99.6% Hodge Free **

Hi blog fans. It’s been a while so please allow me to provide a bit of an update, and before you get too excited, there’s no sign of the baby yet. He/She seems pretty comfortable where they are. Due on Friday but we’ll see!

I had another PET scan back on the 16th September and got the results today. There is still a low-level light up in my neck node, as well as further shrinkage. It’s now 13mm, the same size as a normal node, but the light up is worrisome. The report says it could be inflammatory or reactive tissue and requires a biopsy to determine if it’s anything or not, the Doc says it’s too damn small to get at, so we will err on the side of caution and send in a precise tactical strike of radiation!

As for radiotherapy, I am not overly worried by this.  From what I have heard it is nothing compared to Chemo and should only take a couple of weeks.  Furthermore, I expected to have this treatment from the outset anyway as its commonly used in combination with chemo for patients with bulky disease (my chest was this). Each appointment will last a matter of seconds as well.  I would expect some bad “sunburn” on my skin and a sore throat, both of which short-lived.  The worst part is the travel, my local hospital are currently building a radiotherapy suite thanks to the Marina Dalglish appeal but it isn’t due to open until 2011.  So I have to travel about 30 minutes away, through a toll paying tunnel to Clatterbridge on the Wirral (The Darkside).  It’s this that could impact on work, but that will depend on when I can schedule the appointments.

I’ll post more on this later once I have seen the radiation Dr and got some more info.

So, as for everything else, my blood counts are all back to normal range with the exception of my whites which are still a tad low (safe though).  My main Dr doesn’t want to see me for another 7 weeks and all in all I am not expecting any further tests (or test results) until next year! Just the radio.  I have a tiny amount of activity left (may or may not be Hodge) and after sending in the chemo troops to wipe out most of it (and regaining control of the mediastinal region) the remaining insurgent activity is a small pocket located in the Clavicular bad lands (the neck); we’re targeting this activity with a direct, tactical strike, saving any kind of nuclear action (SCT \ Extra strong Chemo) for another day.

My next update will hopefully be baby related, I will try to get pics on soon after the event.  As soon as that happens and we meet Barnes10 I get 4 weeks off work and some quality time with the new family!

Keep you’re eyes peeled (horrible thought).

Steve

**13 pesky millimeters left, that is nothing!  when they calculate your drug doses they work out your surface area, based on that figure and the 13mm discovered today I reckon I am 99.6% Hodge free.

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