The battle ahead

Sarah and I met with the Haematologist today and we laid out the new treatment plan. I'm going down hill pretty quickly at the moment. Blood counts are appalling and the cancer is spreading. My lungs are a mess, so much so that they are stopping me from exercising enough to build any real strength.

Because of this we decided that in ten days I'll start on Gemcitabine palliative chemo that will hopefully clean up my bone marrow so I can start making blood again and also knock the cancer back hard enough that I get a fairly decent period of health.

There's one catch, I'm still so weak from my battle with pneumonia that if a catch any more bugs while on treatment they will almost certainly kill me as I'll have no immune system and no energy reserves to put up a fight.
I think it's worth the risk, I've never been one to shy away from a challenge and I can't go on treading water like I am now. Fingers crossed for the result Sarah and I are hoping for!

Forever the optimist I'm still getting my left eye cataract done next Wednesday.
I then start the chemo on the following Monday. I'm really, really going to have to be so vigilant with regards to watching for fevers (not easy when you run a fever everyday as it is!) and getting into hospital at the first sign of trouble. I've always said that I won't die of cancer but rather an opportunistic infection. I've got a real challenge ahead of me, probably the biggest of my life, and so little to work with. However if determination and previous close shaves count for anything, I'll be fine.

I'll update as things progress.   ..Ron