A bit of a let down

This morning I was full of optimism. This afternoon I am totally deflated. Having had a six week delay due to an infected wound when just halfway through my chemo session, I was hoping today would see the go ahead given to resume treatment. It was not to be.

The first blow was when my temperature again showed as 38.2C, well over the 37.5 alarm level. The nurse who wielded the thermometer actually said "you should be in hospital with a temperature like this". Not a good start. Then it was time to see the oncologist, who asked about the "history" of the infected area and its treatment and then examined the troublesome spot. Despite the fact that things were much improved and the gaping hole had almost filled up correctly with no sign of infection, he was not happy as it was now over six weeks old. He decided to find a surgeon to examine the wound, which was a little scary, but the lady consulted was quite happy that it was now clean and healing properly and didn't require intervention.

However, my delight at hearing that was soon knocked in the head when the oncologist explained why he was going to have to delay my chemo for a further two weeks, despite knowing that last week's scan had shown a slight growth in my lumps.

I was previously being treated with Irinotecan, 5-FU, and Avastin (Bevacizumab). It appears that the Avastin aids the efficiency of the other two drugs, but one of its side effects is that it inhibits the body's ability to heal. If I start back on treatment now there's a very high chance that the improvement in the infected area will come to a rapid halt, risking further infection. So, it's another 2 weeks delay.

Having had all the details explained I understand why more delay is needed, but knowing that while all this is happening the little unwanted lodgers in my body are spreading their wings a bit further is quite disturbing. When I do resume chemo I have to start a fresh routine of six fortnightly sessions, and I've been told that there's the likelihood of being on chemo permanently while ever my body will tolerate it.

Not a lot to look forward to, but I suppose at least I'm still here to grumble about it!