First the pills and now the pricks

Thank you all so much for the invaluable support which has in no small way contributed to an almost unbelievable mid term result with the Real 3 trial. By way of interpreting my title of today's submission I am delighted to say that it is in fact good news day: After a busy and anxious two days, I eventually arrived home yesterday evening from celebrating with Geraldine at our favourite Italian restaurant; Al Frescos in Fleet. Yesterday I had a re-scheduled (because of getting stranded in Spain) CT scan in preparation for the mid term review in clinic with Dr Gary Middleton, the chief oncologist running the Real 3 trial at The Royal Surrey Hospital, Guildford. We actually witnessed members of the research team as they scurried through the corridors chasing up the results of Tuesday's bloods and scan in time for the following day's meeting and I am happy to report that they showed that without a shadow of doubt I have won the first fight with Goliath, who is down..... but not out, after a technical knockout in my favour. His seconds and minions are also lesser entities now that the 3 months of chemo have taken their toll without, I hasten to add, hampering my health too much by way of the side effects.


The decision is therefore to carry on with the successful clinical trial and when the inevitable re-match occurs, hopefully after a long period in rehab and training for Goliath before attempting another shot at the title in a future fight (and coincidentally after rest and recuperation and close monitoring for me), then there are several very attractive options available to ensure he remains the under dog in this contest: These include a second session of chemotherapy using the tried and tested EOX combination of Real 3 or possibly inclusion on another new trial administered by the Royal Marsden. Although no further hot spots were detected, sadly but not surprisingly the incurable status has not been reversed and an operation is still out of the question. In a funny sort of way I am pleased with that situation; as wielding the surgical knife does seem to stir up a whole hornets’ nest in many cases and I am not sure I would want to risk that having as many metastases, even though now weakened by the chemo, lurking around my body. Presumably, without quoting specific timescales, my current quality of life can be more or less maintained and extended for a good period of time, and despite the tears and the frustration of unrealistic greater expectations en route to yesterday's clinic with Dr Middleton I now share the obvious euphoria (slight exaggeration) he displayed when announcing the results and saying that after a particular grueling day he was pleased to finish on a high note in having one of his easiest consultations.


The one downside bit of news was the discovery of blood clots in my lungs, which in the bad old days would have given cause for alarm but nowadays is fairly common place under the circumstances and instantly treatable as I discovered almost immediately after two injections of a blood thinning agent; a procedure now to be repeated on a daily basis by self administration for at least the next six months. So now as well as being a guinea pig I now also become dart board (One-hundred-and-eighty for the guy on the oché with the pills and the pricks)


Geraldine and I were almost the last to leave the Oncology outpatients department on level B of the St Luke's Cancer Center but both bearing beaming smiles unerasable by thoughts of the prospect of the snail's crawl in the mass of traffic leaving the Surrey Science Park and the following day's 5th cycle of chemo when returning to the Chilworth Suite day ward.


So in raising a very expensive, but equally as delicious, glass of Borola my toast is: Hoping life is treating you all as favourably as possible too!


Signing off by quoting the lyrics of a song by one of my favorite 60s groups, The Peddlers and one of my all time favorite artists, Babara Streisand:


"People who need people are the luckiest people in the world,


Lots of love and light


David X