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It's celebration time, I am officially in Complete Remission! The cancer has gone away and it is all over. The pink champagne can be opened, hooray!
At the beginning of the week I got my CT scan results back and my haematologist gave me the good news. I didn’t know what to say when he told me, I was in shock. It still hasn’t sunk yet, I am guessing it will take a while.
I don’t get the all clear for five years as it could come back and that usually happens in the first two years, but knowing it has gone away for now is brilliant news.
The next step is having my operation to have the line removed. That should happen over the next couple of weeks. Some people just sit there and only have the area frozen to have the line taken out but there is no way I am doing that. You wouldn’t even get the needle near me to numb my chest and then there is no way I am been awake to see them operating on my chest. I’ll stick to the gas I had when I had my other two operations.
Hopefully as well this will be the last time I do the walk of doom. The walk of doom as I call it is when you have to walk from your room up to the room where they put you to sleep before you go into theatre. It’s awful, my stomach does summersaults and I feel sick. It doesn’t help you have to wear one of those lovely looking robes and white knee high socks, making you look ever so attractive.
Now I have been told I am in remission I don’t have to see my haematologist till November for blood test and check up, but he said he is confident everything will still be good. I will have to have a needle then because I won’t have my line in, so I will be calling on my best friend the emla cream to try and numb the pain.
I am definitely going to miss seeing Anita and Diana and everyone else at Little Aston every week. It won’t be the same waking up on a Friday and not having to spend the day there, but they won’t be able to get rid of me that easily. I shall be popping in for lots of cuppa’s and a good old chat. I just can’t believe how quick the last six months have gone and now it is all over.
WOW! What a nice surprise I just had. My boyfriend has been on holiday in Cyprus since last week and I thought he was getting back late tonight but then at around half eight the door bell rang and it was Ben.
My stomach did little summersaults like a little school girl. I don't know why but I felt all funny seeing him. I think it was because I hadn't seen him for a week and I am used to seeing him every day.
I gave him a huge hug. I have missed him loads and it was lovely seeing him, especially seen as I didn't even know he was back in the country.
He brought me a few little gifts back with him. Some Gucci perfume, a bracelet made from shells and a handmade necklace with my name. They were lovely.
For the rest of the night I have been watching Britain's Got Talent and writing my weekly column as it has to be sent off by tomorrow.
I thought my chemo just came in a bag already made up for when I got there but I was completely wrong. Each person’s chemotherapy drugs are made when they get there. This is because they go on your blood count, weight, height and type of cancer. So everyone’s drugs are completely different.
You arrive for the day and have your blood taken. The blood is then sent to the lab to be checked to make sure your count is fine and you are able to have the treatment. The drugs are then made in a special room that is off limits. However I was allowed to go in and film the process for my dissertation.
It first begins in room one where the pharmacist sorts out all the things she needs to make the chemo, like different types of needles, containers, the drugs measurements and so on. She has to make sure she has everything she needs as once she has gone through room two and into room three she can not come back out again, unless she wants to do the process all over again.
She then washes her hand with different soaps and starts to clean all the items she has sorted out to take with her. She cleans the boxes that she is going to put the things in, and then wipes each item over. She then does the same process for a second time. They are then passed through a sealed hatch into room three.
The pharmacist then goes into room two and puts on a special coat to cover her clothes, a hat to cover her hair, gloves for her hands and some crocs for her feet. This is because everything that goes into room three has to be sterilised. I actually got to do all this myself, so I certainly looked a picture when I was suited up ready.
Room three is where the drugs are made. All of the items that were cleaned in room one and passed through the hatch are cleaned all over again. Even the telephone and measurements sheet is cleaned and placed inside clear bags. They are then left for two minutes and this is actually timed with a stopwatch.
The drugs come in liquid or powder form and are placed inside a special container that is locked for another two minutes. Once the time is up, the pharmacist can begin to make then up. They are made in a container that has two hand holes so the pharmacist can sit in front of the glass with her hands into the container. After she has made them up she rings the pharmacy to get another pharmacist to make sure she has made the right drugs and measurements. This is called a volume check. They are then placed inside a final container for two minutes. The last thing to do is attach a sticker with the patient’s details onto the drugs.
I now know why it takes so long for them to make the chemo drugs. I never realised how much preparation went into making them and found it really interesting to see the process.
Today I went for some more treatment. The line worked perfectly when it came to taking the blood out so that was a relief and the chemo went well too, the bad news was that every time I know go for my chemo I will have to have that nasty bone marrow injection I told you about before!
My face dropped when Anita told me, I was not impressed at all. What is the point of this stupid line that is sticking out my chest!
I am sat thinking all about it at the moment as tomorrow I have off to have the dreaded injection. I am not looking forward to it all at. I know it is going to hurt so that is stuck in my mind. I might have my best friend the emla cream to numb my leg but it still doesn't work.
