Bye bye bag

Are you still there? ... I thought I had better check rather than presume you are hanging on for this long overdue post.

The Hickman line removal was a complete success. I have a new scar to add to my collection of 6 which I have accumulated over the past year. It's healing nicely and there were no complications (phew).

The paresthesia (pins and needles, tingling and numbness) in my hands and feet has got progressively worse. I find hand writing difficult (but I can still type!) and I am all fingers and thumbs. I seem to drop things easily but, thanks to the numbness in my feet, it doesn't hurt when I step on the broken debris on the floor. The consultant says that this side effect is very common after chemotherapy and it will improve, but it may take up to 6 months to get over chemotherapy completely. On the plus side, the tiredness is gradually improving and I can now walk to the shop and back (1+ miles) without collapsing in a heap on return. I've also enjoyed pottering in the garden and sipping the odd half of beer or glass of wine in the recent sunshine (hooray... on both counts!).

I was in hospital Wednesday for pre-op tests and 'assessment' and yesterday I went in for a scan. This has all been arranged in a bit of a hurry following a meeting with my consultant only last week. As my energy levels have improved I have been doing more and more including a few meetings for work, so it's been a little fraught re-organising the diary to fit everything in. The biggest challenge was Thursday's scan - I had previously advised "any time except Thursday at 1000" since I had a work meeting in the office. So it was almost inevitable that the appointment would come through for "Thursday at 1000"... and it did. I tried hard to move the appointment but the radiographer who was required to scan my colon was only available on Thursday morning. I made the mistake of believing the clerk who assured me that I would be able to work afterwards since it was only a 20 minute procedure. When I received the confirmation letter I spotted the word 'enema' and had my doubts - I checked with the nurse on arrival at hospital - a less confident "Should be ok" and, sure enough... I ended up standing up the boss, missing the meeting and unable to stray more than a few yards from the smallest room until later that evening.

Wisdom gained:

• Clerks are not medics
  
• Forget work following any medical procedure - medics only have the experience of giving rather than receiving said procedures
  
• Extra caution required if procedure involves any part of your body which you have not used for 8 months
  

I will be having my arse reconnected later today - in at 12; operation at 4pm. It's 1.5 hours, so should be much simpler than the last operation and I hope to be home early next week. I'll let you know more when I am next able to sit and type comfortably.