Friday 30th December - What a day to have a clinic appointment with a cancer specialist! I suppose no day is a good day. Anyway , Rosie drove Bill ( my rock) and me  along to the Royal to see the oncologist. I thought , "This is going to be awkward because I have worked with this guy , so has Bill , and my sister is working with him at the the moment "!
  A wee aside - I forgot to mention that Bill was a cancer nurse specialist in the Royal and currently works with Macmillan Cancer Care on their helplines. My sister , Rosie , is a Cancer Research sister at the Beatson in Glasgow-such irony!
As I was saying , I thought it would be awkward , but , in fact , it was not at all. He welcomed us in to his room and said " I really don't know how to pitch this conversation , because of your knowledge of the subject". I replied , " Today I am a patient , so just treat me like any other patient please". Some people might say, "Why not go to another doctor?". My response to that would be ,"He is the best in his field , and I trust his judgement".
He explained that I had what is called a "Dukes C" cancer , which means that , although it was all removed , there was some lymph node involvement.The surgeon had removed twenty lymph and only four were affected.That was good news. He said I would need to undergo a course of chemotherapy to mop up any stray cells which were floating about . Must admit , I was a bit shaken with that as I thought the surgery would be enough , but he knew best.
 He told me the chemo regime I would receive is called FOLFOX - a combination of Folinic Acid, Oxaliplatin , and 5-Fluorouracil , with steroids and anti emetics as well.I would receive this every two weeks for six months .He said the side effects could be quite nasty , and would have a cumulative effect rather than hit me all at once.These effects included nausea,vomiting,diarrhoea, and peripheral neuropathy(altered nerve sensation ).He also said that everyone reacts differently and that I would be monitored every two weeks to see what effects I had , as adjustments could be made to the dosage. I told him that my wound was still leaking but he said this would not hold up the chemo- maybe I was just trying to stall him! He explained that I would get an appointment for the Beatson Cancer Centre in Glasgow to get a PICC line inserted and that I would start chemo a couple of days later.He said I would receive the appointment very soon.
Rosie took Bill and me  shopping after that - the first time I had been to the shops since my surgery , but I did not feel particularly great , so we just went home.

Thursday 5th January 2012- Got appointment through to have PICC line inserted.Load of information enclosed , including my chemo appointments for the next six months- seems strange to see it all written down in black and white. Information leaflet about the PICC line was very informative , if a bit frightening.My appointment was for the following Monday-that was quick!

Monday 9th January 2012 Morning- Appointment to have PICC line in at 10am , then to see oncologist at 2:30 to get chemo regime prescribed.
My darling daughter , Claire, gave Bill and me a lift in to the hospital , so we were there bright and early. I was a bit nervous- the first time I had felt nervous since all this had started.
 I was shown in to the procedure room and was introduced to the two nurses who would be carrying out the procedure.There were machines and trollies everywhere , and a radio in the corner! I had to go through a checklist , similar to a pre-op list and had to sign consent.
I lay up on the table and asked if the radio could be switched on , as I find that helps relax my patients when they are undergoing skin biopsies.The nurse agreed. My left arm was exposed and washed down with antiseptic. The nurse was explaining everything that she was doing , but I told her she did not need to bother , as sometimes anticipation can make you more tense. Some folk want to know every little detail , but I am not like that-each to their own! She did tell me when she was putting in the local anaesthetic in case I jumped at that , but I have discovered that I have a high pain threshold , so it was no bother. I did not watch what was going on , because I trusted the nurses expertise.To be honest , it was just like getting a drip put in , only higher up your arm , and a longer line!The PICC is designed to reach your superior vena cava and is intended to stay in position for the duration of your chemo-It stands for Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter.The procedure is carried using ultrasound so is actually better than going in "blind". I honestly never felt a thing and the procedure was over in twenty minutes.The external part of the line was taped in place on my upper arm and was to be my companion for the next six months.The nurse said I had good veins - cheers! Being a non-smoker does have its advantages!

The PICC line in place on my upper left arm.

It is actually quite comfy- if left alone!

                                                                                                                                               Afterwards , I had to go for a chest x-ray to make sure that it was in position.It was , so now I had to hang about for the afternoon clinic - the worst part was over and it wasn't that bad at all!



We went out for a walk as I had a few hours to spare and it was actually a pleasant day for January!The Beatson is in the west end of Glasgow and has some lovely parks and waterways near by.

Me posing just down the road from the Beatson

Monday 9th January 2012 Afternoon- Appointment with oncologist - he works between the Royal and Beatson , so it was the same doctor-I am not giving out his name as I have not asked for his permission, just in case some people were wondering! He said there was actually a trial going on to determine whether giving the same drugs for three months instead of six months was just as effective.He asked if I would be interested in taking part , although , as it was randomised , I would not be able to choose whether I got three months or six months.The trial was called the SCOT trial ( nothing to do with Scotland!)I agreed to take part as I know how important these trials are.I had to read through a load of information then sign a lot of forms- I would find out if I was getting three or six months before I started the chemo.I then had ECG and weight done before he prescribed the poisons!No questions, so he said he would see me on Wednesday when I was getting the chemo.Short and sweet....Home !