Tuesday and its oncology decision day. I wake early and do my vitals, all good, and eat the toast and hot water my partner brings me. It’s a day for new underwear and thermal top to make me feel comfortable and before I know it I am in the car with my partner driving me to the clinic at the hospital. We were both amazed that there was a parking space, not so impressed that the parking ticket machine was out of order and we had to walk down to the one by the maternity car park. With our ticket installed we entered the clinic and are directed to the waiting area. In fairness we did not have to wait long and we were soon called into the consulting room. ” he who made a pact with the devil ” asks how I am and then tells me who he has talk to about my options. Radio therapy is out, no surprise there, it was out nearly three years ago. There are no suitable trials available to me, I suspect the because Enzalutamide has stopped working for me that makes me ineligible for any trials as trails of new drugs are usually given in combination of standard treatment and that is what Enzalutamide is. So I spoke briefly about what had read and the fact that I could not find decent figures for the LU117 treatment and what I had decided I chosen.
I told “he who made a pact with the devil” that I was going for “chemotherapy rechallenge”. He asked me if I wanted to go before Christmas or after, I made it very clear I wanted to go as soon as possible. So he got out the consent forms for me to sign, the pressed a bloods form into my hand to have done prior to cycle 1 and another blood form for a virology check. With that done we were ushered out but not before I gave him two copies of The Cancer Years Anthology: Man to Man and told him to read the preface. I waited in the lounge area to be called to have my vitals done and have and ECG. I very quickly regretted wearing a new thermal top and a jumper as I realised the nurses would need access to my skin and veins. The nurse called me for my vitals and we had soon agreed my height and weight, my SATS were at 99% and on the second go at my blood pressure we got it down to 126/72, so all good there. From there we moved into the ECG room where I was wired and the measurements done, but not before my Fitbit screwed the reading up, so I had to take it off before a clean reading was obtained. With a good set of readings it was declared that my “heart was good”. Nice to know. With the basics done I get myself together and go to the loo for a pre-emptive pee. On my return I find a nurse is handing a prescription for pre chemo steroids into my partners hand. We take it and head for the pharmacy.
The pharmacy is new and the chap on reception goes through his well rehearsed routine and gives me a buzzer so that I and my partner can sit and wait for twenty minutes. The buzzer goes off and I collect my box of steroids and the small blue card to carry to tell everyone I am on steroids. With this job done my partner and I make our way to the building with the blood test department in it. We arrive and I find the numbered ticket dispenser at the door and I take a ticket, number 61. I then look up at the number indicator to see where I am in the queue and to my surprise the number showing is 252. It doesn’t take long to figure out that the tickets relates to the last two numbers on the indicator. However it is clear that soem of the people waiting are clearly bamboozled by this system and soem people end up having it explained to them by those that have worked it out. I think one bloke waiting in the corridor who was there when we arrived and there when we left had never figured it out. My turn rolls round and I have to free my right arm to expose a vein. The nurse is very good in her dual booth and is adept with the “small scratch” routine and son has three vials of my blood in little brown capped tubes. All watched by those in the waiting area as the curtain to the booth is never closed. With the bloods done my partner and I head for the car. We thought we had over done the car parking ticket fee but in reality we only had 20 minutes left on our time.
We drove to a favourite garden centre headed for with the intention of a late lunch but the place was full so we headed for another centre where we settled down for a late lunch. I was pleased with my chilli con carne choice and felt much better for a sizable meal. Feeling better we wandered a bit and bought odds and ends and meat from the centres butcher. It was home then to squirrel the food away and to have a drink. I then set about the days crosswords, no problems there and then onto draft the blog.
Tonight I shall watch football, take my night meds and plan my next moves. Obviously I need to get my hair chopped off and get clean shaven as its all going to fall out any way, then there is the rest of Christmas to sort out and all the events between now and then. The chemo rechallenge is in the mix so much depends when I get my instructions to attend my induction day and the actual start of my chemo. Time for flexibility and creativity but also to get my “game face” on, having chosen the rechallenge I need to give it my best shot. Today the rechallenge has started.
