Testing times

Since I last posted I have been zipping to and from the hospital for tests.  These tests (blood, urine, heart, bones, and a full CT scan) are mostly to determine a base line before I can start on the drug trial, although if the heart tests reveal anything iffy I won’t be allowed to start at all.

I was amazed that all the tests were arranged so quickly and was congratulating myself on having been a feisty patient who had galvanized my local hospital.  Silly me.  It turns out that the drug company behind the trial is paying for the tests to be carried out, hence the hospital’s sudden ability to move faster than a snail’s pace.  I might’ve guessed.

The tests themselves have been quite exciting.  Sis no 2 kindly said she’d take me to hospital on Monday for the blood and heart tests.  The time we arranged for her to pick me up came and went and I was left waiting forlornly by the front door like a forgotten pint of milk.  I called her and found that she had got the time of the appointment wrong and wouldn’t get to me until after I was supposed to be at the hospital.  I then had five minutes of panic while I rang for a taxi and called the hospital to warn them I’d be late.  To be fair the hospital was very accommodating and everything worked out fine. 

Well fine-ish.  As a result of all the chemo my veins are not what they were and there was a lot of poking about with needles in order to get all the blood needed for the various tests.  Things then got worse.  I was bitching about my sister to the woman carrying out the heart test when there was a knock on the door.  I was informed that my daughter was waiting outside for me.  It was, in fact, my sister and she is 12 years older than me!  This was rapidly turning into a very bad day.  However Sis no 2 and her sainted husband then treated me to lunch and took me home.  So I polished my halo and decided to forgive her.  I’m like that. 

Yesterday I had the bone scan.  This involved being injected with something radioactive (only two attempts to get the needle in this time, yay).  And yes I was weird enough to check to see if my wee glowed afterwards and no, it didn’t.

A scary thing about these tests is, of course, the possibility that they find cancer elsewhere.  The most common places for breast cancer to spread are the lungs (got the T shirt for that one), bones, liver and brain.  When I had the bone scan I had to have a second scan as the hospital bods spotted something on my ribs during the initial scan.  They did say that the something they spotted was probably just damage from surgery but I’m not going to let reassurance like that stop me from worrying.  Next week I have a CT scan which includes my head so I can start worrying about what is going on in my brain too.  No sarky comments from you lot thanks.

Anyway, if all the tests are OK I will be starting on the drug trial on 11^th June.  Fingers crossed.

Stay tuned for next time when I will tell you all about the never-ending saga of the kitchen refurbishment.  Can you bear the excitement?  In the meantime have a soothing picture of Cyril, the three-legged monster cat, looking particularly relaxed.