Hard to believe that this time next week I will have finished the chemo pills and the 6 months of treatment is done - seems like ages but at the same time it has gone quickly. It is nearly August!
Yesterday evening I had the worst diarrhoea that I have had all year. I was a bit exhausted by it all and have had a slow day today recovering. . Strange that this should happen in my last week! I thought it was triggered by a cup of coffee I drank. I have not drunk that much coffee in the last year apart from the occasional cappuccino as I like the froth on top - which has been ok.
I was chatting last night on the phone to Gillian and she mentioned that there had been a tummy bug going around which only lasts a day so maybe I picked this bug up somewhere.
I am over the worst of it now and have made a recovery this afternoon. I have been drinking lots of fluids and eating bland food which has helped with the aid of some loperamide.
Thursday 28 July 2011
Wednesday 27 July 2011
Cancer Research UK Press Release - men's chances of bowel cancer has increased
As the news on my radio alarm woke me this morning I heard that Cancer Research UK have issued a Press Release today which makes alarming reading but confirms why we hear of more people having cancer than ever before. The reassuring news is that is that survival rates are much better.
Here are the main headlines from that Press Release..........
Men’s chances of getting bowel cancer in Great Britain have doubled since the mid 70s. Their lifetime risk has increased from around one in 29 to around one in 15. And for women bowel cancer risk has risen by more than a quarter going from one in 26 to one in 19.
Half of all patients diagnosed with bowel cancer now survive the disease for at least 10 years (around 50 per cent) – double the number who would have done so in the early 70s (around 23 per cent).
Other figures, released today by Cancer Research UK, show that men generally are more at risk of getting cancer – 42.2 per cent develop the disease compared to 38.8 per cent of women.
For some cancers including bowel – the risk of cancer in the next 10 years will be much higher for people in their 50s and 60s.
Sara Hiom, director of health information at Cancer Research UK, said: "An ageing population as well as changes in lifestyle have both led to more people developing cancer than a generation ago.
"But even though the chances of getting the disease have increased in the population there are many ways that people can cut their own risk. You can reduce your risk of bowel cancer by keeping a healthy weight, being physically active, eating a healthy diet that’s high in fibre and low in red and processed meat, cutting down on alcohol and not smoking. It’s also important to take up the opportunity to take part in bowel screening when invited.
And the good news is that even though more people are developing bowel cancer, more people are surviving the disease. There are many reasons for this including earlier diagnosis improved surgical techniques and better treatments many of which have been developed.
Early diagnosis is the key in dealing with bowel cancer but the English NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme is available only to people aged 60 years and over who are based in England. It cannot screen people who are below this age or who live elsewhere. Yet in Scotland and Wales their respective Bowel Screening Programmes will invite all men and women in Scotland between the ages of 50 to 74 for screening every two years. Why the difference I ask? Why in England do we not get the same treatment?
As the Press Release highlights that the risk is higher for people in their 50s as well as people in their 60s it is so important that if you are worried about symptoms such as a persistent change in bowel habit, pain in your abdomen, bleeding from the back passage, tiredness or weight loss, or are worried about your bowel health in any way, you shouldn't wait for screening. You should speak to your GP, who can arrange for referral to a specialist if necessary.
Here are the main headlines from that Press Release..........
Men’s chances of getting bowel cancer in Great Britain have doubled since the mid 70s. Their lifetime risk has increased from around one in 29 to around one in 15. And for women bowel cancer risk has risen by more than a quarter going from one in 26 to one in 19.
Half of all patients diagnosed with bowel cancer now survive the disease for at least 10 years (around 50 per cent) – double the number who would have done so in the early 70s (around 23 per cent).
Other figures, released today by Cancer Research UK, show that men generally are more at risk of getting cancer – 42.2 per cent develop the disease compared to 38.8 per cent of women.
For some cancers including bowel – the risk of cancer in the next 10 years will be much higher for people in their 50s and 60s.
Sara Hiom, director of health information at Cancer Research UK, said: "An ageing population as well as changes in lifestyle have both led to more people developing cancer than a generation ago.
"But even though the chances of getting the disease have increased in the population there are many ways that people can cut their own risk. You can reduce your risk of bowel cancer by keeping a healthy weight, being physically active, eating a healthy diet that’s high in fibre and low in red and processed meat, cutting down on alcohol and not smoking. It’s also important to take up the opportunity to take part in bowel screening when invited.
And the good news is that even though more people are developing bowel cancer, more people are surviving the disease. There are many reasons for this including earlier diagnosis improved surgical techniques and better treatments many of which have been developed.
Early diagnosis is the key in dealing with bowel cancer but the English NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme is available only to people aged 60 years and over who are based in England. It cannot screen people who are below this age or who live elsewhere. Yet in Scotland and Wales their respective Bowel Screening Programmes will invite all men and women in Scotland between the ages of 50 to 74 for screening every two years. Why the difference I ask? Why in England do we not get the same treatment?
As the Press Release highlights that the risk is higher for people in their 50s as well as people in their 60s it is so important that if you are worried about symptoms such as a persistent change in bowel habit, pain in your abdomen, bleeding from the back passage, tiredness or weight loss, or are worried about your bowel health in any way, you shouldn't wait for screening. You should speak to your GP, who can arrange for referral to a specialist if necessary.
One Year on...
Yes it is hard to believe that this blog has been going a year. It started on the day that I took my first chemotherapy tablet and started my 5 week course of radiotherapy. The idea was to keep you all informed of my progress as I made my journey through those 5 weeks. One year later I am still posting as I continue in my journey.
As I reread some of the posts it has not only been about my progress as I made my way through the visits to surgeons, oncologists, nurses, different hospitals, my surgery and subsequent chemotherapy but what else happens on a day to day basis. As Ruth pointed out when she read the blog for the first time a few months ago "you have eaten a lot of cake"! She suggested that the blog be renamed "Cancer Cake & Colin".
Thank you to you all who have persevered in reading my posts, phoning me, emailing me and visiting me in supporting me through this journey which has been longer than I ever anticipated.
A special thank you to my editor Neil who has diligently edited all of my posts before publishing and ensures that my habit of mixing tenses is corrected!
And of course where would I be without my fortnightly letters from Alison aka Miss Austen who decided to write to me when I started the treatment a year ago. She said she would write to me while I was having my treatment and surgery. She must have thought "oh no "when I had to have a further 6 months of chemotherapy! Ten out of ten for dedication Miss A! I have so enjoyed those letters and they have always made me laugh.
I looked at some of the stats that I can view relating to the blog and was surprised that there have been 4.010 hits with an audience from UK, USA, Austria, Canada, Germany, France, Switzerland, Russia, Brazil & Hong Kong .The most popular of my 87 posts was the photoblog of 18 August 2010.
But most of all I thank the universe or what ever you believe in for looking after me in this journey as the ride has not been as traumatic or debilitating as I imagined 12 months ago. I have learnt that I am a stronger individual than I ever appreciated I could be. Through this experience I have become more contented than I have ever been and realise that my family and friends are such special people who I am so lucky to have with me in this life. It brought me Colin the biggest distraction ever and who has played a major role in the journey in the last few months - who would have known that we would get a dog!
And finally how have I stood up to all this - comparing where I was 12 months ago and now - physically I think I look the same even after all this drugs have been pumped into my body.......
pretty well I think - it is amazing what the body can withstand.
A BIG THANKYOU!
As I reread some of the posts it has not only been about my progress as I made my way through the visits to surgeons, oncologists, nurses, different hospitals, my surgery and subsequent chemotherapy but what else happens on a day to day basis. As Ruth pointed out when she read the blog for the first time a few months ago "you have eaten a lot of cake"! She suggested that the blog be renamed "Cancer Cake & Colin".
Thank you to you all who have persevered in reading my posts, phoning me, emailing me and visiting me in supporting me through this journey which has been longer than I ever anticipated.
A special thank you to my editor Neil who has diligently edited all of my posts before publishing and ensures that my habit of mixing tenses is corrected!
 |
| He's driving me to drink with all this editing! |
And of course where would I be without my fortnightly letters from Alison aka Miss Austen who decided to write to me when I started the treatment a year ago. She said she would write to me while I was having my treatment and surgery. She must have thought "oh no "when I had to have a further 6 months of chemotherapy! Ten out of ten for dedication Miss A! I have so enjoyed those letters and they have always made me laugh.
 |
| The author Miss A waving the flag. |
I looked at some of the stats that I can view relating to the blog and was surprised that there have been 4.010 hits with an audience from UK, USA, Austria, Canada, Germany, France, Switzerland, Russia, Brazil & Hong Kong .The most popular of my 87 posts was the photoblog of 18 August 2010.
But most of all I thank the universe or what ever you believe in for looking after me in this journey as the ride has not been as traumatic or debilitating as I imagined 12 months ago. I have learnt that I am a stronger individual than I ever appreciated I could be. Through this experience I have become more contented than I have ever been and realise that my family and friends are such special people who I am so lucky to have with me in this life. It brought me Colin the biggest distraction ever and who has played a major role in the journey in the last few months - who would have known that we would get a dog!
And finally how have I stood up to all this - comparing where I was 12 months ago and now - physically I think I look the same even after all this drugs have been pumped into my body.......
 |
| July 2010 |
 |
| January 2011 |
 |
| July 2011 |
pretty well I think - it is amazing what the body can withstand.
A BIG THANKYOU!
Wednesday 20 July 2011
So today I start my last 2 week cycle.
Today marks an important event in that I start my last course of Capecitabine . I have been taking these tablets every 2 weeks in a 3 week cycle since 2 February - 6 tablets in the morning and evening with or just after food.
I hope that this will be the last cycle I have to take! I am scheduled to have a scan towards the end of August to see if there is any cancer left. The oncologist is optimistic that at this stage after all my treatment the scan should be clear - so I am confident too and positive about the outcome.
Meanwhile I have to remember to take the pills and looking forward to 3 August when I finish the course.
It is coming up to a year since I started treatment which is hard to believe. I came across this proverb which sums up the last year or so ..............
“If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.” ~Proverb
I hope that this will be the last cycle I have to take! I am scheduled to have a scan towards the end of August to see if there is any cancer left. The oncologist is optimistic that at this stage after all my treatment the scan should be clear - so I am confident too and positive about the outcome.
Meanwhile I have to remember to take the pills and looking forward to 3 August when I finish the course.
It is coming up to a year since I started treatment which is hard to believe. I came across this proverb which sums up the last year or so ..............
“If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.” ~Proverb
Tuesday 19 July 2011
It's taken me six months...........
I have been visiting Heatherwood Hospital every three weeks for a blood test. I normally attend on a Tuesday morning so that the results are known for my Wednesday morning appointment with the oncologist. There is no appointment system. You turn up take a number and wait your turn. I have waited anything in between 30 mins and 2 hours depending on how many nurses are on duty and how many patients are waiting for a blood test. But this week I went along at 3.30pm yesterday afternoon(Monday) and was in and out in 15 minutes! Why has it taken me so long to work this out that the afternoons are bound to be quieter as in the mornings patients who have had to starve before their blood test will be there as well as anyone referred from the GPs morning surgery or people going before work. Well at least now I know!!!
TEDTALKS
In the last few months I have been watching videos on TEDTALKS. TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design.
I have watched some very interesting and fascinating talks. I wanted to share this interesting video "A new strategy in the war on cancer" by David Agus. It is in similar vein to the Economist article that I posted last week in that it challenges the traditional method of treating cancer and how chemotherapy is not always the way forward and that a broad spectrum of technologies will be used in discovering new ways of treating cancers.
Take a look at other presentations on TED - some of the ones I have watched have been truly inspirational. One of my favourites was by Aimee Mullins and her 12 pairs of legs. Aimee Mullins was born without fibular bones, and had both of her legs amputated below the knee when she was an infant. She learned to walk on prosthetics, then to run -- competing at the national and international level as a champion sprinter, and setting world records at the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta.
I have watched some very interesting and fascinating talks. I wanted to share this interesting video "A new strategy in the war on cancer" by David Agus. It is in similar vein to the Economist article that I posted last week in that it challenges the traditional method of treating cancer and how chemotherapy is not always the way forward and that a broad spectrum of technologies will be used in discovering new ways of treating cancers.
Take a look at other presentations on TED - some of the ones I have watched have been truly inspirational. One of my favourites was by Aimee Mullins and her 12 pairs of legs. Aimee Mullins was born without fibular bones, and had both of her legs amputated below the knee when she was an infant. She learned to walk on prosthetics, then to run -- competing at the national and international level as a champion sprinter, and setting world records at the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta.
Monday 18 July 2011
Courageous Colin's Fun Run
Last Thursday was Colin's debut in the BA Fun Run, He did a great time 26mins 20sec. - he beat Neil by 2 seconds!. He even stopped for a swim in the lake. All we need to do is train him to ride a bike and he can enter a triathalon! He raised £410 for Cancer Research which was much more than we expected. A big thank you to everyone who sponsored him. Here are some photos:
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| Pre Race Photo |
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| Look at my new friend dad - is it a gorilla or a big doggie? |
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| Colin met Lionel Vinyl! |
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| Give me some of your samosa as I have just run 5k. |
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| French & Saunters Team |
Thursday 14 July 2011
Interesting Article in the Economist
Thanks to Nouchine for posting a very interesting article on Linked In about the cost of new Cancer Drugs.
Oncologists have long used the same blunt weapons to fight different types of cancer: cut the tumour out, zap it with radiation or blast it with chemotherapy that kills good cells as well as bad ones. That's the treatment that I received and is outlined as the course of treatment in the NICE guidelines. The new cancer drugs being produced are more intelligent and bespoke that are aimed at specific cancers. There is so much research being done and more solutions being found but the cost of these new drugs can be prohibitive and not always available because of the cost by the NHS or Private medical plans. This article explains it all very well.
On a lighter note it is Colin's big day today - he is running with Neil in the BA Fun Run for charity. This is his first 5km Fun Run - he has been training with Neil on Sunday mornings for the last few weeks so he can easily do the distance. He has raised over £400 for Cancer Research. Many many thanks for all of you who have generously sponsored him and it is not too late for those you who still have some spare pennies and want to sponsor him - here is a link to his Just Giving Page. We have been blown away by how much he has raised and he knows nothing about it bless him - but he will have some extra dinner and treats this evening!
Oh yes and Me - still doing OK! Taking the last tablet this evening of my penultimate course of chemo pills.If blood tests all good nect week then I start my last course next Wednesday.
Oncologists have long used the same blunt weapons to fight different types of cancer: cut the tumour out, zap it with radiation or blast it with chemotherapy that kills good cells as well as bad ones. That's the treatment that I received and is outlined as the course of treatment in the NICE guidelines. The new cancer drugs being produced are more intelligent and bespoke that are aimed at specific cancers. There is so much research being done and more solutions being found but the cost of these new drugs can be prohibitive and not always available because of the cost by the NHS or Private medical plans. This article explains it all very well.
On a lighter note it is Colin's big day today - he is running with Neil in the BA Fun Run for charity. This is his first 5km Fun Run - he has been training with Neil on Sunday mornings for the last few weeks so he can easily do the distance. He has raised over £400 for Cancer Research. Many many thanks for all of you who have generously sponsored him and it is not too late for those you who still have some spare pennies and want to sponsor him - here is a link to his Just Giving Page. We have been blown away by how much he has raised and he knows nothing about it bless him - but he will have some extra dinner and treats this evening!
Oh yes and Me - still doing OK! Taking the last tablet this evening of my penultimate course of chemo pills.If blood tests all good nect week then I start my last course next Wednesday.
Sunday 3 July 2011
Friday 1 July 2011
Visit to Oncologist on 29 June
5 weeks now since I had my last infusion and on Wednesday I had to see the oncologist before he would give me my prescription for the Chemo tablets that I will be taking at home for the next few weeks. The results from the blood tests this month were moving in the right direction. He decided that as I had no new side effects after the last treatment he would give me tablets for the last two sessions. I will have to get another blood test before I start the last set of pills but unless he calls me when he gets the results I am ok to start the last batch, which means I should be free of drugs come the 3rd August
He told me that I will then have a CT scan in September and he will call me if anything untoward shows up but that is generally unlikely at this stage after all the chemo treatment. If I receive no call then we are ok for a whole year before I have to go to him again! This was indeed promising news and I felt that there was a glimmer of hope that we were on the home straight. I had to treat myself to a coffee and a slice of Victoria sponge at the Windsor Farm shop cafe!
That just leaves the stoma reversal operation which will happen late September and then we are really on the way to the finishing line of treatment!
He told me that I will then have a CT scan in September and he will call me if anything untoward shows up but that is generally unlikely at this stage after all the chemo treatment. If I receive no call then we are ok for a whole year before I have to go to him again! This was indeed promising news and I felt that there was a glimmer of hope that we were on the home straight. I had to treat myself to a coffee and a slice of Victoria sponge at the Windsor Farm shop cafe!
That just leaves the stoma reversal operation which will happen late September and then we are really on the way to the finishing line of treatment!
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