The Cortisol Diaries

Good news on the scan. The main tumour has reduced from 14x7 to 12x5 (the 14cm I think is the 15cm from the precious scan but just measured by a different doctor looking at the old scan - loving the precision of the reporting). Lung mets are barely perceptiple now. Hilar nodes have shrunk to a degree where it's within the realms of normality. I don't fully understand this but it's good news. So, in summary, further good response to treatment and no new signs of disease. My oncologist is very happy and says the decision is whether to have surgery now or to have two more rounds of chemo and then surgery. The advantage of more chemo is it should make the surgery easier as it reduces the tumour size and how it impedes on organs. He's leaning towards more chemo but will discuss with the surgeon and let me know (hopefully by Friday if the surgeon is available). Chemo would be in 2 weeks as normal, surgery spuld probably be in 3/4. I said in the last blog post that I...

My mood has been slightly lower the last few weeks, particularly since just before the start of the fourth cycle. I was really dreading it but as I said in the previous post, it went smoother than I thought it would. Fatigue is a real issue now though and I’m constantly tired, even feeling a bit nauseous because of how tired I am. Even when I do all the right things – eating little and often, sleeping a bit earlier, getting out the house every day – I just feel constantly drained. I’ve been very good with my routine but it’s still got to my mood and getting through this second week has been a real struggle. This culminated in a bit of a bit of a breakdown earlier in the week, the first time I’ve properly cried in a while. I think it was just a combination of feeling really rubbish, and thinking of the fact that 6 months ago pre-diagnosis I was living the normal life of someone in their 20's, planning my summer and enjoying myself, to the position I’m in now, and the realisation t...

As ever, it’s been a long while since I’ve done an update. I’m planning on doing a proper one soon but to be honest, the second day of the week after being in hospital for chemo is when I’m at my least energetic and lucid (chemo has fully hit and the steroids have worn off) so will leave it a few days. So just a brief, medical focused update for now as people are getting concerned! Chemo week went smoothly. I was dreading the hospital stay a little bit more than usual because of how much I had issues with smell and taste last time, and my moods been a bit lower, but I’ve learnt they are manageable, plus I had a dose of good luck, so everything was fine. Still a lower appetite than usual and now fighting larger fatigue (as expected) so eating little and often, but my weight has kept the same which is all important. I’m still being active an have been out usually twice a day for walks without it being an issue at all in terms of my fitness, and in many ways I feel like I’m dealing ...