It started with a YAWN, Arj!

I went to see my local GP, Arj, to get a bump on my neck checked out. About 3-4 weeks earlier, I had done a big yawn, and felt something in my neck shift. No kidding. At the time, and up until now, my working theory was that I had strained a muscle in my neck, or something similar.

It's great to have someone who cares about me. Claire kept at me to go and get it checked out. After several weeks, I agreed that it was right to get it checked. Middle-aged white males; we really have something about inconveniencing doctors, don't we. I like my GP. He's a really nice, practical, friendly guy, and I have a nice and easy rapport with him.

I sat in the waiting room, doing what your normally do. Waiting, looking at the phone, waiting, looking at the clock, then waiting, and that was only 5 minutes. Promptly at 7pm, Arj came down the hallway, and called out my name. He said hello, and off we went to his room. Small swelling on the right side of my neck. No pain. Not interfering with anything I'm doing. Mmmm. He prods around, then gets two other doctors in the practice to come and have a look. The result was they didn't know, but he wanted me to go and get an ultrasound. Probably no need to worry, but let's see what an ultrasound turns up.

I left cheery, not having the slightest idea of what was about to unfold, and how my life was about to be turned upside down.

Blissfully unaware, maybe even ignorant, of my own mortality.

Yawn.

Popular posts from this blog

Home again!!

Image
After nearly 4 weeks in hospital, it's time to go home! As one nurse quipped to me, "Hospital is where sick people go. Home is where sick people go to get better".  To those who visited, or helped Claire keep everything running at home while she juggled starting a new job and looking after pets and kids; thank you. It's so good to be home amongst familiar surroundings. As an added bonus, Formula 1 testing was on last night so it was great to put my feet up and watch F1 on the big screen :)
Read more

Week 8 - I'd rather forget it. Hallucinations and more.

Image
Week 8 since treatment started, and the first week with no treatment, is a week in my life I'd really rather forget. It turns out I developed Aspirated Pneumonia and Week 8 I was running a fever over 40 degrees, while dealing with the after effects of chemotherapy AND radiotherapy. In addition, I was on morphine injections and cocaine mouthwash for pain, and was sweating and hallucinating, whilst in a 4-bed room in a public hospital ward. The burns on my neck from radiotherapy were at there peak, so imagine what the burns were like on the inside of my neck! In addition, chemotherapy was smashing me for six. Seriously, I cannot imagine a worse week ever in my life. Claire battled with a SNAFU to get me transferred across to St. Vincent's Private Hospital and by Thursday evening I was transferred across to the private hospital. If you are reading this and don't have private health insurance; get it.  I don't have much of a recollection of this week other than frightening ...
Read more

Tumor shrinking, Greg not shrinking :)

Image
At my weekly meeting with my radiation oncologist, June, on Tuesday, she was on the lookout for tumor size in my neck and what they were up to. I have been able to noticeably see and feel the tumors reducing in size, and to quote her "tumor is shrinking, Greg's not shrinking, this is good". My weight is still holding stead (omg I am eating like a horse!) and the tumors are indeed shrinking; great news! This week is also when June walked through my upcoming chemotherapy and pain medication to allow me to continue eating as long as possible. I've been prescribed a solution to gargle, swish and swallow before eating to totally numb my throat for 15 minutes or so. This is to enable me to get food into me "normally" for as long as possible. The other drug is a type of liquid morphine derivative that I squirt into my mouth, swish around, then swallow. I'm to use this when panadol will no longer keep the pain at bay. Other than this, it's radiation therapy ...
Read more