5. What did you learn today?

3 May 2019 – Friday

*For school, Zara has to “Dress as a Decade”, apparently my old 80s jacket scared her. I learnt that she doesn’t like tassels.

“Russ” – in the language of my postman – means Juice

*I learnt how to pronounce “caecum”.

*I learnt this cancer is no big thing…..

So, the hospital got back to me – finally – appointment on Tuesday to discuss the results of their internal MD Team meeting and I guess the next steps. Not interesting.

Then this afternoon off to the private consultant at St Mark’s. After a poor start – he was 15 minutes late – it all went fantastically. Keep in mind that to this point I have still not spoken to an NHS consultant – just nurses. After a few minutes of explaining my diagnosis and him spending a few minutes drawing a bowel (how many times, for how much money?) he was about to say “That is all very well your explanation, but without your medical reports….. “. At which point I whipped out the printed copies of ALL the medical reports for the last 6 weeks. That rather surprised him.

From that point he was great, just what you want from your specialist. He answered all my questions; dispelled all my worries about my other aches and pains being related to the cancer; explained the surgery required (right hemicolectomy) – which I knew, but he went into detail of the process; explained the timescales; the MRI trial I was aware of at Marsden. We also covered recovery; histology; chemo – I felt time was no barrier and he would have been happy to spend 2 hours talking with me.

The St Mark’s MDT is Friday, however he said if you’re good to go I can book a surgery slot when I finish consulting today. We could have you in the week after the MDT!!!! It looks like Lewis Hamilton has just taken the lead 😀 .

So – a bloody good day 😀 😀 .

Back home and a celebratory Dominos will be ordered with the kids. Stella loves Dominos!

But I have learnt one more thing today – It appears that recently Stella has lived on too many take-aways, and the offer of Dominos did not bring on a Happy Dance. You can’t win them all.

( 🙋 For a bonus point and answers in the comments – what’s on the blackboard?)