interested in how to install and run an email server on a home network; so I won't. I'll just save this bit of knowledge to feel smug about to myself.

Tuesday: all over bar the sleeping!

It's Tuesday lunchtime and I'm back home already. The surgeon didn't manage to remove all the lumps on my scalp, for the reason that it would have created too much tension and there would have been a risk of stitches tearing. Instead, he opted to take out those lesions which were probably the biggest stumbling block to fitting the Gamma Knife cradle. Of course he was having to guess as until they do the scan he couldn't be cure which ones these are.

I had planned to attach a couple of photos showing the surgeon's handiwork, but to be honest there's not much to see; I look as if I've gone a couple of rounds with Joe Bugner. I've fallen asleep at least three times, just in typing the last two two paragraphs, so I'm going to quit while I'm ahead!

Now the dust has settled...

Well, the birthday is over, the medical plans for next week have been confirmed, and the cancer donation fund has reached its (arbitrary)target. We will be in Bristol for the first part of this coming week, although I will have my PC with me. I would just like to affirm my thanks to everyone for all their prayers, good wishes, cards, and donations in lieu of gifts; some of these were anonymous so I can't say thanks directly. I've had a truly memorable week, and, despite the prospect of yet more anaesthetics and surgery, I feel well set up to deal with what is to come. I couldn't really ask for more!

The weather is set fair this afternoon so the plan in to trim the rest of the lavender, the bay tree, the lawn, and sundry hedges surrounding the oil tank, the greenhouse, and the like. Of course I will have a little help with this; possibly to the extent that I'll be watching and instructing in the use of power tools...

Happy Birthday to me!

Medical update

We saw the plastic surgeon at lunchtime yesterday and agreed a plan to remove the lesions on my lip, chin, eye, and as many of those on my scalp and he could accommodate without giving me the 'too much plastic surgery' taut and shine skin finish favoured by Hollywood elder statesmen and women. Unfortunately the location and time involved means having a general anaesthetic, which I prefer to avoid, but never mind.

Birthday update

We hadn't planned it to this level of detail but as soon as we arrived at the hotel I realised that the location was perfect. It's a Cotswold hotel (where I hail from); combined with supreme comfort, service and a Michelin star that even Giles Coren couldn't rubbish:see http://tinyurl.com/mydefm; and cognac topping out at £105 per shot of which our sons mercifully didn't avail themselves after we went to bed.

The Owen clan haven't been together for a while now, and the girlfriends haven't even met before so it must have felt quite strange for them. However they seem to have got along famously from the outset. Actually, given that, as one remarked, she couldn't believe how similar the chaps were to one another, it's perhaps not too surprising that their chosen partners got along too!

For those who would like a peek at what we got up to, have a look at http://picasaweb.google.com/lamarkii/60thBirthday#.

Donations to Cancer Research

Finally, to all those folk who kindly donated to my fund, and/or sent me cards and messages of good-will, can I say a huge thank-you. To my family, and most of all to my lovely wife, whose care, affection and organisational skills pulled off the above and so much more in our lives, a big, big thank-you. The whole day has been just perfect.

George

Busy, busy

Medical update

As predicted, today turned out to be busier than of late. I duly went down to the hospice to have the infusion, and got into a major review of medication which led to upping some pain-killers, adding anti-biotics to counter a possible infection, and drawing lines on my leg and taking photos to mark the possible march of a red line up the aforesaid limb! We then hared back to Axminster where I had a leg x-ray to check for potential instability as a cause of the increased pain. I will say that the doctors at the hospice are nothing if not thorough! They also seem to share my scepticism about the advisability of amputation, and feel that they have lots more to offer in their chemical arsenal before we resort to the saw and knife. I know who I'm backing!

Anyway, it's the big day tomorrow (well, the day before the big day). Alex, the eldest and Jo arrived back safely from Vietnam in the last twenty-four hours and so are on schedule to join us for dinner at the hotel. Let's hope they are awake!

That's all for now. I need a good early night tonight!

Another busy period starting!

Medical update

As most of you know things have been relatively stable, with increasing pain in my leg being the main source of concern. After going through this otherwise quiet patch, things are starting to hot up a bit. I had to arrange a blood test today to check my blood count, prior to having an infusion of a drug which is designed to strengthen the bone in my leg, which is where a major source of cancer is located.

So tomorrow I'm off to the hospice in Exeter for the infusion tomorrow morning. Happily they are also experts in pain control, so I'm hoping that they can advise me on reducing the pain with drugs, thereby hitting one bird with two stones!

On Thursday we travel to Bristol for an appointment with my skin specialist to look at removing the lesions on my eyelid, scalp and shoulders. However, the same evening we are staying at the Lucknam Park Hotel for my family birthday dinner (see 29th August entry in the blog). This should provide some welcome light relief from all the medical stuff!

Any surgery to remove skin lesions will take place on Monday 14th September in Bristol, which should give plenty of time for wounds to heal before the Gamma Knife procedure in London. on 14th October, which will hopefully remove the larger lesions in my brain. However we need to be careful about which ones are removed, as the Gamma Knife relies on a cradle being fixed to my skull to precisely locate the ray guns. I'd hate to have screws going into recent lesion remove sites!

This is becoming a regular jaunt!

I think it's an indication of improving health that I feel up to taking a short trip out each day; today it was Axminster and Lyme Regis. We managed to buy a pill dispenser with which to manage my increasing stock of tablets. I freaked myself more than a little a couple of days ago when I could remember whether or not I had taken my morphine; doubling the dose could have had very exciting consequences:-).

We achieved no more than a double ice cream in Lyme, where we also watched a bride taking her first steps along the Cobb - very picturesque!

There is a downside to the increased activity; the pain levels in my leg have shot up further, so we are back into the loop of adjusting dose levels to bring it under control again. This is all getting rather repetitive, for which I apologise. I will have to think about reporting less detail, less often in order not to bore you again.

Another lunch out!

Someone commented today that we seem to be going out to lunch rather often. In fact we did go out today - to River Cottage Cafe canteen in Axminster, where we took Michael and Sue to celebrate his birthday. It wasn't a particularly significant number - just a higher number than mine:-)

I've little to report on the medical front, apart from an increase in pain levels in my leg. We've embarked upon the now familiar juggling of doses of the two/three main painkillers, to try to stabilise it again.

Looking at Google Analytics I can see that the visit rate to the site is showing a slow but steady decline, which I regard as a good thing. My reasoning is that no news is good news, and the longer that lasts the better!