These days I'm no stranger to the fine hospitals we are blessed with in Newcastle. I have been in a lot of bone pain lately, particularly in my right hip & knee; like someone trying to drill a hole in the top of my right tibia whilst also stabbing me with a screwdriver in the ribs every time I breathed in. However today was meant to be a routine trip to the RVI for a CT scan, as part of the separate investigation into the condition of my spine post-radiotherapy. Following the eradication of the plasmacytoma in December 2018 my T12 vertebrae was left with a gaping hole on the right-side, and might need some surgical intervention to strengthen, and prevent a collapse.
En route to Newcastle my wife and I received the phone call on the hands-free from the Freeman Hospital. "Can you come in as soon as you can..?". Phone calls that start in this way seldom bode well. As it was, the Specialist Nurse who called went on to explain what was wrong, and she was great - there can't be such a thing as a 'good way' to deliver such news but we were pleased not to be left guessing. Last year my plasmacytoma diagnosis landed slowly and softly in that I'd known for months something wasn't right, and strong suspicions of cancer had been discussed well before the results were confirmed. Also it was treatable & curable. This time wouldn't promise to be so straight forward. The report from the PET scan I had the previous Friday landed and revealed hot spots of myeloma in my neck, spine, ribs, shoulder and leg. "Pretty consistent with the pain I've been feeling", I thought to myself, valiantly applying logic at a time like this. As instructed we completed the CT scan at the RVI and drove to the Freeman to face the music. Everything was ready for our arrival; a cup of tea, an appointment with a consultant, bone marrow biopsy, my treatment plan, my first round of steroids, and my first Zometa infusion. And all this was wrapped around by something perhaps most important of all in the moment - our Specialist Nurse being with us to talk to, and a quiet place for Janine and I to sit and be there for each other. After a surreal morning, we quickly grew in positivity as the day progressed. The more we spoke with the consultants and nurses, the more we understood and so the more comfortable we became with my diagnosis. We started to understand how the chemotherapy treatment would play out across the year, and we were buoyed by the possibility of joining the MUK9 trial, flagging our intent to consent in any case. The bone marrow biopsy (my third in six months) was painful but sociable and the half hour Zometa infusion gave us both pause for reflection in the tranquillity of Ward 36. Once the steroids kicked in, my bone pain subsided. It was a long day and a lot to take in but I'm in the best place, with the best treatments with the best staff and I can't ask for much more than that. Oh and, my T12 vertebrae has indeed partially collapsed.
0 Comments
|
About meI'm David Jameson, I live in Whitley Bay with my beautiful wife Janine, our two children and our two dogs. I love music, and Newcastle United. And I have multiple myeloma. Archives
June 2020
Categories
All
|