Back for the Big One

After the Australia Day Weekend, I came back to Sydney for what is to be the beginning of the treatment that will finally cure my leukaemia. We arrived on the Wednesday morning, and went straight to what we call "Fish Bowl". Fish Bowl is part of the Pathology unit where we go to have blood samples taken. It's called Fish Bowl because the walls are painted with a "Nemo" theme. After you go to fish bowl, we go to Oncology Clinic where we see the Doctor, have infusions, sometimes have lumbar punctures, and while waiting, catch up on sleep or play with the playstations. One thing about Oncology Clinic, you learn how to wait. The girls who run the desk there say the same thing to everyone when you walk in . "Good morning, take a seat".

On the Thursday morning, I was not allowed to have breakfast. In fact I had been "nil by mouth" since midnight, but I was allowed to have clear fluid until 6am. My surgery was scheduled for 1.30, but the surgeon, Dr Harvey, came out at 12.15, and said, "Are you ready?" So at 12.30, I went under general anaesthetic to remove a 1.6 cm long lesion of infection in my left lung. After nearly 4 hours, Dr Harvey emerged from the recovery room to tell Mum and Dad it had gone how he had hoped. He had been able to do key hole surgery, and he was confident he had been able to remove most, if not all of the infection.

They are giving me three days to recover before they start my second last chemo. I'll need them. I feel absolutely awful. I have morphine to help with the pain, and a chest drain to get rid of the fluid.