6th May - Daring to plan
We weren't given much hope by the first Oncologist we saw back on 10th March. His prognosis was 9 months to a year. Our review meeting last Wednesday with the Oncologist (a different doctor each time) was a little more uplifting. Pat is handling the chemo medicine quite well and his "markers" are going down. His weight is going up and he is feeling stronger every week. The next milestone on this journey, which will truly show the success of the chemo treatment, is the CT scan on 30th May - a little over 3 weeks away.
The wait until we have the results of the CT scan will be tough. The scan will show if the chemo has reduced the cancer enough to make an operation possible. An operation would give a chance to completely remove the cancer from Pat's body. If not operable, then the strategy will be to slow the cancer's growth. However, given the good report card so far, we are feeling optimistic enough to think of making plans for the future.
First up is Pat's son Jamie visiting from NSW in two weeks. It'll be wonderful to see Jamie again. The last time Jamie visited was when Pat was first out of hospital. He was a fantastic support and helped us get set up to care for Pat. He's continued to provide support from afar with regular chats. So we look forward to his company.
A weekend away will also do us good. Although Pat is not keen on leaving the safety of the farm, I think a visit to an ocean beach is much needed for both of us. Unfortunately the scary Covid bug is still rampant, so to minimise contact I will book a secluded holiday apartment allowing us to cook for ourselves and go for short walks along the beach.
Beyond the CT scan date, we are now talking about progressing the farm plans. We want to get the vegie patch going and plant some more fruit trees. The paddock dams need to be deepened and the new grey water drainage system dug out. Winter is also the time to plant trees, so we hope to get our next round of natives planted in both the garden and the revegetation areas. Planting a seedling is certainly a sign of hope for the future!
Beyond that, we are both very much looking forward to spring and our first Babydoll lambs!
PS. Pat has just come back from his 5th dose and handed me the schedule for the next 4 cycles (8 doses). Dates are locked in for chemo to continue every second Friday through to August. So I can now make more plans including visits from interstate family and overseas friends.