The Results are in……

An agonizing week. I call it the huffing and puffing week! I kept myself as busy as possible but …… just the waiting. You just do not know what the scan might show. They can literally say anything. You just dread and try not to think bad thoughts but prepare yourself all the same…..

…….but without further ado… scan results show that my cancer is STABLE !

My scan showed no change from last time which means at this point everything is in control. I wanted it gone but it is still early days so I will take stable for now!

I was dreading any further bad news. Not sure if I could handle it. Well I would out of not having any choice but a break is what I need.

My oncologist asked me how I was in myself and I told him, this is probably the best I have felt over the last year. I seem to have settled with the lapatanib now, mentally too. I am bravely opening my throat to take those horse pills every day which incidentally, I made point of mentioning in the Patient’s voice conference I attended last week.

On hearing that I was feeling well, my oncologist seemed happier than ever. Dr Wasan was very pleased to hear this and mentioned that this was key in assessing the whole situation and how it was all going.

If there was disease progression then I should feel unwell and also with treatment, Dr Wasan is happier knowing that I have a quality of life rather than just a good scan. One without the other is just not successful treatment in his eyes! At this point, I was going to get my phone out and share my Maldives pictures but there was still too much to discuss so I refrained!!

This is Dr Wasan. My amazing oncologist. There are a lot of grey areas in cholangio treatment as we just dont have the data but I have 100% confidence here. Dr Wasan spends a lot of his time attending conferences all over the world to keep up with any advances, treatments, clinical trials and is pulling out all the stops for me.

Dr Wasan, is well known in his field. In all the conferences I have attended so far, I have mentioned that I am under Dr Wasan and every surgeon, oncologist and scientist gives me an encouraging look and they all say the same thing…..”Do not worry, you are in the best hands”!!

We work very well together….. obtaining off licence drugs etc!! We discussed all of this and next lines of treatment should the need arise. Dr Wasan is very clear with us and it does make everything that little bit easier.

I owe a lot to this man who’s job it is to keep my cancer at bay along with a load of other patients…… oh the pressure…..

Really and truly up to this point, I have not had the chance to take a picture with my oncologist as my appointments have been so freak out hairy. Here, a year on, a stable scan, feeling well and smiles all round…. I got my chance!

So where do we go from here? Well, I continue with my treatment for the next 8 weeks and then another scan to ensure everything stays the same. A heart scan should be coming up too quite soon, check that my little ticker is playing along! Might take my nurses with me as they have had a few shocks over the last few weeks!!!

While I was there at the hospital, I took the opportunity to ring ‘The chemo bell’!!

For those that dont know…… and why would you! There is this bell, appearing on all chemo units…… you ring it when you finish your treatment and are cancer free. Us stage 4 folk….. we may never get to that point. Some folk will never get to ring the bell. It is causing major issues amongst cancer patients because there is always a little verse that goes with it!!!

I don’t really have beef with the bell or what it stands for. I am not about to start war with the bell….. i have bigger fish to fry…… but my things is, I just felt like ringing the bell!!! Its like if someine gives you bubble wrap and you are not allowed to pop the bubbles. Everyone should get to pop the bubbles!!!

My journey will not end, I may not leave my cancer here, but I am a year on from my stage 4 diagnosis, I have just received the news of a stable scan. I show up every week and I plod on. I entertain my medical team and I don’t stick to the rules…….. so of course I rang the bell!!!! For all my stage 4 friends….. #JUSTRINGIT

Now all I need to do is find Peter….. and have a little word!!!!