Monday 17 February 2014

Is it really that time already?



picture from here

The chemo trial I’m on calls for CT scans every twelve weeks to check how/if the swamp juice (TDM1 in my case) is working.  That’s fine by me.  I’d much rather run the risks inherent in regular bursts of radiation from the CT scanner than not know what is going on with my insides.  But it seems only five minutes ago that I was last scanned and bleating away about scanixety (the horrible waiting to hear what the scan has found).  But here I am again in scary land.  I celebrated my two year cancerversary last week (two years since diagnosis) with a CT scan.  Some time ago I was told that the average life expectancy for someone diagnosed with spread to another organ (lungs in my case) was two to three years.  So you can see why I am chewing my finger nails waiting to see the oncologist in two days time to find out the latest.

While I try to remain optimistic the fact is that at some point the chemo will stop working.  That’s the deal for those of us with secondary (aka metastatic) breast cancer.  If we’re lucky there’ll be another chemo or hormonal treatment that will hold things at bay for a bit but eventually we run out of options and the cancer comes out on top.  So, for now, I’m hoping and praying that my current chemo is continuing to give the cancer a bloody good slapping, and meanwhile the boffins in research labs develop more treatments or, dare I say it, even a cure.

While the above paragraphs sound pretty miserable (cancer is sodding miserable) I’ve actually been too busy of late to dwell on things too much.  I’ve been gadding here and there, resisting temptation and being insulted.

Gadding

I spent a couple of days in beautiful Oxford.  I love old stuff so it was just my cup of tea.  Look away now if you prefer modern architecture:






There were stacks of gargoyley things but these were favourites:

The donkey from Shrek?

The stuff of nightmares

Is it my lurid imagination or is this one poohing down a drainpipe? 

Also I spent time admiring the thoroughness of the road markings

Definitely no parking then
Resisting temptation

Sis no 1 dragged me back to Shropshire Cat Rescue but I managed not to bring any cats back home with me

even though there were cute shy ones

 
and Cyril look-a-likes
relaxed ginger poster boys

and, oh my goodness,
a sad three legged kitten in a jacket
Being insulted

I have been insulted by a complete stranger.  While I was out shopping a woman came up to me and said "ooh I do like your boots".  I smirked, lapping up the praise, only to be brought back down to earth with a bump when she added "I'd really like to know where you got them from, I've got wide feet and chunky calves too".
So that's my life at the moment, on the one hand anxiety and chunky calves but on the other poohing gargoyles and three-legged cats.  So, it's not all bad.


8 comments:

  1. Thinking of you del. Praying it's good news. They forgot my 2 yr mammogram and check completely so going in March. Have been anxious since Xmas so no idea how you cope. Xxxx

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  2. Ooh spooky dooky! I was only thinking about you a couple of days ago. Lovely to hear from you and hope you're doing well, apart from the sodding anxiety! I hope you sail through your March appt and can put it all on the back burner. I was told I was stable yesterday so that's a big sigh of relief from me. Take care and do stay in touch xx

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    1. So does stable mean no new ones and existing not growing. How often do you have to have this new chemo ? Are the side effects Ok. Really feel for you.

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    2. Yep, that's exactly what stable means - so good news (although, of course, shrinkage would've been even better). I have chemo every three weeks but the side effects with this one, TDM1, arena walk in the park compares to FEC and Tax. In fact I had my 13th cycle of TDM1 just two days ago xx

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  3. Hi Della, I just searched for gargoyle pooing down a drainpipe oxford, to see if there was evidence he had been put there on purpose, and the top result was YOU! So you are the internet specialist on pooing gargoyles, should anyone else search!. Really brilliant news obviously, but I am just here for the laughs! big lovexx

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    1. At last I have left my mark on the world. And what better way than by being forever linked to pooing gargoyles. You've made my day!

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  4. I'm no Frank Lloyd Wright but I think your photos of Gargoyles are in fact Grotesques..A Gargoyle is a carving with a spout through the mouth designed to convey rain water from the roof and the side of the building .While a Grotesque is an eerie stone figure...
    I have spoken to my cats about this and as six of them are black with the folk laws of familiars and the misunderstanding last halloween with nextdoors wellington boots they felt it better if this oversight was corrected..

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  5. I bow to the superior knowledge of your mogs :o)

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