The final stretch...?

Well folks, those of you who have been following this blog from the beginning will (hopefully) soon be able to read other more interesting and exciting stuff on the internet as hopefully (for the time being at least!) the end of this tumour battle is almost nigh. That is not to say I am (or ever will be) ompletely out of the woods yet, there's a lot of stuff to be done in the next few weeks including: 1) Doctors appointment on Monday- as with most surgeries across the UK; this was no mean feat, I actually phoned on Tuesday (17th), only to be told they had no appointments until the next week! Anyway nothing major, but following a phone call to my key worker nurse at the hospitaal, she advised me to go to my G.P, firstly to prescribe some codeine based painkillers- the stiffness is getting worse, and not being able to take Ibrufofren is a nightmare- Paracetamol is USELESS!. Secondly in view of the stiffness, I want my GP to also refer me for some physio, to help with my arm and shoulder, And thirdly (with such difficulty getting doctors appointments, I find you have to get as much done at once as possible!)- I ant to get the doctor to fill in a medical confirmation form so I can apply for a disabled bus pass. I ummed and ahhed a bit before deciding to do this last thing, but at the end of the day as I have a medical condition which prohibits me from driving, and a physical disabiliy which affects my walking- I qualify. And not being funny, there are very few perks to having a brain tumour, so if I can get to Norwich for free on the bus I'm going to do it!!! 2) On April 30th, I once more will go and have my monthly blood tests before chemo. 3) On May 2nd, I have a medical assessment connected with my ESA (Employment Support Allowance) benefit. In theory this won't mean any reduction in my benefit (they already have confirmation of my condition), rather it is a way to assess how much (if any) extra allowance I am entitled to. To be honest I am not that impressed with having to go through a medical. Firstly it's in Norwich, so I have to travel 30 miles just to be asssessed- god knows why they can't have anything a little nearer, and secondly I don't see how a medical can assess brain cancer. You can't see my condition, it's just there- they won't be giving me a scan or anything, and the DWP already had a letter from my oncologist outlining my condition, so the concept of being assessed is more than a little bit iritating!! 4) On May 5th, I start my 6th (and maybe last ???) cycle of chemo. Originally when I started treatment I was told I would be having six cycles of chemotherapy. So if this was still the case I would be getting very happy at the thought of this almost being over. However as many of you know, at my last MRI, my oncologist, Dr R, was deliberating over whether or not to give me two extra "just for luck" cycles to give an extra blast of chemo. So I still don't know what his final verdict will be. I do know that having given it careful consideration, I am ready to fight my corner for no more chemo. Before people think I'm going to recklessly refuse treatment in the style of a melodramatic soap opera plot (Tania-Eastenders-anyone?!?!), let me explain. At my last MRI in March the pictures showed that the tumour was barely even visible. After only three cycles it had already pretty much disappeared promting Dr R to say it was the "Best" scan he'd ever seen. Now given I obviously am this miraculous, chances are that after six cycles it will be completely disappeared. If this is the case I will question the necessity of more chemo at this juncture. Especially as 1) the stiffness and achiness is getting worse with every cycle, as is the nausia, so I would question putting my body through anymore. 2) Let's be brutally honest here; chances are this is not my last brain tumour, if/when I do get another recurrence, I will need every reserve to cope with another chemotherapy schedule, I don't want to weaken my blood count so much this time that it might make things more difficult next time round. Of course, I am lucky having a FANTASTIC oncologist, I know he won't force me into anything and will only push me if he feels it's in my best interests, so I will lsten to his decisionand weigh up the pros and cons when I have to, but I'm pretty confident that given he amount of monitoring I will get, that with/without extra cycles, any future incidents will be picked up and dealt with quickly!! 5) May 16th is the long awaited for MRI 6) May 18th is my mother's birthday:) but also (although not necessarily more importantly!) the follow up appointment and Dr Rs decision on the great chemo question! So there you have it, a very busy month ahead, fist stop the painkillers as (whilst writing this), my left arm is extremely painful right now, hoping to get something that actually WORKS!