The long Trek, (Part two)
After the initial diagnosis following the endoscopy I was sent back to my GP with a letter.
The following morning I had an appointment with my General Practitioner.I handed over the letter which he read,and which seemed to shock him.He arranged for me to be fast tracked to the District Hospital,and and generally tried to reassure me as much as he could.
Time passed very slowly,and our anxiety persisted.On the appointed day,two weeks later,I was summoned to the department of Haematology. After waiting what seemed to be a long time,and numerous procedures by Nursing Staff,which included blood tests,blood pressure checks, being weighed,etc., I was finally seen by the consultant who would be in charge of my care.
Once he introduced himself,he proceeded to examine me.He told me during the examination that the biopsies had established that I was suffering from a Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.He called in another doctor,who also examined me.
He felt my stomach ,and when I remarked that his hands were very cold he grinned and informed me that that was nothing,and that he would in fact be poisoning me with lots of chemicals.All this was said with a broad grin.I immediately took a liking to him.They let me feel the lump in my abdomen, and explained that I would be treated with chemotherapy,and that the future looked quite favourable.
I had also been asked to stay to have a bone biopsy performed to establish whether there was any evidence in of the disease in my bones.Having assisted with this procedure during my career I was not looking forward to this.
However, I needn’t have worried my consultant carried out the lengthy procedure with the minimum of difficulty.He informed me that I had very strong bones,while he was doing it, and that he was concerned that the biopsy needle might bend, hence the slow progress. I advise him to get a drill from Homebase. We both had a good laugh, which was good.
I was told to wait a while before going home.The waiting room was very comfortable ,with a television, books, and a small charity cafe where one could purchase all sorts of food and refreshments.
So that was it.I looked around and saw many worried faces,deep in thought,obviously struggling to come to terms with their problems.Some old, some young,and quite a few wearing beanies to hide their bald heads.
I started wondering if my hair would fall out after chemotherapy.? When I got home after a long tiring day,I told my wife what had happened,and casually mentioned that if my hair should fall out I would be able to get a wig.In fact I would get two wigs, one for the week in my normal colour, and a ginger one for the weekends.This gave us a good laugh, and cheered us up .
Within a few days I received an appointment to attend the Haematology Day Unit for my first shot at chemotherapy.Now for the reality of treatment. well at least i did not have to wait for too long,what a blessing.
To be continued …