263. Happy Anniversary

 

Yes folks, it’s a whole year since I said “Well, I didn’t expect that” when I got my Stage 4 diagnosis over Zoom. It feels like a lifetime! This glorious flower arrangement is a gift from lovely Trina to make the anniversary something positive and Dennis and I topped it by going out for a meal, his first social engagement in the real world since lockdown (you may, correctly, guess he’s not a social being lol). The only problem was that, although they serve their breakfast and lunch menu till 4pm, there was no food on so I was forced to resort to lemon drizzle cake. What a substitution.

Yesterday we went to the oncology clinic for my regular appointment with Dr U. He has obviously been spending a lot of time looking for solutions to my problem and definitely has some good ideas. Electrochemotherapy for my skin mets if they get worse and head to the surface. It’s a new treatment used for skin cancer, apparently. But I don’t need it yet.

I now know why I have an eye appointment. Dr U has been discussing my condition with the head of Ophthalmology - no, surgery is too dangerous; no, electrochemo won’t be possible there; yes, radiotherapy is a possibility (terrifying - it ruined my throat, so what would it do to my eye?? I cringe at the thought). Then Professor D suggested it might be useful to see me. About time too. I was meant to have a follow-up appointment last May! But this is Oculaplastics so maybe they will be considering if they can open up my eyelid again. Well, I’ll know on the 21st.

I’m to stay on capecitabine for the foreseeable future, until it’s definitely no longer working. There are new treatments offered in Manchester and Sheffield but they may not be right for me. He also realises that, for me to even get to Manchester would require drugging me to the eyeballs and chemo on top of that isn’t an easy option. There was something else but I’ve forgotten. Anyway, in the tradition of Seconds Together, here are Dennis’ and my waiting room feet. I should add that Dennis’s Doc Martens are 39 years old and have no wear on the heel to speak of. How’s that for longevity!! Actually, most of his clothes are probably older!