Hi all,
Thanks for all the warm wishes
I meant to post back but I've been really busy workwise, unfortunately working for myself does mean little rest, particularly as my number 2 is on holiday. Anyway...
First treatment went well on Tuesda and I've signed away the rights to the photos - my consultant is hoping to use me as a case study. Not quite cover girl shots (they're of my insides) but as close as I'll get. And no, not Facebook material either though I have to admit I was rather impressed by them.
I've Top Dog on my case, the world's leading authority in a treatment method not currently licensed by NICE as mainstream in the UK, but despite being thought of as 'pioneering' here, has been used in France for 40 years. It's very reassuring to be in the hands of a master, even if he does come equipped with something they call the "Bum Gun" (and it's enough to make your eyes water). The consultant (Prof Sun Myint) could have retired years ago but he's actually on a mission to get this treatment accepted as a key approach for bowel cancer, it not only saves a lot of surgery and indeed cost, but has saved a lot of arses too.
A number of things have been pointed out to me that my consultant at Stockport hospital missed or misunderstood, all the more reason I'm glad I stood my ground and insisted on the referral. The next treatment is a week on Tuesday, hopefully in the interim the pesky cancer tumour cells should hopefully be shriveling up. Top Dog did mention that they usually supplement this with chemo radiation - a definite no-no for me. While I'll (reluctantly) agree to external radiation if needed to blast a nearby lymph node, chemo is definitely the other side of my line, I believe in building my immune system to fight this and not blast it to smithereens alongside the cancer in the hope that only the good and not the bad cells return
Instead I'm following a very 'pure' diet, cutting out toxins in food and general living. Fortunately (off the record) Top Dog agrees with me on this, quite refreshing for a conventional medic.
All in all not a bad start and Clatterbridge is a real testament to the NHS. x
GG x