My extended family have been especially great. We have been though similar experiences with my Uncle and his lymphoma, my Aunt and her breast cancer, and I still can't get over how my Auntie Boo manages to still know all the right things to say! Especially when she's battling with her own treatment as it is at the moment. She is one truly amazingly strong woman!
My housemates have been absolutely lovely too, and considering the incredible amount of stress Grace is having to go through with her research project, I cannot thank her enough for taking on so much extra stuff for me too. I phoned her yesterday and found out that half the proceeds for Sweet Anatomy (a veterinary-related cake baking competition run by the final year RVC students), which I had been organising and have since had to hand over, are going towards Teenage Cancer Trust. It was amazing and humbling to hear, so if there was ever a good reason to bake a cake - now is the time! 16th February - get it in your diaries!
I can't write this entry today without thanking my landlady too. She has been so helpful in sorting my accommodation and rent out, and I cannot thank her enough for taking the strain away of having to scrape together the rest of my rent for the year. On the same note, if anyone knows of anyone who may be interested in renting a room on a temporary basis in Potters Bar between March and the end of August do let Grace know :).
I received my first lot of IV chemo yesterday too, which was the Daunorubicin (a rather terrifyingly bright red/pink coloured liquid) and Vincristine. I'm on daily Dexamethasone 5mg PO BID, Allopurinol SID and Lansoprazole 30mg PO SID (a kind of gastroprotectant for the steroids - wouldn't want to actually end up with stomach ulcers now would I, considering that's what we thought the initial problem was to begin with!). All went smoothly, so happy days!
In addition to all the 'cancer-fighting' drugs, fertility is obviously a concern for any female going through this disease and regimen. The nurses and doctors have been most helpful and are able to give a drug called Zoladex every 28days SC to help send your ovaries to sleep (it's a kind of GnRH analogue). Fertility with this regimen is somewhat affected regardless of what you do, and your chance of being infertile creeps up only slightly against that of the general population, but it's good to know what options there are. Due to the rapid onset of treatment required for my condition, the Zoladex is by far the best option for me, and I'll be honest, I didn't think much of a subcut injection every 28days when it was offered.
Then, however, it comes to the injection... The Zoladex itself is a small pellet, about the size of a grain of rice, which sits in your subcut tissue, slowly releasing its drug and disintegrating over 28 days. The only issue is, did I mention, it's about the size of a grain of rice, or to those people in the vet world - a newer style microchip... The needle and contraption itself is about the size of that we use to give microchips! Cue me being a wuss and requesting EMLA cream! In my defence, the student nurse performing the injection had already admitted to me twice that she hadn't done one of these before. But everyone's got to learn somewhere, and I certainly can't complain when I'm in the same position myself! (Even though every part of me was then on tenterhooks!) So anyway, we apply the EMLA, let it do its magic, and I try to lie as still and relaxed on my bed as physically possible. Lottie is sat watching everything at this point, and once the needle is in, and the student nurse is having to squeeze the handles of the contraption to insert the pellet, she helpfully encourages the nurse with "Give it some welly!" Pellet is inserted and the rather large needle removed. Cue a slightly shocked look on the nurse's face and her going "OH GOD!", as she grabs a swab and puts pressure on the bleeding hole in my stomach. I'm guessing she's not seen a microchip done before! :P But like all bleeders, after a bit of pressure, all is fine. Although, I do advise her that in future the aim is to not look panicked and say "OH GOD!" loudly in front of the patient - doesn't necessarily put them at ease! :P Thank god us vet students get to practise most of our skills away from our patients' owners! And we all have to start somewhere, and I'm more than sure that there are plenty of vets and medics out there who know exactly how that poor student nurse felt! :) Just makes me want to get back training again as soon as possible now!
My main aim today was to spend some well deserved R&R with Phil, and seeing as there is minimal going on this weekend, my next update with probably be Monday :). If anyone wishes to chat to me the best thing to do is download the Viber app for your phone, as signal in this place is poor to say the least. But if that's all I have to complain about, I think I can more than live with that!!
As you can see below, Dad's certainly been enjoying some well-deserved chillaxing today! Am so glad he can feel he's allowed to relax through all this drama! Everyone does need to remember that - you all need to look after yourselves too!
Don't think Flo is impressed by the smells protruding from Dad's feet at this point! :P
Much love to you all, and thank you to everyone who has been so kind to send cards, and donations.
xxxx
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