A sobering day

Friday saw us once more at Kendal hospital seeing the oncologist.

 

As we waited to see him, we heard the sad news of Prince Phillip’s death. However, for us worse was to come.

 

When I finally got in, the oncologist was shocked to see how much I had deteriorated since he’s last seen me in the new year. He confirmed my neck is clearly filling up with tumours. It is just a matter of time before I will be unable to swallow food or drink. But at the moment I still can. He thinks I’m right in suggesting it is a genetic thing. My mother’s mother died of throat cancer. Almost certainly that it is why the tumours are now spreading up into my throat now.

 

The oncologist’s final prognosis was to suggest I’ve now probably only got a few weeks left. From now on all services should come to me rather than me go to them. He’s cancelling an appointment I had with oncology at the end of the month because I don’t think he thinks I’ll be here for it.

 

Meanwhile I’m getting a “Just in Case Kit” which is essentially a syringe full of various painkillers, muscle relaxants, anti-sickness medication, which the district nurse can come round & give me if I can no longer swallow pills etc.

 

I was surprised when, not long after we got home on Friday, I got a call from one of our GPs to come to see me. She left a whole lot of emergency numbers in case of any problems so I should be able to bypass the usual long wait if I need a doctor’s services.  Then yesterday the District nurses rang up with their list of emergency numbers so we know where to ring even if I need the use of this kit in the middle of the night.

 

 On Tuesday, the hospice is coming around again to see if there is anything they can do to help the Fox – he too is getting very tired. It’s all happening.

 

/And then, just occasionally, a friend turns up for a brief sit in the garden & a chat. It has been lovely to see them even if, I can rarely cope with more than 15 minutes of a visit at a time before needing another lie down to recuperate.

 

I knew I felt I was on the downhill slope. It just came as a shock for such a close date to be suggested.

 

The superstitious side of me, admits my mother died at 67 – yesterday was my 67^th birthday. She died in the May. It’s beginning to look as though I’m going to be doing the same.