Dodged the Hodge?

• “Baby when the lights go out”,
• “Ich bin ein BEACOPPER”,
• “Scantastic”,
• “Things are finally looking up for good ol’ Steve Ward…”
• “All hail the good news shoes”
• “Miracle number 2… Done!”
• “Cancer… What Cancer?”
  

All some of the titles I have been thinking of for 5 months or so, since the blog started, to break the news when I finally got a clean scan. Well, I am pleased to report that, give or take a long conversation with a Dr that we don’t need to go into, the day is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, as NOT publicised on this blog (in order to save panic and hysteria amongst my faithful readership) I had my 4 cycle (of BEACOPP) PET scan last week. I got the results yesterday. According to the trial I am on (RATHL), a negative (clean) scan would mean 2 further cycles of BEACOPP to “make sure” and a positive (dirty) scan would mean no more BEACOPP, but either salvage chemo and a stem cell transplant (intense treatment i.e. Last Chance Saloon) or Radiotherapy.  My scan, predictably if you know me, was… inconclusive… Wha?????????????

Basically, my bulky chest mass was clear, negative, clean sorted! BEACOPP had done the job, praise the Germans and buy a Hasselhoff album (OK, Single). Everywhere else was clean too. That is except for a tiny area in my neck.  This was reported as MRU (minimal residual uptake) which means that it could be disease but equally it could be inflammation or infection or chemo (my scan was only a few days after my last infusion and that last infusion always gives me a sore, swollen throat).  The Docs had decided that we should biopsy the node in question to find out.  Thing is, my Doc, Dr. S. couldn’t find the thing, he got a colleague, Dr. Woodcock, the man with the finest fingers in Walton, “If he can’t find it, no one can” said Dr. Sidik.  Well, nothing, Woodcock could not find a node in a node… errrr node factory?  So what now?  Well, we had a discussion and ultimately the consultants agreed that there was a very good chance this could be a false positive. Oh my word, could this be some good news after months of ups and downs? It was agreed that we should speak to the trial coordinators, who will have more experience of this type of thing, to see what we should do.

Roll on today and a call from Dr. S who breaks the news… ” The Professor…” (that’s right, not just a Dr. But a Prof)! “…The Professor who run’s the trial has said that we should treat the scan as a negative scan…” Oh my this is it! The various, esteemed members of the medical profession have decided that it is more likely than not that my light on my scan is a false positive and that I am therefore probably clean!!!  This is it, I have beaten (probably) the Hodge!  I am there, end game, lights at ends of tunnels, deadlines, end points, game over for stupid cancer!!!!!

So, I get 2 more chemos (great news in a wierd way) and the only difference is that they may throw in an extra scan just to check that it was either a false positive, or if not that the final chemos have wiped out what was left.  Worst case scenario now is that something still lights up and we zap it with radio for a few days.  But Dr. Sidik has predicted this next scan will be negative completely (may I add here that Dr. Sidik’s predictive reputation surpasses that of a certain 8 tentacled sea dwelling creature whose name rhymes with “Ball”). I have already been told that I will avoid (for now at least) the world of Stem cell transplants and salvage chemo and hospitalization!

So, 4 more weeks of chemo, starting today (my, it is late) then the recovery begins, the hair comes back, I can drink beer again (although I did use my week off chemo to sink a few pints), I can build up my strength and most importantly I can return a few favours to Eve in terms of support and help.  I am going to be back to normal in time for my baby to arrive and then its Wardy 1 – 0 Cancer (even if Cancer did play dirty like the Netherlands).

I’ll keep you updated, as always, with chemo and baby’s and things, but thanks all for the positive vibes, prayers, candles lit and general good vibes… I owe you one!

its been emotional… Wardy!

Time to Celebrate!

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